BRA 



nients in favoor of that (late, at Methonc, Pylus, and Am- 

 phipo!i<. 



The Brafidia were celebrated with facrifices and games, 

 at which none were allowed to coiitv.-nd but free-boni 

 Spartans. To be ablcnt from tlitfo foltmnities is faid 

 by fome to have been held criminal, and piinirtitd with 

 fines. Mcurf. Grxc. Ferial. Potter. Arch. GrJC. lib. ii. 

 cap. ■20. 



BR.ASIL, or Brazil, in Geography, an cxtenfivc and 

 opulent country in South Americi, belonging to the portu- 

 giicfe, and of fuch importance as to be almoll eirenlial to 

 the exiftotice of their monarchy. It derives its name from the 

 wood which is fo called, mentioned by Chaucer, and known 

 many ajcs before his time. It is bounded on the north by 

 the river of the Ama/ons and the north Atlantic ocean, on 

 the cad by t!ic fouth Atlantic ocean, on the fouth by tiie 

 mouth of the river I.a Plata, and on the well by a multitude 

 ofniurrtffcs, lakes, rivers, and mountains, which feparate it 

 from the dominions of the Spaniards; and extends from the 

 frontier ai Dutch Guiana, N. lat. 3°, to Port St. Ptdro, S. 

 lat. 32°, including 31;" of latitude, or 2100 geographical 

 miles, and in breadth from Cape St. Rorjiie, to the faitheft 

 Porlugjefe fettlemcnt on the river of Amazons, called St. 

 Paul de Omaguas, comprehending at kail the fame num- 

 ber of miles. Some have afcribcd the firll dilcovery of Bra- 

 filto Martin Behem, in 1484 (fee Bf.hem); but this, how- 

 ever, has been more generally allowed to Pedro Alvarez 

 Cabral, who, being entrullcd with the command of a power. 

 ful fleet, defigned by the king of Portugal not only for the 

 purpofes of trade, but alfo of conqueft, let failin 1 500 ; and 

 in order to avoid the" coall of Africa, where he v^as likely 

 to be retarded in his voyage by variable breezes or frequent 

 calms, he Hood out to fea, and kt-pt fo far towards the weft 

 that he found himfelf, to his furprife, upon the (hore of an 

 iinknown country, in the loth degree beyond the line. He 

 iirll thought that it was fome illand in the Atlantic ocean 

 that had not been before obferved ; but proceeding along its 

 coaft for feveral days, he was led gradually to believe, that 

 a country fo extenlive formed a part of fome great continent. 

 This country proved to be that called by its difcovercr " St. 

