This book presents tables which give a virtually complete survey of the direct ship ping between the Netherlands and Asia between 1595-1795. This period contains, first, the voyages of the so-called Voorcompagnieen and, then, those for and under control of the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC). The survey ends in 1795. That year saw an end of the regular sailings of the VOC between the Netherlands and Asia, since, following the Batavian revolution in January, the Netherlands be came involved in war with England. The last outward voyage left on 26 December 1794. After news of the changed situation in the Netherlands was received in Asia, the last homeward voyage took place in the spring of 1795. The VOC itself was dis banded in 1798. In total 66 voyages of the voorcompagnieen are listed, one more than the tradition ally accepted number. The reconnaissance ship, POSTILJON, from the fleet ofMahu and De Cordes, that was collected en route is given its own number (0022). Since the attempt of the Australische Compagnie to circumvent the monopoly of the VOC can be considered as a continuation of the voorcompagnieen the voyage of Schouten and Le Maire is also listed (0196-0197). For the rest, exclusively the outward and homeward voyages of the VOC are men tioned in the tables. Of those there were in total 4722 outward and 3359 homeward."

The editors of the seventh volume of Acta Historiae Neerlandicae have followed the same lines as those adopted for its predecessor. Studies have again been selected which throw light on the history of the Low Countries, the choice again being directed to subjects likely to be of interest to foreign scholars lacking knowledge of the Dutch language. For this reason articles fairly general in scope have been chosen: studies of local interest or concerned with matters of detail have not been included. In this volume a wide diversity of topics is treated. Included are studies in the economic and social history of the later Middle Ages, and on subjects in the fields of the sixteenth and early half of the eighteenth centuries. There are two articles on the nineteenth century Dutch statesman Thorbecke (1972 was the anniversary of his death). And there are also contributions on the homeland of Erasmus and on Dutch reactions to the publication of Darwin's Origins of Species. Also included are surveys of recent historical publications in the Netherlands and of those from Belgian historians that appeared in Dutch. A group of English historians, working under the guidance of Professor Swart, of University College, London, has surveyed the former, this article being edited by Mrs Alice Carter of the London School of Economics. The task of the late Professor Dhondt, of the University of Ghent, in connection with the survey of the Belgian contributions written in Dutch has been taken over by W.