In the wars and revolutions that marked the turn of the nineteenth century, many states employed tactics of ‘political removal’ (to use the Dutch concept) to rid themselves of perceived troublemakers. What concepts and patterns of exile emerged in European empires during this period of world crisis? How can attention to the fates of individual outcasts and marginalised figures challenge our concepts of these interlocking global systems? This paper explores these questions with particular attention to the Commissions of Inquiry sent to investigate British colonies in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars.