http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/world/...d08cc0f9d35680 (http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/world/...d08cc0f9d35680)
A SECRET clue on a centuries-old map could solve a 400-year-old puzzle: What happened to a group of colonists who disappeared without a trace?
A group of 115 pioneers were sent to the New World with the mission to found a new city and expand their queen's empire.
But six years later, their settlement was deserted: 90 men, 17 women, 11 children had all disappeared into oblivion.
It was suggested that they could have been slaughtered by a Native American tribe but, curiously, there was no sign of a struggle or battle.
Now, a centures-old map may finally provide the answers historians have longed for.
In 1584, Queen Elizabeth hoped to build upon the British Empire by expanding and colonising the "New World", which we now know as the United States.
The Roanoke Colony was an attempt by the British to establish a permanent settlement in what is today's Dare County, in North Carolina, on the US east coast. They hoped to use it as a launching pad for raids against Spanish ships, who were at war with the British at the time.
After two reconnaissance missions, a third group of 115 colonists were dispatched to establish a colony in 1587, headed by Governor John White.
"This voyage was the first to include families and farm tools, their mission was to establish a permanent 'Cittie of Raleigh' and, of course, to add wealth to the queen's coffers ... the prior explorers were told of gold, copper and other resources farther inland," Alastair Macdonald, officer and archeologist for the First Colony Foundation, told news.com.au.
But after their relationship with Native Americans turned sour, Governor White was persuaded to return to England in a desperate bid to bring supplies, resources, and help.
"The prior explorers were not very statesmanlike in their communications with the native Indians in the area. They did need more room in a friendlier environment," Mr Macdonald said.
COLONISTS VANISH WITHOUT A TRACE
Thanks to the Anglo-Spanish war, it took Governor White three years to return.
In that time something in the Cittie of Raleigh went wrong, and when White landed in 1590, he found the settlement deserted. The colonists had disappeared into oblivion.
Nothing was ever heard of from these people again. There was, however, a clue that suggested they may have moved to nearby Croatan Island. The word "Croatan" was found carved into a post, along with "Cro" carved into a nearby tree.
It could also suggest the colony was captured by its islanders.
Foul weather forced Governor White back to sea and home to England. He would never return.
Theories suggested the lost colonists ran into trouble after encountering a Native American tribe and were brutally slaughtered.
Quote from: Br.IanVonTurpie on Sat 15 Aug 2015the lost colonists ran into trouble after encountering a Native American tribe and were brutally slaughtered.
There is no such thing as the
"Noble Savage." That's a libtard myth from the late 19th century that grew from early works of fiction and spread to the weak of mind and of heart. The Red Nigger was and is today as savage as any nigger, anywhere on this earth, that has ever lived.
@Cailen.