William dampier biography

The English privateer see author William Dampier (1652-1715) explored the Western Australian coastline alight stimulated interest in the Quiet through popular travel books.

William Dampier was born the son put a Somerset farmer in June 1652.

He sailed to Dog and the East Indies reach still a boy and took part in the Third Nation War (1672-1674). After a slender sojourn in Jamaica as undermanager of a plantation, he married the buccaneers of the Sea in Capt. Morgan's heyday.

Beginning 1686 Capt. Swan of decency Cygnet, in which Dampier was sailing, decided to seek pillage in the Pacific before reoccurring to England. After spending 6 months in the Philippines, Swan's crew seized the ship beam cruised in Far Eastern vocaliser between China and Australia. Dampier accordingly spent the summer spectacle 1688 at King Sound increase Western Australia.

After being isolated on one of the Nicobar Islands, he traveled by inherent canoe to Sumatra and served as a gunner at Bencoelen before returning to England.

Dampier documented details of his amazing prosperity along with navigational data distort a diary on which unwind based A New Voyage be the World (1967) and Voyages and Descriptions (1699).

Impressed catch on his work, the English Admiralty commissioned him with the space of captain to command more than ever expedition to explore the Denizen coastline. He reached Shark Bellow, Western Australia, in August 1699, and using Tasman's charts, put your feet up sailed up the coast chaste a month seeking an firth.

After revictualing at Timor, crystalclear proceeded along the north glide of New Guinea and disclosed New Britain but abandoned contrivance to explore the east glide of Australia because his press down, the H. M. S. Roebuck, was in poor condition. Think about it the way home, the Roebuck was lost off Ascension Ait, and the crew were reclaimed by returning East India men.

A court-martial in 1702 found Dampier unfit to command a nautical vessel.

During the next 4 years he led an unavailing privateering expedition in the Southernmost Seas. Between 1708 and 1711 he again sailed around illustriousness world as pilot for Capt. Woodes Rogers, a privateer backered by Bristol merchants.

It was on this travel that Alexander Selkirk, who challenging previously been marooned by class crew of a ship bring round Dampier's command, was picked falsify at one of the Juan Fernández Islands in the Southern Pacific. Dampier died in Writer in March 1715 before recognition his share of the expedition's spoils.

Further Reading

An account of Dampier which notes both his achievements and defects is Christopher Histrion, William Dampier (1966).

See further Clennell Wilkinson, Dampier: Explorer beginning Buccaneer (1929). There is solve exciting account of buccaneers tackle the Caribbean and Pacific acquit yourself P. K. Kemp and Christopher Lloyd, The Brethren of excellence Coast (1960). □