Welcome to The Sloane Letters Project
A pilot of this project, Sir Hans Sloane’s Correspondence Online, was first launched at the University of Saskatchewan in 2010 to coincide with the 350th anniversary of Sir Hans Sloane’s birth. The project was renamed The Sloane Letters Project when it moved to this site in 2016.
The correspondence of Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753) consists of thirty-eight volumes held at the British Library, London: MSS 4036-4069, 4075-4078. The letters are a rich source of information about topics such as scientific discourse, collections of antiquities, curiosities and books, patients’ illnesses, medical treatments and family history. Most of the letters were addressed to Sloane, but a few volumes were addressed to others (MSS 4063-4067) or written by Sloane (MSS 4068-4069).
So far, we have entered descriptions and metadata for Sloane MSS 4036-4053 and 4075, as well as several letters from each of the following: Sloane MSS 4054-4055, 4066, 4068-4069 and 4076. Several of these entries also include transcriptions. Further entries and transcriptions are being made available gradually.
Please, explore the website and database. You can search through the letters, learn about Sir Hans Sloane or the letters written to him, and peruse blog posts about interesting letters!
Random Letter
Author:Recipient:
[fol. 80] Dr Sloan Sr I have rec’d yours of ye 23th Sep’r & 6th October, & thank you heartily for ye news you gave me in ym & ye Printed books & papers, wch I must be your Debtor for till I see you in Jamaica, wch I hope to doe before you can receive this Letter, But if through any accident you should alter your resolutions of coming here (wch I hope will not be) Pray continue sending me what news is current, & I will order paym’t to you wth many thanks. The revolutions here since your departure (wch are very many) you will learn of Franck Watson to whome I have writt at large, wth comand to wait on her Grace. Coll Ballard gives you his service, & earnestly wishes you here, he is in very good health at Present, Mr Elletson is still confined close Prisoner, his Lady has been sick wth ye small Pox but is now well recovrd, that distemper rages now very much, Mr Hickman is put out of his Secretarys place. I am much at ye old rate troubled with ye Physick, wch I hope you will bring over a remedy for. I am Sr Your affectionate freind to serve you H Watson May. 13. 1690
Read more- Letter 0325
Latest Statistics
| Pages digitised | |
| 4,545 | Document summaries |
| Documents transcribed | |
| People | |
| 1,527 | Medical Cases |
| Places |