NIEUHOFF*S BRAZIL. 805 



come with your fleet hither, where you may careen your fhips, and provide yourfelves 

 with frefh provifions, men, ammunition, and all other neceflaries, till fuch time we^ 

 Ihall mutually agree in what is further to be undertaken for the fervice of God and 

 His Majefty. The enemy has hitherto but one fhip of ftrength at fea, the reft being 

 of no confequence ; neither are they for engaging with you at this time, but endeavour 

 to cut off your communication with the fea-coaft. My Lord, you have given fo many 

 proofs of your courage before this time, that this retreat will not abate any thing from 

 the fame of your victories : on the other hand, you have to confider, that you are 

 anfwerable for fo many thoufand lives of thofe that are in your fleet ; wherefore we 

 defire you once more to come hither with the fleet, and fuch officers as are under 

 your command, where you will meet with a very kind and comfortable reception. But 

 being fenfible that it would be a grofs error in us, to urge a matter fo evident it itfelf 

 any further, to fo great a commander as you, we live in hopes of your coming, where 

 we intend, in the houfe of Nazareth, to receive the blefled facrament, which name we 

 have given to the fort, having, among other things, found a mafs-book here, which 

 is of no fmall fervice to us. God preferve Your Lordfliip. 



Martin Scares Moreno, and 

 " Puntael, Sept. 2, 1645* Andrew Vidal de Negreiros." 



ITie contents of the fecond letter to the fame admiral are as follows : 



*' Your Lordlhip being already acquainted with our being mafters of the Puntael 

 (cape), we hope you will take the firft opportunity of coming to us ; the enemies having 

 two fquadrons of fliips at fea, with one fire-fliip, to force you from this coaft, which 

 has been difcovered to us by a letter writ at the Receif, and directed to the governor, 

 and taken by us in a bark defigned for the relief of that place, of which we thought 

 fit to give you immediate notice, that you might take your meafures according to your 

 wonted prudence. Thcfe Dutch gentlemen have, by their treacherous dealings, ob- 

 liged us to have recourfe to open force, and we defire Your Lordfhip to repay them 

 in their own coin, with fire and fword, as they do us. If you defign to come hither, 

 it muft be done fpeedily, all delay being dangerous at this time. We have a true 

 copy of this letter in our journal to ferve for our juftification hereafter. God pre- 

 ferve Your Lordfhip. 



" Dated in the Puntael of the Blefled Martin Scares Moreno, and 



" Sacrament, Sept. 6, 1645. Andrew Vidal de Negreiros/* 



An account of the furrender of the cape of St. Auftin, and of the further tran- 

 faftions betwixt us and the Portuguefe, was fent in a letter by Cafpar da Cofta d*Abreu,. 

 from the faid cape to his friend Domingos da Kofta, an inhabitant of the Bahia, whicli 

 runs thus : 



" I wifli this letter may find you in good health, as I who am your faithful com- 

 rade defire j I am in a tolerable good condition in the Puntael of Nazareth, which after 

 a fiege of twenty days was furrendered to us at an eafy rate, becaufe thofe who com- 

 manded within the fort, had Portuguefe wives, and their eftates thereabouts. The 

 captain of horfe was the moft forward of all in furrendering the place ; they have ob- 

 tained what conditions they demanded, and a gratuity of four thoufand ducats befides. 

 We found in the fort three hundred Dutch, of their beft troops, and twelve brafs 

 pieces of cannon, four of which were four and twenty-pounders, and provifions for 



three 



