Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1835-12-03

the sunset by the whole extent of the Is
land.
"A sea Of glory sireamed along the mar.
row ridge. dividing the inland waters from
the ocean, and beyond this the boundless
Atlantic hesved her chsfcd bosom Of sap.
phire and Of gold against the base Of yon
Cape. | enjoyed and lived in that sunset
and twilight hour. | thought &c the gio.
rious destiny Of the land on which | trod
as glorious AS The waters and the earth
then alound me. thought of the genius
and the death Of Raleigh-of tho heroic
cevoiedness Of Greenville-of the gallant.
ry Of Cavcndish and Drake-of the learn
ing Of Harioi-ofihe nobleness of sIanteo
the Lord OF Roanoke OF the adventurous
expedition OF Sir Ralph Lane up the river
Moratock-of the savage array Of the
blood thirsty Wingiua-of the melancholy
fate Of The last Of the Raleigh colonies--of
Virginia Dare, the first Anglo American ;
Of the agony Of ber mother /; and then |
thought Of those exquisite lines Of Byron,
Shrine Of The mighty. can il be
That this 10 all remains Of thee
On The ruins Of the ancient city of Ra.
leigh "tr~ indoleut wFecker now sits and
smokes the pipe . foblivion ; q very wretch"
ignorant of the glorious ASSOCIATIONS DC
The land Of his bath. lie can tell you no.
thing Of the deeds of those whose early
efforts in the settlement Of Roanoke rave
an impulse TO English colonization ia Anne
RIGA, and thus laid the foundations Of our
great American Republic. lie will speak
vaguely Of the name oil Sir Walter RAJ
leigh, add viii rcssle you with legends
and stories Of pirates and wrecks, which it
is The business Of the novelist, and %, the
historian 10 record. Such OF them as I
could link with the Raleigh Colonies, /
have engrafted upon more authentic mate.
RAILS, and perhaps thetfaditionafy history
OF nc country is eqial in interest TO ,l.at DC
Roanoke island. Ibe legend Of Sir Wal
ter Raleigii's ship, Of the great battle OF
Hatteras, and Of tie n~siivity Of Virginia
Dare, which | bayc perhaps 100 painfully
detailed, are the best assurances that the
names Of those who fist planted the Dag
OF old mother England on our shores can
not die.
The island Of Roanoke is at present te-
nsntcd by a class Of people as rude and as
bolsterous as their native seas. They are
a race Of adventurous pilots and hardy
mariners, aud in their light craft seek the
remotest islands Of the West Indies. and
occasionally. with their heights OF nava!
stores, penetrate into the Mediterranean,
10 the ports Of Gibraltar and Malaga.
a race o~frngged Mariners are these,
Unpublished Ihen, and boisterous as their seas
The native islanders alone their care,
And hateful lie who breathcs a foreign air.
These did the Ruler Of the deep ordain,
To uih proud nayics, aud command the main
On canvass wings 10 cni their watery way,
No bird 80 feet, no thought SO swift a. they.
Am | then too enthusiastic in the his.
tory of Roanoke Island? II is the birth
place Of Virginia Dare. II Was the home
Of the faithful and nohle lord OF Roanoke,
and every hill, and every vale, ismalked
10 its history Of Joy or wo The battle.
fields Of the wariike Wngina are there,
and there the imagination may stretch it.
SELF backwards, over the course Of time,
and dwell upon the Indian legends Of wars
| That had passed when the assembled host
Of barbarians fought upon the sea beach,
that they might be clieered on by fae mu.
sic Of the waves. / have dreamed away
many a sunny day in The solitude Of lis
woods, and while reyelling ia my fancy
upon The present maGniiceucc Of our Re
| public. | have not forgotten that | stood
within that paradise oil The New World, ia
| which Providence had decreed the nativl
ty Of the first born of great and mighty
people.