Colonel William Paterson, FRS (born 17 August 1755 and died 21 June 1810) was a Scottish soldier, explorer, Lieutenant governor and botanist best known for leading early settlement in Tasmania. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Paterson when citing a botanical name.
A native of Montrose, Scotland, Paterson was interested in botany as a boy and trained in horticulture at Syon in London. Paterson was sent to the Cape Colony by the...
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Colonel William Paterson, FRS (born 17 August 1755 and died 21 June 1810) was a Scottish soldier, explorer, Lieutenant governor and botanist best known for leading early settlement in Tasmania. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Paterson when citing a botanical name.
A native of Montrose, Scotland, Paterson was interested in botany as a boy and trained in horticulture at Syon in London. Paterson was sent to the Cape Colony by the wealthy and eccentric Countess of Strathmore to collect plants, he arrived in Table Bay on board the "Houghton" in May 1777. He made four trips into the interior between May 1777 and March 1780, when he departed. In 1789 Paterson published Narrative of Four Journeys into the Country of the Hottentots and Caffraria, which he dedicated to Sir Joseph Banks.
Paterson was originally commissioned as an ensign in the 98th Regiment of Foot and served in India. He later transferred to the 73rd Regiment of Foot after the 98th's disbandment in 1787. In...
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