PART II.

THE ENGLISH COLONIES.

1578-1763.

FIRST ENGLISH ATTEMPTS AT COLONIZATION.

1. More than three-quarters of a century passed away before the English took advantage of the discovery of the mainland of North America by the Cabots. When Henry VIII. undertook further explorations, he was warned by the Emperor Charles V., that the Pope had granted America to Spain.* He quietly renounced his desire of possessions in the New World. The bitter hatred which sprang up between England and Spain, in the reign of Elizabeth, directed the attention of the English to the great continent beyond the Atlantic. The fisheries of Newfoundland had been long frequented by English ships.

The dream of a north-west passage to Asia attracted English mariners to the northern seas of America. Martin Frobisher sailed on such an expedition, and brought home from Labrador rocks and dirt supposed to be rich in gold. Every adventurer, since the first voyage of Columbus, expected to win easy wealth in America by the discovery of endless mines of precious metals. The expectation had been increased by the treasures extracted from Mexico and Peru; and has been strangely justified by the experience of the living generation.

*The English possessions in America were not recognized by Spain till 1670.

+ A petition was presented to Queen Elizabeth, in the spring of 1574, "to allow of an enterprise for the discovery of sundry rich and unknown lands fatally 1eserved for England, and for the honor of your Majestie." This is indorsed by Sir Humphrey Gilbert, Sir Richard Grenville, and others.

ENGLISH COLONIZATION.

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2. Queen Elizabeth granted a patent* to Sir Humphrey Gilbert "to undertake the discovery of the northern. parts of America." His first expedition, made in conjunction with his half-brother, Sir Walter Raleigh, accomplished nothing. On the second, he took possession of Newfoundland for the English Crown. †

1583.

Losing one of his vessels off the coast of Maine, he turned homewards with the two that remained. He was himself on board the Squirrel, the smaller and weaker bark. It foundered in a storm. The last words heard from Sir Humphrey were: "Courage, my lads, we are as near heaven on sea as on land."

3. The grant to Gilbert was renewed to Sir Walter Raleigh. Two exploring vessels were sent out by 1584. him under Amidas and Barlow. They came to the Island of Woco'ken, at the mouth of Ocracoke Inlet, on the coast of North Carolina. They carried back two of the natives, and described in glowing terms the charms of the climate, the waters, the forests, the fruits, and the flowers. The Queen called the new and beautiful land Virginia, in honor of her own maiden reign.

4. Sir Richard Grenville conducted a second expedition. He was Sir Walter's kinsman, a daring sailor, and had long been an eager advocate of American adventure. Ralph Lane went out as governor of the projected colony, and was accompanied by one hundred and eight emigrants. They landed on Roanoke Island, examined the neighborhood, and explored the Roanoke River in search of gold and silver.

* A patent is a charter or grant issued by sovereign authority. In 1578, Queen Eliz abeth conferred such a patent on Sir Humphrey Gilbert. Such patents became frequent outside of North America.

+ In 1610, James I. made a grant of Newfoundland to the Earl of Southampton, Sir Francis Bacon and Company.

5. The settlers maintained friendly relations with the Indians at first, but discords soon arose. The wild natives feared that "there were more of the English yet to come, to kill their people and fill their places." The strangers were suspicious. Wingina (-jee'nah), a newly appointed chief, was treacherously slain. His tribe refused to furnish provisions, and the colonists were brought almost to starvation. They gladly accepted the chance of returning home on board of Sir Francis Drake's ships, which had touched upon the coast. They had scarcely departed when Grenville came back from England. He left fifteen men to retain the post. Their bones alone were found when the next emigrants arrived.