 Croix," but now known by the name' of Brafil. Here he 

 landed ; and iiaving conceived a high idea of the fertility of 

 the foil, and the agreeablenefs of the climate, he took pof- 

 feflion of it for the crown of Portugal, and difparched a fhip 

 to Lilbon, with an account of that event, which appearetf 

 to be no Icfs important than it was unexpedled. The Por- 

 tugucfe, however, notwithllanding the flattering report of 

 Cabral, entertained, for fome time, no very favourable opi- 

 sion of this country ; bccaufe they found, after a furvey of 

 its harbours, bays, rivets, and coalh, that it afforded neither 

 gold nor fdver ; and accordingly they fcnt thither none but 

 condemned criminals and abandoned women. Two ftiips 

 ■were annually fent from Portugal for this purpofe, and they 

 returned with parrots, and woods for the nfe of the dyers and 

 cabinet-makers. In 1548, when the Jews were perf.cuted 

 by the inquilkion, they were plundered of their poflcffions 

 and baaiihed to Brafil. But receiving encouragement from 

 fome of their mercantile friends in different nations, with 

 whom they had formerly been conneftcd, they were enabled 

 to procure fugar canes from the ifland of Madeira, and to 

 fftabhih fugar plantations. The court of Lifton, perceiving 

 that the mother-country might derive conCderable advantage 

 from this colony, although it fnrnilhed them n, ither gold 

 nor filver, fcnt thither, in 1549, Thomas de Souza to re- 

 gelate and fiipermtend it. This gcvernor, notwithllandintr 

 the talents which he polTcired, found it veiy difficult to 

 reduce thufe who had been accuftoraed to anarchy to due 



BRA 



fubordination, and to induce the natives, who were dif* 

 pcrfed through the forellsand plains, and who had no fettled 

 liabitations, to alTociate with one another, and to fubmit to 

 the yoke which the Portuguefe feemed delirous of impofiri^ 

 upon them. A dilfatisfattion enfued bet^veen both parties 

 which at length terminated in war; nor was the force that 

 had accompanied Souza fufficient to bring it to a peaceful 

 termination. This was in fome meafure effected by the 

 cllabliniment of a kind of central and rallying point for the 

 colony at St. Salvadoie, which was built in 1549, on the bay 

 of All-Saints, and which was the firft Portuguefe fettle- 

 mcnt in the country ; but the objeft was chiefly accomnlilh- 

 ed by the addrefs of the Jefuits, who, difperljng themfelvesi 

 among the Indians, contrived to engage their efteem and 

 attachment, and thus to extend the influence of the Portu- 

 guefe, and to infure, as well as to augment, the advan- 

 tages which the mother country derived from this fettlement. 

 The Indians, inllruded by the Jefuits and employed b^ 

 them, diftribnted among the favage natives hatchets, knives', 

 and looking-glalfes wilh fuch effcd, that they were induced 

 to regard the Portuguefe as an inoffenlive and humane peo- 

 pie. The increafing profperity of the colony became n-ra- 

 d^ually known in Europe; and excited the' envy of '^the 

 French, Spaniards, and Dutch fuccedively. The latter 

 however, were the principal enemies with whom the Portul 

 gutfe had to contend in their new fettlement. In 1624 the 

 Dutch admiral Willekens ^vas detached with a powerful 

 fquadron, and a confiderable number of foldiers and marines 

 for Bralil ; and having call anchor before St. Salvadore, the 

 capital of the country, and the refidence of the Portu<Tuefe 

 ^'"/"y' i^= '^"'^^.'^ his forces, expelled the inhabitants," and 

 took po fcfhon of the town. After having plundered it of 

 US wealth,^ he appointed colonel Van Dort as governor, and 

 left with him a Irrong ganifon for his fupport. His firlt aft 

 was the publication of a manifdlo, in thenameof the States 

 allowing liberty of confcience to all who were willino- to 

 take an oath of fidelity to the republic of the United Pro 

 vinces. When an account of the fuccefs of Willekens ar- 

 rived in Holland, it was received with great fatisfaftion, and 

 It vvas concluded, without hefitation, that the entire con- 

 queft of Brafil would enfue. Upon the return of Wille- 

 kens to i^urope, the Spaniards were prepared with a 

 fquadron of 56 fail, under Frederic de Toledo, which 

 was dellined to drive the Hollanders out of Brafil The 

 fleet was manned with 12,000 foldiers and marines, who 

 immediately upon their arrival, laid liege to St. Salvadore 

 which, after an obftmate refittance and the lofs of its tro! 

 v^-nor Van Dort, was obliged to capitulate. Wh.n the 

 affairs of th. Dutch at home alfnmed a more favourable 

 afpea, they difpatched admiral Louche, ,n 1630, with a ftrone 

 armament to the^ South American lea, and he arrived on the 

 coaft of Pei-namhucco, or Fernambucco, one of the moil con- 

 hderableand be.l fortified provinces in Brafil, and, after feve- 

 ra. obftmate engagements, fuccetded in reducing it. He left 

 behind him troops which reduced, in the years 16- ksT, 



Rio Ci^ '"T^r% P™"""' "^ Teme,-i::,^fea 'inti 

 R.o G ande Thefe four provinces furnifhed annually a large 

 quan ity of ugar, wood for dyeing, and other commoditie^s! 

 which fupphed the Hollanders with fuch an acceflion of 

 wealth that th.y determined to conquer the whole countr/; 

 and entrulted Maunce of-Nafiau with the condud of the 



elf'E; ^^^^^-■'='"^'"g--y well-conduaed efforts for 

 (elf-defence on the pait of Albuberque, Banjola, Lewis 

 RocadeBorgn and Cameron of Brafil, idol-Ld by h s 

 F-opk, and himfelf devoted to the intereft of the Portu Juef^. 

 the Dutch took pofT.ffion of the piovinces cf Siara "Sere. 

 g.ppe, and tke greatefi part of that of Bahia. Having 



thua- 



