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SECT. fidelity and services to the English, the governour IV. created him Lord of Dassamenpeak, an Indian na1587. tion in the neighbourhood. And on the eighteenth,

Mrs. Dare, a daughter of governour White, and wife of Ananias Dare, (one of the assistants,) was delivered of a daughter at Roanoke, who was baptized on the next Sunday, by the name of Virginia; because she was the first English child born in the country.*

The affairs of the colony seem to have been now considered in so prosperous a way, and the colonists so well pleased with their situation, that when the ships were about to return to England, and it became necessary for some person to return with them in order more speedily to promote further supplies, they all declined, except one, who was judged to be unequal to the office; and the governour, by mere importunity and solicitation, was constrained, much against his wishes, to undertake it. He sailed from Roanoke on the twenty-seventh of August, and arrived in England at a most unfavourable time indeed, for the purposes he had undertaken. found the nation in universal alarm, at the formidable preparations of Philip II, of Spain, to invade England, and collecting all its force to oppose the fleet, which the Spaniards arrogantly denominated the Invincible Armada. Raleigh, Grenville, and all the most zealous patrons of the new

He

* Oldmixon's British Empire in America, Vol. 1, p. 215, 216. Mod. Univ. Hist. Vol. 39, p. 239. Holmes's Annals, Vol. 1, p. 124. Burk's Hist. of Virginia, Vol. 1, p. 63.

+ Burk's Hist. of Virginia, Vol. 1, p. 64. Harris's Voyages, Vol. 2, p. 203.

VI.

settlements, were called to act a distinguished part. SECT. in those measures of defence, which the public danger demanded and rendered indispensable.

! Raleigh, however, mingled with his exertions to defend his native country, some attention to the situation of the colony he had planted. Early in the following year he found leisure to fit out for its relief, at Biddeford, a small fleet, the command of which was given to Sir Richard Grenville; but the apprehensions from the Spanish armament still increasing, the ships of force prepared by Raleigh were detained in port, by order of the queen, for the defence of their own country; and Sir Richard Grenville was specially and personally commanded, not to depart out of Cornwall; where his sevices under Sir Walter Raleigh, who was mustering and training the forces, as lieutenant of the county, were deemed necessary.* Governour White, it seems, was also at this time, one of the queen's council of war, and was, therefore, by reason of his office, obliged to remain in England.† These patrons of the colony still, however, found means to make some efforts for their relief in this year. Two small pinnaces, in which were fifteen planters, with suitable supplies of provision, were fitted out, and sailed for Virginia. Being more intent on a profitable voyage, than on the relief of the colony, the person or persons under whose direction they were placed, went in chase of prizes; until at length, two men of war from Rochelle, falling in with them, disabled and rifled them, and obliged them to put back for Eng

* Marshall's Life of Washington, Vol. 1, p. 18.

↑ Holmes's Annals, Vol. 1, p. 130.

1588.

SECT. land.

IV.

1589.

Sir Walter

Thus the whole year of 1588 elapsed with

out furnishing the colony with supplies.

Soon after this, the attention of Raleigh being

Raleigh directed to other more splendid objects, he assigned assigns his his patent patent to Thomas Smith, William Sanderson, to others. and several others, merchants and adventurers, whose names are enumerated in the indenture of assignment, bearing date the 7th of March, 31 Eliz. (1589,) making at the same time a donation to the assignees, of one hundred pounds lawful money of England, for the encouragement of their designs.† Although the Spanish armada had been destroyed in the course of the preceding year, and the nation freed from the alarm of invasion, yet, it seems, that they were as anxiously engaged this year in retaliating on the Spaniards, by an expedition against them; so that difficulties, similar to those of the former year, might have operated to prevent any relief to the unfortunate colonists.

1590.

The whole of the se

It was not till the year after the assignment, that governour White could go to their assistance. Above cond colo-two years had now elapsed, since he had left his

ny lost.

infant colony, under the full expectation of hist speedy return to them. On the 20th of March, 1590, he sailed from Plymouth with three ships; but, taking the usual circuit by the West Indies, he, perhaps undesignedly, suffered himself to be too much delayed in the capturing of Spanish prizes. Having arrived at Hatteras on the 15th of August, they fired some cannon to give notice of their arri.

* Holmes's Annals, Vol. 1, p. 129.

+ See this indenture of assignment at large, in Hazard's Collections, Vol. 1, p. 42.

IV.

1590.

val, and sent some men on shore at the place where SECT. the colony had been left; but no signs of their countrymen could be found. In attempting the next day, to go to Roanoke, one of the boats in passing a bar, was half filled with water; another overset, and seven men were drowned. This disaster discouraged the other sailors to such a degree, that they all seemed resolved to abandon the research: but by the persuasion and authority of the governour and one of their captains, they resumed it. The governour accordingly, taking with him nineteen men in two boats, went towards the place where he had left the English colony, and found on a tree at the top of the bank, the letters CRO, carved in fair Roman characters. This he knew to be intended to mark the place, where the planters might be found for they had secretly agreed with him, at his departure for England, to write or carve on the trees or posts of the doors, the name of the place where they should be seated, because they were at that time preparing to remove fifty miles from Roanoke island, into the main land. It had also been agreed, that in case of their distress, they should carve over the letters a cross; but, to the great comfort and encouragement of their English friends, they found not this sign. Coming to the spot where the colony had been left, they found the houses taken down, and the place very strongly inclosed with a high palisade of trees, in the form of a fort. At the right side of the entrance, on one of the chief trees or posts, the bark of which had been taken off five feet from the ground, was carved in fair capital letters, CROATAN, without the sign of distress.

N

IV.

SECT. Within the palisade they found many bars of iron, pigs of lead, iron shot, and other things of bulk and 1590. weight, scattered about, and almost overgrown with grass and weeds. In the end of an old trench, they found also, five chests, that had been carefully bu ried and hid by the planters; three of which governour White recognised as his own, together with many other things of his, spoiled and broken: such as his books torn from their covers, the frames of his pictures and maps rotten and spoiled with rain, and his armour almost eaten through with rust. Concluding from the circumstance of no signal of distress being left, as agreed upon, that the colony was safe at the place thus designated, they returned to their ships, and determined to sail for Croatan on the next morning. But, a violent storm arising that night, the ships were separated from each other, and having lost their anchors and cables, durst not venture in with the shore. So they all shifted for themselves, and with various fortunes, arrived in England and Ireland.* What became of the unfortunate colonists, whom White had left in 1587, time has never yet developed. From the palisaded fort, it would seem, that they had been either attacked by, or were in much apprehension of danger from the natives before their removal. The Indians of Croatan, having been always friendly to the English, through the influence of Manteo, who, it seems, belonged to that tribe, and was a native of that place,t

• Oldmixon's British Empire in America, Vol. 1, p. 217. Holmes's Annals, Vol. 1, p. 130.

+ Holmes's Annals, Vol. 1, p. 131.

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