1 76 ^he DISCOVERY and CO N^l/E S T Book I 
fpeft, he Waited within four Miles of the Port of Olinda 
for the Enemy •, the Fleet being commanded under his 
Excellency, by William Loos a Dutch Admiral, reputed 
as braye a Man, and as good a Seaman, as any at that 
time in the Service of the States* On the 12th of the 
fame Month the Fleets met,> and engaged between the 
Wand of Yamaraca and the River Gojana and fought 
from one in the Afternoon till it was Night The Lofs 
fuftained by dat.Dutch was not great j for they had but 
four Men killed, and as many wounded, and one Ship 
rendered unferviceable. Amongft thefe four Men, how- 
ever, was their Admiral William Loos^ who might be 
truly faid to die in the Arms of Vidtory. He was replaced 
the next Day by James Huyghens, who engaged the 
Spanijh Fleet a fecond time j and, by dint of his fuperior 
Skill as a Sea Officer, obtained great Advantages. On 
the 14th he attacked them a third time on the Coaft of 
Paraiba^ where he had ftill greater Advantages ; but the 
great Vidlory of all, was after the fourth Day’s Fight, 
wherein they fuffered exceffively, and were at laft driven' 
where the Dutch durft not follow them, that is to fay, 
upon thofe Sholes on the Coaft, to which the Portugueze 
have given the Name of Batces de Rochas ; where many 
periffied by Shipwreck, and more by Hunger and Thirft. 
The Remainder that eftaped endeavoured to return home ; 
but, great Difputes arifmg amongft their Commanders, 
they feparated ; and of all this mighty Fleet only four 
Galleons and two Men of War arrived fafe in the Ports 
of Spain ; and thefe too efcaped with much Difficulty a 
Dutch Fleet that was fteering for Brazil. 
While thefe great Tranfadtions happened at Sea, the 
Portugueze., being very well informed that Count Maurice 
had embarked his whole Strength on board his Fleet, af- 
fembled a Body of regular Troops, under the Command 
of Don John Lopez Vervailho, an Officer of great Ex- 
perience and Courage, and a great Body of Brazilians 
under their Countryman Colonel Cameron ; who, falling 
into the Dutch Settlements, unexpectedly took feveral 
Places, and did a great deal of Mifchief. It was not 
long, however, before Hanjkins, who had the Title of 
Colonel on Shore, as well as Commodore at Sea, put 
himfelf at the Head of a Body of Planters, and with 
them very foon gave a Check to thefe infolent Invaders. 
A ftiort Time after Admiral Lichthart, and Commodore 
Cornelius Jol, arrived with great Reinforcements from 
Holland-, the former was immediately fent by Count 
Maurice into the Bay of All Saints, to deftroy the Coun- 
try, which he did with a Barbarity not to be defcribed, 
and confequently not to be excufed. Commodore Jol 
aCted the like Part on the Country near the River St. 
Francis-, and this Manner of mal^g War appeared to 
the Count de Montalvan, at that time Viceroy of Brazil, 
fo abominable, that he could not be brought to believe 
that a Perfon of Count Maurice‘s Quality could be pleaf- 
ed with it •, and therefore he fent Deputies to reprefent 
to him the Barbarity of fuch a Behaviour, and to defire 
that they might fettle a Cartel, by which the Proceedings 
of the War might be regulated ; and fuch horrid Scenes 
of Murder and Devaftation prevented for the future, as 
proved equally ruinous to both Parties. 
As Count Maurice, in giving thefe Orders, had fol- 
lowed the Company’s InftruClions againft his own Inclina- 
tions, he very gladly embraced this Opportunity of ffiew- 
ing his own noble and generous Temper, which was ever 
averfe to fuch kind of Proceedings. He therefore readi- 
ly embraced the Propofal, and offered to fend Commif- 
fioners immediately to St. Salvador, to fettle fuch a Prp- 
vifional Treaty with the Viceroy, for the common Bene- 
fit of the Subjefts of both States : But, juft as thefe De- 
puties were on their Departure, there arrived two Gentle- 
men of Diftindtion from the Viceroy *, who, at -an Au- 
dience they demanded, and obtained from Count Maurice, 
acquainted him with the amazing Revolution that had 
happened in Portugal, which was likely to have a great 
Effedfc on the general State of Affairs, and might proba- 
bly put an End to the War in Brazil, fmce hitherto it 
had not been carried on by the Dutch againft Portu- 
gueze Nation, but againft the Portugueze as Subjeds to 
eke Crown of Spain i and therefore it was very natural to 
ftippofe tliat the Dutch would no longer confider them as 
their Enernips, when they could be no longer confidered 
as the Subjeds of that Crown, but rather as an independ- 
ent Nation, inclined, both by Nature 'and Intereft, to cul- 
tivate a good Correfpondence with the Subjeds of the 
States General. At leaft, thefe Meffengers from the 
Viceroy were charged to reprefent things in this Light to 
Count Maurice, who gave them, a very patient Hearings 
and diftniffed them with a favourable Anfwer, though 
refolved to do what was moft for his Mafters Service. 
