A Talent for Management

Reader Gillian writes

As an Australian I feel it incumbent upon me to point out something you almost certainly already know: we had an early colonial Rum Rebellion. It’s the closest we’ve come to a revolution, I’m afraid, but at least it was liquorbased. And it deposed Governor Bligh (the same Bligh who had trouble with mutineers on the Bounty). Bligh’s daughter defended her father against the military (since it was a military coup) using her parasol. I suspect that this parasol was the only casualty.

In fact I don’t know terribly much about the Rum Rebellion, Gillian, save to say that it came after the Bounty episode, and that it pretty much ended Bligh’s career. It seems that by then the British Government was beginning to catch on that Bligh wasn’t what you’d call a “people person.” That didn’t stop him from receiving two more promotions, however. He died a handful of years later, having achieved the rank of Vice Admiral. Thanks for a great email, Gillian!