The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1854-11-23
I From, GieaSon'S Pictorial. |
ELDORADO.
NO TV
NO. "
BY THOMAS BULFINCH.

1909, III DeSOuSnlre, EHHlaNu, anu re
ceived a good education, completed by
residence of two years at the University o
Oxford. At the age ofseventeen he joined
a volunteer corps of English to serve il
France in aid of the Protestant cause
Afterwards he served FIVE years in The
Netherlands. In 1876 he accompanied
his half-brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert
on an expedition to colonize some par
of North America, which expedition wa:
unsuccessful. We next find him com
manding company of the royal troop;
in Ireland, daring the rebellion raised by
the Earl of Desmond. In consequence o
some serious differences which arose be
tween lin aud bis superior officer, ht
found it necessary to repair to court tc
justify himself. 1t was at this time ar
incident occurred which recommended
him to the queens notice, and was the
foundation OF his fortunes. Raleigh stood
in the crowd one day where the queen
passed on foot, and when she came to a
spot of muddy ground, and hesitated for
4 moment where to step, be sprang for
ward, and throwing from his shoulders
his handsome cloak ('his clothes being
them says quaint old writer, "a consiI-
cradle part of his estatc) be spread it O.
vcr the mud, so that the queen passed o.
yer dry shod, doubtless giving an APPROX
/ ing look to the handsome aud quickly wit
ted young officer. There is another story
which is not less probable, because it is
not less in the character with both the
parties. Finding some hopes of the queen S
favor glancing on him, he wrote on a
window where it vas likely to meet her
eyes:
Pain would clinb but that fear TO fall
And her majesty espying it, wrote under
meath
! 'Ifthy heart fail thee, wherefore climb at all.
His progress in the queens favor was
enhanced by his dcmeanor when the nat
ter in dispute between him and his su-
pcrior officer was brought before the privy
council, and each party was called upon
to plead his Own cause What adsan-
tage he bad in the case in controversy,
says a contemporary writer, 1 know not,
but he had much the better in the man
ner of telling his tale The result was
that he became a man of mo slight mark
The had gotten the queens ear in a
trice'-'she took him for kind of oracle
and loved to hear his reasons to her
demands'-or in more modern phrase,
his replies to her questions.
The reign Of Queen Elizabeth has been
called the heroic age of England. And,
let US remember. the England of that day
is ours, as much as ithers, who still bear
the name of EngIishmcn. The men whose
gallant deeds we now record, were our
ancestors, and their glory is our inheri-
tance.
The Reformation in religion had "a
wakened all the energies OF the human
mind. 1t had reused against England
formidable enemies, among which Spain
was the most powerful and the most in
teusely hostile. She fitted out the fam.
Gus Armada to invade England, and Eng
land on her part sent various expeditions
to annoy the Spaniards in their lately ac-
quired possessions in South America
These expeditions were generally got up
by private advcnturerS, the queen and
her great mobiles often taking share in
them. When there was nominal peace
with Spain, such enterprises were profess
sedly for discovery and colonization, tho
the adventurers could not always keep
their hands off rich prize of Spanish
property that fell in their way; but for
the last fifteen years of Eiizabeth's S reign
there was open war between the two pow
er>; and then these expeditions had for
their Grst object the annoyance of Spain,
aud discovery and colonization for their
second.
/ We find Releigb, after fortune began
to smile upon him, engaged in a second
expedition, with Sir Humphrey Gilbert,
for discovery and colonization in Ameri-
ca. He furnished, from his own means,
a ship called the Raleigh on board of
which he embarked, but when few days
cut, contagious disease breaking out a.
mong the crew, be put back into port,
and relinquiShed the expedition. Sr
Humphrey, with the rest of the squadfon,
reached Newfoundland without accident
took possession of the island. and left a
colony there. He then set cut exploring
along the American coast to the south he
himself doing all the work in his little
ten-ton cutter, the service being too dang
eroaS for the larger vessels to venture on
He speut the summer in this labor, I'LL
toward the end of August, when in yio-
lent storm, one of the larger vessels, the
Delight, was lost with all her crew. The
Golden Hind and Squirrel were now left
alone of the Eve ships. Their provisions
were running short, and the season far
advanced, and Sir Humphrey reluctantly
concluded to lay his course for home.--
! He still continued in the small vessel
though vehemently urged BY bis ftiehd'
to remove to the larger one. Il VIII mol
forsake my little company, goning home,
ward, said he, with whom have passed
SO many storms and perils.' On the nlnsf
II 1. n