Chap. VII. U M El^I C A. 



Very vigilant, and alTur'd him, that in a fhort time he would fend him both Men 

 and Provifions. A Mulatto call'd John Fernanda Vitra, did not a little a/lift the fortu- >w,t,,- 

 guefe m their Defign • for he having liv'd a confutable time in a Councellors Houfe *° r - 

 in <%ecitfa, had narrowly obferv'd all Paffages, and infinuatcd himfclf into federal 

 Statefmens Affairs, by Prefenting them now and then with fome Rarit.es info- 

 much that he came in time to Farm the Rents which the Wejl-Mta Company re 

 ceiv d from the Sugar-Mills , but at length being difcontented becaufe the Coun- 

 cil would not make any abatement upon the fame, when he complain'd that he loft 

 by Farming the fore-mention'd Tax, he held private Correfpondence with Andreas 

 Vtdal, that when a convenient opportunity prefentcd it felf for the Vortwuefe to fall 

 on the Hollanders,^ he might be affifting . to which end he had gotten feveral Arms 

 and Ammunition together. 



In this Plot a Jew nam'd M./es Jccoignes, living in Ftera's Houfe, a League from 

 %eciffa, to keep himfrom Arrcfts, wasperfwaded to joyn, which hefeemingly pro. 

 mis'd to do • but went away by Day.break, and difcover'd the Defign to the Privy- 

 Council, who being rock'd aflecp by the fortuguefes fair Pretences, gave no credit 

 to the Relation. 



For the better carrying on of this Defign, CaVakantelca, Provoft-Marfhal inAPU.. 

 Maurtce.Jladt .made a great Wedding for his Daughter in *Ws Houfe, to which the Si 

 chieleft Perfons of Quality, both of the Vortuguefe, and alfo all the Privy-Coun-Xw^- 

 cellors and Military Officers belonging to the Weji-IndU Company were invited : ** 

 and the Plot was fo contriv'd, that whileft they were all at Dinner, the Tortuguefe 

 were fuddenly to fall upon the lietberlanders and kill them, both Servants and Ma- 

 ilers . this done, fome were to go to <%eciffa or Maurice.Jiadt, with news that the 

 Wedding People were coming ; whereupon part were to prefs into the City, others 

 to keep the Gates, till all their Forces were come thither, which then might eafily 

 fecurc and feize upon the Magazine : fome Barques alfo under pretence of loading 

 Sugar, were in the mean time to fet upon the Haven and Fort near the Shore. All 

 things were accordingly prepar'd for the Wedding, nothing being wanting that 

 could be purchas'd with Money , and near the Forts of <Sjo Grande and farayba were 

 Stage-plays to be Afted in publick, it being concluded that the Soldiers in Garri- 

 fon would certainly be there to fee them ; the Adors being privately Arm'd with 

 Piftols and Ponyards. And to oblige one another the more for the carrying on of 

 this bloody Defign, Vierahzd caus'd the chief Confpirators to take an Oath before 

 the high Altar. The twenty fourth of June 1 645. was the Day on which this Tra- 

 gedy was to be afted ; but a few days before two Vortuguefes and five?***, who had 

 been fworn Confederates, their Confciences checking them for fo villanous an SSmK 

 Undertaking, made an ingenuous Difcovery of the Plot. The Councellor Moucheron c^fp^tL 

 was alfo inform'd, that the fortuguefe Colonel Qamaron and Dwr^wcre coming with 

 great Forces from St. Salvador. 



The Council when they might eafily have apprehended Fera, fent for him by a 

 jfo call'd Abraham Coing, under pretence of Treating about fome Bufinefs concern- 

 ing the Weft.lndta Company; he promis'd to come in the Evening, but fufpetfing r«.«ain- 

 he was betray 'd, fled into the Woods, and gave fpeedy notice to all his Accom- tu,l * w ""i- 

 plices, who follow'd him in great numbers. The Soldier* fent to fearch Ftera's 

 Houfe,found none but old Men and Children. 



The Councellor Van Houten went immediately with feven Sugar-Veflels to <Pa- 

 rajba, fortifi'd the Forts Margareta, <%j/lringa, and Antonio, and made room for the 

 tBrajUians that had remov'd thither from their Villages, in the Houfes deferted by 

 the Portuguefe in Frederick-Jladt. On the other fide, Amador da ^uge, one of the Con- 

 fpirators, 



I 



