displayed in the United States. Roanoke Island, between Pamlico and
Albemarle Sounds, afforded the landing place to the first expedition
sent out under the auspices of Sir Walter Raleigh, in 1584. "The
fragrance, as they drew near the land, says Amadas in his report, was
as if they had been in the midst of some delicate garden, abounding in
all manner of odoriferous flowers." Such, no doubt, it seemed to them
during the first summer of their residence in 1584; and,
notwithstanding the disastrous termination of that, and several
succeeding expeditions, the same maritime section of North Carolina
has presented its peculiar features of attractiveness to many
generations which have since arisen there, and passed away. In the
same report, we have the first notice of the celebrated Scuppernong
grape, yielding its most abundant crops under the saline atmospheric
influence, and semi-tropical climate of eastern Carolina.

From the glowing description of the country, in its primitive
abundance, transmitted to Elizabeth and her court, they gave it the
name _Virginia_, being discovered in the reign of a _virgin Queen_.
But having failed in this and several other attempts of a similar
kind, Sir Walter Raleigh surrendered his patent, and nothing more was
done in colonizing Virginia during the remainder of that century.

In 1607, the first permanent settlement was made by the English at
Jamestown, Va., under the charter of the London or Southern Company.
This charter contained none of the elements of popular liberty, not
one elective franchise, nor one of the rights of self-government; but
religion was especially enjoined to be established according to the
rites and doctrine of the Church of England. The infant colony
suffered greatly for several years from threatened famine,
dissensions, and fear of the Indians, but through the energy and