William Paterson ( explorer ) 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 . Biography . Early years . 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 . Career . 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 1789 , he was promoted to captain in the New South Wales Corps . After some time spent recruiting , he arrived in Sydney in October 1791 . From November 1791 until March 1793 he served in command on Norfolk Island . Whilst there he collected botanical , geological and insect specimens and sent them to Banks . He also provided seed to the Lee and Kennedy and Colvill nurseries . He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in May 1798 . In 1794 , Lieutenant - Colonel William Paterson granted more land and convict servants to the military , giving them great powers and undermining Governor Arthur Phillip ' s good naval government . In 1794 he served for a year as Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales . In 1800 he was re - appointed to the post and served a second term until 1808 . He led an expedition to the Hunter Region in 1801 and up the Paterson River ( later named in his honour by Governor King ) and in 1804 led an expedition to Port Dalrymple , in what is now Tasmania , exploring the Tamar River and going up the North Esk River farther than anyone previously had managed to do . Between 1804 and 1808 Paterson was also appointed Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen ' s Land ( northern half ) . ( Van Diemen ' s Land is now called Tasmania ) . In 1806 Paterson ' s duties as commander of the New South Wales Corps required him to return to Sydney , but he went back to Van Diemens ' s Land in 1807 , and stayed until December 1808 . During this time he corresponded regularly with the eminent naturalist Sir Joseph Banks , sending a number of specimens . Personal life . Paterson was appointed Governor of New South Wales on 1 January 1809 after the deposition of Governor Captain William Bligh in the so - called " Rum Rebellion " , but was replaced by the newly arrived Lachlan Macquarie by the end of the year because of failing health . He left Sydney for England on 12 May 1810 , but died on board HMS " Dromedary " while off Cape Horn just a few weeks later . His widow Elizabeth married Francis Grose in April 1814 , but he died a month later . Elizabeth died in Liverpool , England in 1839 .