ABSTRACT
As a result of Houtman’s account of his voyage and the information it provided, the merchants of Amsterdam were encouraged to establish a settlement on Java.1 This would give them control of the pepper-trade; it would bring them close to the islands where the more valuable spices grew; it could facilitate their communication with China and Japan; and it would, moreover, be a good long way from the centre of European power that they had to fear in India. Van Neck, entrusted in 1598 with this important mission, arrived with eight ships at the island of Java, where he found the inhabitants hostile to his nation. There was fighting, and there were negotiations. The pilot Abdul, the Chinese, and even more the inhabitants’ hatred of the Portuguese, all helped the Dutch. They were permitted to trade, and soon sent off four ships, carrying a great many spices and some linens. The admiral, with the rest of the fleet, set sail for the Moluccas, where he learned that the inhabitants had driven the Portuguese from a number of places, and were only awaiting a favourable opportunity to drive them from the rest. He set up factories on several of the islands, he made treaties with some of the rulers, and he returned to Europe laden with riches.2
