Daniel Paine
Daniel Paine grew up on the dock. His family was
involved with ship construction and the local naval
base so when he was born on April 22, 1770 (Paine
xvii), his future was secure as a seaman. Though his
career at the dock was comfortable, it was far from
his dreams and at twenty-four years old he left for
Australia. In New South Wales he worked for the
government shipyard.
He soon fell in with "a group of men passionately
committed to the overthrow of political tyranny"
(Paine xxi). Encouraged by the success of the Americans,
those in Australia also looked to independance from
Britain and a revolution was rumbling. Paine eagerly
supported it, and though he was never did anything
openly antagonistic, he was advised by the governor
"not to Act so obstinately in any future occurrence"
(Paine xxii) because Paine had put his associates in a sort
of martyrdom light and was often seen "questioning the
established order in Britain" (Paine xxii).
Wisely he left quickly and went to Canton where he met
John Howel and the two became friends. Paine was taken
as a sort of supercargo for Lady Washington until
she was broken apart near the Phillipines. He
eventually meandered his way back to Britain and
began leading a series of worker's strikes for better
wages and was fired. Around 1800 he was married and
had a son but the end of his life is unknown.
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