Colonisation by the European powers has always had its seamier side and the first attempt to settle English people on the North American mainland - by one of Queen Elizabeth's favourite courtiers, Sir Walter Raleigh - was no exception. The hunt for prize ships and cargoes was a major attraction for the sea-captains and their crews who sailed across the Atlantic in the years 1584-7. For the promoters, including Raleigh, it was usually the prime...