 It was during Nuyts ' tenure as Governor that the Spanish established their presence on Formosa in 1629 . He was greatly concerned by this development , and wrote to Batavia urgently requesting an expedition to dislodge the Spanish from their strongholds in Tamsuy and Kelang . In his letter he stressed the potential for the Spanish to interfere with Dutch activities and the trade benefits the Dutch could gain by taking the north of the island . The colonial authorities ignored his request , and took no action against the Spanish until 1641 . 
