Chap. m. of BRAZIL by the P O R T U G U E Z E 
On his Arrival in France^ he applied himfelf to King 
Henry IV. and endeavoured to perfuade him that vait 
Advantages v/ould flow from liich an Eftablifhment. 
That Monarch, who had the Good of his Subjects at 
Heart, as much or more than any Prince that ever fat 
upon his Throne, was very far from rejefting the Pro- 
pofal ; but, not caring to rifk much on the Faith of a 
young Adventurer, he direbled a fmall Veflel to be 
equipped; and gave Orders to a Perfon of great Merit 
and good Senfe, upon whofe Report he could perfedt- 
]y depend, whofe Name was Monfieur la Rivardier, to 
go over with Mr. Faux, which he accordingly did in the 
Spring of the Year 1604, and remained fix Months in 
Brazil \ where having informed himfelf of all things 
neceflfary, he returned to France ; from whence he made 
feveral Voyages back to Brazil-^ before the Government 
could come to any Refolution on the Head of a Colony, 
becaufe the Propofitions he made were fuch as required 
conflderable Expence'; and he declared, if lefs were done, 
it would be thrown away. 
At length, however, the thing was refolved upon, 
and Preparations were adtually making for fending a 
ftrong Squadron thither, when the Murder of Henry 
IV. put a flop to it, and all things of the like Nature ; 
however, Mr. Rivardier was fo fond of the Place, and 
fh much .perfuaded that a Settlement there would turn 
to Account immediately, that he embarked his whole 
private Fortune, and drew feveral of his Friends to do 
the like, in order to carry this Scheme into Execution. 
By this Means he found a Way to equip three flout 
VefTels, and to engage about three hundred Men to go 
to Brazil ; having obtained from the Queen Regent tiie 
necelTary Powers for that Purpofe; and, on the 19th of 
March^ 1612, he embarked with them at Cane ale ^ on the 
Coafl of Bretagne. 
A Storm, however, forced them into Plymouth^ from 
which Port they failed again in Aprils and arrived, in 
July following, at the Ifland' of Maragnan. There he 
began to erebl a Fortrefs, on the Summit of a Hill, near 
the befl Port in the Ifland, and between two fine Rivers 
which wafhed both Sides of the Mountain, and ran from 
thence into the Sea. Upon the Baftions of this Fort they 
mounted twenty-two pieces of Cannon ; and every thing 
feemed to promife them all the Succefs they could de- 
fire; when, about two Years after their firfl Arrival, a 
ftrong Squadron prefented itfelf before the Bay, fent by 
Don Jerom de Albuquerque^y the Portugueze Governor of 
Brazil^ who foon forced them to furrender ; and, ac- 
cording to his Orders, the Place was inftantly, and ab- 
folutely, demolifhed ; which cured the French of all 
farther Thoughts of fettling in that Country, or di- 
fturbing its Inhabitants for the future. 
9. Ihe Crown of Portugal devolving on the Head of 
Philip II. King of Spain, in the Year 1581, he became 
thereby PolTeffor of Brazil-, which he left to his Succeflors, 
together with the War againft the Inhabitants of the 
Seven United Provinces in the Fow Countries, who had 
formed themfelves into a Republic, and fhaken off their 
Dependance on the Crown of Spain. The Progrefs of 
this new Republic was fo rapid, that, after forming an 
Eajl India Company, which in a very fhort Space of 
Time brought prodigious Advantages to its Proprietors , 
they, in 1624, proceeded to fet up a JFeJi India Com- 
pany likewife, which proved fatal to the Portugueze 
from its firft Inftitution. James Willikens, and the fa- 
mous Sea Captain II Hermite, were fent to cruize upon 
the Coaft of Portugal, where they took abundance of 
rich Prizes ; and, upon their Return, it was determined 
to equip a new Squadron the very next Spring, in order to 
attack Brazil. 
