nieuhoff's brazil. 



771 



That through God*s mercy their mafters did not want power to prote(5l their faithful 

 fubjeds, and to punifh the rebels according to their deferts : but as they could not com- 

 prehend what it was that could induce thefe foreign troops to enter their territories in 

 titne of peace, in order to aid their rebellious fubjeds againft them, fo they were at a 

 ftand how to deal with them. That the great council as well as all the reft of the 

 inhabitants, being too well acquainted with His Excellency's extradion, exquifite know- 

 ledge in ftate-affairs, and the good neighbourly correfpondency he had always cultivated 

 with our government, than to harbour the leaft thought that he fliould give the leaft 

 encouragement to any of his fubjeds, to aid rebellious fubjeds againft their fovereigns : 

 that they were fenfible he would ufe all poffible means to prevent it. It was for this 

 reafon that they were fent by the great council to give His Excellency notice of the 

 hoftilities committed by Kamaron and Henry Dias, defiring that he would be pleafed 

 not only to command them not to aflift the rebels with their troops, but alfo to retire 

 out of Pernambuko and the other captainftiips under the Dutch jurifdidion ; that fo the 

 rebels being difappointed of their affiftance, might be fooner reduced to their former 

 obedience, and our fubjeds enjoy the benefit of the truces ftipulated betwixt His prefent 

 Majefty of Portugal, Don John IV. and Their High and Mightinefles the States- General. 

 All which, the great council of Brazil highly recommended to His Excellency's confi- 

 deration, in a letter which was then delivered by the deputies to the governor, which is 

 as follows : 



A Letter from the Great Council to the Governor of the Bahia. 



" It is fufficiently known to Your Excellency with what ftridnefs the truce betwixt 

 His Majefty of Portugal and the High and Mighty the States-General of the United 

 Provinces, has been obferved in all its circumftances by the inhabitants of the Dutch 

 Brazil, even according to the conftitution of thofe of the Bahia and other places, who 

 have of late paffed through our captainftiips ; neither have we ever received the leaft 

 complaints upon that account, either from the King your mafter, or from Your Excel- 

 lency; all which gave us fufficient reafon to believe that you would not in the leaft 

 confent that your fubjefts fliould attempt any thing contrary to the faid truce. And 

 though fome of the Portuguefe inhabitants, fubjedfs of the ftates, laying afide their al- 

 legiance, have taken up arms and are rifen in rebellion againft this ftate, as foon as Ka- 

 maron and Henry Dias at the head of their Brazilians and negroes, befides fome Portu- 

 guefe, did without licence or the leaft encouragement from us, enter our territories, 

 contrary to the law of nations, and joining with the rebels exercifed open hoftilities 

 againft our fubjeds, not like foldiers, but robbers and thieves ; yet can we not be per- 

 Ijpaded that thofe troops ftiould have made this attempt by order or confent of His Ma- 

 jefty of Portugal or Your Excellency, againft us your confederates. 



Thanks be to God, we do not want means to bring our revolted fubjeds to reafon, 

 and to deftroy thofe foreign troops ; but to fliew to all the world how ready we are to 

 fulfil the reiterated command of our mafters, to maintain inviolably the truce betwixt 

 His Majefty and them ; and to remove all fmifter interpretations which might be made 

 in foreign courts upon this head, as alfo to give fufficient opportunity to His Majefty of 

 Portugal and Your Excellency, to convince the world that you have neither confented 

 to nor abetted this confpiracy ; we in the name of Their High and Mightineifes the 

 States-General, His Highnefs the Prince of Orange, and the governors of the Weft-India 

 company, have fent Mr. Balthafar Van Voerden, counfellor of the court of juftice, and 

 Dirk Hoogftraet, commander-in-chief on the Cape of St. Auftin, as our deputies to you, 



5 F 2 with 



