by sea as by land"-the last words he was ever heard to utter. At midnight, the Squirrel being somewhat ahead, those on the watch on board the Hind, observing her lights to disappear in an instant amidst the blackness of the swell, cried out that the general was lost: the miniature frigate had suddenly foundered. The Hind, after narrowly escaping the tempestuous weather, at length reached Falmouth in safety, bearing the heavy tidings of loss and disaster.

1584.

The sad fate of his step-brother did not deter Raleigh from endeavoring to carry out his favorite plan of colonization and discovery in America. Desirous, if possible, to secure a milder climate for his colony, he sought and obtained from Elizabeth a patent fully as ample as that which had been bestowed upon Gilbert. He was constituted lord proprietary, with powers almost unlimited, on condition of reserving to the crown a fifth part of the gold or silver ore which might be found. In April, two ships set sail under the command of Philip | Amidas and Arthur Barlow, and early in July they reached the shores of Carolina. Ranging the coast for a hundred and twenty miles, they landed and took possession, in the name of the queen, of the island of Wococon, the southernmost of the islands that form Ocracock Inlet.

Hakluyt has preserved the glowing description which Amidas and Barlow gave to Raleigh on their return to England, in September of the same year. Their language is graphic and well worth quoting:-"The soile," say

they, "is the most plentifull, sweete, fruitfull and wholesome of all the worlde; there are above fourteene severall sweete smelling timber trees, and the most part of their underwoods are bayes and such like; they have those okes that we have, but farre greater and better. After they had bene divers times aboord our shippes, myselfe, with seven more, went twentie mile into the river that runneth towarde the citie of Skicoak, which river they call Occam; and the evening following, we came to an island, which they call Roanoke, distant from the harbour by which we entered seven leagues; and at the north end thereof was a village of nine houses, built of cedar, and fortified round about with sharpe trees to keep out their enemies, and the entrance into it made like a turnepike, very artificially; when we came towardes it, standing neere unto the waters' side, the wife of Granganimo, the king's brother, came running out to meete us very cheerfully and friendly; her husband was not then in the village; some of her people shee commanded to drawe our boate on shore for the beating of the billoe, others she appointed to cary us on their backes to the dry ground, and others to bring our oares into the house for feare of stealing. When we were come into the utter roome, having five roomes in her house, she caused us to sit down by a great fire, and after tooke off our clothes and washed them, and dried them againe; some of the women plucked off our stockings, and washed them, some washed our feete in warm water, and she herself tooke

CH. III.]

great paines to see all things ordered in the best manner she could, making great haste to dresse some meate for us to eate. After we had thus dryed ourselves, she brought us into this inner roome, where shee set on the boord standing along the house, some wheate like furmentie; sodden venison and roasted; fish, sodden, boyled, and roasted; melons, rawe and sodden; rootes of divers kinds; and divers fruites. Their drinke is commonly water, but while the grape lasteth, they drinke wine, and for want of caskes to keepe it, all the yere after they drink water, but it is sodden with ginger in it, and black sinamon, and sometimes sassaphras, and divers other wholesome and medicinable hearbes and trees. We were entertained with all love and kindnesse, and with as much bountie, after their manner, as they could possibly devise. We found the people most gentle, loving, and faithfull, voide of all guile and treason, and such as live after the maner of the golden age. The people onely care howe to defend themselves from the cold in their short winter, and to feed themselves with such meat as the soile afforeth; their meat is very well sodden, and they make broth very sweet and savorie; their vessels are earthen pots, very large, white, and sweete; their dishes are wooden platters of sweet timber. Within the place where they feede was their lodging, and within that their idoll, which they worship, of whom they speake incredible things. While we were at meate, there came in at the gates two or three men with their bowes and arrowes from VOL. I.-6

25

hunting, whom, when we espied, we beganne to looke one towardes another, and offered to reach our weapons; but as soone as shee espied our mistrust, she was very much moved, and caused some of her men to runne out, and take away their bowes and arrowes and breake them, and withall, beate the poore fellowes out of the gate againe. When we departed in the evening, and would not tarry all night, she was very sory, and gave us into our boate our supper half dressed, pottes and all, and brought us to our boate side, in which we lay all night, removing the same a prettie distance from the shoare; shee perceiving our jelousie, was much grieved, and sent divers men and thirtie women to sit all night on the banke-side by us, and sent us into our boates five mattes, to cover us from the raine, using very many wordes to intreate us to rest in their houses; but because we were fewe men, and if we had miscarried the voyage had bene in very great danger, we durst not adventure any thing, although there was no cause of doubt, for a more kinde and loving people there cannot be found in the worlde, as far as we have hitherto had triall."*

