N1EUH0FF*S BRAZIL. '^'^^ 



Firft, the good opinion their maflers had of his fincere intention, in maintaining a 

 good correfpondency with them, in order to maintain the truce betwixt His Majefty and 

 the States- General, and the confidence they had of his not being concerned in the re- 

 bellion, either by encouraging or affifling the fame. Wherefore he defired they would 

 continue in the fame fentiments, becaufe he never had made the leaft infradion of the 

 faid truce, neither ever thought of any thing like it, nor fufFered any of his fubjeds to 

 a£t contrary to it ; notwithftanding, faid he, the Hollanders have broke the fame in 

 feveral refpeds, viz. in their expeditions againfl Angola, St. Thomas, and Marinho ; 

 by the plundering of Pedro Caefar Mines, who had been bafely ufed during his impri- 

 fonment, not like a man of quality, being forced to fhelter himfelf among the woods 

 after his efcape. They had alfo taken a Portuguefe fhip in his own harbour. Neither 

 did the inhabitants of Pernambuko want reafons of complaint, as well as the other cap* 

 tainfliips ; he had underflood out of feveral letters from thence, how the Jews were 

 always bufy in forging accufations againfl them, which were taken for truth ; and when 

 the Portuguefe had thereupon abfconded themfelves out of fear, the Tapoyers, or 

 mountaineers, were armed againft them ; among the reft, they had caufed a poor her- 

 mit to be hanged. The great council had always given him fufficient proofs of their 

 fufpicion, in the laft embaify, being intended to no other purpofe (as Captain Hoogftra- 

 ten could teftify) than to dive into hisj defigns and ftrength. Thus it was reported and 

 believed, that Andrew Vidal and Paulo Kunha, with feveral other officers, were fent by 

 him into Pernambuko, though they faw them here before their eyes. 



Upon the fecond point, concerning the troops faid to be fent to Pernambuko, he 

 gave for anfwer, that they muft be fome Brazilians and negroes lately difbanded, who 

 were of little account, as we were fenlible ourfelves : that if a few Portuguefe were 

 among them, they muft be fuppofed to be criminals who were fled from juftice; 

 that he was not unwilling to call them back by proclamation, but feared that he ftiould 

 be but flenderly obeyed, by a fort of people who could not be kept in obedience with- 

 in his own juriididion. That to fatisfy our requeft, and to remove all reafons of com- 

 plaint, he intended to fend his deputies fliortly to Pernambuko ; all which he had more 

 clearly exprefted in his letter to the great council, wherewith he would, according to 

 the requeft of our mafters, difpatch us with all imaginable fpeed. 



The deputies replied, that their mafters had never entertained any fufpicion of His 

 Excellency, neither had they given any orders to dive into his defigns j but always had 

 a favourable opinion of his firm adherence to the truce, as might be evidenced by 

 Mr. Andrew Vidal, who, during his ftay with them, had liberty to go where he pleafed, 

 without any attendance but his own. That what he objeded concerning the accufa- 

 tions of the Jews v^^as of no moment, the fame being never hearkened to, the intended 

 infurredion being difcovered by perfons of unqueftionable credit. That John Fernan- 

 des Vieira, Antonio Kavalkanti, and others their adherents, had always been proteded 

 againft any falfe accufations, and had free accefs to all the counfellors of the court of 

 juftice, and thofe of other colonies, as well as the chiefeft among the Dutch, fo that 

 they had no reafon to abfcond out of fear for the Tapoyers, who never were intended 

 to be employed againft th^m. That they did not know of any hermit that was hanged 

 by them, but remembered, that in an engagement with Amador d'Araouje, fuch a one 

 was fliot by the Brazilians as he was ringing the bell to give the alarm. 



They further told him, that though they had no orders to treat with His Excellency 

 upon any other points than thofe that concern the rebellion, they could eafily make it 

 out before all the world, that Angola, and the other places, were conquered accord- 

 ing to the rules of war, without the leaft infradion of the truce, it having been ex- 



4 prefsly 



