vernors in 

 Brsjile. 



57 g a M E^I C A. Chap. VII. 



upon that Ifland being dead, Pire K hereupon with the King s Confent fitted out 

 two Ships, and fettingSail from Lisbon about the beginning of July 1641. firft re- 

 fus'dtopay the ufual Cuftom at the Ifland St. Thomas, afterwards fell upon the 

 Hollander,, whom he Befieg'd in the Caftle, and againft the Law of Arms poyfon d 



all the Waters. . . 



To prevent the future Inconveniences that were likely to ante trom a Famine 

 which about this time afflifted the whole Countrey of Krafde, Grave Maurice judg'd 

 it convenient to fell the Lands in the Alagoas to new Planters ; to which purpofe 

 Benrtck Moucberon was chofen Overfeer, to take care that all the Fields about Porto 

 Caho, and along the River Francifco, as alfo in the Alagoas, Ihould be Sow'n with 



Bread=Corn. 

 *„. Mm. Grave Maurice obtaining leave at laft to go home, took Leave by Letters or the 

 "<£' Governors of Serinhain, Porto Caho, lguaraz.ua, ltamaraca, Parayba, <I(io Grande, and in 

 ' Perfon of the Council at %eciffa, who all thank'd him for his prudent Government, 

 manifeftina their hearty forrow for his departure, Which without doubt would produce 

 mny Inconveniences. But though the Council of the Weft.lndia Company had order'd 

 him to return home about the beginning of March 1643. yet he went not fo 

 foon, becaufe he was to reduce the number of Militia to eighteen Companies, and 

 alfo 'to the fettle Revenues, and difpofe of Offices, in which be found muchtrou. 

 ble • wherefore before his departure he wrote to the States of the United ls(etberlands, 

 affuring them how impoflible it was to defend $rafile, which extended fome hun- 

 dreds of Leagues, with fo fmall a number of Men, fince the Portuguese cover'd in- 

 ward malice under a feigned fhew of kindnefs, and at the fame time watch'd all 

 opportunities to drive the Hetherlanders from their Plantations,being very much ex- 

 afperated by the priviledge of Religion granted to the 7wr,whileft their Monks and 

 Jefuits were banifti'd. Moreover, in regard they ow'd the Weft.India Company 

 above fifty nine Tuns of Gold, they fought to cancel that Obligation, by making 

 thcmfelvesMaftersofwhatfoever their Creditors had in <Bra[ile, fo that there was 

 no way but to keep them under by force of Arms. 



After Grave Maurice had fent this Letter to Holland, he left the Government of 

 £5™ Profile to the chief Council, the Mtlitia to HenricK Hoes, Captain of his Life-guard, 

 h0 "*' with Directions for Governing after his departure. Having fetled all things in 

 good order, he went from Maurice-ftadt through Paratibi and lguara^u to Parayba., 

 where Janduy fent him three of his Sons, with twenty Tafuyans, defiring him not to 

 go away ; two of them with feveral Qarapates and Waypebarans,(z People who made 

 themfelves Mafters of the great Palmares) and five other 'Brafilians went aboard with 

 him on the twentieth of May 1 644. . 



The Fleet, confifting of thirteen Ships, and Mann'd with fourteen hundred 

 Men of all forts, was laden with fo many Merchandizes as were valu'd at twenty 

 fix Tuns of Gold • with which Grave Maurice arriving at the Texel, Landed at the 

 Helder, and gave an Account of his Government in fBrafile, and of the then prefent 

 ftate of that part of it which belong'd to the Weft-lndia Company. 



After Grave Maurice's departure, Hamel, Bafit, and IBulleJlraet, bore the chief Com- 

 mand in Braftle : The Charges made by the War were mitigated, and the number 

 of the Soldiers in Garrifon redue'd to fixtcen hundred ; fome Forts lay without a 

 Man in them, whileft the King of Portugal watch'd for fuch an opportunity ; for 

 he feem'd to be as much concern'd for that Countrey, as for his Kingdom of Portu- 

 gal, and the rather, becaufe his Predecefibr Sebajlian rcceiv'd above forty hundred 

 thoufand Ducats yearly out of the fame, befides the Prefents and other Gains made 

 by the Portugue/e 5 wherefore he gave order to the Governor of St. Salvador to be 



very 



1 



He leaves the 

 Government 



111 manage- 

 ment of Af- 

 fairs after 

 Maurice his 

 departure. 



