The tiny island of Run is an insignificant speck in the Indonesian archipelago. Just two miles long and half a mile wide, it is remote, tranquil, and, these days, largely ignored by the world.
Yet 370 years ago, Run's harvest of nutmeg — a pound of which yielded a 3,200 percent profit by the time it arrived in England — turned it into the most lucrative of the Spice Islands, precipitating a battle between the all-powerful Dutch East India Company and the British Crown.
The outcome of the fighting was one of the most spectacular deals in history: Britain ceded the small island of Run to Holland but in return was given the island of Manhattan. This led not only to the birth of New York but also to the beginning of the British Empire. Historian John Keay believes Run is to British imperial history what Runnymede, where King John signed the Magna Carta, is to British constitutional history.
At the time of the swap the Dutch were adamant they were the victors. "Few would have believed a small trading village on the island of Manhattan was destined to become the modern metropolis of New York and the once valuable nutmeg-growing island of Run would sink into obscurity", writes Ian Burnet in his book "Spice Islands" (page 164).
Fast-forward to a book written with the flair of a historical sea novel but based on rigorous research, Giles Milton's "Nathaniel's Nutmeg - or, The true and incredible adventures of the spice trader who changed the course of history". It's a true tale of high adventure in the South Seas.
I was still reading "Green Murder", when Padma started watching Joanna Lumley's Spice Trail Adventure which prompted me to get Giles Milton's book from my library and, having started, I couldn't put it down. Not a bad way to spend an overcast Sunday except, as I've just realised, it's Wednesday - but then again, every day is a Sunday at "Riverbend".
As for Run Island, while my travelling days seem to be over, if I ever get back to Indonesia, I'll immediately make a run for romantic Run Island!
