790 



nieuhoff's brazil. 



Their chief debate then turned upon this point, by what means this fleet might be 

 removed from the road of the Receif and our coafts ; confidering, that the whole 

 naval force of the Dutch then ready to fail, confifted only in five fhips, viz. the Utrecht, 

 Zealandia, Ter Veere, Zoutlandia, and the Golden-Doe, not very well manned, and but 

 indifferently provided with ammunition, efpecially with gun-powder, and few foldiers 

 could be drawn out of the neighbouring garrifons ; whereas the Portuguefe fleet con- 

 fiflied at leafl: in eight or ten flout fhips, the admiral being a two-decked fhip, refembling 

 at a diflance one of their large galleons ; fo that the attacking of them appeared to be 

 a hazardous enterprize. After mature deliberation, it was unanimoufly refolved in the 

 faid council, to return thanks to the Admiral Salvador Korrea de Saa Benavides, for 

 the offered fuccours againfl: the rebels, and to tell him the reafons that obliged us to 

 defire him to retire with his fleet out of our road, as will more at large appear out of 

 the following letter : it was thought convenient to difpatch the faid letter immediately, 

 and whilft we Haid for his anfwer, to ufe all pofllble diligence in equipping the two be- 

 fore-mentioned fhips, the Deventer and Elias ; that if the Portuguefe refufed to comply 

 with the council's requeft, we might be in a condition to attack them, and to drive 

 their fleet from our coaft, without which we faw but little probability to make our 

 party good againfl the rebels, as long as they were backed by conftant fupplies from 

 the Bahia. It was alfo taken into confideration, whether it were not expedient to de- 

 tain one of the Portuguefe deputies till fuch time that Jeronymo Sarrao de Payva Ihould, 

 according to the requefl of the council, come afhore in the Receif ; but this propofi- 

 tion was rejected, for fear of furnifhing the Portuguefe with a new pretence of flaying 

 in our road : Mr. Gilbert de Wit and Henry Moucheron, both members of the coun- 

 cil of juflice, being ordered to carry the faid letter, they went aboard the Portuguefe 

 admiral the fame evening, unto whom they delivered the following letter to Salvador 

 Korrea de Saa Benavides. 



A Letter from the Council to the Portuguefe Admiral, 



** We underfland, both out of Your Lordfhip's letter, and thofeof the Governor An- 

 tonio Telles de Sylva, delivered to us by Captain Martin de Rebeira, and the Auditor- 

 general Balthafar de Caflilho, as alfo by the verbal affurances given to us by them in 

 your behalf, that your coming with the fleet into our road is with no other defign than 

 to affill us with your authority and council in bringing the rebels to reafon, for all which 

 we return our hearty thanks to Your Lordfhip. But at the fame time we cannot forbear to 

 reprefent to you, that the coming with fo confiderable a fleet at this junfture, gives us no 

 fmall caufe of jealoufy, not only becaufe we never requefled any fuch afliflance, but alfo by 

 reafon that inflead of recalling Kamaron and Henry Dias with their troops, the two colonels 

 Andrew Vidal and Martin Soares Moreno, have, under pretence of reducing the rebels 

 to obedience, landed their men and ammunition without our knowledge, in a far diflant 

 place, and, confequently, for the defence of the revolted Portuguefe ; whereas (pur 

 fuant to His Excellency the Governor's promife to us) this reduction might have be 

 much better obtained by a fevere proclamation, to oblige them to return to the B?' 

 or at leafl the before-mentioned colonels ought to have made their firfl addrefTes 

 Thefe proceedings have, contrary to Your Lordfhip's intention, drawn this i' 

 quence after them, that many of the inhabitants, imagining no otherwife tha' 

 was intended for the afTiflance of the revolted Portuguefe, have alfo begun 

 arms, in order to join with them ; which obliges us to return our thanks ' 

 fliip for the offered fuccours, defiring you would be pleafed, with all p- 



