I'm John Bachelors, Professor Richard Bell, the highly entertaining new book,

The American Revolution and the Fate of the World, what you didn't know to ask, such as John

never asked what happened to the Hessians. I should have. John never asked, what about his

wife? I should have. I certainly never asked what about Australia. I didn't know we could read it into it but here we go

now professor you completely fooled me beginning with a man I would make

oh I don't know I'd give him to trollop maybe and say what can you do with William Murray

good heavens he's a sneak thief, a

pocket, a confidence man, and just generally a rascal, who is caught several times by the

authorities, and his story, the professor uses to illustrate the idea of transporting our

over-occupied prison at Newgate and elsewhere

to parts of the world where they can't come back. That's William Murray, initially sent to

America. He's one of those people you drop on an island and he'd be king in about three weeks.

Doesn't matter what language they speak. What do we need to

know about William Murray's fate? Because it surprised me every turn for his life. I think you've

captured his character better than I can. It's a lovely portrayal you just offered us there, John.

And I first learned about William Murray through the work of the scholar Emma Christopher, I should say, for the record here. He is bounced around after being sent to the

American colonies for hard labor and escaping. Then during the war, when it's no longer possible

for Britain to send its convicted felons to America for punishment. He is sent to Africa

for punishment. And he is supposed to be put in charge. Get this, of one of Britain's 13 slave

forts in West Africa. The punishment for this convicted pickpocket and jewel thief is to be sent

to guard a British slave fort in

West Africa. I hope your listeners can hear how weird that is, right, to put convicted felons in

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