and on its Introduction into Europe. 161 



companies the account ; and in another plate there are figures of 

 the original tubers and those produced by the cultivation above 

 mentioned. 



The intelligent author concludes his paper with the following 

 remarks : — 



" On the subject of the potato there is also a point of curiosity 

 and much interest open to those who have leisure and opportu- 

 nity of conducting the investigation. Several accounts of its in- 

 troduction into Europe, and especially into Great Britain and 

 Ireland, are before the public, differing from each other, and none 

 exactly correct. The entire truth is probably to be extracted from 

 the whole, and ought to be supported by references to the ori- 

 ginal authorities for the different facts. To these, in order to 

 render the early history of the potato complete, an account of its 

 original discovery and the observations made on it by the first 

 and early visitors to the shores of South America should be ob- 

 tained ; and this remark would probably lead to a detection of the 

 circumstances attending its first introduction into Virginia, which 

 is at present involved in obscurity .^^ 



Thus the fact is clearly established, that the common potato is 

 indigenous to South America ; and botanical science should seem 

 to require proofs equally conclusive that it is also a native pro- 

 duction of North America. 



English writers appear to agree on one point, to wit, that the 

 potato was first introduced into Great Britain in the year 1586. 

 The credit of the introduction has been given by some to Raleigh, 

 and by others to Drake. It is hardly necessary to state, that 

 Sir Walter Raleigh, to whom the discovery of Virginia has been 

 attributed, was never in any part of the extensive country now 

 known as the United States of America. But under the auspices of 

 Raleigh and at his own expense, two vessels, commanded by Philip 

 Amadas and Arthur Barlow, were fitted out in the year 1584 ; and 

 they discovered in the month of July the coast of North Carolina, 

 which was taken possession of in the name of Queen Elizabeth, 

 who had granted a patent to Raleigh for ^^such lands as he 

 should discover not in the possession of any Christian prince or 

 people.^' 



In the latter part of 1584 the two vessels returned to England, 

 and next year, at the instance of Raleigh, a fleet of seven vessels, 

 under the command of Sir Richard Greenville, were fitted out by 

 a company recently established ; and the first colony was planted 

 at Roanoke under Ralf Lane as governor and Philip Amadas as 

 admiral. 



Greenville returned to England the same year, in the expecta- 

 tion that the colonists would be enabled to maintain their posi- 



Ann. &;Maff. N. Hist. Vol xvii. N 