The Butch were very well apprized of the State of that 
Country, and of die fmall Refiftance they were likely to 
meet with in it. The Coafts, which were no lefs than 
twelve hundred Feagues in Extent, were not like to be 
every were well fortified; the People, who had for fo long 
a Trad of Years enjoyed a profound Peace, thofe AttempS 
of the French, before mentioned, only excepted, could 
fcarce be thought martial; and almofl all the great 
Families in Portugal having fome of their youno-er 
Branches fettled in that Country, they might very well 
hope to meet with vaft Riches. And, befides all this;' 
the Dutch had taken great Care to carry on a kind of 
Smuggling Trade there, for leyeral Years, by which 
they had many fair Opportunities of penetrating into the 
Secrets of the Country ; and, having been fo often re- 
ceived as Friends, the coming of their Veffels upon the 
Coafts v/as not like to create immediate Apprehenflons 
of an Enemy. , ■ 
Such was the Situation of things when James Willikens 
entered the Bay of All Saints, with a Squadron under 
his Command; and began to iliew, very clearly, what his 
Intentions were ; which fo frighted the Portugueze, that 
they immediately ufed all poflible Methods to carry off, 
and fecure, their Effeds, inftead of providing for their 
Defence. The Dutch, taking Advantage of their Con- 
fternation, landed immediately; and their Admiral, with- 
out much Difficulty, made himfelf Matter of the great 
City of St. Salvador, which was the Capital of Brazil. 
The Portugueze Governor, Don Diego de Mendoca, had 
neither the Courage to defend the Place, nor the Prudence 
to withdraw himfelf in time ; and his Behaviour, though 
Very bad in itfelf, appeared fo much the wgrfe, from 
the Condud of another Perfon ; who, though in like 
Circumftances, fhewed himfelf of quite a different Tem- 
per ; This was the Archbifhop Michael T exeira, of one 
of the beft Families in Portugal, and in Years ; who 
fummoned all the Clergy and Monks about him ; and, 
having reprefented to them the Neceflity there was of 
laying afide their clerical Capacities at fuch a Jundure, 
prevailed upon them to take up Arms ; and, though 
deferted by the Governor, his Soldiers, and the Inhabit- 
ants, they made for fome time a very gallant Defence, 
and at laft made a good Retreat to a neighbouring 
Town ; where, after ading the Part of Soldiers fo well, 
they turned Pioneers ; and, under the Condud of their 
Archbifhop, fortified the Place, and gave the Enemy as 
much Trouble as if they had been the moft regular 
Troops in the World; which Inftance fhews, at once, 
the Danger of having a Coward, and the Advantage of 
having any Man of Spirit, at the Head of a Colony, let 
the Force he commands be what it will. 
But the Dutch, by the taking this Town, befides ac- 
quiring an immenfe Booty, became Matters of the largeft 
and beft peopled Diftrid in the whole Country ; fo that it 
looked as if they were in a fair Way of making a corn- 
pleat Conqueft, in a very fhort Space of Time, of the 
whole Colony ; which it is very probable they would 
have done, if it had not been for the heroic Archbifhop, 
who took upon himfelf the Quality of Captain General ; 
which he faid came to him from Heaven, in the legible 
Charaders of public Neceflity ; and every Man of Spirit 
in Brazil thought this Authority fufficient. 
As foon as the News of this Misfortune reached 
Portugal, it threw, not only the City of Lijbon, but the 
whole Kingdom, into Confufion ; and fo much the 
greater, becaufe moft of the Nobility fufpeded that the 
Spanijh Miniftry were not much difpleafed at an Event 
which might leffen the Wealth and Power of their great 
Families, and abate fomewhat of that high Spirit which 
they had hitherto fhewn, ever fince they fell under the 
Dominion of the Spanijh Monarchs. This was, indeed, 
probable enough, for at that time two thirds of the Por- 
tugueze Nobility had their Eftates, or at leaft the beft 
Part of them, in Brazil-, fo that, by the Eofs of that 
Country, they muft have been brought very low. 
But, however, it very foon appeared, that this re- 
fined Notion had nothing in it of Truth; for King Phi- 
lip IV, in whofe Reign this fatal Affair happened, ffiewed 
himfelf as much concerned as any Portugueze Prince 
could have been, when he was informed of this Defcent 
of xFe Dutch. He immediately fent his Orders to Por- 
tugal for equipping a Fleet for the Recovery of St. Sal- 
vador ; and, at the fame Time, wrote a Letter, with 
his own Hand, to the Nobility, defiring their Affiftance 
on this Occafion, and promifing to fend a ftrong Spanijh 
Squadron to join whatever Fleet they could fit out. 
This revived the Spirits of the Nation, and the Portugueze 
Lords exerted themfelves fo effeaually,that in three Months 
time they had a fleet of twenty-fix Sail, well equipped, 
and thoroughly manned, ready to put to Sea. The Spa- 
niards 
