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. 103]
Sr Dundee Febry 23 1710
May I presume to crave the addition of one favour to the many unspeakable ones I have wanted from you on behalf of Mr William Christy bearer here of my own nephew who having been sometimes with me now gone abroad in order to prosecute the studys of pharmacy and surgery I pretend to give no other Character of him than that Im very hopefull he shall prove worthy of whatever recommendations you shall be pleasd to bestow upon him His design is either to take the first opportunity of going into the sea service or setting out for Jamaica if a convenient occasion offer and if in any of these you shall be assisting to him it shall be most greatfully resented by
Your most obliged and most obedient
humble servant
Pa. Blair
Read more- Letter 1308
Latest Statistics
| Pages digitised | |
| 4,545 | Document summaries |
| Documents transcribed | |
| People | |
| 1,527 | Medical Cases |
| Places |