It was rumoured that a resourceful young explorer from Brussels called Oliver Brunei had travelled a considerable distance along the northern shores of Russia and claimed he was on the verge of discovering the North-East Passage. Confident of success, he was now planning to board a Russian ship and continue sailing until he reached the Spice Islands — a route that would slash two thousand miles and more than a year's sailing time off the long journey east. This news was a cause of great anxiety to London's merchants for Brunei's sympathies lay with the Dutch and any discovery would be to their benefit. It was imperative that Brunei's exploration should be stopped in its tracks and, to this end, the merchants of the newly formed Muscovy Company promptly denounced him to the Russians as a spy and the unfortunate Brunei spent the next twelve years in prison. Lesser men might have found their enthusiasm for foreign travel dampened by this experience.
