nieuhoff's brazil. 



727 



were nineteen hundred and forty-five men, the other of eleven yatchts, with four hun- 

 dred and nine men. Schoppe was the firft that landed fix hundred men, and advanced 

 towards the enemy, who betook themfelves to their heels, leaving their arms and 

 clothes behind them ; Anthony Albuquerque their general himfelf fcarce efcapmg their 

 hands. In the mean- while, the reft being likewife got afhore, three companies, under 

 the condu6l of Gafper Ley, marched direftly to the fort of Margaret, and intrenched 

 himfelf near the fort, whilft Schoppe kept all along the fhore, and Artisjolki pofted 

 himfelf on the right-fide, in fight of the garrifon. At the fame time Mr. Lichthart 

 attacked the fort in the fmall ifland Reftinga, which he took by force, and put the 

 garrifon to the fword. By this time Schoppe had raifed a battery againft the fort, 

 from whence he fo forely galled the befieged, that their commander Simon d'Albe- 

 querque furrendered the place. Hereupon the fort of St. Antonio was fummoned 

 to furrender ; Maglianes the governor defired three days delay, which being denied, 

 he marched away fecretly by night, leaving the place to Lichthart, who found there 

 five great brafs pieces, and nineteen iron pieces of cannon. 



The fame night our forces marched towards the city of Parayba, being fixteen hun- 

 dred ftrong, and having paffed a fmall branch of the river called Tambra Grande, 

 made themfelves mafters of it without any oppofition : the Spanifh general Banjola, 

 who commanded there with two hundred and fifty men only, having left the place 

 before, and being retired to Goyana, after he had either funk or nailed up the cannon, 

 and fet fire to three Ihips and two warehoufes, in which were confumed three thou- 

 fand chefts with fugar. The fort of St. Catharine being much decayed, was ordered 

 by Count Maurice to be repaired, and the ditch to be enlarged and deepened ; giving 

 it the name of Margaret, after his fifter. The fort of St. Antonio was rafed for the 

 greateft part, there being only one bulwark left for the defence of the north point of 

 the river. The fort Reftinga was ordered to be furrounded with new pallifadoes, and 

 the convent of Parayba fortified with a wall and outwork ; and the command thereof 

 given to Elias Harkman, together with the government of the whole captainftiip. 



The captainftiip of Potigi, or Potingi or Poteingi, is otherwife, by the Portuguefe, 

 called Rio Grande, from a river of the fame name : the Dutch call it North Brazil, in 

 refpe£l: of the more fouthern captainftiips of Brazil. It borders to the fouth upon Pa- 

 rayba, and to the north upon the captainftiip of Siara ; though the Portuguefe geo- 

 graphers extended its bounds as far as the ifland Maranhaon. 



The French were once mafters of this captainfhip ; till 1597, they were chafed from 

 thence by the Spanifh commander, Feliciano Crega de Karvalafho. It has four divi- 

 fions, named after fo many rivers, that run through them ; viz. Kunhao, Goyana, 

 Mompobu and Potegy. And though this diftrid has been much neglefted by the Por- 

 tuguefe, yet does it produce plenty of wild-fowl and fifh, which are fo lufcious, that 

 they commonly eat them only with lemon-juice or vinegar, without oil. There is 

 an incredible number of fifh in the lake Goraires ; befides which, abundance of fa- 

 rinha is planted here. This part of the country ftood us in good ftead during the 

 late rebellion of the Portuguefe, our garrifons in Parayba, and other places, being fup- 

 plied from thence with good ftore of flefh and fifh. 



Above the river Rio Grande is a town, of no great moment, called Amfterdam ; the 

 inhabitants live by planting farinha and tobacco, and fifhing. Higher up in the coun- 

 try live fome Moradores or hufbandmen, who cultivate the grounds ; but on the north 

 fide of Rio Grande are but few inhabitants. 



The river Rio Grande, i. e. the Great River, is fo called by the Portuguefe from 

 its bignefs, but by the Brazilians, Potigi or Poteingi. The mouth of this river lies 



under 



