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. 175]
Sr Upm’r Aug 10 1713
I remember in some of the Transacti-
ons there is an account of the Generation of
Fleas, which it was never my fortune to see
but once before now. And imagining therefore
it may be a curiosity not unacceptable to
your self, or some of your curious friends, I
have sent you some of the Eggs & Maggots
of Fleas, wch you will easily discern with
the help of a Microscope; and very plainly, it
you put some of them into one of Wilsons Sli-
ders, & view them in his Microscopes, as I have
done. I presume the present will not be
the more acceptable by telling you they were
the Product of a favourite Cat of a pretty
young Lady, a good Fortune, bred among some
Muslin, & the blew paper, in wch they now ly, in
her Work-basket. There were (they tell
me) thousands, but finding them to be Fleas
they burnt most of them, forgetting me,
till only a few were to be gotten, which you
are a large Sharer in. I hope they will come
alive to your hands, being very lively and brisk at their
putting up. If they are a rarity. I desire Mr Waller may see
them, as also Mr Chamberlayne if you meet with him timely,
to whom be pleased to render my humble service accepta-
ble from
Sr Your much obliged humble servant
Wm Derham
My Wifes humble service
& thanks to you; who is I thank
God now in a good state of health.
Read more- Letter 1912
Latest Statistics
| Pages digitised | |
| 4,545 | Document summaries |
| Documents transcribed | |
| People | |
| 1,527 | Medical Cases |
| Places |