III.
JOHN WHITE.
III. Governor of Ralegh's 2d Colony.
III. 1587.
On April 26, 1587, Sir Walter Ralegh, intent on planting
the territory of Virginia within his patent (it was "to continue
the space of six years, and no more") sent out another
company of 150 adventurers. He incorporated them by the
name, "The Borough of Ralegh in Virginia," and constituted
John White, Governor, in whom, with a council of
twelve persons, the legislative power was vested; and they
were directed to plant at the Bay of Chesapeake and to erect
a fort there. They, however, landed at Roanoke, July 22, and
commenced a second plantation. On August 13, Manteo,
a friendly Indian, was baptized in Roanoke, and according
to a previous order of Sir Walter Ralegh was called, Lord
of Roanoke. On the 18th of August, Mrs. Dare, daughter of
the Governor, gave birth to a daughter in Roanoke, and
on the next Lord's day the infant was baptized "Virginia,"
being the first English child born in the country. On the 27th
of August, at the urgent solicitation of the whole Colony, the
Governor sailed for England to procure supplies, but of his
countrymen who remained behind, nothing was ever afterwards
known.
Governor White, though personally detained in England
(being of the Queen's Council and the country threatened
with war), sent in 1588 supplies for the relief of the Colony,
but this expedition, more intent on taking prizes than in
sailing to Virginia, was finally disabled and rifled by two
men of war and was compelled to put back for England.
In 1590, however, Governor White, being at liberty to
return to his Colony, sailed March 20 from Plymouth with
three ships and went to the place where he had left the
English settlers. Coming to this landing point, he found on
a tree at the top of the bank, CRO carved in distinct Roman
letters, but the cross, the sign of distress, was wanting; further
on they found carved on a tree, CROATOAN. This Croatoan
was an Indian town on the north side of Cape Lookout, and
thither Governor White determined to sail next day, but a
violent storm arose and being short of water and provisions
they went back to England. It is said that Ralegh sent
out five times, at his own charges, to the succor of the Colony
left in Virginia in 1587. Other efforts were also made to
search for these lost emigrants, but all to no avail. Their
fate was never known, and so ended in tragic eclipse Sir
Walter Ralegh's enterprise for settling the New World.
The Governor of this last ill-starred effort, John White,
came first to Virginia with Governor Lane in 1585, and was
always interested in this initial work. Though White's
Colony met with such a doubtful fate in his absence, he
sought again and again to find some traces of it, and was
conspicuous in his concern in the adventure of settling America.
He was a good artist, made maps of the various portions
of Virginia which he visited and drawings of the inhabitants,
etc. Some of his paintings are now in the Sloane collection
and in the Greenville Library, British Museum.
