The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-07
THE FIRST ENGLISH COLONY.
IL Was in North Carolina and
Shakespeare Had Money in the
Venture.
From the Washington Post.


From the Washington Post
General interest is manifested in
North Carolina over the approaching
celebration of the settlement of Roa-
noke Island by Sir Walter Raleigh in
1854. The Celebration Committee in
whose hands the work of preparing for
the event has been placed by the Gov
ernor or the state, met on Thursday.
July "a 1902, at Manteo, N c., where
they arranged number of the pre-
liminary details for the event, among
other things deciding on the summer of
1905 as the time for holding the cele-
bration.
All that remains of the coIonov
planted by Raleigh on Roanoke Island
are the traces of the old fort built by
the colonists and now owned by one Of
the North Carolina historical societies
whose members have erected four
granite posts at the different angles
so that visitors may discern its out
lines in the thick grass and live oak
timber. 1t was on this little island that
the first English colonists set foot, be-
fore the discovery of Australia, and at
a time when Canada and South Africa
were known only on the statements of
certain daring mariners Here it was
that the first English colonists inau-
gurated the era of Anglo-Saxo colo
nlzation; here where they built their
dwellings, sowed their crops, and per-
formed their religious devotions; in
short, the opening act and first scene
of the drama of Anglo British and
American ACKNOWLEDGMENT Upon the
soil of Roanoke landed the first English
women who crossed the ocean to find
homes in the newly discovered world
beyond the seas, and here also was
born the first English child who saw
the light of day in the New World
Yet this nrst attempt at English coll
onlzation was not a success. At the
meeting of the Celebration Committee
one of the speakers produced a curious
memorial of this failure. Rambling re-
Gently through the extensive library of
Capt. William Day of Raleigh, N. c.,
his attention was attracted by the title
of very old book, entitled, THE In
somnia of Shakespeare and the Cause
Thereof" in which he found the fol-
lowing letter from the favorite of
Queen Elizabeth to William Shakes
peare, dated at The Mermaid" the
memorable tavern where the literati of
London met in the halcyon days of
English literature. March 20, 1909:
ITO William Shakespeare:
Full well do 1 know, my dearest
Will, that often thou hast wondered at
IL
dred times as much of mine own, was
adventured to found an empire in
America. Great were our hopes. both
of glory and of gold, in the kindness of
Powhatan But it grieves me much to
say that all hath resulted in infelicity
and an unhappy end. Our ships were
wrecked or captured by the knavish
Spaniards. Our brave sailors all per-
ished. AS was blameworthy for thv
risk l send by the messenger your $50.
which you shall not lose by my over
hopeful vision. 1 send q package of a
new herb from the Chesapeake. called
by the natives tobacco Make it not
into tea, as did one of my kinsmen,
but kndle and smoke it In the little
tube the messenger will bestow. Be
not deferred if thy gorge at first arises
against 1t, for when thou art wonted it
is balm for all sorrows and beam of
Paradise"