Sunset at Gowanus Bay

Sunset at Gowanus Bay
Sunset at Gowanus Bay, Henry Gritten, 1851

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

The Dutch in Brazil

It's known that Adam Brouwer was a soldier with the West India Company (WIC) stationed in Brazil just prior to his coming to New Amsterdam probably in 1644. So, what was going on in Brazil prior to 1644?

Ken Brower sent me an e-mail this morning stating that he was doing some reading on the Dutch in Brazil. This got me to bring up the page "The Dutch in Brazil: The WIC and a New Holland in South America," which is at www.colonialvoyage.com. This piece was written by Marco Ramerini. It gives a summery of the Dutch attempts to set up colonies in South America and of their conflicts and rivalry with the Portuguese, up to 1654. The fifteenth paragraph from the top (just prior to the section titled, The End of "Nieuw Holland," describes the situation in 1642-43 just prior to the time when Adam Brouwer would have left Fort St. Louis in May 1644.

The piece, unfortunately, is not sourced. No citations for the statements made, or a bibliography are given. Still, I think that those curious about the world which brought Adam Brouwer to New Amsterdam will find it of interest.

BGB 126

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