§54 NIEUHOJT^S BRAZIL. 



The 9th of March in the night, the enemy appeared in three bodies near the fore 

 Prince William, and gave us feveral volleys of fmall fhot, but being anfwered with our 

 cannon, retired immediately. The fame day a party of fifty men were fent abroad 

 under Lieutenant Mos to get intelligence j being met by two companies of the enemy, 

 a fharp encounter enfued, our forces retiring without any confiderable lofs, under the 

 fort Wardenburgh, and the enemy retreated at the difcharge of fome of our cannon. 

 By letters from Mr. Linge, dated the 8th of March, at fort St. Margaret in Parayba, 

 the council received the unwelcome news that the enemy in Rio Grande had by a pre- 

 tended flight drawn the 5th of March Lieutenant John de Vael with forty-eight foldiers, 

 who were too eager in the purfuit of them, into an ambufh, where they had killed 

 thirty of them, though, according to the report of fome deferters that were prefent at 

 the engagement, not without confiderable lofs alfo on their fide j Kamaron, Andrew 

 Vidal and fome other Portuguefe officers of note, were alfo prefent.. About the fame 

 time fifteen Brazilians furprifed five men, fix women, and eight children, in an entrench"' 

 ment, feven leagues above Iguaraku, called Papeku. 



In the meanwhile the Tapoyers, who according to their cufl:om come once a yeary 

 about Midfummer, from among the mountains, fome hundreds Itrong, into the 

 captainftiip of Rio Grande, were, after they had carried away all the horfes and mares 

 they could light on, retired to the hills ; a thing very fortunate for us, for without it 

 our garrifons would not have been able to fubfift there. Provifions growing every 

 day fcarcer in the Receif, it was agreed the 6th ef March by the council, to fend the 

 Brazilians raifed in Rio Grande with a company of fuzileers to Itamarika, to eafe 

 our magazines of that burthen, whilft they might provide themfelves with farinha- 

 roots in that ifland. Much about the fame time the two majors Bayert and Pifloor, , 

 appeared before the council, intimating, that being informed that the citizens began 

 to murmur at their ftaying at home, pretending that they were fufficient to guard the 

 forts ; for which purpofe, as it was reported. Admiral Lichthart had offered three 

 hundred men, they were come on purpofe to offer their fervice, and were ready to 

 take the field with thofe few forces they had left in the garrifons ; though they ^ the 

 fame time protefled, that they were of the lame opinion, which had been approved 

 fome days before, to wit, that this undertaking, by reafon of their fmall number, 

 would be full of danger, and yet not anfwer the end of bringing provifions into the 

 Receif. Admiral Lichthart being thereupon afked whether he had made any fucli 

 offer, he declared not to have fpoken any thing like it, his fliips being fo ill manned,. 

 that he could fpare no men for any other fervice. 



The night before the 13th of March, the enemy appeared both on the other fide 

 of the river and the dike leading to the fort Bruin, difcharging their mufquets and 

 blunderbuffes at our centinels, but upon the firft lalute from the cannon of the fort 

 retired. The fame they did near the fort of Affagados. The fame evening betwixt 

 nine and ten o*cloGk they made an attack upon the wooden fort, built betwixt the 

 Affagados and the Quinquangular fort, for the defence of the plain, which they con- 

 tinued until one o'clock, cutting down fome palifadoes, and bringing great ftore of dry 

 reeds, in order to fet it on fire, but in vain, being forced to retreat with the lofs of 

 fome of their men ; on our fide tv/o were killed, and four or five wounded, among 

 the lafl was Lieutenant Cafper Ferdinand Van Grol, who received two dangerous 

 ■wounds. The next morning the broken paliladoes were repaired, and another row- 

 ordered to be fet beyond the firft, and foot-angles to belaid betwixt both. The 17th 

 of March the bark called the Parayba coming from Siara, brought advice, that the 

 Brazilians were gone from Siara to Komefi, having refufed to return to Rio Grande, 



for 



