838 * •nieuhoff's brazil. 



fifti to be delivered at the Tlecelf, but could meet with none that would accept his 

 offers ; they alledging, that moft of their negroes being either run away or taken by 

 the enemy, they did catch no more fifh but what they could readily fell in the ifland, 

 without the charge of fait and tranfportation ; that he had likewife propofed to the 

 commander-in-chief of the Brazilians, to give them for the future money inftead of 

 meal ; and that they were to be furnilhed with three nets to catch fifh for their own 

 ufe ; that the commander promifed to propofe it to the reft, and gave him fome hopes 

 that they would accept of the faid offer. 



To fupply the prefent want of provifions, which began to be fcarcer and fcarcer 

 every day in Itamarika, Parayba, Rio Grande, and the Receif, by reafon that the 

 expefted fupplies from Holland were not as yet arrived, and we were clofely blocked 

 up by land ; it was thought fit to give all imaginable encouragement to the fifhing trade ; 

 for which purpofe the two members of the great council, Mr. Hamel and Mr. Bas, or- 

 dered, the 7th of May, to buy up as much yarn as poffible could be got, to make 

 fifhing nets of, which afterwards flood us in good ftead. 



A certain Portuguefe, who had committed man-flaughter in Angola, and was fled 

 from thence to the Receif, having accufed John Vieira d*Allegoas, he was by order 

 from the council taken into cuflody. 



This Portuguefe declared, that the faid Vieira had delivered to him a certain piece 

 of parchment, written in charafters, and a box, wherein were feveral other papers, in 

 order to carry them to the enemy, which parchment and box he produced in the 

 prefence of the members of the council. John Vieira denying the matter, was put 

 to the rack, but continued refolute in his denial ; till at laft the key of thefe charac- 

 ters being found among his papers, and a certain Jew having uncyphered thefe letters, 

 it appeared that he had given an account of the whole pofture of our affairs to the 

 enemy, with direftions how to make themfelves mafters of the Receif ; fo that finding 

 himfelf difcovered, he confeffed that he had written and delivered thefe cyphered 

 papers to the Portuguefe ; and was executed the 29th of May. 



The magazines being by this time almofl exhaufted, there being fcarce provifions 

 left for a few weeks, it was propofed by the council to the majors Bayert and Piftoor, 

 that confidering it was not advifeable to exafperate the foldiery at this jundure, by re- 

 trenching their allowance of bread and other eatables, whether inflead of a pound of 

 meat, they might not be prevailed upon to take fixpence, by this means to preferve 

 that fmall flore of flefh they had left ; which thefe two majors undertook to propofe 

 to the foldiers, not without hopes of fucceeding in their project. And that nobody 

 might be exempted from bearing his fhare in the public calamity, it was ordered that 

 the loaves which ufed before to weigh a pound and a half, fhould be reduced to one 

 pound weight, and that each citizen and others depending on the company, nay the 

 members of the great council themfelves, fhould have an allowance only of two 

 loaves per week ; the fame was to be given to all feaman, captains, lieutenants, and 

 enfigns ; but the reft, from the ferjeant to the common foldier, fhould have three 

 pounds of bread allowed them per week. 



Mr. Linge advifed from the ift of May, out of Parayba, that the enemy had not 

 attempted any thing againfl the forts, and that a party of Brazilians was gone abroad 

 towards Tapoa, in hopes to take fome prifoners. Much about the fame time the 

 council received advice, that Colonel Garfman, without orders from the council, had 

 endeavoured by fome prefents, to draw the Tapoyers into Rio Grande, under pretence 

 of keeping them at hand, to enter into a confederacy with the new members of the great 

 council that were expeded from Holland. The council being uot a little furprifed at 



this 



