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. 189]
22d Augt 1726
Sr
Being troubled much with the heart burn a relation of mine gave mee some seeds he brought from the East Indies some of wch I took & they Cured mee having some left I got a Gardners leave to put some in his Ground to see what they would produce one struck root & producd fruit 6 of wch came to perfection, the biggest is 23 inches Long 31 Inches about & weighs about 24l- tis shaded & Clouded wth all sorts of greens & has more variety than painter or Dyer can Imitate- It resembles a Melon, pumpkin and Cucumber but is neither of them and what it is I know not I have got it at my house & should be proud you would give mee leave to shew it you that I may know what it is, If you will permit mee yt honour & appoint when & where I may wait on you you will very much oblige
Sr
ye unknown Humble servt
Jn Southall
If you shall vouchsafe
this favour please to direct
to mee In the green walk
near the faulcon Southwark
or at Knights Coffee house
Essex Street
Read more- Letter 3284
Latest Statistics
| Pages digitised | |
| 4,545 | Document summaries |
| Documents transcribed | |
| People | |
| 1,527 | Medical Cases |
| Places |