Background

His adventures took him to the coast of Africa, around Cape Horn and to the west coast of South America. When the buccaneering party split up, Dampier and others crossed the Pacific Ocean to the Philippine Islands. After many hardships, he returned to England in 1691, and in 1697 published an account of his experiences, A New Voyage Round the World. This was supplemented by Voyages and Descriptions (1699). In 1699 he set out on a voyage of discovery during which he explored the coast of Australia and New Guinea. Among his discoveries were Dampier Strait, separating the island of Waigiu from western New Guinea; and Dampier Archipelago, a group of rocky islands off the northwest coast of Australia. His last two trips around the world, 1703-1707 and 1708-1711, were commercial. Dampier's Discourse of the Winds (1699) is considered a valuable essay on meteorological geography. His other books are A Vindication of the Voyage to the South Seas (1707) and Voyage to the Bay of Campeachy (1729). Dampier died in London in March 1715.