Charmed with the beauty of everything they saw, and quite willing to believe that no change could ever mar the loveliness of a scene so enchanting, Amidas and Barlow contented themselves with very limited explorations, and taking with them two of the natives, Wanchese and Manteo, they returned to England. Raleigh was in

* Hakluyt, vol. iii., p. 301.

raptures with the prospect before him, and Elizabeth expressed her desire that the new region should be called VIRGINIA, in honor of the virgin queen of England. Raleigh soon after received the honor of knighthood, and by special favor had granted to him a lucrative monopoly of wines, which enabled him to carry on vigorously his efforts at colonization. It was not difficult, under so many favoring circumstances, to fit out a new and strong expedition. Seven vessels, which carried out one hundred and eight colonists, sailed from Plymouth in April, 1595. under the command of Sir Richard Grenville, one of the bravest men of his age. Ralph Lane was appointed governor; and Hariot, an eminent mathematician, and With, an ingenious painter, were included in the expedition. Proceeding by way of the West Indies, on the 20th of June they fell in with the main land of Florida, and having narrowly escaped shipwreck at Cape Fear, they came to anchor, on the 26th, at Wococon.

Ralph Lane was a gallant officer, knighted subsequently by the queen for his valor, but he possessed rather the qualities of the ardent soldier than of the patient and judicious colonist. Hasty in resolve, and "sudden and quick in quarrel," his rash and hostile conduct towards the Indians was the source of very great tribulation to this and other succeeding expeditions. But the first deadly offence was given by Grenville himself. A party was sent on shore, accompanied by Manteo, and all might have gone well, but for an act of hasty revenge, the first probably

which tended to arouse uneasy and suspicious thoughts in the breasts of the confiding Indians. One of these had been tempted to steal a silver cup; its promised restoration was delayed; upon which the English "burnt and spoiled their corn and towne, all the people being fled."

The colonists being landed, Grenville, after a short stay, and the collection of a cargo of pearls and skins, returned to England, capturing on the way a Spanish ship richly laden, "boarding her with a boat made with boards of chests, which fell asunder and sank at the ship's side, as soon as ever he and his men were out of it." With this prize he returned to Plymouth, and was warmly welcomed. After this first experience of unprovoked cruelty, the Indians, anxious to get rid of the settlers, whom they now learned both to hate and fear, began to form secret combinations against them. Lane, who was evidently but little qualified for his post, being alternately severe and credulous, received such information from one of the chiefs, as induced him to ascend the Roanoke, partly in quest of pearls, mineral treasures, and partly to explore the interior. The adventure was disastrous; the boats made slow progress against the rapidity of the current; the banks were deserted, and no provisions to be obtained; yet all agreed not to abandon the enterprise while a half-pint of corn remained for each man; moreover, they determined that they would kill their "two mastives, upon the pottage of which, with sassafras leaves-if the worst fell out--they would make shift to

1586.

CH. III.]

live two dayes." Having been treacherously attacked by the Indians, and having consumed the "dogge's porridge that they had bespoken for themselves," and returned to the river's mouth, and their boats being unable to cross the sound on account of a storm "on Easter Eve, which was fasted very truly," they were reduced to the sassafras without the animal seasoning, "the like whereof,” observes Lane, "was never before used for a meate as I thinke." The next morning they arrived at Roanoke famished and dispirited.

Thomas Hariot was undoubtedly the most acute observer in the colony, and his efforts at obtaining a correct knowledge of the country, the people, productions, etc., were unusually successful. He labored especially among the simple natives, and endeavored to lead them to a knowledge of the truths of Christianity. To use his own language, "Most things they saw with us, as mathematicall instruments, sea-compasses, the vertue of the loadstone, perspective glasses, burning glasses, clocks to goe of themselves, bookes, writing, guns, and such like, so far exceeded their capacities, that they thought they were rather the workes of gods than men, or at least the gods had taught us how to make them, which loved us so much better than them; and caused many of them to give credit to what we spake concerning our God. In all places where I came, I did my best to make His immortall glory knowne; and I told them, although the Bible I shewed them contained all, yet of itselfe, it was not of any such vertue as I thought they did conceive. Notwithstanding,

27

many would be glad to touch it, to kisse, and embrace it, to hold it to their breasts and heads, and stroke all their body over with it."*

Unhappily, however, the majority of the colonists were less distinguished by marks of piety and prudence than by an eager and vehement desire of gaining sudden and great wealth. Failing in this, and in their vexation dealing harshly with the Indians, the natives sought to rid themselves of their visitors, willing even to abandon their fields without planting, if famine would drive away the English. Lane, apprehensive of a conspiracy to destroy the colony, sought an interview with Wingina, the most active of the chiefs, and treacherously murdered all within his reach. The stock of provisions which they had brought from England was exhausted; and the colony, reduced to very great straits, was about to dissolve; when unexpectedly Sir Francis Drake appeared with his fleet, on his return from a successful expedition against the Spaniards in the West Indies. He supplied to the full the wants of Lane; gave him a bark of seventy tons, with suitable boats, and arranged everything for the prosperous continuance of the colony. A sudden storm, however, destroyed the vessel which Drake had provided; and not only the colonists themselves, but Lane also, in great despondency, begged to be permitted to return with Drake's ships to England. The privilege was freely given, and in June, 1586, the settlement at Roanoke was abandoned.

* Hakluyt, vol. iii., p. 324.

Their desertion of the colony was quite too precipitate; for only a few days after their departure, a vessel arrived laden with stores. It had been sent by Raleigh; but finding the colony broken up, the ship returned home again. Within less than two weeks, Sir Richard Grenville, too, appeared off the coast with three ships well furnished, in search of the colony. Leaving fifty men* on the island of Roanoke, with two years' provisions, he also returned home. "The Paradise of the World" thus far had been little else than expense and disappointment.†

1587.

Raleigh, however, was not the man to yield to disappointment. The valuable descriptions which Hariot gave of the country and its productions, the soil, climate, etc., rendered it comparatively easy to collect a new colony for America; and it was determined to found if possible an enduring state. Emigrants with their wives and

* Mr. Bancroft says fifteen; but Smith, and others,

fifty. The latter seems the more probable number.

It is asserted by Camden, that tobacco was now for the first time brought into England by these settlers; and there can be little doubt that Lane had been directed to import it by Raleigh, who must have seen it used in France during his residence there. There is a well-known tradition, that Sir Walter first began to smoke it privately in his study,

and that his servant coming in with his tankard of ale and nutmeg, as he was intent upon his book, seeing the smoke issuing from his mouth, threw all the

liquor in his face by way of extinguishing the fire,

and running down stairs, alarmed the family with

piercing cries, that his master, before they could get up, would be burned to ashes. From its being deemed a fashionable acquirement, and from the favorable opinion of its salutary qualities entertained by several physicians, the practice of smoking spread rapidly among the English; and by a singular caprice of the human species, no less inexplicable than unexampled, it has happened that tobacco has come into almost universal use.

families were sent out to make their homes in the New World; municipal regulations were established; Mr. John White was appointed governor, and a charter of incorporation was granted for the "City of Raleigh." Leaving Portsmouth on the 26th of April, they anchored off the coast on the 22d of July. An immediate search was made for the men left the year before on the island of Roanoke; but in vain. The Indians had easily wreaked their vengeance upon them. Desolation and ruin brooded over the scene.

According to the instructions of Raleigh, Chesapeake Bay was marked out for the new settlement; but dissension speedily arising, White was unable to proceed farther, and the foundations of the proposed city were laid on the island of Roanoke. Manteo, with his kindred, joyfully welcomed the English; but the Indians in general were decidedly hostile. As little progress could be made under so many discouraging circumstances, the united voices of the colonists begged White to return with the ship to England to secure prompt and abundant supplies and reinforcements. Only a few days before sailing, the daughter of the Governor, Mrs. Eleanor Dare-August 8th-gave birth to a daughter, who was the first child born of English parentage on the soil of the United States. She was appropriately named VIRGINIA DARE. Reluctantly leaving his family and the colony, which now numbered eighty-nine men, seventeen women, and eleven children, White returned home. He was never privileged to look upon them again.