William Montgomerie

William Montgomerie (1797–1856) was a Scottish military doctor with the East India Company, and later head of the medical department at Singapore.

Montgomerie died at Barrackpore in India a few years after taking part in the Second Anglo-Burmese War as Superintendent Surgeon.

[3] His brother was Major-General Sir P. Montgomerie of the Madras Artillery who fought in the First Opium War.

In May 1819, he was posted to Singapore with the 2nd Battalion of the 20th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry[5] with the rank of Assistant Surgeon.

These included Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, and William Farquhar, who was stabbed by a would-be assassin in 1823.

[11] In Singapore, Montgomerie was appointed a magistrate in 1819, head of the botanical experimental gardens in 1823 (where he concentrated on cultivating spices[12]), and sheriff in 1837.

He owned the 32-acre (13 ha) Duxton Hill estate for most of his time there, but never succeeded in making it profitable.

The clove crop had been destroyed by blight, but since the nutmeg trees still looked healthy, Montgomerie decided to start his own plantation with seeds procured from Penang.

[15] He believed that enough nutmeg could be grown in Singapore to supply the entire British Empire by 1850, and that the price could be driven down to something affordable by ordinary people.

He compared this to Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka, but at the time a British possession) where land could be bought outright.

He is responsible for it coming into widespread use, but it had in fact been known for some time by a few natives who used it to make handles for parangs (Malayan machetes) and other items.

The natural rubbers used for this purpose at the time were easily damaged by solvents and could not withstand the tropical climate.

However, as early as 1846 Montgomerie was expressing fears that supplies would dry up due to the destructive method of harvesting and large quantities being produced.

Montgomerie believed that it was possible to harvest the sap by tapping but did not think it would be possible to persuade the native collectors to use this slower, but more sustainable method.

[28] Montgomerie played a minor role in recovering pieces of the Singapore Stone after it was demolished by explosives in 1843.

[29] The stone was a large rock in the Singapore River bearing an ancient and undeciphered inscription.

The stone was first discovered by Bengali sailors tasked with clearing the vegetation by the port's first Master Attendant.

Montgomerie commented "it was a pity that those who afterwards authorised the destruction of the ancient relic were not themselves prevented by some such wholesome superstition.