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Welcome to The Sloane Letters Project

sloaneA 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

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MonSr. J’ay veu la memoire que vostre Excellence a envoyè a MonSr. Le Clerc touchante[?] arbre dont vous avez les branches chez moy portant la dentelle ou toile fine quoi vient sur les branches menues & grosse qui vient sur les gros trones du mesmes arbre. Cette arbre vient dans les dans les montagnes mediterannees de l’Isle de la Jamaique. Il y a treize couches dentelles ou toiles fines sur chaque branche entre l’ecorce exterieur & le bois de l’arbre & ces toiles ne sont autre chose que lecorce interieur défendue & ainsi de voloprèe. On dans ces Ces pays la des cravatiers & des autres ornemens des hommes & femmes du cela & ces toiles se lavent aussi bien que les toiles du Lïn: J’ay nomme cette arbre dans un catalogue que j’ay publie des plantes que j’ay trouve la Laur folia arbor folio latione mucronato leui splendente cortico luteziori in telas plurima, linearum emulas exten suli. cat. pl. Jam. p. 137. L’Arbre s’apelle dans le pays Lagetta. Je donnerait bientot l’hystoire de cet arbre avec figure gravée dans le 2e. volume di lhistoire naturelle de la Jamaique avec les figures des autres arbres oiseaux & que j’ay peu fait gravee il y a long temps mais que des oaupatory[?] de la medicine m’ont empeche de publier. Je suis je vostre tres lette[?]. Oct. 31. 1715. Comte d’Efferen
Read more- Letter 2895


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