Second Dutch Expedition to the East Indies

[1] In 1592 the cartographer Petrus Plancius published a series of charts showing, in exact detail, the route to the Indies,[2] which was the spark that instigated the first Dutch expedition to Indonesia.

[8] They then sailed for Bantam, which they reached on December 30, prompting a joyous New Year celebration on the part of Van Neck's men.

[9] The crew were paraded through the streets behind a troupe of trumpeters as all the bells in the city tolled, then given as much wine as they could drink, while Van Neck was presented with a golden beaker.

[7] Van Neck brought back with him nearly 450 tonnes (1 million pounds) of pepper and cloves, as well as half a ship of nutmeg, mace, and cinnamon.

On their voyage they encountered no trouble except on the coast of Madura Island, where the king of Arissabaya, in revenge for an earlier Dutch attack, captured several sailors and extracted a ransom for them.

[13] Heemskerck, however, who reached Great Banda in mid-March, 1599, received a chilly welcome from the indigenous inhabitants, who were unhappy due to bad past experiences with the Portuguese, and because a nearby volcanoes had been active recently, foretelling evil.

[13] He eventually succeeded in winning the compliance of the natives, and left behind twenty-two men to stockpile nutmeg so that future Dutch fleets would be able to purchase it without trouble.