y
succeeded in maintaining themselves till 1618. This attempt led to the
erection of Maranhao and Para into a separate _Estado_. But it was on
the part of the Dutch that the most skilful and pertinacious efforts
were made for securing a footing in Brazil; and they alone of all the
rivals of the Portuguese have left traces of their presence in the
national spirit and institutions of Brazil.

Struggle with the Dutch.

The success of the Dutch East India Company led to the establishment of
a similar one for the West Indies, to which a monopoly of the trade to
America and Africa was granted. This body despatched in 1624 a fleet
against Bahia. The town yielded almost without a struggle. The fleet
soon after sailed, a squadron being detached against Angola, with the
intention of taking possession of that colony, in order to secure a
supply of slaves. The fall of Bahia for once roused the Spaniards and
Portuguese to joint action, and a great expedition speedily sailed from
Cadiz and Lisbon for Bahia. Once more, though strongly garrisoned, the
town was retaken without any serious fighting in May 1625. The honours
bestowed upon the Indian chiefs for their assistance in this war broke
down in a great measure the barrier between the two races; and there is
at this day a greater admixture of their blood among the better classes
in Bahia than is to be found elsewhere in Brazil.

Dutch settlement in Brazil.

In 1630 the Dutch attempted again to effect a settlement; and Olinda,
with its port, the Recife-Olinda, was destroyed, but the Recife was
fortified and held, reinforcements and supplies being sent by sea from
Holland. The Dutch were unable, however, to extend their power beyond
the limits of the town, until the arrival of Count John Maurice of
Nassau-Siegen in 1636. His first step was to introduce a regular
government among his countrymen; his second, to send to the African
coast one of his officers, who took possession of a Portuguese
settlement, and thus secured a supply of slaves. In the course of eight
years, the limited period of his government, he succeeded in asserting
the Dutch supremacy along the coast of Brazil from the mouth of Sao
Francisco to Maranhao. The Recife was rebuilt and adorned with splendid
residences and gardens and received from its founder the name of
Mauritstad. He promoted the amalgamation of the different races, and
sought to conciliate the Portuguese by the confidence he reposed in
them.