350 BRA 
to Furprife Amphipolis, but died of the wounds he re¬ 
ceived in that battle. See Attica and Lacedemon. 
BR A'SIER, f. A manufacturer that works in brafs.— 
Brafiers that turn handirons, pots, kettles, &c. have their 
lathe made different from the common turners’ lathe. 
Moxon. —A pan to hold coals: [probably from embrafer , 
French.]—They had no chimneys, but were warmed with 
coals on bi afters. Arbuthnot. 
BRASIL', a country of South America, fubjeCt to the 
Portuguefe: it is about one thoufand five hundred and 
fixty miles in length, and one thoufand in breadth. It is 
bounded by the mouth of the river Amazon and the At¬ 
lantic oceaii on the north ; and by the fame ocean on the 
eaft ; on the fouth by the river Plata; on the weft by mo- 
raffes, lakes, torrents, rivers, and mountains, Which fepa- 
rate it from Amazonia and the Spanifh poffeffions. On 
the coaft are three fmall iflands, where fliips touch for 
provifions on their voyage to the South Seas, viz. Fernan¬ 
do, St. Barbaro, and St. Catherine’s. It was accidentally 
difcovered by the Portuguefe in 1500. Emanuel, king of 
Portugal, had equipped a fquadron of thirteen fail, car¬ 
rying 1200 foldiers and failors deftined for the Eaft Indies, 
under the conduCt of Peter Alvarez Cabral. This admi¬ 
ral, quitting Lifbon on the 9th of March, 1500, ftruck 
out to fea to avoid the coaft of Guinea, and (teered his 
courfe fouthward, that he might the more ealily turn the 
Cape of Good Hope. On the 24th of April lie got fight 
of the continent of,South America, which he judged to 
be a large ifland at fome diftance from the coaft of Africa. 
Coafting along for fome time, he ventured to fend a boat 
on fhore, and was aftonifhed to obferve the inhabitants en¬ 
tirely different from the Africans in features, hair, and 
complexiop. It was found, however, impracticable to 
feize upon any of the Indians, who retired with great ce¬ 
lerity to the mountains on the approach of the Portuguefe ; 
yet, as the failors had difcovered a good harbour, the ad¬ 
miral thought proper to come to an anchor, and called the 
bay Puerto Srguro. Next day he fent another boat on fhore, 
and had the good fortune to lay hold on tw'o of the natives, 
whom he clothed and treated kindly, and then difmiffed, 
fo make a proper report to their countrymen. The ftra- 
fagem had the defired effeCt. The Indians, having heard 
the relation of the prifoners, immediately crowded to the 
lhore, finging, dancing, and founding horns of different 
kinds; which induced Cabral to land, and take poffeflion 
of the country in the name of his Portuguefe majefty. 
The court of Lifbon ordered a furvey to be taken of the 
harbours, bays, rivers, and coafts, of Brafil; but, not find¬ 
ing either gold or filver, they held it in fuch contempt, 
that they lent thither their condemned criminals and aban¬ 
doned women. Two (hips were fent every year from Por¬ 
tugal, to carry the refufe of the kingdom to this new 
world, and to bring home parrots, and woods for the dy¬ 
ers and cabinet-makers. Ginger was afterwards added, 
but loon after prohibited, left it fhould interfere with the 
fale of the fame article from India. 
In 1548 the Jews, many of whom had taken refuge in 
Portugal, beginning to be perfecuted by the inquilition, 
were (flipped of their poffeffions, and banifhed to Brafil. 
Here, however, they were not entirely forfkken : many of 
them found kind telatiohs and faithful friends; others, 
who were known to be men of probity and underlanding, 
obtained money in advance from merchants of different 
nations, with whom they had formerly had tranfaCtions. 
