2g6 
He was also a botanist and collected plants and made drawings 
of them which are now in the British Museum. Cinnamon and 
Pepper were also planted in Penang about this time, and from 1803 
to 1820 there was a great development of the spice cultivations 
which continued till i860, when the destruction of the Nutmeg trees 
by disease, especially in Singapore, checked the cultivation. In 
Penang, however, the cultivation never died out as it did further 
South, but passed into the hands of natives, who maintain it to this 
day. The descendants of Smith’s trees still produce the most 
valued Nutmegs and Cloves in the world. Gambier was introduced 
in Penang, in 1807, but it was cultivated to a much larger extent 
in the mainland. 
Thus things remained till Sir STAMFORD RAFFLES, in 1819, 
founded Singapore. He was one of the few people in those early 
days who realised the importance of agriculture, and of introducing 
new and valuable plants. He introduced Nutmegs and Cloves to 
Singapore as early as 1819 and planted them as well as Cocoa, in 
the first Botanic Garden in Singapore, in 1823. 
He writes to MARSDEN, in January 31st, of that year, “I am lay- 
ing out a botanic and experimental garden, ” and to Dr. WALLICH 
(February 8th), “The Botanic Garden goes on well, I am now 
employed in laying out the walks, and stones are collected for a 
handsome hand railway round it” (Memoirs by his widow, pp. 535 > 
537). This garden was on the slopes of Fort Canning which was 
then the Governor’s residence. A gardener named DUNN had 
arrived in Singapore previously in 18 9, with letters of recommenda- 
tion from Raffles and a supply of . pice-plants. 
Buckley, in his Anecdotal History of Singapore, Vol. I, p. 74, 
states that Botanical Gardens were established and that Dr. Wal- 
LICH was appointed Superintendent, and that RAFFLES gave him 
48 acres more land for the Gardens and Government House ground, 
and a grant of 48 acres was given from ue Government House 
garden in 1822 to the Superintendent and his successors to the 
North-East of the hill. This, as will be seen from Raffles’ letter 
above quoted, is incorrect. The Gardens were co . menced in 1822; 
Dr. WALLICH, though he doubtless took much interest in the Gar- 
dens, was not Superintendent of it, strictly speaking, as he had only 
come down from Calcutta to recuperate after his Nepal trip and 
returned to Calcutta, January, 1823. RAFFLES left Singapore in 
June of the same year. WALLICH seems to have promised to send 
a Superintendent for the Gardens from Calcutta, but it is not cer- 
tain whether hfc did so. The monthly vote for the up-keep of the 
Botanic Gardens then was 60 dollars. As happened with so many 
of RAFFLES’ plans for the development of the Colony, the Gardens 
seem to have been neglected as soon as he retired and were 
abolished altogether in 1829 by LORD WILLIAM BENTINCK, the 
Govern or- General, a man .who seemed possessed with the mania of 
retrenchment. Ten convicts, however, were employed to keep the 
ground in order (Buckley, p. 206). I have been quite unable to 
find any trace of this Garden now. 
o 
