With Sir Walter Raleigh the history of the English colonies in America
begins. He was a prime favourite with Queen Elizabeth, and she knew how
to exalt and abase, to create and destroy. To Raleigh she gave viceregal
powers over any and all of England's prospective colonies, with no limit
to his control over territories, of which he could bestow grants according
to his pleasure. He sent out an exploring expedition to the islands
near North Carolina. The adventurers returned with glowing accounts of
the country. The season was summer--seas were tranquil, skies clear; no
storms ever gathered on those peaceful shores; all was repose. The gentle
inhabitants were in harmony with the scene; flowers and fruit abounded,
grapes were clustered close to the coast and cooled by the spray of a
quiet sea; there was no winter, no cold. A hundred islands clustered along
the shores, inhabited by "people the most gentle, loving, and faithful,
void of all guile and treason, and such as lived after the manner of the
golden age." No wonder a new expedition of one hundred and eight colonists
was soon organized. Seven vessels were equipped, and sailed under the
happiest auspices. But, alas! the "gentle people" living after the manner
of the golden age proved thievish and deceitful; disasters, many and
varied, followed; the adventurers forsook the "paradise of the world,"
and the enterprise came to naught.
[Illustration: Queen Elizabeth.
From an engraving after the painting by Zucchero.]
History has preserved no stranger, more mysterious story than the next
experiment of Sir Walter Raleigh. To insure the permanence of his second
colony, he decided to send families, women and children, to the fruitful
Islands of Roanoke, to make a permanent home, and found "the City of
Raleigh." A fleet of transport ships carried eighty-nine men, seventeen
women, and eleven little children, with every appliance for comfort, and
ample provision of implements of husbandry. The colony arrived in August,
after a five months' voyage, and were dismayed to find the island strewn
with human bones. They had "expected sundry decent dwelling-houses"; they
found the ruins of the houses and forts their predecessors had erected.
The men who had been left behind by the first governor had been murdered
by the loving, gentle, and faithful people.
There was nothing to do but make the best of it. But the charm was
broken. The colonists were alarmed and disheartened. The Indians were not
friends--that became evident at once. Realizing their danger, weakness,
and utter dependence upon England, the heartsick immigrants looked with
dismay upon the departure of the ships, and they implored their Governor
to return and represent their true condition to Elizabeth, "the Godmother
of Virginia," and to the powerful Raleigh, her servant.
On the 18th of August, according to the ancient author's report, "Ellinor,
the Governour's daughter, and wife to Ananias Dare, was delivered of
a daughter in Roanoke, which being the first Christian there borne,
was called 'Virginia.'" The Governor was loth to leave his colony, his
daughter, and grandchild, but they "thought none would so truly procure
theire supplyes as he, which though he did what he could to excuse it,
yet their importunitie would not cease till he undertooke it; and had it
under all their hands how unwilling he was but that necessity and reason
did doubly constraine him."
Of course, the Governor promised to hasten his return. The story is a
strange one--of feeble effort, cupidity, indifference.
The Governor did not reach England until November. Raleigh at once fitted
out two small vessels which sailed the following April, but the crew,[3]
"being more intent on a gainful voyage than the relief of a colony, ran
in chase of prizes, were themselves overcome and rifled." In this maimed,
ransacked, and ragged condition, they returned to England, and, the writer
adds, "their patron was greatly displeased." After this, for a whole year
no relief was sent. Raleigh had now spent forty thousand pounds on his
colonies with no return, and he turned them over to Sir Thomas Smith. When
White sailed again with three ships, history was repeated. He "buccaneered
among the Spaniards, until three years elapsed before he actually arrived
at Roanoke."
Nothing was to be seen of the settlers there! The Governor seems to have
taken things with admirable coolness! His own account is an amazing bit of
narrative, when we remember the one hundred and fifteen men, women, and
little children, his own Ellinor, and Virginia Dare! He tells first of
his troublesome voyage. The sea was rough and his "provisions were much
wet"; the boat when they attempted to land tossed up and down, and some
of his sailors were drowned, so it was late when he arrived. The Governor
was romantic. He and his company sang old familiar English songs, but no
chorus came in response from the silent shore. "Seeing a fire through
the woods we then sounded a trumpet, but no answer could we heare. The
next morning we went to it, but could see nothing but the grasse and
some rotten trees burning. We went up and downe the Ile and at last found
three faire Romane Letters carved: C. R. O., which presently we knew to
signifie the place where I should find them, according to a secret note
betweene them and me: which was to write the name of the place they would
be upon some tree, dore, or post: and if they had beene in any distresse,
to signifie it by making a crosse above it. But we found no sign of
distress" (doubtless the writer had been tomahawked before he finished
his signal), "then we went to a place where there were sundry houses, and
on one of the chief posts, carved in fayre capitall Letters, C. R. O. A.
T. A. N., without any signe of distresse." Lead and iron and shot were
scattered about overgrown with weeds, and some "chists were found which
had been hidden and digged up againe, which when I saw I knew three to be
my owne, but books, pictures, and all things els were spoyled. Though it
much grieved me, yet it did comfort me to know they were at Croatan."
But the Governor never went in search of them at the Indian village
indicated! He weighed anchor to that end, but cables broke, etc.
Considering they had but one anchor and their "provision neare spent,"
they determined to go to Trinidad or some other island "to refresh
ourselves and seeke for purchase that winter, and the next spring come
againe to seeke our countrymen." But they met in the meantime with "many
of the Queene's ships and divers others," and "left seeking our colony,
that was never any of them found nor seene to this day 1622. And this was
the conclusion of this plantation after so much time, labour, and charge
consumed. Whereby we see," continues the Governor, who was poetic as well
as romantic:--
"Not all at once nor all alike, nor ever hath it been,
That God doth offer and confer his blessings upon men."
A most philosophic Governor, truly! Even to this day we feel more emotion
at the possible fate of these hapless Englishmen. Had they perished from
famine? Had they fallen before the Indian tomahawk? Had the women and
children been spared and given to the chiefs according to savage custom?
Alas for Virginia Dare! Three years they had looked for succour, and been
basely forsaken by their countrymen. They were not forgotten altogether.
Part of the errand of every ship thereafter, and part of every order
sent out to the colony, was to "seek for Raleigh's men." But they had
disappeared utterly--as silently and surely as the morning dew before the
sun. Twenty years later friendly Indians told a story of doubtful value
to William Strachey and others; but the secret is still a secret, and this
disappearance of more than a hundred human beings is one of the strangest
events in history.