whence this river takes its rife, there is a large quantity of gold duft found, fuppofed to be washed down by the rivulets, which glide through the caverns of the Peruvian mountains. It is worthy of obfervation, that the river St. Francis rolls the largeft ftream at that feason of the year when rains feldom fall; which is attributed to the vast quantity of fnow diffolved by the fummer fun upon the mountain tops.

Six of the captain hips already mentioned, were under the government of the Dutch Weft India company, during their poffeffion of this place; and were diftinguished from the other eight by being ftiled the Northern Brafil; thofe belonging to the Portuguese were called the Southern.

The Dutch captainfhips extended along the feacoast from north to fouth, one hundred and fixty or one hundred and eighty leagues; each of them being divided into feveral fmaller diftricts, called by the Portuguese Fregefias, and by the, Dutch Fregefien. The captainfhip of Seregippe del Rey, likewife called Carigi from a lake of that name, lies in the fouthern part of Brafil, upon the river of St. Francis near the fea-coaft; in extent thirty-two leagues, and has in it a Fregefia called Porto Calvo, in which there is a village named Villa de Bon Succeffo de Porto Calvo, fituated upon a rifing ground, near four leagues from the fea-fhore, and fortified with two forts built by the Dutch: the village contains two ftreets, and is fupplied with a good air by the fea breezes that fan it.

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This captainfhip was fubjected to the Spaniards or Portuguese, by Christovan Barros, who was rewarded for his fervice with a confiderable tract of land, and a power to fettle colonies on it; many perfons repaired thither from the Bay of All Saints, and fhortly built a fmall town, which was, on the 24th of December, 1637, laid waste by the Dutch.

Parnambuko, one of the largest Dutch captainfhips, which derives its name from the hidden rocks

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and

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and shelves that lurk in the entrance of the harbour, ftretches above fixty leagues along the fea-coaft, and is fubdivided into eleven fmaller diftricts; among which thofe called Olinda and Garazu are the principal.

At a fmall diftance from the Receif or Maurice town, on the north fide, lie the remains of that once celebrated city Olinda; from whence formerly the whole trade from Brafil to Europe was carried on.

This city, which stood upon divers hills of eafy afcent toward the fea, but fteep and craggy toward the land, contained two thoufand inhabitants, befide the clergymen and flaves; on the land fide it was defended by feveral baftions, which, from the unevenness of the ground they stood upon, were not ftrictly uniform; however, their fituation gave them additional force.

The whole district of Parnambuko is well stocked with various kinds of fruit and cattle; the vallies afford excellent pafturage, and the mountains teem with richer minerals than are to be found in any other of the captainships.

Garazu, properly ftiled a village, lies about five leagues from Olinda, upon the fhore oppofite to the Ifle of Tamarika, and upon a river of the same name; it was formerly inhabited by Portuguese mechanics, but being fubjected to the Dutch in 1633, feveral rich families of that people fettled there.

The Receif, from the Latin word recipere, to receive, in point of fituation, is the strongest place in Brafil, befide that it has the advantage of feveral contiguous forts; but to give as clear an idea as poffible both of this place and Maurice Town, it will be neceffary to obferve, that the whole coaft of Brafil is bordered by a thick and flat ridge of rocks, which in fome places is twenty, and in others thirty paces broad; however, there are paffages through which the ships approach the fhore, and one of these paffages is about a quarter of a mile to the north of Receif. Between

Between the rocky ridge and the fhore, there is a small island of a league in length, and two hundred paces in breadth, which the Dutch call the Sandy Receif, to diftinguish it from the other named the Stony Receif. On the extreme point of the Stony Receif, to the left as we enter the harbour, there is a large strong caftle, well fupplied with artillery; which, from the complicated ftrength of art and nature, is deemed impregnable.

To the fouth of the Receif, and oppofite to it, lies the ifle of Anthony Vaez, a title derived from its original poffeffor; which in circumference measures about half a league on the eaft fide. Count Maurice laid the foundation of a city, which he honoured with his own name; and the decayed churches and monafteries of deferted Olinda furnifhed materials for building on this more favourite fpot: on the weft fide it is environed with a morafs, on the eaft bounded by the fea, and to the north and fouth fecured by bulwarks.

