BARLOW, Arthur, navigator, born about 1550; died about 1620. He was sent out by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584 in command of an expedition bound upon a voyage of discovery for the purpose of colonization, and Queen Elizabeth gave him a special charter constituting him a lord proprietary with almost unlimited powers.

The intention was to colonize a more southerly latitude than up to that time had been occupied by English settlers. Two ships, one commanded by Barlow mid the other by Philip Amidas, set sail ion 27 April. They took the southerly course, touching at the Canaries and the West Indies, and made their way northward along the coast. Early in July they neared land, and perceived a fragrance coming off the coast "as if they had been in the midst of some delicate garden," abounding with all kinds of odoriferous flowers. On 13 July they entered Ocraeoke inlet and landed on Wocoken, the southernmost of the islands forming" the entrance to what is now called Pamlico sound. The beauty of the climate, the heavily wooded shores, the abundance of game, and the friendliness of the natives so captivated Barlow and his fellow-voyagers that, after exploring Pamlico and Albemarle sounds, they returned to England in September and gave such glowing accounts of their discoveries that the queen named the territory Virginia, in delicate compliment to her own unmarried state, and preparations for permanent settlement were at once begun.