174 A. D. 1583. 



all in his fliip were loft in a great ftorm, and only one {hip got fafe home 

 to Falmouth. Walter Raleigh, then a young man, was deeply engaged 

 in this projeft. 



The fame year a fhip of 250 tons belonging to Southampton failed 

 on a voyage to Brafil and Rio de la Plata ; but was in going thither un- 

 fortunately lofl on the coaft of Guinea. '' 



Adrian Gilbert got the queen's parent to himfelf and others for five 

 years, for the difcovery of a north-weft palTage to China, &c. by the 

 title of the Colleagues of the fellowfliip for the difcovery of the north- 

 weft paflage ; which fcheme came to nothing. 



The queen-mother of France, Catharine de Medici, aflifting the baf- 

 tard of Portugal, Don Antonio, with fliips and troops, he got poftefllon 

 of one of the Azores or Weftern iflands ; but the Spanilla fleet, confift- 

 ing of twelve galleys and fifty galleons, meeting with that of France, to- 

 tally defeated it. Voltaire in his General hiftory of Europe (part v.) 

 thinks, that this was the firft time that galleys were feen in the Ocean, 

 (/. e. without the Mediterranean fea) it being, fays he, very furprifing 

 that they fliould have been brought the diftance of 1000 leagues tothofe 

 ftrange feas. When Loiiis XIV, long after this time, fent fome galleys 

 into the Ocean, it was falfely fuppofed to have been the firft attempt of 

 that kind: yet this attempt was, it is true, more hazardous than that of 

 the Spaniards, the Channel being more tempeftuous than the Atlantic 

 ocean. The mercantile Venetian and Genoefe galleys, which formerly 

 referred to England, were very probably of a more folid ftrudure than 

 thofe ones which are only fit for fummer expeditions within the Medi- 

 terranean. 



1584. — Sir Walter Raleigh, whole great genius inclined him to new 

 enterprifes and diicoveries, this year procured a fociety of gentlemen 

 and merchants to fubfcribe a confiderable funi ot money for forming a 

 fettlement on the continent of North America ; and on Lady-day 1584 

 Queen Elizabeth granted them a charter for that purpofe. Amidas 

 and Barlow, with two veflels, were accordingly fent; but they failed 

 about 1000 leagues out of their way: for the fliort courfe to the nor- 

 thern parts of America not being as yet known, they fteered the wonted 

 courfe of the Spaniards, by the Canary ifles, and thence into the trade- 

 wind to the Caribbee iflands ; thence failing through the gulf of Flori- 

 da, they anchored on the coaft of the country now called Virginia ; 

 where, making fome infignificant trade with the natives with toys for 

 their fars, they returned home with gain (as they faid) and greatly 

 magnified the richneis of the country, in order to encourage a fecond 

 adventure. They brought home fome pearls, and tobacco, (the firft of 

 that fort that had been feen in England). The queen feemed fond of 

 this defign ; and either flie hei felf, or Sir Walter Raleigh, gave the coun- 

 try the name of Virginia, which indeed they truly reprefented to be. a 



