nieuhopf's brazil. 733 



IKopy are fmaller and of a blacklih colour ; they make holes from without, in the bark 

 of the trees, in the nature of bee-hives, and the comb within is all of white wax ; this 

 ' is now counted the beft thing, but is not gathered in the fame quantity as the former j 

 befides that, thefe bees fling very furioufly. The bees Thanbuka are likewife fmall, of a 

 yellowifh colour ; they fix their combs on the top of the highefl trees, and afford the 

 befl honey, which is in great quantities tranfported from hence to Europe, where it is 

 fold very cheap. It is little inferior in goodnefs to the European honey, and of a good 

 fubflance, tranfparent, and of an agreeable fcent. It is accounted very balfamic, cor- 

 rects the fharp humours in the inteftines, and efpecially in the kidneys, and provokes 

 urine. They make of this honey metheglin, which is very flrong, and will keep a great 

 while : ^ou may alfo make meath of this honey without boiling, only mixed with fome 

 fpring water, and expofed to the weather. 



Brazil produces likewife feveral forts of balfams, the bell of which is called by the 

 Brazilians Kopaiba, from the trees from whence it comes. Kopaiba is a very high wild 

 tree, with an afh-coloured bark, which fpreads at the top into many branches. The 

 leaves are about half a foot long, fometimes larger, fometimes leffer, which in the midfl 

 of the branches ftand oppofite to one another, but on the end like other leaves. At the 

 end of the great branches are abundance of leffer fprouts full of leaves, out of which 

 comes forth the bloffom, and afterwards berries, not unlike our laurel-berries. They 

 are green at firfl, but as they ripen turn black and fweet. Within is a round hard 

 flone, the kernel of which is white, but mealy, and not fit to be eaten. , The berries 

 ripen in June, when the Brazilians fuck the juice out of them, and throw away the flone 

 and fkin. The apes take great delight in this fruit. 



The oily and odoriferous balfam, in which this tree abounds, drops every full moon, 

 provided you cut a flit through the bark as deep as to the pith, in fuch quantity, that 

 I in three hours time you may gather above twelve mengeln. But if that does not drop 

 ^ immediately, the flit is made up with wax, and within fourteen days they are fure the 

 balfam will come in great quantity. This tree does not grow fo plentifully in the cap- 

 I tainfhip of Pernambuko as in the ifle Maranhaon, from whence this balfam is tranfported 

 » into Europe. The balfam is hot in the fecond degree, of a thick, oleaginous, and refin- 

 ous fubflance. It is very flomachic, and a good remedy againfl the cholic occalioned 

 by cold, externally applied to the affeded parts ; fome few drops taken inwardly 

 flrengthen the bowels, and flop the overflowing in women, the loofenefs, and involun- 

 tary emiffion of feed in men ; againfl which diflempers it likewife is ufed in clyflers, 

 or by fyringing. Thus far concerning the Dutch Bra2dl j we will now proceed to give 

 you an account of what paffed during our abode there. 



In the year 1 640, Mr. Henry Hamel, one of the diredors of the Well India com- 

 pany for the chamber of Amflerdam, and Mr. Dirck Kodde Vander Burgh (both per- 

 fons excellently well qualified for the management of the Dutch Brazil, and of great ex- 

 perience in affairs of commerce), were, at the requefl of the council of Nineteen, fent 

 to Brazil, and arriving there on the 8th of Augufl, the two preceding directors or coun- 

 fellors, Matthias Van Keulen and John Giifeling, refigned their places to them, and 

 with them the chief management of the Dutch Brazil, under the government of John 

 Maurice Count Naffau. 



At the time of their arrival in Brazil there were under the jurifdiftion of the flates 

 the following captainfhips : Pernambuko, Itamarika (unto which belongs Goyana), Pa- 

 ray ba, Rio Grande, and Siara, being the northern part of Brazil : the fouthem part, 

 which contained the captainfhips, Bahia, Ileos, Porto Securo, Spirito Santo, Rio Ja- 

 neiro, and St. Vincent, remained under the Portuguefe, who inhabited the country as 



far 



