the coast of North Carolina was called Wingandacon. They also understood the Indians to say that the Roanoke River sprang from a rock so near the " South Sea," that storms often dashed the waves into the spring from which it gushed, and that at this place there was an abundance of gold and precious stones. So Lane and some of hist men set out to find the "South Sea," and continued their quest till they were forced to eat their dogs, to keep from dying of hunger. When they returned, they found the colony in great need and the Indians becoming hostile. At this critical juncture, an unexpected opportunity came for the settlers to return to England. In May, 1586, Sir Francis Drake touched at Roanoke Island with his fleet, and, yielding to the solicitations of the colonists, took them all back to England. They carried with them many interesting particulars about the nature of the new country, and much information in regard to the habits, manners, and government of the Indians, which had been collected by several learned and accomplished men who were members of the colony; but the greatest advantage that came from this expedition was the discovery of the Chesapeake Bay. It was in June that the settlers departed; and in the following August, Sir Richard Grenville came bringing for them fresh supplies, but found the island deserted. So he left fifteen men to hold possession of it; but these were doubtless slain by Indians, as they were never heard of afterwards. The Lost Colony. - The settlement of Virginia was dear to Sir Walter Raleigh's heart; and in May, 1587, he dispatched another expedition, consisting of three vessels, which carried 116 persons, among whom were a number of men with their wives and children. Their plan was to found on the Chesapeake Bay a city to be called Raleigh; but they were turned from their purpose, and landed on Roanoke Island, where they saw the bones of a man on the shore, and deer feeding around the deserted homes of the former occupants. They found the Indians bitterly hostile. This caused gloomy forebodings to fill their minds, and made them feel so strongly their dependence upon the mother country and their need of frequent aid from her, that, after several months had passed, they urged their governor, John White, to go to England for fresh supplies. To this he reluctantly consented, and in August, 1587, set sail, telling them that if for any reason they changed their location before his return, to carve upon some prominent object the name of the place to which they had gone, and above it a cross if they went away in distress. He left his daughter, the wife of Ananias Dare, who just a few days before his departure had given birth to an infant, christened Virginia. This was the first white child born in North America. He could have given no stronger pledge of his speedy return than he did in leaving his loved ones behind him. But in vain did the expectant colonists look for him. He found all England ablaze with excitement over the threatened invasion of the Spanish Armada. An attempt was made to send relief to the colony, but it proved unsuccessful; for the Atlantic was swarming with Spanish ships of war; and not till August 15, 1590, did Governor White again reach Roanoke Island. He found some tracks in the sand, and on a tree the word CROATAN, but there was no cross above it, and this seemed to indicate that the colonists had gone of their own accord to an Indian town called Croatan, which was on a neighboring island. White set out for Croaton; but, a fierce storm coming on, the captain of the ship refused to continue the journey and sailed for England, When Sir Walter Raleigh learned that the colony was no longer on Roanoke Island, he manifested much anxiety in regard to its fate, and dispatched, it is said, five different expeditions in quest of the colonists; but no certain trace of them has ever been discovered. They simply disappeared from view. Had they become lost in the primeval forests and died of starvation? Had they been massacred by the Indians? Or had they joined the savages and, wandering off into the interior, become lost to civilization? These questions have never been satisfactorily answered; and this disappearance of over a hundred human beings constitutes a pathetic tragedy-the first of a long series connected with the history of our country. QUESTIONS 1. Why is Virginia history so important? 2. What were the chief reasons England had for settling Virginia? 3. When did Columbus discover America? What points did he touch? 4. Who first discovered the mainland of North America? 5. Upon what did England base her claim to Virginia? 6. Who first tried to plant English colonies in America? 7. Who afterwards took up the subject of colonization? 8. From whom did he obtain authority to carry out his plans? 9. Where did Raleigh's first expedition land? 10. How were the explorers treated by the Indians? II. Upon their return to England, what accounts did they give of the country? 12. How did the name of Virginia originate? 13. How were its boundaries described by an old writer? 14. By what other name was the Pacific Ocean known, and where was it supposed to be? 15. Give an account of Sir Walter Raleigh's first Roanoke Island colony. 16. Why did they call the coast of North Carolina Wingandacon? 17. What did they understand the Indians to say about the source of the Roanoke River? 18. What was the result of Ralph Lane's attempt to find the South Sea? 19. Who took the settlers back to England, and what information did they carry with them? 20. What was the greatest advantage that came from this expedition? 21. Give an account of the Lost Colony? 22. What did they urge their governor to do, and what agreement was made? 23. What pledge did he give of a speedy return? 24. What traces did he find of the colony upon his return? 25. Has its fate ever been known? CHAPTER II JAMESTOWN Renewed Interest in Virginia. - Nearly twenty years elapsed after the planting of the lost colony before another effort was made to settle Virginia. Then the times grew favorable for a renewal of the enterprise, and many influential persons became interested in it. Men, too, were found in abundance, who were eager to make personal trial of this new field of adventure. It seemed to offer an easy road to fortune and to renown. Fabulous stories written about America, its heathen peoples and "monstrous strange beasts," were read with delight; and maps, which showed the location of new lands, cities, and rivers, were eagerly examined. From the pulpit, clergymen declared that "Virginia was a door which God had opened for England." The London and the Plymouth Companies. Two associations were in 1606 formed to settle colonies in the vast domain known as Virginia. To Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George Somers, and others, who constituted what was known as the London Company, authority was given to found a colony in the southern part of Virginia, and it was to be planted anywhere between the thirty-fourth and the forty-first degrees of north latitude; that is, between what is now the southern part of North Carolina and the mouth of the Hudson River. Three years later, the boundaries of the southern colony were enlarged, and made to |