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"In 1584, under a commission from Queen Elizabeth of
England, two small vessels were dispatched, commanded by Amidas and Barlow, to the American coast.
On their arrival, they entered Pamlico Sound, now in North Carolina, and thence proceeded to Roanoke, an island near the mouth of Albemarle Sound.
Here they spent several weeks in trafficking with the Native Americans, but effected no
settlement. On their return to England, they gave so splendid a description of the beauty and fertility of the country, that Elizabeth bestowed upon it the name of
Virginia.
A second expedition was dispatched to Roanoke in 1587, and the first child in English America was born there.
Colonists from this settlement that did not return to England had
completely vanished by 1590. It is
possible the colonists had assimilated with the local Native American
population. This original settlement became known as the Lost Colony
of Roanoke Island.
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