本書選取兩份17世紀後半，描繪荷蘭統治台灣樣貌的荷蘭語古文獻，以中英文雙語翻譯，並蒐錄原史料全文。〈費爾堡長官報告〉由1649–1653 年間擔任大員長官的尼可拉斯‧費爾堡（Nicolaes Verburch）書寫，以殖民當局的角度出發，描寫荷蘭治下原住民、教會工作、殖民政府運作等情形。另一份史料〈東印度對談〉於1665 年以小冊子形式出版，從基層人物的觀點以文學筆調譏諷殖民地社會奇特現狀，乃是荷蘭東印度公司的對外宣傳品。兩份史料中對東印度公司、費爾堡治理台灣持截然不同的立場，讀者當能藉此書概覽荷蘭人統治台灣之大要，採取多方比較而求其實況，不失於單一觀點。This work includes two selects documents, with translation, concerning the Dutch rule overTaiwan(Formosa) in the last half of the 17th century. The "Governor Verburch's Report" whileunveiling the detailed account of colonial rule of Formosa, enlightens and emphasizes the achievementsof colonial administration. The "East Indian Dialogue," presents the litany of criticism by thegrass-roots level. This work provides readers about the overview of the Dutch rule over Taiwan withmultiple angles, from top-down to bottem-up.
