The verbaal bundled ministerial response with all documents consulted

Evidence

The more important rubric in the Dutch colonial archives is the “verbaal” (Vb). A verbaal was generated from the office of the Minister of Colonies, a message that might be a decree, a demand for information, a decision or comment on a mailrapport of the Governor-General or of someone else. Because the verbaal contained the Minister’s message, also on double foolscap paper, and the materials he consulted or deemed relevant to write the message or make a decision, mail reports and their appended documentation often were included in verbalen. Verbalen were organized chronologically by the date they were sent. But the reports and letters therein could span a more extended period of time. — Ann Laura Stoler, Along the Archival Grain_ Epistemic…, 89

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the verbaal, the central organizing unit of the Dutch colonial archive.