Many of the posts on Clay Lane are by well known writers such as William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. Others are by less well known authors who have something no less important to say.
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William Dampier (1651-1715) fell in with buccaneer Bartholomew Sharpe in Mexico in 1679, which led to a trip round the world and a visit to New Holland (Australia). His account of his adventures, published in 1697, stirred so much interest among the public and at Court that two years later Dampier was sent out to New Holland once more, where he made scientific observations with a view to colonisation. He returned home in 1701 to accusations of cruelty from a subordinate, and was abruptly dismissed from the Royal Navy. The War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713) drew him back into service among privateers, and he sailed around the world for the second time. Between 1708 and 1711 Dampier buccaneered his way through a third and record-breaking circumnavigation of the globe, rescuing marooned seaman Alexander Selkirk, the inspiration for Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, in 1709. The tour was financially rewarding but in 1715, still waiting for the money to be shared out, Dampier died in London, leaving £2,000 in debts.