Maurice town was defended by two forts, called Frederic Henry, and fort Erneftus.

The ifle of Anthony Vaes being joined to the continent by a bridge; it was alfo thought neceffary to connect the Receif to the said island by another bridge, to facilitate the carriage of fugar chefts, which could not be tranfported but with extreme hazard, except at low water. The neceffity of fuch a bridge being admitted, the great council and governor count Maurice, at a very confiderable expence, effected the work in about two months, and impofed a toll on all paffengers to reimburse the public funds.

The river Kapiviribi, fo called from a kind of fea hogs often found in it, fkirts Maurice Town; upon a branch of this river, which runs into one called Affogadoes, ftand two forts, named Fort William and Fort Baretta. In the middle of the inland count Maurice erected for himself a moft magnificent palace, that coft him, as is reported, fix hundred thousand florins.

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florins. Befide this, count Maurice had another feat, chiefly appropriated to the fummer season, at the foot of the bridge over the river Kapiviribi, which the Portuguese called Baa-vifta, i. e. Fair Profpect. Upon the Sandy Receif ftand two other forts, one the Sand, another Bucin Fort; and a third, called Wardenburgh, ftands between the continent and the Sandy Receif.

In the district of Parnambuko are two woods, called by the Portuguese the Great and Leffer Palmairas, or Palm-tree Woods. The leffer Palmaira is inha bited by negroes, who dwell in a village compofed of three ftreets, each half a league in length; they live in huts made of ftraw twifted together, and plunder the Portuguefe of their flaves: and fuch as they fteal from the Portuguele muft remain in flavery tilk they purchase liberty by ftealing each of them another flave; but fuch as voluntarily quit the Portuguese are rewarded with immediate freedom, and the common privileges of that people. Dates, beans, meal,, barley, fugar-canes, tame fowl, (which are very plenty) and fish compofe their general fuftenance: they have two harvests in a year, after each of which they have a week's rejoicing.

In the great Pálmaira, the main body of inhabitants number eight thoufand; befides which, there are feveral fmaller parties of one hundred or fifty each, fcattered up and down: their habitations, lie ftraggling; they fow and reap in the woods, and retire to caves, in cafe of neceffity. Among these people it is customary to count their numbers every night; after which mufter, if none are wanting, they conclude the evening with dancing and beat of drum : these also fend ftrong parties to fteal or force flaves from the Portuguefe. During the government of count Maurice, thefe people were very troublefome, till he fent a body of eleven hundred men to suppress them.

The

The captainship of Parnambuko contains feveral other fubdivifions, which have nothing worthy of ticular obfervation.

par

To the north of Parnambuko lies the diftrict of Tamarika, fo called from an island of that name which composes the chief part of this diftrict, though it extends thirty-five leagues along the fea-coaft upon the continent.

The island of Tamarika lies in the fea, two leagues north of Pomorello; it is eight leagues in length, and near feven in circumference; tolerably fertile, and productive of cocoa-nuts, cotton, fugar, reeds, melons, Brafil-wood, and large quantities of timber for fhipping. It was looked upon by the Dutch as of great confequence, and was proposed as a place of trade to the Receif: which propolition was rejected for feveral reafons; fuch as its being lefs convenient than the Receif in many refpects, and having no advantage over it but in regard of fresh water, wherewith this ifland abounds.

There were fome pieces of fortification at the mouth of the harbour, fuch as a quadrangular fort called Orange, and a hornwork; the latter much decayed.

In the inland there was a small town near a morafs and the entrance of the river. The town, which was mostly inhabited by foldiers, with the whole ifland, was taken from the Portuguese by general Schoppe, who commanded the Dutch, and called from him Schoppe's Town. Somewhat higher up the river Tamarika lies an island called Magioppe, where is found abundance of mandihoka roots.

Between Pomorello and Tamarika, rolls a river from the continent, called Marafarinha; and half a league within the river Tamarika falls another, called Garraffore: beside thefe, there are in the district we now view, three others, diftinguished by the names of Goyana, Auyay, and Gramane. Three leagues within the river Goyana, ftands a town of the fame name, where the judicial court of the captainfhip is

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held;