7o8 NIEUHOFF's BRA2IL. 



withal. They have twice a year a harvefl: of barley, which being over, they make 

 merry for a whole week together. Before fowing time, they light great fires for four- 

 teen days, which may be ieen at a great diflance. The fhortefl way from the Receif 

 to this Palmairas is along the lake of the Northern Alagoa. 



The greater Palmairas is betwixt twenty and thirty leagues diftant behind the village 

 of St. Amar, near the mountain of Behe, being furrounded with a double inclofure. 

 About eigiit thoufand negroes are faid to inhabit the valleys near the mountains, befides 

 many others, who dwell in leffer numbers of fifty or a hundred, in other places. Their 

 houfes lie draggling, they fow and reap among the woods, and have certain caves whi- 

 ther they retreat in cafe of neceflily. They drefs their victuals in the day-time, and at 

 night tell over their whole number, to fee whether any be wanting ; if not, they 

 conclude the evening with' dancing and beating the drum, which may be heard at a 

 great diftance. Then they go to lleep till nine or ten o*clock the next day. During 

 the dry feafpn, they detach a certain number among them, to Ileal flaves from the Por- 

 tuguefe. The fliorteft cut to their habitations is from the Alagoas through St. Amar, 

 and fo crofs the plains of Nhumahu and Kororipe, towards the backfide of the moun- 

 tain of Warrakaka, till you come to the lake Paraiba ; along which you muft pafs, till 

 you reach the mountain Behej from whence you go directly into the valleys. Under 

 the government of Count Maurice, the negroes of this Palmairas did confiderable mif- 

 chief, efpecially to the country-people about the Alagoas ; to reprefs which, he fent 

 three hundred firelocks, one hundred Mamelukes, and feven hundred Brazilians. 



Tbe Receif, Maurice's Town, and Anthony Vaez, 



The Receif is, by reafon of its commodious and advantageous fituation, the ftrongeft 

 place of all Brazil ; befides that, it is ftrengthened and defended by feveral adjacent 

 forts : but to give you the mofl commodious view both of the Receif, and the fituation 

 of Maurice's town, it is to be obferved, that the whole coafl of Brazil is, from one end 

 to the other, furrounded with a long, thick, and flat ridge of rocks, which in fome places 

 is twenty, and in others thirty paces broad : however, there are certain paflages in this 

 ridge, through which the fhips approach the fhore, and fome few places, where this 

 ridge is not to be found at all. Thus a league on this fide Rio Dolee, two leagues on 

 the north fide of the city of Olinda, there is nothing of this ridge to be found ; but be- 

 gins again near Poumarelle or Soxamardo, and extends to the ifle of Itamarika. Be- 

 twixt the ridge and the continent you may pafs in boats at high water ; for at low tide 

 moll of thofe rocks appear above water ; though the tide never fails to cover the fame. 

 The rock over-againll the Receif of Parnambuko is between twenty and thirty paces 

 broad, being not only at fpring tides, but at all other tides overflown by the fea ; it is 

 thereabouts very flat, without any prominences, and extends for a league from fouth to 

 north. On the north point is an open pafllage for fhips to approach the fhore, lying five 

 hundred paces farther to the north than the Receif itfelf. It is but narrow, and at 

 fpring-tide not above twenty-two feet deep. 



Betwixt this rocky ridge and the continent there is a fandy ridge, or fmall ifland, 

 extending to the fouth from Olinda, a league in length, and about two hundred paces 

 broad. This is by our people commonly called The Sandy Receif, to difl^inguifh it 

 from The Stony Receif. 



On the fouthern point of this little ifland, a league off Olinda, the Portuguefe had 

 built a village called Povoacano^ which fignifies peopling, or elfe Reciffo j it vi'as very 



I ' populoa^. 



