1590.
11. Three years had elapsed before Governor White came back to Roanoke. He found the "City of Raleigh" as desolate as upon his first arrival. There was no trace of the colonists left except the word "CROATAN," carved upon a tree. It had been agreed that if the colonists should find it necessary to remove before his return, they would thus designate the place to which they had gone. Governor White, in his search, found three of his chests which had been buried by the colonists and afterwards dug up and partly broken open. They contained books, maps and pictures, all of which were badly torn and spoiled.
12. Croatan was a peninsula about fifty miles from Roanoke Island, and Governor White had good reason to believe that the people whom he left had gone there; but he sailed down the coast in sight of the place, and went back to England with no further efforts to discover the nature of their fate. Thus, again, Roanoke was left to the savage and the wild beast. It will never be known what became of the colonists. Sir Walter Raleigh for a long time did not despair of finding them, and sent out five expeditions for this purpose, but all were unsuccessful. Their fate is one of those sealed secrets which will only be known when all our ignorance shall be enlightened and the sea gives up its dead.
[NOTE—There was a tradition among the Indians that these people, after great suffering for food, were adopted by the Hatteras tribe of Indians, and became mingled with them; and, it is said that later generations of these Indians possessed many physical characteristics which indicated a mixture of the European and Indian races; but this may be, after all, fanciful surmises of the early historian. ]
QUESTIONS.
1. What ships had been sent over to relieve the colony?
2. How did Grenville continue English claims to Roanoke? What was the fate of his settlers?
3. What was Raleigh's next attempt at settlement? Who was appointed Governor? How many people composed the colony? How was this colony better prepared for permanent settlement than any of its predecessors? What became of this colony?
4. Where had White been ordered to make settlement? Point out Hampton Roads on the map. Why did he land at Roanoke Island? What is said of Manteo?
6. What is said of little Virginia Dare? How is her name still honored in this State? Point out Dare county on the map.