fifi nieuhoff's brazil. 



All thefe being at the appointed time met in the great hall of the Stadthuis, he told 

 them, that fmce Their High and Mightinefles the States, His Highnefs the Prince of 

 Orange, and the council of Nineteen, had been pleafed to grant him leave, after a 

 ftay of eight years among them, in the quality of governor of the Dutch Brazil, 

 to return into Holland, he had called them together, to return them thanks for the 

 many fervices, each in his ftation, had done to the company ; as likewife for the obe- 

 dience, fidelity, and refped; they had always fhewn to his perfon ; telling them, that 

 from this minute he refigned the government into the hands of the great council, 

 requiring and defiring them, in the name of the States, the Prince of Orange, and 

 the council of Nineteen, to (hew them the fame obedience, fidelity, and refpeft, they 

 . had done before ; w^hereupon Count Maurice having congratulated the council, and 

 the reft there prefent done the fame, he took his leave of them in the hall, and im- 

 mediately after in the council-chamber, of the members of the great council, giving 

 them moft hearty thanks for their faithful council and afliftance upon all occafions, and 

 for the refpeft and deference they had always fhewn to his perfon ; telling them, that 

 fince this would be the laft time of his appearing in their affembly, he had drawn 

 up a memorial, which might ferve them as a guide, for the better adminiftration of the 

 government ; and that, if they thought it convenient, he fhould be ready to difcourfe 

 with them, and enlarge further upon that fubjed. The members of the great council 

 returned him their unfeigned thanks, wifhing him a happy voyage, and good fuccefs 

 in all his undertakings, and recommended themfelves and the whole Dutch Brazil to 

 his care hereafter. Before the breaking up of the affembly, it was debated in the 

 prefence of Count Maurice, which of the members fhould have the precedency there 

 as prefident, or whether the fame fhould be taken by turns, the fame being not deter- 

 mined in their commiflion. After feveral arguments pro and con^ it was agreed, that 

 things fhould remain, in refpeft of this point, in the fame condition as had been ufual 

 before, in the abfence of Count Maurice, viz. for every one to keep his rank without 

 any priority, till further orders from the council of Nineteen ; to wit, firft Mr. Dirk 

 Hamel, then Mr. Bulleftraet, Mr. Kodde Vander Burgh, &c. 



The next thing the great council took in hand, was to inquire more narrowly into 

 the defigns of the Portuguefe againft the government ; to effed: which, it was refolved, 

 in January 1 644, to fend Gilbert de Wit, counfellor of the court of juftice, and 

 Captain Dirk Hoogftraten, then commander-in-chief in the Cape of St. Auftin, to 

 Antonio Telles de Sylva, then governor of the Bahia, with the following inftruftions, 

 dated the 1 5th of the fame month ; to compliment the governor (after the delivery of 

 their credentials), in the name of the great council, with a fincere promife and 

 affurance of friendfhip, and good neighbourly correfpondency. After this, they were 

 to reprefent to him, that many of the fubjeds of the Dutch Brazil, after having con- 

 tracted confiderable debts there, both with the company and other inhabitants, did 

 retire into the Bahia ; wherefore they defired, that for the promoting of juftice, they 

 would either detain thofe bankrupts in prifon, or at leaft give timely notice of their 

 coming thither, to the Dutch government, whereby their fubjefts might be enabled to 

 profecute them at law : but their real errand was to be inftruded underhand in the 

 following points : 



ir What forces the Portuguefe had at that time in the Bahia, and the other fouthern 

 provinces. 



2. What number of fhips. 



3. What number of fhips were expeded there out of Portugal. 



4. How 