1 4. It was in the Month of December 1 640, that Jobn^ 
Duke of Braganza, feated himfelf on the Throne of Por- 
tugal, which was that of his Anceftors -, and took the 
Title of John the IVth. This Revolution, one of the moll 
fudden, and moft fuccefsful the World ever faw, pus 
into his Hands immediately the whole Dominions of Por- 
tugal, the little Town of Ceuta in Africa excepted, and 
the Conquefts made by the Dutch in Brazil, and elfewherc- 
It was not long before Count Maurice had a very exad 
Relation of the whole Affair ; and, forefeeing that this 
Revolution would certainly be attended, either with a 
Peace, or a Truce, between the States General and the 
new King ; he refolved to do all that he could in the 
ffiorteft Time poffible, that whenever the Peace or Truce 
was concluded, it might find the Dutch with their Hands 
full. I ffiall not pretend to juftify this Refolution of 
Count Maurice, or to reconcile it to the Laws of Nature, 
and of Nations ; but, we know, that great Captains are 
feldom great Cafuifts, and perhaps this might be his 
Cafe. 
He put this Defign of his in Execution almoft as foon 
as he had formed it, making himfelf entirely Mafter of 
the Captainlhip of Segerippa, which the Portugueze had 
recovered ; he fent away Admiral Jol, with a Fleet of 
twenty-one Sail, and above three thoufand Men on board, 
to reduce the Ifland of Laonda, on the Coaft of Congo^ 
and that of St. Thomas, immediately under the Equinoiffiai j 
both which Services he performed : The latter, however, 
coft him his Life *, for while he was bufy in fettling the 
Affairs of his new Conqueft, a Diftemper broke out in 
his Fleet, which carried off a great Number of Men, and 
amongft them the Admiral and fix of his chief Captains. 
He was buried with great Military Pomp in the Cathe- 
dral of Pavoafan, which is the Capital of that Ifland, 
and left behind him the Reputation of being the boldelL 
moft refolute, and ftri^teft Officer of his Time ; but 
v/ithal, one of the rougheft in his Beliaviour that ever 
bore Commiffion ; yet he was a Man of fuch nice Ho- 
nour, that, in his Expedition, the Year before, on the 
Coaft of Cuba, being driven to great Diftrefs for Provifi- 
ons, and in no Condition to take them by Force, he fent 
to the Spanijh Governor for a Supply j who, out of Re- 
gard to his perfonal Merit, granted him all, and more 
than he defired ; upon which he immediately quitted the 
Coaft, declaring, that he could no longer a^ againft an 
Enemy, who had treated him with fuch Generofity. 
Count Maurice, in purfuance of his Inftru6tions, which 
reprefented to him the Captainlhip of Maragnan as a 
Country extremely wholefome, abounding with Sugar, 
Cotton, Ginger, Tobacco, and other rich Commodities, 
as well as very convenient from its Situation, refolved 
to feize it likewife. He difpatched, for this Purpofe, 
Admiral Lichthart and Commodore Hanjkins, with a 
Fleet of fix Sail of Men of War and fix Frigates, with 
which they foon reduced the Ifland of Maragnan, and the 
Town of St. Louis, upon v/hich the reft of the Diftrids 
fubmitted without Refiftance ; fo that at the Clofe of 
the Year 1641, the Dutch were adtually in Poffeffion of 
feven of the fourteen Captainlhips, into which the Coun- 
try of Brazil was divided. 
But Things did not long remain in this State-; for," 
partly by Revolt, and partly by Conqueft, thefe Countries 
returned again to their old Mafters. 
It is now neceffary to look over into Europe, in order 
to fee how thofe Events came about, which furnilhed the 
Means of making as fudden a Revolution in Brazil, as ever 
happened in a Country fo well fecured ; and in the Re- 
cital of which, it will appear, that the Dutch themfelves 
taught thofe Arts, by which they ftiffered ; and firft 
pra6tifed 
< 
i 
