Cornelis Johannes Marius Nagtglas (born 16 May 1814 – 19 January 1897) was a Dutch politician and civil servant, who made a career in the administration on the
Dutch Gold Coast
The Dutch Gold Coast or Dutch Guinea, officially Dutch possessions on the Coast of Guinea (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Nederlandse Bezittingen ter Kuste van Guinea'') was a portion of contemporary Ghana that was gradually colonized by the Dutch (et ...
. After originally beginning his career at the advanced age of 36, he was promoted through the ranks to eventually become Governor of the Dutch Gold Coast in 1858. He retired to the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
in 1862, but returned to the Gold Coast as governor in 1869, to restore order in the embattled colony. In 1871, he left the Gold Coast again, one year before the transfer of the colony to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
Biography
Cornelis Nagtglas was born in
Utrecht
Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...
on 16 May 1814 to Cornelis Nagtglas, sr. and Maria Ruyghart. He attended the
Latin school
The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Other terms used include Lateinschule in Germany, or later Gymnasium. Latin schools were also established in Colon ...
in Utrecht but did not graduate, and instead pursued a career in the military. As new rules forbade the promotion of
non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...
s to
commissioned officers
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...
, Nagtglas saw his career plans fall apart. Nagtglas decided to leave the army and pursue a civil career. Adventurism and a desire to get ahead made him apply for a position in the colonial administration of the Gold Coast.
Nagtglas started his career as colonial administrator on the Gold Coast in 1851. After having been installed as an assistant by
royal decree
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...
on 9 January, he arrived in
Elmina
Elmina ( Fante: ''Edina'') is a town and the capital of the Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem District on the south coast of Ghana in the Central Region. It is situated on a bay on the Atlantic Ocean, west of Cape Coast.Straight line distances ...
on 28 May, and started working as an assistant judge from 28 July onward. On 10 January 1852, he was appointed commander of
Fort Crêvecoeur
Ussher Fort is a fort in Accra, Ghana. It was built by the Dutch in 1649 as Fort Crèvecœur, and is two days' march from Elmina and to the east of Accra on a rocky point between two lagoons. It was one of three forts that Europeans built in the r ...
in
Accra
Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...
. Nagtglas returned to Elmina in 1853, where he was promoted to resident on 7 December. On 1 May 1857, after returning from a leave to the Netherlands, Nagtglas became accountant of the Gold Coast.
On 9 September 1857, he took over the duties of governor
Jules van den Bossche
Jules Félicien Romain Stanislas van den Bossche (born 4 September 1819 – 12 January 1889) was a Dutch military officer and colonial government official. He was governor of the Dutch Gold Coast between 1857 and 1858 and member of the Counci ...
, who left for the Netherlands because of illness, in an acting capacity.
By royal decree of 8 May 1858, Nagtglas was appointed full governor, and upon receiving this news, he was installed by the Colonial Council in Elmina on 21 June 1858.
After eleven years of service on the Gold Coast, Nagtglas was, at his own instigation, relieved of his duties on 23 June 1862, retiring to the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, he wrote a small pamphlet named ''A word concerning the question: "What should the Netherlands do with its possessions on the coast of Guinea?"'' (1863), in which he first elaborated on the dilapidated state of affairs of the colony, before arguing for increased salary for the administrators, for better education of the local people, for an interchange of territory with the British, for equal tariffs, and for the installation of qualified people on the Gold Coast. If all this were to turn out impossible, Nagtglas posited it would be better to sell the forts to Britain, as
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
did in 1850.
Nagtglas was then installed as an advisor to the Dutch government, and negotiated with fellow-advisors
Henri Alexander Elias and Bentinck the
Convention between Great Britain and the Netherlands for an Interchange of Territory on the Gold Coast of Africa with the United Kingdom. After this trade of forts proved a failure, and the Dutch Gold Coast came at the brink of being run-over by revolting local peoples, Nagtglas was again appointed governor of the Gold Coast on 20 March 1869, arrived in Elmina on 14 May, and installed the next day.
Nagtglas commanded
several Dutch military interventions in an effort to subject the revolting locals. Due to illness, he quit his job as Governor on 8 June 1871, left for the Netherlands two days later, and was discharged with honour on 20 October.
Reputation
Among both Dutch and British colonial administrators, Cornelis Nagtglas had a reputation of devotion to all matters concerning the Gold Coast. He initiated and maintained an extensive bureaucracy while governor, giving the impression that he was the governor of a large colony rather than the governor of a small colony consisting of a few forts.
Cornelis Nagtglas is often portrayed in literature as an enlightened colonial ruler, with a good feel towards local customs and politics, and with a sense of realism in terms of the limited Dutch influence on the Gold Coast in the 19th century. Michel Doortmont of the
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; , abbreviated as RUG) is a Public university#Continental Europe, public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen (city), Groningen, Netherlands. Founded in 1614, th ...
questions this reputation, however, in an investigation of Nagtglas' handling of a dispute between a local chief and the Dutch commander of
Fort St Anthony at
Axim
Axim is a coastal town and the capital of Nzema East Municipal district, a district in Western Region of South Ghana. Axim lies 64 kilometers west of the port city of Sekondi-Takoradi in the Western Region, west of Cape Three Points. Axim ha ...
concerning hammock-bearers. Not understanding the lack of power of the chief towards his subjects in this respect, Doortmont argues that "Nagtglas was perhaps not the big colonial thinker many have held him to be".
Scientific work
During his time on the Gold Coast, Nagtglas collected 236 bird specimens together with
zoologist
Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...
Hendrik Pel
Hendrik Severinus Pel (30 August 1818 – 11 January 1876) was a Dutch zoologist and colonial administrator on the Dutch Gold Coast.
Biography
Hendrik Pel was born in Leiden to warehouse keeper Isaac Pel and Adriana Lammerina Hunink. On 1 ...
, which he donated in 1862 to the , which is now
Naturalis Biodiversity Center
Naturalis Biodiversity Center () is a national museum of natural history and a research center on biodiversity in Leiden, Netherlands. It was named the European Museum of the Year 2021.
Although its current name and organization are relatively ...
.
The
Nagtglas's African dormouse
The Nagtglas's African dormouse (''Graphiurus nagtglasii'') is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and possibly Gabon. Its natural habitat is subtr ...
is named after Cornelis Nagtglas.
Personal life
During his first period on the Gold Coast, Nagtglas and Anna Abraba Smith (c. 1840–1920), a
Euro-African woman, had a son named Karel Anne Nagtglas whom Nagtglas legally recognized as his child when he returned to the Gold Coast in 1869. Anna Abraba Smith later married
George Emil Eminsang.
In the Netherlands, he married Wilhelmina Sophia Michell on 17 December 1862. They had two daughters that survived infancy.
Decorations
*
Order of the Netherlands Lion
The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands (, ) is a Dutch honours system, Dutch order of chivalry founded by William I of the Netherlands on 29 September 1815.
The Order of the Netherlands Lion wa ...
(Knight, 1860)
*
Order of the Oak Crown
The Order of the Oak Crown (, , ) is an order (honour), order of the Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
History
The Order of the Oak Crown was established in 1841 by William II of the Netherlands, Grand Duke William II, who was also King o ...
(Commander)
*Metal Cross medal
*Honorary medal for important war actions with Guinea buckle
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagtglas, Cornelis Johannes Marius
1814 births
1897 deaths
Colonial governors of the Dutch Gold Coast
Politicians from Utrecht (city)