NIEUHOFP*S BRAZIL. 737 



fuch an extremity In a little time, that they were neither able to pay the principal nor 

 intereft. 



Upon the arrival of the three new directors, or members of the great council, in 

 1 640, viz. Henry Hamel, Kodde, and Bulleflraet, they found that the inhabitants, but 

 efpecially the Portuguefe of the Dutch Brazil, by buying of fugar-mills and plantations, 

 as well as negroes and other commodities, had run themfelves much in debt ; having 

 bought their negroes not only at three hundred pieces of eight per head, but alfo given 

 moft extravagant prices for all other forts of commodities, and purchafed whole ware- 

 houfes, without making a juft account how to be able to pay for them. This was done 

 by the Portuguefe, in hopes of the good fuccefs of thofe great fleets they underftood 

 were equipping in Spain, to reduce Brazil under the King's obedience, which they fup- 

 pofed would free them from their debts ; which the faftors not being aware of, and, 

 blinded with the profpe£t of vaft profit, fold their goods to the Portuguefe without re- 

 ludtancy. But the defign of the Portuguefe vanilhing into fmoke for that time, they 

 were forced to pay ; but new fupplies of all forts of commodities being fent out of Hol- 

 land, they bought on a-frefh, heaping debts upon debts, till, failing in their payments, 

 their credit began alfo to fail with the merchants, who now began to urge for fatisfac- 

 tion of their debts. For the country-trader being urged by the factors and merchants, 

 who received thofe commodities from their correfpondents in Holland, was obliged to 

 call to an account the Portuguefe unto whom he had fold the goods. And becaufe the 

 Portuguefe had not bought thofe commodities from the Dutch, but with an intention 

 never to pay them, the country-trader, who was obliged to pay the merchants in the 

 Receif, faw himfelf reduced to ruin, the Portuguefe having not wherewithal to fatisfy 

 their debts. 



Thus, through the unwarinefs and mifmanagement of thofe faftors, whom the mer- 

 chants in Holland had intrufted with their goods, fuch a confufion was introduced, as 

 tended to the great detriment of their correfpondents in Holland. All the bufmefs at 

 that time lay among the lawyers, and in the courts of judicature, which, confidering 

 the chargeablenefs of law-fuits in Brazil, tended to their farther ruin ; for when they 

 had obtained fentence and execution againft the debtors, the greateft difficulty was, 

 how, and which way, to lay the execution ; moft of the Portuguefe fueing for protec- 

 tion from the Regency, which, if they could not obtain, they lived incognito ; efpe- 

 cially thofe who had no lands or effects, or if they had, it was no eafy matter to find 

 out where they were. Befides that, if the creditors executed their executions upon 

 the lands, they were forced to be the buyers themfelves, and to live in the country to 

 manage the lands, a thing altogether inconvenient to the merchants, who had other 

 bufmefs upon their hands in the Receif. Such as were caft into prifon muft be main- 

 tained there at the charge of the creditor, which, in procefs of time, amounted to fuch 

 a fum, that they themfelves were fain to folicit the releafement of their debtors, and 

 to make the beft compofition with them they could. 



Befides thefe inconveniences, there have happened of late feveral others, viz. a great 

 mortality of the negroes and Brazilians, by a certain infedious diftemper. Incident to 

 the natives, called Bexigos, refembling our fmall-pox in Europe, Moft of thefe ne- 

 groes were bought at the rate of three hundred pieces of eight, and, confequently, their 

 lofs drew after it the ruin of the planters, who alfo complained much of vermin, and 

 feveral inundations that had done confiderable damage to the fugar-fields. This con- 

 fufion in traffic introduced no fmall broils among the inhabitants themfelves, who, in 

 cafe of non-payment, threw one another into prifon without mercy, and endeavoured 

 to prevent one another, by clandeftine means, to get in their debts before the reft ; 



VOL, XIV. 5 B ofiering 