By the affiftance of fpme enterpriling men they were ena¬ 
bled to cultivate fugar-canes, which they firft procured 
from the ifland of Madeira. Sugar, which till then had 
been tiled only in medicine, became an article of luxury; 
princes and great men were eager to procure themfelves 
this new fpecies of indulgence. This circumftance prov¬ 
ed favourable to Brafil, and enabled it to extend its fugar 
plantations. The court of Lifbon, notwithftanding its 
prejudices, began to be fenfible that a colony might be 
beneficial to tlie mother country without producing gold 
■or filver; and this fettlement, which had been wholly left 
BRA 
to the capricious management of the aolomfts, was now 
thought to deferve fome kind of attention ; and according¬ 
ly Thomas de Souza was fent thither, in 1549, to regulate 
and fuperintend it. This able governor began by redu¬ 
cing thefe men, who had always lived in a (fate of anarchy, 
into proper fubordination, and bringing they- fcattered 
plantations clofer together; after which he applied him- 
felf to acquire fome information refpeCting the natives, 
with whom he knew he muft be necelfarily engaged either 
in traffic or war. This it was no eafy matter to accom- 
plifh. Brafil was full of fmall nations, lome of which 
inhabited the forefts, and others lived in the plains and 
along the rivers : fome had fettled habitations, but the 
greater number led a roving life, and molt of them had 
no intercourfe with each other. It is not to be fuppofed, 
that fuch a people would be at all difpoled to fubmit to 
the yoke which the Portuguefe wanted to put upon them. 
At firft they only declined all intercourfe with thefe ffran- 
gers; but, finding themfelves purfued in order to be em¬ 
ployed in the labours of the field, they took the refolution 
to murder all the Europeans they could feize upon. The 
friends and relations of the favages that were taken pri¬ 
foners alfo ventured to make frequent attempts to refcue 
them, and were fometimes fuccefsful ; fo that the Por¬ 
tuguefe were forced to attend to the double employments 
of labour and war. Souza, by building San Salvador, 
gave a center to the colony; but the honour of fettling, 
extending, and making it really ufeful to the mother coun¬ 
try, was referved for the Jefuits who attended him. Thefe 
men, who for their arts of infinuation and addrefs have 
been equalled by none, difperfed themfelves among the 
Indians. When any of the mifftonaries were murdered, 
they were immediately replaced by others; and feeming 
to be infpired only with fentiments of peace and charity, 
the Indians, in procefs of time, grew not only familiar 
but paffionately fond of them. As the miftionaries were 
too few in number to tranfaft all the bufinefs themfelves, 
they frequently deputed fome of the mod intelligent In¬ 
dians in their dead. Thefe men, having diftributed hatch¬ 
ets, knives, and looking-glaffes, among the favages they 
met with, reprefented the Portuguefe as a harmlefs, hu¬ 
mane, and good fort of people. 
The profpenty of the colony of Brafil, which was vifi- 
ble to all Europe, excited the envy of the French, Spa¬ 
niards, and Dutch, fucceftively: the latter, indeed, bid 
faireft for the conqueft of the whole; their admiral Hen¬ 
ry Lonk arrived, in the beginning of the year 1630, with 
forty-fix men of war, on the coaft of Fernambucca, one 
of the largeft and beft fortified-captainlhips of thefe parts. 
He reduced it after feveral obftinate engagements, in which 
he was always victorious. The troops he left behind fub- 
dued the captainihips of Tecnaraca, Pareiba, and R'io 
Grande, in the years 1633, 1634, and 1635. Thefe, as 
well as Fernambucca, furnifhed annually a large quantity 
of fugar, a great deal of wood for dying, and other com¬ 
modities. The Hollanders were fo elated with the acqui- 
fition of this wealth, which flowed to Amfterdam inftead 
of Lifbon, that they determined to conquer all the Brafils, 
and entrufted Maui ice of Naffau with the conduct of this 
enterprife. That general reached the place of his defti- 
nation in the beginning of 1637 ; he found the foldiers fo 
well difciplined, the commanders fuch experienced men, 
and fo much readinefs in all to engage, that lie directly 
took the field. He was fucceftively oppofed by Albu¬ 
querque, Banjbla, Lewis Rocca de Borgia, and the Brali- 
lian Cameron, the idol of his people, paffionately fond of 
the Portuguefe, brave, aCtive, cunning, and who wanted 
no qualification neceffary for a general, but to have learn¬ 
ed the art of war under able commanders. Thefe feveral 
chiefs exerted their utmoft efforts to defend the poffeffions 
that were under their protection ; hut their endeavours 
proved 'ineffectual. The Dutch feized upon the captain- 
fhips of Siara, Seregippe, and the greater part of that of 
Bahia. Seven of the fifteen provinces which compofed 
the colony had already fubmitted to them, and they flat- 
* ■ tered 
