William Cameron (1833-1886) FGS,

FRGS The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

was the explorer whose name is commemorated in the

Cameron Highlands The Cameron Highlands ( ms, Tanah Tinggi Cameron, , ta, கேமரன் மலை) is a district in Pahang, Malaysia, occupying an area of . To the north, its boundary touches that of Kelantan; to the west, it shares part of its border with ...

. Brother of John Cameron, of Singapore, William was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, educated at its High School, and first worked there as an accountant. He emigrated to Australia, where he studied geology and the goldfields before returning to Scotland where he reported on the gold discovered at Kildonan, Sutherland. From discussions with miners he wrote reports for the ''

North British Daily Mail The ''Daily Record'' is a national tabloid newspaper which is published online also based in Glasgow, Scotland. The newspaper is published Monday-Saturday while the website is updated on an hourly basis, seven days a week. The ''Records sist ...

'' which led to a Royal Commission on the

Truck Acts Truck Acts is the name given to legislation that outlaws truck systems, which are also known as "company store" systems, commonly leading to debt bondage. In England and Wales such laws date back to the 15th century. History The modern success ...

. He then went to report as a war correspondent with the French army on the Franco-German War, but was arrested as a spy, condemned to death, and only freed after strenuous diplomatic representations. For a time, he then worked in finance in London. He then went to Singapore where his brother was proprietor of the ''

Straits Times ''The Straits Times'' is an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore and currently owned by SPH Media Trust (previously Singapore Press Holdings). ''The Sunday Times'' is its Sunday edition. The newspaper was establishe ...

''. Around 1880 he went surveying alone in

Pahang Pahang (;Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a ...

, and later in

Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...

and

Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...

. His 'practical knowledge of mineralogy and geology' and 'love of exploring' ultimately led to his being given the honorary title of 'Government Explorer and Geologist' in the

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Comp ...

in 1885. He was married, and had several children. He died at Parsee Lodge, Singapore on 20 November 1886.The Colonies and India, 31 December 1886, p.17,

References

Scottish explorers History of Singapore Straits Settlements 1833 births 1886 deaths {{Singapore-bio-stub