covered the Pacific; still another, named De Soto,
discovered the Mississippi. In 1565 the Spaniards began to build St.
Augustine in Florida. It is the oldest city built by white men in
the United States or in all North America.

What is said about a magic fountain? What did Ponce De Leon do? What
is said about Balboa? What about De Soto? What did Menendez do in
Florida? What is said of St. Augustine?

SIR WALTER RALEIGH[1]
(1552-1618).

32. Walter Raleigh sends two ships to America; how the Indians
received the Englishmen.--Although John Cabot discovered the
continent of North America in 1497 and took possession of the land
for the English,[2] yet the English themselves did not try to settle
here until nearly a hundred years later.

Then (1584) a young man named Walter Raleigh, who was a great favorite
of Queen Elizabeth's, sent out two ships to America. The captains
of these vessels landed on Roanoke[3] Island, on the coast of what
is now the state of North Carolina. They found the island covered
with tall red cedars and with vines thick with clusters of wild grapes.
The Indians called this place the "Good Land." They were pleased to
see the Englishmen, and they invited them to a great feast of roast
turkey, venison,[4] melons, and nuts.

[Illustration: Map showing Roanoke Island.]

[Footnote 1: Raleigh (Raw'li).]

[Footnote 2: See paragraph 22.]

[Footnote 3: Roanoke (Ro-a-nok').]

[Footnote 4: Venison (ven'i-zon or ven'zon): deer meat.]

33. Queen Elizabeth names the country Virginia; first settlers; what
they sent Walter Raleigh.--When the two captains returned to England,
Queen Elizabeth--the "Virgin Queen," as she was called--was
delighted with what she heard of the "Good Land." She named it
Virginia in honor of herself. She also gave Raleigh a title of honor.
From that time he was no longer called plain Walter Raleigh or Mr.
Raleigh, but Sir Walter Raleigh.

Sir Walter now (1585) shipped over emigrants[5] to settle in Virginia.
They sent back to him as a present two famous American plants--one
called Tobacco, the other the Potato. The queen had given Sir Walter
a fine estate in Ireland, and he set out both the plants in his garden.
The tobacco plant did not grow very well there, but the potato did;
and after a time thousands of farmers began to raise that vegetable,
not only in Ireland, but in England too. As far back then as that
time--or more than three hundred years ago--America was