103 



in the same year, viz. In 1846. Three years after Dr. Montogomerie, 

 the leading spirit, left Singapore. Another Horticultural Society 

 was founded in Singapore in 1859 or i860. It got hoplessly into debt 

 in 1873, and the Government eventually took over its property in 

 1878, and thus was founded the second Botanic Gardens of Singapore. 



The apathy of the Government from 1829 to i860 naturally 

 ended in disaster, which took the form of a ruinous collapse of the 

 most important industry in Penang and Singapore, viz., the nutmeg 

 cultivation. The trees died wholesale in a single night apparently 

 from the attacks of a beetle. Cullingwood thus describes the 

 catastrophe. " The planters abandoned the plantations in disgust in 

 many cases where there were still numerous healthy trees and the 

 land reverted to Government. In other cases, where expensive 

 bungalows had been built upon the estate, they were sold for a small 

 proportion of the sums expended in building them since they were as 

 a rule too far from town to command any competition and ceased to 

 be conveniently situated. Many planters, both English and Chinese, 

 whose whole estates were invested in nutmeg plantations were thus 

 reduced to ruin and absolutely penniless and distress and disappoint- 

 ment everywhere prevailed." Had the Penang Garden, abolished by 

 Bentinck, been maintained and suitable superintendents employed to 

 watch the interests of the planters, this catastrophe would probably 

 have never occurred or at worst would have been much mitigated. 



But to return to the Gardens. The Singapore Gardens really 

 commenced in 1875 when H. J. Murton was appointed to take 

 charge of the agri-horticultural gardens now under Government 

 though not formally so till 1878. He was succeeded by N. Cantley, in 

 1880, who established the third Penang Gardens in 1884, and the 

 Malacca Gardens at Bukit Sabukor in 1886. These Gardens, over 

 which Mr. Derry had control, were very useful in experimental work 

 and in supplying economic plants to the Malacca planters. They 

 were abolished by Sir Charles Mitchell, in 1896, and as a large 

 portion of the ground had been presented to the Government by a 

 Chinaman on condition that they should serve as a Botanic Garden 

 for Malacca and revert to him when no longer so used, the ground on 

 the abolition of the gardens was returned to the former owner. 



In Perak, Sir Hugh Low took a great interest in agriculture at a 

 time when there was practically no agriculture worthy of the name 

 in the Peninsula, and he founded several gardens or experimental 

 stations for the introduction and cultivation of economic plants. 

 I have found very few records of this work, but it appears that most 

 of them were instituted in about 1875 or 1876. They comprised the 

 Gardens of Kuala Kangsar, the Tea Gardens and Maxwell's Hill 

 Gardens, on the Taiping Hills the Hermitage Hill Garden and 

 Waterloo Garden, and Telok Anson.' 



