ns in exchange for
trifles. Thus encouraged by the natives, eight of the company in
a boat, went up the river Occam twenty miles, and next day in the
evening they came to an island called Roanah, which was but seven
leagues from the place where their ships lay. Here they found the
residence of the Indian chief, whose name was Grangamineo, whose house
consisted of nine apartments built of Cedar, fortified round with
sharp pieces of timber: His wife came out to them, and ordered the
people to carry them from the boat on their backs, and shewed them
many other civilities. They continued their intercourse with the
natives for some time, still viewing the situation of the adjacent
country, and after having obtained the best information they could of
the number and strength of the Indian nations in that neighbourhood,
and of their connexions, alliances, or contests with each other, they
returned about the middle of September to England, and made such an
advantageous report of the fertility of the soil, and healthiness of
the climate, that the Queen favoured the design of settling a colony
in that country, to which she was pleased to give the name of
Virginia[6].

About two months after, Raleigh was chosen Knight of the Shire for his
county of Devon, and made a considerable figure in parliament, where a
bill passed in confirmation of his patent for the discovery of foreign
countries. During the course of this sessions, he received the honour
of knighthood from her Majesty, a distinction the more honourable to
him, as the Queen was extreamly cautious in confering titles; and
besides the patent for discoveries, she granted him, about the same
time, a power to license the vending of wines throughout the kingdom,
which was in all probability very lucrative to him; but it engaged him
in a dispute with the university of Cambridge, which had opposed one
Keymer, whom he had licensed to sell wine there, contrary to the
privileges of that university.

The parliament being prorogued, Raleigh, intent upon planting his
new colony in Virginia, set out his own fleet of seven sail for that
country, under the command of his cousin Sir Richard Greenville, who
after having visited the country, left behind him an hundred and seven
persons to settle a colony at Roanah; in his return to England,
he took a Spanish prize worth 50000 l. but this was not the only
circumstance of good fortune which happened to Raleigh this year; for
the rebellion in