6. Raleigh did not abandon his attempt. He formed a company to continue the enterprise. Families, and not merely unmarried men, were sent out. They were instructed to pick up the men left by Grenville, and then settle on Chesapeake Bay. The captain of the fleet refused to continue the voyage, after landing them on Roanoke Island. There they remained; and there the city of Raleigh was begun. Provisions were scarce. The Indians were unfriendly. White, the Governor, was induced to return to England for supplies and additional settlers. He came back to the coast. The colonists were neither seen nor heard of again. All perished of hunger, or by the savages. Their fate was never discovered. They numbered one hundred and seventeen persons, including Virginia Dare, White's granddaughter, the first English child born in America, and only ten days old at the time of White's departure.

7. Assistance to the endangered colony had been prevented by war with Spain, and the hazards at home from the Invincible Armada.* When this danger passed away, several fruitless efforts were made for the relief or discovery of the

* The Invincible Armada was a powerful fleet, designed by Philip II. of Spain for the invasion and conquest of England. It sailed from the Tagus 29th May, 1588. It suffered much from the attacks of the English in the British Channel, and was destroyed by storms on the coasts of Scotland and Ireland.

THE VIRGINIA COLONY.

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hapless settlers. Raleigh sent out several expeditions which achieved nothing. His means were much reduced by his expensive undertakings. He was himself actively engaged in the continued warfare with Spain.* He assigned all his rights to a new company, which accomplished no results worthy of mention.

THE VIRGINIA COLONY, 1606–1619.

8. Raleigh was condemned as a traitor, and his patent was forfeited to the Crown soon after James I. became King of England. James then granted a charter for American colonization to two new companies; one composed chiefly of London adventurers; the other, of traders and explorers from the West of England. The former was entitled the London Company; the latter, the Plymouth Company. Both were subject to "the Council of Virginia," whose members resided in England, and held their meetings in London. A long stretch of the Atlantic coast was divided between the two companies. Lands were to be held by the freest tenure; but for five years labor was to be performed for common, and not for private benefit.

9. Capt. Christopher Newport sailed with three small vessels, in December, 1606, and was driven by a storm

* Sir Walter Raleigh is the true founder of the English colonies in America. He left no colony of his own. He pointed the way, and gave encouragement to those which succeeded. He spent vast sums in his endeavor to make "a plantation" in what his friend, the great poet Spenser, calls "the fruitfullest Virginia."

Raleigh (1552-1618) was a most notable man in a notable age. He was handsome, intelligent, dashing, bold, adventurous, skilful. He was a distinguished soldier in the wars of France, Ireland, and Spain. He was the greatest naval commander of his day. He was a statesman, a scholar, a poet, an historian, and a man of scientific research. He was, moreover, a brilliant courtier. England owes to him the beginning of her colonial and her maritime supremacy. The world is indebted to him for the Irish potato and tobacco.

+ The Susan Constant, of 100 tons burden, Capt. Newport; the Godspeed, of 40 tons, Capt. Gosnold; and the Discovery, of 20 tons, Capt. Ratcliffe. Capt. Gilbert, a member of Sir Humphrey's family, had sailed up the Chesapeake during the year, and had been lost on the expedition.

into Chesapeake Bay. There were only one hundred and five colonists, including seven Councillors for the government of the plantation. The names of the Councillors were inclosed in a box, which the king had ordered not to be opened till after their arrival in America. The voyagers proceeded up the broad stream of the Powhatan', and named it James River, after the English monarch. They selected a place for settlement on the northern bank of the stream, and called it Jamestown, also after the king.

10. Quarrels began as soon as the box containing the names of the Councillors was opened. There had been serious

contentions on the voyage. Wingfield was chosen President. John Smith, one of the Councillors named, was denied his place in the Council. He had been arrested on the outward passage. When brought to trial, he was fully acquitted; but the governing body was a turbulent and squabbling set.

sea.

II. Capt. John Smith* was remarkable among the most remarkable men engaged in the settlement of America, and he has been regarded as the true founder of the English colonies there. His adventures were as surprising as those of any romance. In boyhood, he had run away, and gone to

He had fought in the Dutch and Turkish wars.

He

*Capt. John Smith's (1559-1631) adventures," hair-breadth escapes," and "moving