NIEUHOFF*S BRAZIL. y^S 



own countrymen ; all which brought a great damp upon trade, every one being afraid 

 to venture in any bufmefs, where he might lofe all his fubftance in one night, and 

 that perhaps by the hand of a fingle perfon, whereby the revenues of the company 

 were greatly impaired, and their charges increafed, being forced to maintain twenty or 

 thirty foldiers for the defence of any confiderable plantation or fugar-mills ; which pre- 

 vented them from bringing a fufficient body of men into the field, to make head 

 againft the enemy. This was the ftate of the Dutch Brazil towards the latter end 

 of 1640. 



The 2 2d of December, in the fame year, Mr. Adrian van Bulleftraete arrived at the 

 Receif from Middleburgh, in the quality of direftor of Brazil, fo that, now the great 

 council being complete, the beft expedient to obviate all thefe difficulties, was judged 

 to confift in our fleet ; purfuant to this refolution, all our ihips were ordered to the 

 Bahia, to make the enemy fenfible that we were in a condition to be even with them, 

 and thereby to facilitate the negociation that was in hand, for the furceafing of burning 

 on both fides. The council of Nineteen having alfo fent exprefs orders to cruife with 

 fome (hips before Rio Janeiro, from whence the Spanifh fhips ufed generally to return 

 into Spain, about the month of May or June, fome of the biggeft fhips were ordered 

 that way, to intercept, if poffible, the flota, the reft being left near the Bahia. 



But whilft our commilTioners were treating with tl:e viceroy about the furceafing of 

 burning and plundering, a certain Portuguefe, Paulo de Kunha by name, committed 

 unheard-of cruelties, with murdering, plundering, and burning, in the open country, 

 which made Count Maurice write the following letter to the viceroy : — 



Count Maurice* s Letter to the Viceroy. 



** The barbarities lately committed by Paule de Kunha, with burning, murdering, 

 and plundering, in the open country, give me great reafon to fear, that your laft oblig- 

 ing letter was defigned for a compliment, without any reality. The confidence I had 

 in your excellency's fincerity made me recal our fhips and forces from your territories, 

 to take away all means of offence : but the long ftay of our deputies affords great occa- 

 fion of fufpicion, that your intention is only to amufe us ; which has obliged me to 

 difpatch a vefTel to let them know, that in cafe the treaty is not brought to a conclu- 

 fion, to return without delay ; it being our intention that the faid negotiation fhould 

 not be continued longer. Your Excellency will therefore difmifs them, together with our 

 two hoftages, as we are refolved to fend back to you Martin Feirara, left with us as a 

 hoftage from your excellency, his companion being dead of late.** 



Hereupon, by the mediation of the clergy living under oun jurlfdidion, but efpeci- 

 ally by the indefatigable care of Dirck Kodde Vander Burgh, who was fent thither for 

 that purpofe, the treaty was brought to a happy conclufion in February 1641, by vir- 

 tue of which, all deftrudions by burning and plundering were to furceafe on both fides ; 

 which being publifhed by proclamation, the Portuguefe were ordered to quit our domi- 

 nions, whereby we reaped this advantage, that now we might turn all our forces where 

 we found it moft expedient. 



In June 1641, Count Maurice and the great council received advice of the ten years* 

 truce concluded betwixt the States of Holland and the King of Portugal, with all the 

 articles thereunto belonging, which were publifhed by proclamation in all our captain- 

 fhips, and all ads of hoftilities ceafed on both fides j the Dutch living in good under- 

 flanding with the inhabitants of the Bahia, giving them all the demonflrations of friend- 



fliip 



