174 The DISCOVERY 
of Florins, or four Millions and an half of our Money ; 
and of eight hundred Ships, which the Crown of Sfain 
had fitted out againft them, they deftroyed or took five 
hundred and forty-feven. Thefe Ixtraordinary and un- 
expedted Strokes of good Fortune|raifed the Spirits of 
the Diredlors of the Dutch Com.pa|iy to fuch a Degree, 
that they refolved to put tliemlelves at once upon a 
level with the Eafi India Company j and to do this 
effedfually, they could think of no better Way than to 
make choice of fome Perfon of great Quality and In- 
tereft, whom they might put at the Plead of their Affairs, 
and whofe Credit and Power might add a greater Strength 
to their own. 
It was with this View that they caft their Eyes on Count 
John Maurice de Najfau^ who was nearly related to the 
Prince of Orange., and who had ferved the States for 
feveral Years, in their Armies, with great Abilities and 
Applaufe. Pie very readily accepted the Propofal that 
was made him, and, with the Confent of the Prince of 
Orange and the States-General, was declared Governor of 
Brazil and South-America, with the fame Powers given 
to the Governor-General of the Eaft Indies in all Affairs 
Civil and Military. That this new Officer might take 
Poffeffion of his Dignity in a Manner fiiitable to his Qua- 
lity and Charafter, the Company refolved to fit out a 
Fleet of thirty-two Sail of large Ships, and to embark a 
Body of two thoufand feven hundred Land-Forces ; but 
as this took up a good deal of Time, and Count Mauirce 
was impatient to be gone, he failed from the Texel on 
the 25th of Odioher, 1636, with four Ships only, and no 
more than three hundred and fifty Soldiers on board •, 
with which fmall Squadron he arrived on the Coafl of 
Brazil on the 23d oE January, 1637, with Adrian Vander 
Dujfen, who had joined him near the Ifland of Madeira : 
He was foon after followed by the Captains Selan, Car- 
penter, and Gifelin, who were to ferve under him, and 
very foon took the Field with two great Bodies of Troops, 
the one confifting of near three thoufand Men, with which 
he prepared to abt againft the Portugueze Army ; and the 
other of fix hundred, which was to be employed in va- 
rious Expeditions, to divide and diftraft the Enemy. 
On the other hand, as they could not help perceiving 
that their All was now at Stake, the Portugueze had a 
great Army in the Field under the Command of the Count 
de Banjola, an Officer of great Courage and Experience, 
who had ferved under the Marquis de Spinola in Flanders ; 
and another Body of light-armed Troops under one 
Cameron, who was a Brazilian by birth, had raifed him- 
felf by his Merit, and always ferved them with equal Re- 
putation and Fidelity. They had a ftrong Garrifon at Porto 
Cavallo, with which they harraffed t\\t Dutch in the Captain- 
fhip oiFernamhuca extremely ; and as they did not doubt this 
would be the firft Place attacked, they affembled the Bulk 
of their Forces under Count de Banjola for the Defence of 
it. It very foon appeared that, in this Refpedl, they had 
formed a very right Judgment ; for Count Maurice had 
no fooner put himfelf at the Plead of his Army, than 
he marched direftly towards Porto Cavallo ; upon which 
a Battle enfued, wherein, after a very obftinate Refiftance, 
the Portugueze were defeated and afterwards forced in 
their Camp, though it was very ftrongly intrenched. 
Upon which the Count de Banjola retired with the Re- 
mains of his Forces under the .Cannon of the Citadel 
of Povacaon from whence however he retired on the 
Approach of the Dutch, who befieged that Fortrefs in 
form : There was in it a Garrifon of fix hundred Men, 
who very bravely defended the Place for a Fortnight, and 
were then obliged to capitulate. 
Count Maurice purfued this Succefs, and advanced 
with his Army to the Town of Openeda on the River of 
St. Francis, at the Diftance of about fix Miles from the 
Sea, which he took, and built a Citadel there, and an- 
other at the Mouth of the River, by which he effectually 
covered his new Conqueft. He then returned to Olinda, 
and having provided for the fettling the Civil and Military 
Government in the manner direftef by his Commiffion, he 
refolved to fit out two Fleets ; one under the Command 
of Admiral Lichthart, with Orders to attack the South- 
Coaft of Brazil, the other under the Command of 
Commodore Uanjkins, which was deftined to a Service 
and CON ElU E S T Book I. 
