NIEUHOFF*S BIVAZIL. 79 1 



retire with the fleet out of the road ; which, as it will undeceive the inhabitants con- 

 cerning the fmifter interpretations of Your Lordfhip*s intentions, fo it will ferve as an 

 effectual means to keep them in quiet, which at this jundlure will work upon us a An- 

 gular obligation. What relates to Your Lordfhip*s requefl: to take in frefh water and 

 fuel here, being ill-provided with both by reafon of your fudden departure from the 

 Bahia, we (hould be very ready to comply with it, ^ere it not for the before-alleged 

 reafons, and the badnefs of the feafon, which would make it very tedious, which 

 obliges us to beg your excufe for this time upon that account. His Excellency An- 

 tonio Telles de Sylva having told us in his letter that he had ordered Jeronymo Sarrao 

 de Payva, immediately after the landing of the infantry under Martin Soares Moreno 

 and Andrew Vidal, to give us in perfon a full account with what power he was in- 

 ftrufted by His Excellency, we defire Your Lordfhip to fend the faid Jeronymo Sarrao 

 de Payva without delay to us, to confer with him concerning the inftrudion he has 

 received from His Excellency, in relation to the fending and landing of thefe officers 

 and land-forces. For the reft, we refer ourfelves to our deputies, counfellors in our 

 court of juftice here, unto whom we defire Your Lordfhip to give full credit, propor- 

 tionable to their own merits and the truft we have repofed in them. God proted Your 

 Lordfhip. 



" Signed by Henry Hamel, 



A. Van Bullestraet, 

 P. J. Bas, 

 J. Van Walbeck, 

 G. DE Wit, 

 J. Albrecht, 

 Henry de Moucheron, 

 J. Van Raesvelt, 

 and 

 " Receif, Aug. 13, 1645. J. C. Lichthart." 



This letter was pitched upon by the before-mentioned great council, as the beft ex- 

 pedient at this junfture, till, by the conjundVion of the Deventer and Elias, we might be 

 put in a probability of diflodging them by force, if they refufed to retire at the council's 

 requeft. 



The 14th by break of day, we faw the whole Portuguefe fleet under fail, and for 



the moft part out of fight ; and confidering that the two boats, which carried both 



ours and the two Portuguefe deputies, would fcarce be able to overtake them, and 



that our deputies in their return were to give an account to our admiral on board his 



'hip, whether, purfuant to the council's letter, the Portuguefe admiral had confented 



fend Jeronymo Sarrao de Payva to the Receif, in order to open his inftru6lions 



"*. great council, which they had now all the reafon to believe he would not, they 



^ed immediate orders to our admiral Lichthart, to make all the fail he could with 



under his command, after the Portuguefe, to obferve their motions, and to 



*o come up with the flag fliip, on board of which was the faid Jeronymo 



'ire him to return with his fhips to the road of the Receif, in order to con- 



uncil in perfon, concerning his inftru£tions. But after mature deliber- 



nroceedings of the Portuguefe, and the letters of the governor of the 



he pretended reduftion of the rebels, being looked upon as mere 



ere fent to our admiral Lichthart, to oblige all the Portuguefe fhips 



^rike, and to treat them for the future like enemies. 



The 



