During the war with Holland several efforts were made to conquer this captaincy, but without success.
Each captaincy extended along fifty leagues of coast.
Pedro de Goes obtained a grant of the captaincy of Parahyba between those of Sao Vicente and Espirito Santo; but his means were too feeble to enable him to make head against the aborigines, and the colony was broken up after a painful struggle of seven years.
In February 1661 he had obtained a captaincy of horse, and in 1667 he exchanged his vice-treasuryship of Ireland for the treasuryship of the navy.
Finding the spot chosen for the new town inconvenient, the colonists removed to the adjoining island of Sao Vicente, from which the captaincy derived its name.