The course of the war between Spain and Holland now takes us for a moment from _Brazil_ to the coast of Africa; for, since the operations on the latter continent were conducted under the orders of the Count of Nassau, they must be connected with Brazilian history. Information was sent to the Count by the commander of the Dutch fort of _Mouree_ on the Gold Coast, that a well-directed attack on the important Portuguese settlement of _St. Jorge da Mina_ would probably lead to the capture of that place. Details as to its condition had been communicated to the governor, who had further tampered with the garrison. The place had once before been unsuccessfully attacked by the Dutch, and on this occasion the remembrance of their former defeat called for the greater caution. Eight hundred men were sent in a squadron of nine vessels under the command of one of the Supreme Council. After a brief siege of four days, and without the death of a single Portuguese, the place fell into the hands of the Dutch. The invaders had, however, suffered considerably at the hands of the negro allies of Portugal. Having left a garrison in _St. Jorge_, the Dutch commander returned to _Recife_. In the meantime Nassau was not idle in _Brazil_. The province of _Ceará_ fell into his hands; and he himself made a journey through the captaincies of _Paraïba_ and _Potengi_, with the object of putting such places as had suffered into due repair. He now received intelligence from Lisbon that another large fleet was being equipped for _Brazil_, and he took the precaution of soliciting reinforcements from the West India Company. On his return from _Paraïba_, although he had only received an addition of two hundred troops, he resolved to undertake an expedition against _San Salvador_. The people of _Bahia_ were far from expecting any such attack, but, fortunately for them, Bagnuolo, who had been made wary by disasters, took precautions for them. By means of spies he was made aware of the movements of Nassau, and took up his quarters at _Villa Velha_, close to _San Salvador_. The chief of the Portuguese intelligence-department--the active Souto, who had betrayed Calabar--was despatched to _Pernambuco_ to gain more precise information. He was not long in obtaining it; for, after having gallantly attacked a Dutch force superior in numbers to his own, a letter fell into his hands detailing the intentions of Nassau. [Sidenote: 1638.]