Civil disorder and looting hit England

The transportation option

Aug 18th 2011, 16:52 by Bagehot

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HERE is this week's print edition column, expanding on some of the historical thoughts broached on this blog earlier in the week:
FOR the English, there were many reasons why losing the American colonies was annoying. One was that America had been a handy place to exile convicts, some 40,000 of them over the years. George III took a personal interest in the hunt for new spots to resettle those (in his words) “unworthy to remain in this island”. Gibraltar was considered, as was west Africa, before ministers plumped for newly discovered Australia.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/bagehot/2011/08/civil-disorder-and-looting-hit-england#comments