Robert Melvill
Robert Melvill | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Henry Raeburn | |
| Born | 12 October 1723 |
| Died | 29 August 1809 (aged 85) |
General Robert Melvill FRS FRSE FSAS FSA (or Melville; 12 October 1723 – 29 August 1809) was a Scottish officer in the British Army, antiquary, botanist, inventor, and slave plantation owner. He was owner of the Melville Hall (Dominica) and Carnbee (Tobago) estates.
Melvill invented (1759) the carronade, a cast-iron cannon popular for 100 years, in co-operation with the Carron Iron Works (from which it takes its name). He founded the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Botanic Gardens in the West Indies.