{"product_id":"2940013740815","title":"A Voyage to Botany Bay","description":"The once popular subject of this sketch was born about 1755, at a\u003cbr\u003evillage called Maynooth, in Ireland; his father being a working\u003cbr\u003esilversmith, and his mother a mantua maker. Nearly ruined by law, they\u003cbr\u003ewere unable to give their son an education suitable to the early\u003cbr\u003eabilities which he discovered. He was however taught to read and\u003cbr\u003ewrite; and a neighbouring surgeon instructed him in arithmetic, the\u003cbr\u003eelements of geography, and the general principles of grammar.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt sixteen, young Waldron was noticed and patronised by Dr. C--, a\u003cbr\u003edignitary in the church of Ireland; and through whose influence he was\u003cbr\u003eplaced at a free grammar-school in Dublin. But stabbing an older boy\u003cbr\u003ethan himself with a penknife, from motives of revenge, he lost the\u003cbr\u003esupport of his benevolent patron, and was severely chastised by the\u003cbr\u003emaster. He could by no means forgive this degradation; and therefore\u003cbr\u003eresolved on leaving the school, and all his fair prospects behind.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis plan of escape was no sooner framed than it was carried into\u003cbr\u003eexecution; but, previous to his departure, he found means to steal ten\u003cbr\u003eor twelve guineas from Mr. F--, the master of the school, and a gold\u003cbr\u003erepeating watch from Mrs. Gouldsborough, the master's sister. With\u003cbr\u003ethis booty, a few shirts, and two or three pair of stockings, he\u003cbr\u003esilently, but safely, effected his retreat from the school-house, in\u003cbr\u003ethe middle of a still night, in the month of May, 1771; and pursuing\u003cbr\u003ethe great northern road all that night, and all the next day, he late\u003cbr\u003ein the evening arrived at the town of Drogheda, without interruption,\u003cbr\u003ewithout accident, and, in a great measure, without halting, without\u003cbr\u003erest, and without food.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt Drogheda, Master Waldron connected himself to a company of\u003cbr\u003estrollers, and vagabondised about the country with indifferent\u003cbr\u003esuccess. The Theatrical Manager at length concerted a depredatory\u003cbr\u003escheme with the young hero of his stage; and at intervals, they levied\u003cbr\u003esome heavy contributions. This great man, however, in the character of\u003cbr\u003eWaldron's servant, was detected in picking the pocket of the Right\u003cbr\u003eHon. H--K--, and transported to America for seven years. His pupil\u003cbr\u003eshortly afterwards, attempting the property of Lord B---, at Carlow\u003cbr\u003eraces, met the discipline of the course; and this disaster it was,\u003cbr\u003ethat first determined him to select England as the theatre of his\u003cbr\u003efuture exploits. He accordingly embarked on board the Dorset yacht,\u003cbr\u003eand arrived in England, in 1773, being then aged about eighteen.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the metropolis he lived as Mr. Barrington, in a style of singular\u003cbr\u003esplendour, on the spoils which he had collected in Ireland; and by\u003cbr\u003eimposing on a gentleman, who had been passenger with him in the yacht,\u003cbr\u003ehe gained his favour and confidence; finding by that means an\u003cbr\u003eintroduction into the politest circles; from whence he extracted\u003cbr\u003eabundant plunder for a long time without being even suspected.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt would prove unuseful and even tasteless to follow Mr. Barrington\u003cbr\u003ethrough all his early scenes of dissipation and licentiousness: we\u003cbr\u003eshall therefore content ourselves with giving the most remarkable of\u003cbr\u003ehis feats, as detached anecdote.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn forming a connection with one Lowe, which was but a short time\u003cbr\u003eprevious to that evening of the month of January, which is observed as\u003cbr\u003ethe anniversary of the Queen's birth-day, it was resolved on between\u003cbr\u003ethem, that, habited as a clergyman, Mr. Barrington should repair to\u003cbr\u003eCourt, and there endeavour, not only to pick the pockets of some of\u003cbr\u003ethe company, but, what was a much bolder, and a much more novel\u003cbr\u003eattempt, to cut off the diamond orders of some of the Knights of the\u003cbr\u003eGarter, Bath, and Thistle, who, on such days, usually wear the collars\u003cbr\u003eof their respective orders over their coats. In this enterprize he\u003cbr\u003esucceeded beyond the most sanguine expectations that could have been\u003cbr\u003eformed, by either his new accomplice Lowe or himself; for he found\u003cbr\u003emeans to take the diamond order of Lord C--, with which he got away\u003cbr\u003efrom St. James's perfectly unsuspected.","brand":"WDS Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47070259216624,"sku":"2940013740815","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013740815_p0.jpg?v=1763589636","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013740815","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}