nieuhoff's brazil. 817 



fure, ferve for an excufe, if not a juftificatlon, of the proceedings of John Fernandes 

 Vieira, concerning whom we are fufficiently fatisfied that his firft intentions were only to 

 afford protection to fome innocent perfons threatened with deflrudtion ; which though 

 it was in his power to do, yet did he retire from place to place with his forces, in hopes 

 of avoiding any engagement, till forced thereunto by neceffity, he was conftrained to 

 repel force by force. We beg of Your Lordfhips to take this letter into ferious confi- 

 deration, being of fo much confequence to our both fides fafeties ; for it feems as if 

 Heaven itfelf were offended at our proceedings. God prefer ve Your Lordfhips. 

 " From De Ingenio of St. John Baptift 



" de Venies, Aug. 19, 1645. Andrew Vidal de Negreiros.** 



An anfwer from the council was fent the next following day by the fame lieutenant : 



The Council^s Anfwer, 



*' Out of our anfwer to your letter, dated at Serinham, the 8th of Auguft, you may 

 fufHciently fee that the proteftations made, both by the governor, Antonio Telles de 

 Sylva, and by yourfelf, concerning the maintaining of the peace betwixt His Majefly 

 of Portugal and the ftates-general of the United Provinces, were never looked upon 

 by us as fmcere, or to be relied upon, fmce your actions did in no wife agree with your 

 words. The treacherous propofals made to one of our deputies, to betray one of our 

 befl flrong holds into your hands ; the landing of fo formidable a force in our territories 

 without any knowledge, under pretence of a mifmterpreted fenfe of our letter to His 

 Excellency ; the coming with a ftrong fleet into our road ; the taking of the 

 fort of Serinham ; the flaughter of fo many Brazilians,, our fubjedts, in cool 

 blood ; the fummons fent to the Cape of St. Auftin for a furrender ; nay, the at- 

 tacking and furprifmg of our troops, who were forced to keep in the field, for 

 the bridling of our rebellious inhabitants ; all thefe, we fay, cannot by any unbiafTed 

 perfons be looked upon otherwife than manifefl infraftions of the faid treaty, and open 

 hoililities. We on our fide can, without the leail contradi£lion to truth, pofitively de- 

 clare, that our armament was not in the leaft intended againft His Majefty of Portugal, 

 but againft the rebels and their adherents ; which we were compelled to, when we faw 

 many armed troops to penetrate into our territories crofs the river St.Francifco. The fur- 

 prifmg of fome of our barks in the Salgados ; the taking of the houfe Marecape, and 

 making our fafeguards prifoners there, as well as at Cambao, and feveral other places ; 

 the gallows that were erected on purpofe to terrify our inhabitants into a compliance 

 with the revolted party ; the killing of three of the faid inhabitants of Pojuka in cool 

 blood, and the furprifmg of feveral of our foldiers and Brazilians fent to St. Lawrence 

 to fetch farinha ; the plundering of the houfes and fhops of feveral tradefmen in the 

 country, with many fuch-like violences committed by the revolted party ; and what is 

 the worft, before ever we appeared in arms,- but endeavoured, by proclamations of par- 

 don and maintaining them in their poffefTions, to divert the danger ; all thefe adions, 

 we fay, will not admit of any other interpretation but of open hoflihties. 



" How can it be fuppofed that in the ftation we are, we could, after all thofe provoca- 

 tions and flights of our kind offers, defift any longer from drawing the fword ? What- 

 ever, in the mean-time, has been tranfad:ed contrary to the cuftom! of war, has been done 

 without our knowledge and intention ; being occafioned by the treacherous dealings of 

 the rebels, and confequently to be looked upon as deferved punifhments, rather than the 

 .confequences of a juft war ; befides, that neither His Excellency Antonio Telles de 

 5ylva, neither you nor any body elfe, has any legal power to call us to .an account con- 



voL. XIV. 5 M cerning 



