Article

Letters of Nathaniel Wallich relating to the establishment of botanical gardens in Singapore

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Letters of Nathaniel Wallich relating to the establishment of botanical gardens in Singapore

Dr. R. Hanitsch published this article in the Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society in 1913, presenting four previously unpublished letters by Nathaniel Wallich from 1822 that document the initial proposal and planning for botanical gardens in Singapore during the colony’s fourth year of existence. The article situates Wallich’s brief visit within the personal and scientific relationship between the Danish-born botanist and Sir Stamford Raffles, and traces the arc from proposal to the eventual discontinuation of the gardens in 1829.

Summary

The article is a primary source publication with editorial framing. Hanitsch introduces the letters with biographical context on Wallich—born in Copenhagen in 1786, Superintendent of the Calcutta Botanic Gardens from 1815, elected F.R.S. in 1829—and explains their provenance: preserved in the Library of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Calcutta, and brought to attention by H. N. Ridley during a visit after his retirement in early 1912 (p. 39). The four letters trace a compact narrative: Wallich’s application for six months’ leave to China (July 19, 1822), his appointment to a committee assessing the southern bank of the Singapore River for warehouse construction (report signed October 23, 1822), his formal recommendation to Raffles for a Botanic and Experimental Garden, and his reply detailing the proposed site and its management (pp. 40–48).

The historical problem at the centre of the article is the gap in Singapore’s botanical history between the initial 1822–1829 gardens and the establishment of the present Tanglin Gardens in 1860. Hanitsch notes that the early gardens were discontinued after June 30, 1829, possibly because the then-Director exceeded the modest monthly budget, leaving the colony without botanical gardens for thirty years (p. 48). The letters reveal that the proposal was driven not only by scientific curiosity but by commercial and agricultural ambition—timber species comparable to teak, clove and nutmeg cultivation, cotton, coffee, and tea—reflecting the utilitarian orientation of early colonial science (pp. 44–45). Wallich’s tribute to the recently deceased Dr. William Jack, who died in September 1822 aboard the boat that carried Raffles to Singapore, adds a personal dimension to the institutional narrative (p. 44).

Key Findings

  • Wallich arrived in Singapore around late August 1822 and departed by the John Adam for Bengal shortly after November 21, 1822 (pp. 39–40).
  • The proposed garden site comprised approximately 48 acres (144 Bengal biggahs) on the eastern slopes of Fort Canning Hill, bounded by Selegie Road, a cantonment road, and the Stamford Road Canal (p. 47).
  • The monthly budget allocated for the garden was $60, to support a permanent establishment of ten labourers and one overseer (p. 48).
  • The gardens were discontinued after June 30, 1829, creating a thirty-year gap until the Tanglin Gardens were established in 1860 (p. 48).
  • Wallich identified five distinct wild species of nutmeg in the immediate vicinity of the Cantonments alone, and noted that clove and nutmeg experiments by Lieutenant Colonel Farquhar had already proven successful (p. 45).
  • The committee report on the southern bank of the Singapore River was signed by James Lumsdaine, N. Wallich, and Francis Salmond on October 23, 1822 (p. 43).

Conclusion

Hanitsch’s definitive historical takeaway is that the early Singapore Botanic Gardens (1822–1829) represent a lost chapter in the colony’s scientific and commercial history, and that their discontinuation—likely due to expenditure exceeding the modest $60 monthly allocation—created a thirty-year void in the colony’s botanical infrastructure that was only filled by the establishment of the present Tanglin Gardens in 1860.

Context

  • The primary archival source is the Library of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Calcutta, where the letters were preserved and copied at the request of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.
  • The article’s historiographical contribution lies in recovering and publishing these previously unpublished documents, which fill a significant gap in the early administrative and scientific history of Singapore and provide direct evidence of the personal collaboration between Raffles and Wallich in the colony’s formative years.

References