7. The Second Roanoke expedition and the establishment of the colony
Raleigh relied on his cousin and confidant, Sir Richard Grenville, to establish a permanent colony on the islands off the coast of what is now North Carolina, in an area which he named Virginia in honor of Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen. The colonists established a settlement on the island of Roanoke. Established in 1585, problems with the natives led to a large number of colonists abandoning the settlement and returning to England the following year, carried home by Sir Francis Drake. A small retinue of settlers remained to maintain the colony. When Raleigh learned of the difficulties on the island he arranged for another expedition to the colony, led by John White, who had been designated as governor of the settlement.