The Council, naturally enraged at this transparent duplicity, at first proposed to arrest the messengers of Correa; but, on the reflection that their own fleet was not in a condition to meet that of the enemy, they wisely sent a courteous reply, declining the services of the Admiral; on receiving which Correa, still wholly unaware of what was passing on shore, immediately set sail for Europe. Relieved from this danger, the Council lost no time in ordering Lichthart to get his ships ready with all speed, and to do the utmost damage to the Portuguese, an order which he obeyed to the letter. Meanwhile Payva was with his two regiments on board of eight ships in the Bay of _Tamandare_. Letters had been written to advise him to put into the port of _Nazareth_, since it was known that the Dutch fleet was in search of him; but these warning despatches were intercepted, and he fell an easy prey to the squadron of Lichthart. Of his eight vessels one reached _Bahia_; two were abandoned and set on fire; two others ran aground, whilst three were taken by the enemy. The Portuguese are said to have lost seven hundred men in the action. Whilst these events were passing in _Pernambuco_, the Portuguese were not less active in the other ceded provinces. Fernandes and Vidal sent officers to _Paraïba_ to head the insurgents; whilst the Indians and Negroes were headed by officers sent respectively from the regiments of Camaram and Henrique Diaz, the result being that the Portuguese were soon masters of the captaincy. The Dutch were likewise in turn compelled to abandon Fort _Mauritz_ on the _San Francisco_. It was soon razed to the ground, there being then no obstacle to prevent the free passage of the Portuguese from _Bahia_ into the province of _Pernambuco_. Fernandes now pitched his camp upon the neck of sand which divides the river from the sea about a league from _Recife_, commanding the communication of that place with _Olinda_, and on this locality he erected a fort to secure his ammunition and stores. To this fort was given the name which had been applied to the camp, _Bom Jesus_, and a small town soon grew up under its shelter. The Dutch beheld with consternation the near approach of the enemy; and the splendid out-houses and gardens, which had been laid out by Nassau, as well as the bridge of _Boavista_, were destroyed by the people of _Recife_, in order to facilitate the defence of that town. The new town of _Mauritias_ was likewise demolished. So great was the anxiety of the people that the Council found it advisable to communicate to them the contents of their latest despatches to Amsterdam, in order to convince them that their critical situation had been duly represented.