75^ 



nieuhoff's beazil. 



•* 4. They concluded the negro-trade to be very inconfiderable there, they haying 

 fcarce ever heard it as much as mentioned, but becaufe the price of a good negro did 

 not at that time amount to above three hundred gilders, they fuppofed them pretty well 

 flocked with them ; thofe which were of late bought there being brought thither from 

 Cape Verde and Arder. They farther reported, that when on Wednefday, being the 

 8th of February, they entered the Bahia, they met two {hips of good bulk, carrying 

 about twenty guns each, and well manned, going out, which upon enquiry were told 

 them to be bound for Portugal, but could not learn to what harbour there, which, 

 together with fome other reafons, made them fufpe£l they were intended another way, 

 in which we found ourfelves not deceived, when on the 22d of February, juft as they 

 were ready for their departure, they underftood from the Mulat Juliana, and of two 

 monks, that thefe two fhips were fent with men to Angola, for the fecurity of the 

 inhabitants of Mafagao, who, being but fmall in number, were forely afraid to be fet 

 upon by the negroes of the country, and having defired the governor's afliftance, who 

 ordered thofe fhips and the men to go in the night-time, and to endeavour to reach 

 Mafagao unperceived by any, and without committing any hoflilities againft the Dutch. 

 Whether and how far this might be true, time would fhew, but they had all the rea- 

 fon in the world to believe, that it was upon their fcore of concealing this expedition, 

 as well as fome other matters from them, that immediately after their arrival (thougb 

 they were not informed of it till near the time of their departure) that no Dutch or 

 Germans fhould appear as much as in the fight of the envoys, much lefs difcourfe 

 with them ; which was obferved with that flridtnefs, that they really imagined there had 

 been no Dutch there ; but found afterwards that they had been all (how many they 

 knew not) carried on board the Portuguefe veffels, to prevent their keeping any corres- 

 pondency with us and our fhip's crew ; to which end alfo, fix centinels were placed in 

 two boats lying near our yacht, during the time of our flay here, under pretence of 

 protecting our veffel, but in effe£t to prevent any body from coming on board us, 

 purfuant to the orders of the governor. 



" 5, That the inhabitants of the Bahia and the other Portuguefe captainfhips, had 

 not the leaft commerce at this time with thofe of Buenos Ayres. That immediately 

 after the revoludon in Portugal, thofe of Bahia had attempted to go thither, but were 

 treated as enemies by them ; fo that it was their opinion, the place would either foon, 

 or was already totally ruined for want of commerce ; all their livelihood confifting in 

 the traffic from the coaft of Brazil thither ; which falling away, no filver could be 

 tranfported thither from Peru ; it being not probable that the Spaniards would run the 

 hazard of pafTing along an enemy's coaft, when they had a fafer way to tranfport their 

 treafures from the Weft Indies. 



" 6. That they could not get the leaft certain information concerning the defigns 

 carried on betwixt fome of the inhabitants of the Bahia and thofe of the Dutch Brazil 

 againft the laft ; befides which they gave them a general relation of what they had been 

 able to learn, concerning the condition of the city of St. Salvador, its inhabitants, go- 

 vernor, and fome other matters relating to the country thereabouts. " 



The rumours which in 1640 were noifed about concerning the treacherous defigns 

 of the Portuguefe inhabitants againft us, being for that time vanifhed into fmoke, the 

 fame was revived, and their defigns began to be difcovered in February 1645, ^^^* 

 That confiding in the promifed fuccours from Bahia, they intended to rife in arms againft 

 us, looking upon this jundure as the moft favourable for their purpofe, fince Count 

 Maurice with the greatefi part of our fleet, and a good number of foldiers, were returned 

 to Holland, from whence no frefh fupplies were come of late into Brazil. The great 



council 



