In article <789407FB-95D2-11D7-ACBE-000393A1EEBC@wcvt.com>, minke@wcvt.com (cindy kilgore) wrote: > Neil, > i think the list would like to hear more, especially now that we have > gone up island by 75 miles. An interesting aspect of this that almost > got past me is the nutmeg plants coming from Cayenne courtesy of > Governor Victor Hugues. Do you have a date on this exchange as Victor > in 1794-5 is planning on repossessing Guadeloupe, Martinique (someone > catch me on this island if I'm wrong), SVG and Grenada for the French. > He is returning to the Caribbean with guillotine and printing press to > start the uprisings in these islands. An interesting book here is > Guillotine: It's legend and lore by Daniel Gerould - it has about 5 > pages on Victor (anybody with some information on Hugues, I would > really like to hear about him - Phillipe, are you out there?). > > Other than in the Botanic Garden, has anyone seen nutmegs growing on SV? > thanks, Neil, > Cindy Cindy, Because of its brevity (It is only 47 pages long) the book leaves a few unanswered questions - particularly with respect to timeline. It's opening paragraph states that the Saint Vincent garden owes its origin to advertisements in the Transactions of the Society of Arts, for 1762 and the following 4 years, offering rewards to anyone who should cultivate a spot in the West Indies in which plants useful in medecine and profitable as articles of commerce might be propogated, and wghere nurseries of the valuable productions of Asia and other distant parts might be formed for the benefit of his Majesty's colonies. It then goes on to state that General Melville who was then "Chief Governor of the ceded islands" while he resided in St Vincent ...resolved to commence the task and in 1765 gave, and cleared at his expense, 20 acres of land about 1/2 mile north of Kingstown. In 1766 another portion of land was added. He continued to support the garden following his return to England. When Melville left the island the garden was first entrusted to Dr. George Young, Surgeon of the Forces, the principal medical officer on the island. In 1774 Dr Young made a report of his progress to the Society and they rewarded him with 50 guineas. In the troubled times which succeeded, the garden was much neglected, but was again restored in 1785, and somewhat increased by Alexander Anderson, Surgeon, who was shortly afterwards appointed its Superintendent. In 1792 it was increased, but again suffered in some degree during "our contest with the French and Caribs". "About 1785, the clove and several varieties of cinnamon were introduced from the French islands, to which they had been brought by their ships from Asia. The clove, shortly after this period was cultivated zealously in Dominique. In Jamaica the cinnamon was planted on a large scale......" "In 1791 Mr Anderson sailed to Guiana in search of valuable plants, where his zeal was amply rewarded". He now received a degree of M.D. from a scotish university and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The Society of Arts presented him with their silver medal, elected him a corresponding member in 1798. "Many valuable seeds from Asia were sent by the Board of Trade. A considerable number were procured from correspondants in North America, almost all of which are now flourishing and dispersed over our colonies." 530 Breadfruit plants were introduced to Saint Vincent from Asia in January 1793 by Captain Bligh and Captain Portlock (This was Bligh's second trip - you know about the 1st). In 1803 an additional 10 acres were added to the garden. "Mr William Lochead, who succeeded Dr Anderson in July 1811, introduced several Nutmegs from Cayenne and other plants which he had nursed in Trinidad. These were transported by Captain Dix of his Majesty's sloop Cygnet in 1809." (However as I noted in my first posting Dr Anderson is credited with introducing Nutmegs to Saint Vincent.) In a letter dated Nov.18 1803 Dr Anderson stated "The two nutmegs are thriving luxuriantly: my sincere wish is, that they may be male and female. I think it rather strange, that plants of them, as well as other useful productions of the East, have not been before now sent to these colonies. Except the two nutmegs here, I believe there is not another individual in any of the British Islands on this side of the Atlantic. To the French we are indebted for all the most valuable of the East India plants we at present possess." The book finishes with a list of nearly 1400 different named species of plants growing in the garden in September 1824. There were also others growing but not yet named. Surely a magnificent effort for the time. My father in law, John (Jackie) Manning Cave, from Barbados, was either Deputy Superintendent or Superintendent of the Garden in 1950 to 1956. He and his family (including his daughter Elizabeth, my wife) lived in the old house in the garden. There was a tree, (the Spakea Perforata - but don't trust my spelling) found on the slopes of Soufriere that had been transplanted to the garden. It was reputed to be the only one ever found. They were looking for another to propogate it with. Does anyone know the outcome of that? Neil