NIEUHOFF's VOYAGES. 131 



That able writer was born on July 22d, 1618, at Uffen^i in the 

 earldom of Bentbam, of a refpedlable family ; his perfon was 

 elegant, his underftanding good, his temper and converfation 

 amiable ; he was fond of the fine arts, poetry, mufic, and draw- 

 ing ; and mafter of feveral languages. In the year 1646 he en- 

 tered into the Dutch Wejl India fervice, and made his firfl voyage 

 to the Brazils^ where he relided nine years. He has left us an 

 admirable defcription of the country, and of the many great 

 events of that period which happened between his countrymen 

 and the Portuguefe. 



His next voyage was to the Eq/l Indies, in the year 1653. He 

 vifited the coaft oi Malabar, the peninfula oiMalacca, and many of 

 the iflands, even to the Moluccas. His accounts are the moft fatif- 

 fadtory of any extant ; his attention to feveral branches of natural » 



hiftory was very conliderable ; and he has given various plates of 

 the fifhes of the Indies, done with much accuracy, conlidering the 

 infant ftate of the fcience. On this voyage he was eight years ab- 

 fent from home. His laft voyage (defigned alfo for the Eajl Indies) 

 was begun on January ift, 1672. He landed at Madagajcar, in 

 order to trade with the natives, and, as is fuppofed, was, with 

 his people, maffacred by the inhabitants in the month of Sep- 

 tember of the fame year, for he never more was heard of. Di- 

 ligent enquiry was made after him by the furviving part of the 

 crew left on board his fhip, and afterwards a yatch was dif- 

 patched from the Cape of Good Hope to repeat the fearch, which 

 proved equally fruitlefs. 



His brother, Henry Nieuhoff, colledled together all the papers h. Nieuhoff. 

 he left behind, and publifhed them, to the great honor of his 



memory. 



