Governor White however having left about one hundred and twenty men, women and children in Virginia, among whom were his own daughter and granddaughter, left no stone unturned for their relief.  He labored so earnestly and successfully that he obtained two small ’pinneses ’ named the ’ Brave’ and the ’ Roe,’ one of thirty and the other of twenty-five tons, ’wherein fifteen planters and all their provision, with certain reliefe for those that wintered in the Countrie was to be transported.’

The’ Brave’ and the ’ Roe’ with this slender equipment passed the bar of Bideford the 22nd of April, just six months after the return of the Governor, a small fleet with small hope.  Had it been larger its going forth would not have been permitted.  The Governor remained behind, thinking he could serve the Colony better in England.  But the sailors of the little ‘Brave’ and ‘Roe’ had caught the fighting mania before they sailed, and instead of going with all speed to the relief of Virginia, scoured the seas for rich prizes, and like two little fighting cocks let loose attacked every sail they caught sight of, friend or foe.  The natural consequence was that before they reached Madeira (they took the southern course for the sake of plunder) they had been several times thoroughly whipped, and ’ all thinges spilled ’ in their fights. ’ By this occasion, God iustly punishing the theeuerie of our euil disposed mariners, we were of force constrained to break of our voyage intended for the reliefe of our Colony left the yere before in Virginia, and the same night to set our course for England.’  In a month from their departure they recrossed the bar of Bideford, their voyage having been a disgraceful failure, yet the doings of these two miniature corsairs are recorded in Hakluyt manifestly only as specimens of English pluck, a British quality always admired, however much misdirected.  Meanwhile no tidings of the ’ Second colonie’ and worse still, no tidings or help had the Second Colony received all this long time from England.  And even to this day the echo is ‘no tidings’ and no help from home.  This then may be called the first and great human sacrifice that savage America required of civilized England before yielding to her inevitable destiny.

And so it was that Virginia and the Armada Year shook the fortunes of Raleigh and compelled him to assign a portion of his Patent and privileges under it to divers gentlemen and merchants of London.  This document, in which are included and protected the charter rights of White and others in the ’ City of Raleigh,’ bears date the 7th of March 1589.  Matters being thus settled, with more capital and new life a ’ Fifth Expedition’ was fitted out in 1590 in which Governor White went out to carry aid, and to reinforce his long neglected colony of 1587.  Not one survivor was found, and White returned the same year in every way unsuccessful.  He soon after retired to Raleigh’s estates in Ireland, and the last heard of him is a long letter to his friend Hakluyt ’ from my house at Newtowne in Kylmore the 4th of February 1593.’