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. 351]
Sr,
I had sent you the papers, which I have
now desir’d Mr Hunt to deliver, long ago; but
my affairs call’d me out of Town before you
had given your Order to him to engrave
the plate, without which it was Impossible
for me to finish them. I have not since had an
Oportunity to do it till very lately: and then I
sent for them on purpose to satisfy you that
I was not wanting in my Obedience to the
Commands of the Society. I submit them entirely
to their Judgement whom I think the best Judges in
the World: and I only beg that my zeal to Attempt
something for their Service may Cover the Imperfec
-tions of my performance; and that you
Sr, will believe me
Yr Most Humble servt..
J. Lowthorp.
If you continue yr Resolution of inserting this
Account of the Experiment in the Transactions I should
be glad to see the proof sheet before it be printed off.
It may be sent to me and return’d in 4 or 5 days if the
Circumstances of the Press can allow of such a delay.
If I can serve you in any thing be pleas’d to enclose
your Commands for me in a cover directed to me wife
at Mr Lane’s near the Cherry Tree Tavern in Jermyn St.
Read more- Letter 2706
Latest Statistics
| Pages digitised | |
| 4,545 | Document summaries |
| Documents transcribed | |
| People | |
| 1,527 | Medical Cases |
| Places |