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:
Newmarket June ye 12th 1735
My Lord Duke of Somerset was not free from his cold when he left London, which was on the 23rd of May last, near three weeks ago, & since his grace has been here it has rather increased. This grace when he was in London & still continues coughing. most times Spitts a good deal of Flegm. At his first Coming here it was more Troublesome at night than Day, but, since his grace has taken asses milk which he has done every morning Early for 13 Days Past, the Cough has been more Violent in the morning from the Time of his Grace’s Rising. His Grace takes Portugal Snuff which seems to promote a good Evacuation for he finds ^still his Head Stuffed. His Grace has taken for about ten Days & does continue to take a spoonful from time to time of a mixture of Syrup, Syrup of Lemons but has not yet received much Benefit by it. These last three days His Grace finds the Coughing to Cause a little soreness within, occasional by the frequent Coughing His Grace’s Deafness also continues. it is not better but rather worse notwithstanding he does Continue two or three Drops of oyl of Vipers dropped on wool & then he puts it into both Ears all the Day. when He goes to Bed he takes it out & lyes all night without any thing in his Ears, untill He rises next morning.
This is the present State of my Lord Duke’s Health. His Grace desires your opinion what he ought to do to get Rid of he Cold & recover his hearing for it does very much dispirit his Grace.
Read more- Letter 4484
Latest Statistics
| Pages digitised | |
| 4,545 | Document summaries |
| Documents transcribed | |
| People | |
| 1,527 | Medical Cases |
| Places |