A Party of the Enemy, consisting of about twelve hundred Men, having pass’d the River Francisco, was soon after oppos’d by Colonel Donker.
A Spanish Fleet lies before St. Salvador.
The Spanish Fleet having lay’n a whole Year before St. Salvador (because they had lost near three thousand Men, who on the Coast of Africa dy’d of several Distempers, and therefore waited for a fresh Supply) set Sail on the ninteenth of November Anno 1639. with eighty seven Sail, carrying sixteen thousand Men, of which thirty seven were great Gallions. Ferdinand Mascarenhas, Duke of Torre, being chief Admiral, carry’d the Flag and sixty Brass Guns in the Ship Domingo; the Portuguese Admiral, Roderigo Lobo, carry’d fifty two Guns in the Gallion Bernardo; of all which, with the number of the Enemy’s Forces, Grave Maurice was inform’d by a Letter taken out of a Pink laden with Sugar; and also that the Spaniards were in great hopes of the Portuguese deserting the West-India Company, with whom they were forc’d to joyn; that this great Fleet was order’d to Cruise two years before the Coast of Brasile, and to Land divers Men under the Command of Bagnola, Francisco de Moro, Antonio Roderigo, Nunno de Mello, Jacob Pirezio, Francisco Pezam, and Lopes Barbalio; all which made Maurice write continually for Aid, “Which the West-India Company must send speedily, unless they were resolv’d to lose what they had gotten in Brasile, as also the People, who had hitherto defended the same with the loss of their Lives and Fortunes.”
A Negro that serv’d a Spanish Captain, call’d Henrick Dias, being taken, inform’d the Hollanders, That the Spanish Fleet was much weakned by a poysonous Air on the Coast of Africa; and that they had left a considerable number of their Men in the Hospital at St. Salvador; that the Admiral was resolv’d with divided Forces to burn all Places he came at, and to receive the Negro’s, Mamolucks, Mulatto’s, and Brasilians, under his Jurisdiction. But Grave Maurice gave little credit to this Relation, because the Spaniard doubted not in the least, but that he should take Brasile from the Netherlanders with his fore-mention’d Forces, why then should he ruine what he hop’d to possess? None knew whither the Spanish Fleet intended to go; for setting Sail under the Command of Antonio Oquendo, under pretence of falling upon the Netherlands, they Steer’d their Course to Brasile, and at last from the Inlet Todos los Sanctos to Goyana; but four days before they weigh’d Anchor, William Corneliszoon Loos, who had some time been Cruising before the said Inlet, came back to Reciffa with thirteen Sail of Ships, which wanted all manner of Necessaries.
Corneliszoon Loos with his small Power sets out to Engage the great Spanish Fleet.
Admiral Loos slain.
Huigens chaseth the Spanish Fleet.
Alderick’s valiant Exploit.
The West-India Company had now been in a mean Condition, had there not happily arriv’d first eight, next two, and at last nine Ships from the Texel, the Maes, and Zealand, with Provisions, and a Supply of Men; which Maurice had no sooner taken out, and unladen the Ships, but he fitted them for an Engagement, and made up the number of forty one Sail, who yet were not to be compar’d to the Spaniards, whose smallest Vessels carry’d more Men and Guns than the biggest of the Hollanders, which in all had but two thousand one hundred and ninety six Men, and one Ship with another under twenty Iron Guns: With this small Power the Admiral William Corneliszoon Loos went to meet the Enemy, and before the River Michael took four Spanish Ships, which carry’d Ammunition and Provisions for the Army, which Lopes Barbalio commanded ashore. On the twelfth of January, Anno 1640. he descry’d the Spanish Fleet between Itamaraca and Goyana; not far from which Mascarenhas thought to Land seven thousand Men at Paomorello; and they were already gotten into little Vessels when the Hollanders Fleet made towards them, and about three a Clock in the Afternoon began a bloody Engagement for four hours, in which Loos Engaging with the Spanish Admiral and four Gallions, was kill’d in the middle of the Fight, which ended in the Evening. Jacob Huigens carrying the Flag the next day in sight of the Promontory Blanco, chearing up his Men, went to renew the Fight with Mascarenhas, and with a few small Ships Engag’d several great ones, of which they had an advantage onely in their nimble turning and winding. In this Engagement Huigens lost the Ship call’d The Sun, which sunk with Colonel Mortimer and forty four Men, thirty four being sav’d in the Boat. The Hollanders Loss was the less, because the Spanish great Gallions fir’d over Huigens’s Ships, which fir’d in the midst of the Spaniards Vessels. Huigens not being tir’d with two days Engagements, fell upon them a third time before Parayba, and firing at the Spanish and Portuguese Admirals, pursu’d their Fleet to the Northermost Coast of Brasile, where by a strong Current they were driven Westerly; and the Swan, Commanded by Jacob Alderick, losing her Main-mast, was cut off from the Fleet by twelve Gallions; and three hundred Spaniards were already Masters of the Deck, when Alderick breaking from the Enemy, drove towards the Shore, and either kill’d the Spaniards that were in his Ship, or forc’d them to leap overboard, whilest Antonio Cunha de Andrada, not knowing that Alderick was aground, making up to him, ran also aground, which occasion’d a new Fight, and at last Andrada was made to surrender his Gallion, and with it three thousand Pound of coin’d and uncoin’d Silver, besides other rich Goods, and two hundred and thirty Men, who were all sent Prisoners to Reciffa.
The Spanish Fleet again put to flight by Huigens.