 In May 1901, strong earthquakes were accompanied by detonations and a bright glow at the top of the volcano.The Dutch continued to rule the island until 1949, although the economic importance of nutmeg and mace declined greatly due to the loss of the Dutch monopoly after the British successfully planted nutmeg trees in other parts of the world (especially Penang and Grenada) following the Invasion of the Spice Islands in the Napoleonic Wars in 1810.Following Indonesian independence, the island has been administered as part of the Indonesian province of Maluku.