8l6 NIEUHOFF*S BRAZIL, 



to be upon his guard, and to retire in time into the ifle of Itamarika, with his foldiers 

 and Brazilians, if he found the inhabitants ready to take up arms againfi him. 



The 19th, at night, a party went abroad to get intelligence, but met with no enemy. 

 Some negroes were alfo fent towards the enemy^s quarters to know their ftrength. The 

 fame evening the council received a letter by Lieutenant Francis Meades from Andrew 

 Vidal, in which he profefTed his readinefs flill to maintain the peace, complaining, at 

 the fame time, of outrages committed by our foldiers, as may be feen out of the fol- 

 lowing letter:— 



ji Letter from Vidal to the Council, 



'* We have fent you advice before by Lieutenant Manuel Antonio, of our arrival in 

 .this captainfhip, by ordere from the governor Antonio Telles de Sylva, and at your 

 own requeft, in order to reftore tranquillity here by the moft effeftual means we could 

 devife. We alfo did reprefent to Your Lordihips the many innovations and unaccount- 

 able proceedings which had reached our ears, by the lamentable cries of feverai noble 

 ravifhed virgins, and the doleful complaints of the inhabitants of Rio Grande, where 

 forty perfons of note, together with a prieft, and the other day two more in the Salinas, 

 were murdered in cool blood. I can fcarce mention without horror (and the refpeft 

 every one ought to have to facred places forbids me to particularize) the outrages com- 

 mitted againft the images of faints, and efpecially that of the mother of God, and facri- 

 leges committed by your foldiers : all which confiderations, together with that we found 

 you in a warlike condition, with your troops in the field, natural right of felf-defence 

 eftablifhed by the conflant cuftom of war did teach us, not to leave an armed power 

 behind our backs, which upon occafion might have proved fatal to us before we could 

 come to a refolution in conjundion with Your Lordfhips, what meafures were bell to 

 be taken for the re-eftablifhment of that tranquillity, which was the only aim of our 

 coming into thefe parts ; according to which we have regulated ourfelves in our march 

 towards the Receif, till we come to the town of St. Antonio de Cabo ; where, having 

 caufed John Fernandes Vieira to be taken into cuftody, under a guard of twelve fol- 

 diers, we were furprifed at the vaft numbers of inhabitants, children, women, and re- 

 ligious men, who, to fhelter themfelves from the outrages and robberies committed 

 againft them by Captain Blaar in the Vergea, came to feek for fhelter among us. They 

 gave us an account how that the faid captain, not fatisfied with having plundered their 

 houfes, had carried away three of the nobleft ladies of the country, after they had been 

 grievoufly difgraced before ; the inhabitants, being exafperated by thefe violences, did, 

 againft our will, leave our camp fo fuddenly, that whatever hafte we made to march 

 after them, we could not overtake them before they were engaged with fome of your 

 troops, in the fugar-mill of Ifabel Gonfalves, which they intended to have fet on fire, 

 had it not been for our men, who were forced to interpofe betwixt them and your fol- 

 diers, to their no fmall danger and our lofs, as being expofed to the volleys of your 

 fmall ftiot, which confifted for the moft part of bullets cut in pieces and made four 

 fquare. As the hoftilities committed daily againft our troops aftbrd frelh occafion of 

 revolt among the inliabitants, fo we cannot but lay before Your Lordftiips the late pro- 

 clamation and ratification of peace betwixt us, protefting now and for ever, in the name 

 of God, John IV. our King, as alfo in the name of the States-General, and all our 

 allies, that Your Lordfhips will not let things come to a rupture, and not give us new 

 caufe of ading offenfively, or to declare war againft you. We cannot longer dilTemble 

 ^ur opinion, that the reiterated complaints of the inhabitants may, at leaft in fome mea- 



fure. 



