In the meantime Raleigh at home was far from being forgetful of his colonists, although they seemed so little inclined to depend upon him. He got ready no less than four vessels: various delays, however, occurred to retard their sailing; and Raleigh at last getting anxious started off one of them as a "bark of aviso," or despatch boat, as it is called in one of the old accounts. It arrived at the site of the colony "immediately after the departing of our English colony out of this paradise of the world;" and "after some time spent in seeking our colony up in the countrey, and not [of course] finding them, it returned with all the aforesaid provision into England." Thus Hakluyt, page 265., who also states that it was "sent and set forth at the charges of Sir Walter Raleigh and his direction;" expressions surely inconsistent with any supposition that he was on board of this bark of aviso; and yet it would appear, from the Introduction of Sir Robert Schomburgk, already referred to, that _this_ was the identical occasion on which Raleigh was erroneously supposed to have visited Virginia. As what Sir Robert says is very important, and bears very directly on the question, I quote his words: "It has been asserted by Theobald and others, that Sir Walter Raleigh himself accompanied this vessel, which he sent for the relief of the young colony; such may have been his intention, as Captain Smith states in the first book of his _General History of Virginia_; but we have so many proofs that Sir Walter did not leave England in that year, that we are surprised that such an erroneous statement has found credence up to the present day."