Sir Walter Raleigh commissioned Captains Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe to set sail on April 19, 1585. Together they found Roanoke Island on the Outer Banks of present-day North Carolina. Barlowe described it as a lush paradise and reported excellent relations with the Native Americans, whose jewelry indicated that precious metals lay in the vicinity. The relations turned sour when it was reported that a silver cup was stolen from the settlers. As punishment, Amadas had the Indians' village and cornfield burned. This act provoked retaliation and future distrust between the Indians and colonists. England's first attempt at colonization was deemed a failure after one year and the settlers were returned home. A second group of settlers arrived in August 1587, but all mysteriously disappeared by 1590. No one knows for sure what became of them. These two failures showed that the challenge of establishing a colony in the New World would require a much greater commitment of resources. The experience at Roanoke Island prompted a group of English investors to form the Virginia Company for the purpose of colonizing the New World and creating profitable ventures. King James I signed this company's charter on April 10, 1606. Its first expedition, led by Captain Christopher Newport, included three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. They embarked from London on December 20, 1606 and on May 13, 1607, moored off what came to be known as Jamestown Island.