England merchant navy officer hired by the east india company to go to the spice islandslanded his ships, swan and defence, on run, the smallest (approx. 2 x 2.5 miles) island of banda islands, in a quest to break the dutch hold on the nutmeg supply.
He persuaded the islanders to enter an alliance with the british for nutmeg. After losing his two ships to mutiny and sinking by the dutch, he fortified the island by erecting forts to overlook approaches from the east.