of ftill greater Importance, and of which therefore I 
think myfelf obliged to give an exaft, though concife, Ac- 
count. From the very Time that the Dutch JVeJi India 
Company made their firft Attempt upon Brazil, and were 
fo fuccefsful in taking the City of St. Salvador, they^ had 
meditated the bold Defign of fixing themfelves likewife 
on the other Shore of Africa, fuppofing that if they 
could once make themfelves Mafters of the two Points of 
the oppofite Continent, they ffiould be able to bridle the 
Ocean, and by having the Command of this Paffage to 
the Indies, diftrefs the Spaniards, P or tiigueze, Englijh, and, 
in fiiort, all other Nations in the North. There was fome- 
thing very wife and very great in this Projedl, fomething 
equal to the Genius of a trading Nation •, and in ffiort, 
fomething worthy of being imitated ^ which is the Rea- 
fon that I have mentioned it. 
But though with a View to execute this Scheme, they 
had fearched all the Coafts from Cape Verd to the Cape of 
Good Hope, yet they had found no Place proper for that 
Purpofe : At laft it was agreed, that nothing could anfw'-er 
this End fo well as the Caftle of St. George de la Mina, 
on the Coaft of Guinea, in the Poffeffion of the Portugueze. 
This Place accordingly they attem.pted in the Year 1625, 
but mifearried with very great Lofs, which however did 
not difeourage them. For, having a ftrong Settlement in 
that Neighbounhood, their Governor, whofe Name was 
Nicholas Van Tperen, fent to advife Count Maurice, ♦'hat 
now was the proper Time, and if he fent him a fmaJl 
Squadron with a competent Body of Troops on board, 
he made no queftion of his being able to carry this im- 
portant Projeeft into Execution. 
It was with this View that Commodore Hanjkins was 
difpatched: He joined xFe. Dutch Governor on the 25th 
of July, and they attacked the Caftle with fuch Refclu- 
tion, that though it was one of the ftrongeft Places in 
that Part of the World, yet it furrendered on the' 29th of 
Augujl j fo that Commodore Hanjkins returned to Olinda 
in the Month of Olioher following, and was received by 
Count Maurice with all the Marks of Honour and Re- 
fpedl that the Performance of fo important a Service de- 
ferved. The Campaign in 1638 was equally glorious for 
the Dutch •, the Count de Banjola had again affembled a 
very numerous Army, for the Defence of the Captainfhip 
of Segerippa, which however Count Maurice attacked and 
defeated j after which he took the Capital, and reduced 
the whole Province. 
This great Run of Succefs made fuch a Noife in that 
Part of the World, that the Inhabitants, or rather the 
Natives, of Siara, one of the Northern Captainffiips, de- 
clared for the Dutch ; and, upon a Promife of being left 
free, offered to affift them againft the Portugueze. A 
Body of Troops was accordingly fent to join them, un- 
der the Command of Captain Gartman, who with the 
Help of a Brazilian Prince, AJgodojo, reduced' that 
whole Diftridl. It is, however, to be obferved, that it 
was the Infidel Brazilians that were Enemies to the Per- 
tugueze, for thofe whom they converted remained always 
firm to them, and began even at this time to raife In- 
furreftions in their Favour in the Captainfhips of Paraiha 
and Rio Grande,v^\i\Qh. xh&Dutch had fubdued ; and this ob- 
liged Count to reduce and demoliffi feveral of thrir 
beft Towns, and, the better to keep them under, he like- 
wife found it neceffary to rebuild and fortify the Town of 
Philipina, which he called Frederickjiadt, in honour of 
the Prince of Orange. 
Qount Maurice, having been fo fortunate in all his Un- 
dertakings, refolved now to put in Execution the repeated 
Orders he had received from the IVeft India Company, for 
attacking St. Salvador in the Bay of All Saints, which was 
looked upon as the Capital of all Brazil : He embarked 
for this Purpofe all the Troops he could draw togetri'-r 
at Olinda, and he landed v/ith them in the Bay before- 
mentioned on the 8th od April, 1638 *5 thinking to have 
furprifed the Portugueze. The Count de Banjola was in 
the Neighbourhood with a fin all Body of regular Troops, 
with which he immediately threw himfelf into the Place, 
though the Governor of it was' his Enemy, and it was 
upon the Differences known to fubfift between them,, 
that Count Maurice chiefly reckoned. The Portugueze 
Governor at firft difputed ' the Command with Colint 
Banjola, 
