Tenure as Director of the Garden (1892-1897)
After having been the Assistant Director since 1880, William Scott became the Director of the Gardens and Forestry Services/ Department In 1892. His first report concerned the losses of many plants caused by a very damaging cyclone that brought the island to its knees in the same year.
Scott’s main mission was to to re-establish the gardens and to replace the lost varieties of plants such as the Areca Sapida, Aralia papyrifera, Dipterocarpus laevis, Quercus robur and Thea paraguanensis.
The Commercial gazette issued on the 5th of March 1896 testified as follow:
“We are very pleased by the well-being of the Garden… The crumbling huts have been replaced by elegant kiosks. The Garden bears a rich collection of precious plants. The Orchid collection increases on a daily basis, making it without contest, the biggest collection worldwide. We can’t prevent ourselves from congratulating Mr Scott and his collaborators for the great work accomplished”
In 1897, William Scott passed away at the age of 38; leaving behind in the Garden, the two oldest Bread Fruit trees of the island.