Ill 
NUTMEGS AND MACE 
101 
pany therefore deputed Christopher Smith in 1796 to 
go to the Moluccas to collect spice plants to introduce 
into Penang and elsewhere in the countries under their 
control, and in 1798 there were 600 nutmegs and some 
clove trees in the Penang plantations. In 1800, 5000 
nutmeg plants and 15,000 cloves arrived, and in the 
following years more, until by 1802 Smith had sent 
71,266 nutmeg and 55,265 clove plants to Penang. Of 
these a few were sent to Kew, Calcutta, and Madras, the 
others were planted in the East India Company’s spice 
gardens in Penang, or distributed to planters in various 
parts of the island. 
Owing to the shyness of cultivators and their care- 
lessness in handling the plants, and the ignorance as to 
methods of cultivation, a large proportion of these died, 
and by 1802 only about one-third of the number were 
living. By 1805 the spice gardens contained 5100 
nutmegs, 1625 clove trees, and 1050 seedlings, and the 
gardens were sold for 9656 dollars. 
The first nutmeg fruited in 1802, according to 
Hunter, in his account of Penang. 
The abandonment of these spice gardens by the 
Government was due, it would appear, to the disappoint- 
ment in the results of the introduction, and the distrust 
of the reports of the botanical superintendent. This 
want of perseverance was certainly much to be regretted. 
In 1810 there were 13,000 nutmeg trees on the island, 
but only a few hundreds in bearing. The ignorance 
of methods of cultivation and the subsequent slow 
progress produced such apathy that the cultivation 
showed signs of a speedy extinction. 
In these early days of colonisation, and for many 
years after, the importance of a properly equipped 
botanic garden with a staff of experienced men under 
Government control, to experiment and assist the 
planter in cultivating a crop which is slow in returns, 
and which requires a considerable amount of study, was 
not understood. 
All pioneer work was left to the planter, who had 
