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. 129]
Honrd Sir Pembroke Feb. ye 8th 1725/6
I am desired by Mr Samuel Savage a particular Friend of mine, & an Eminent surgeon of this Town, who has for 25 years past been in ye sea service, & serv’d in several ships, ye best of wch was an eighty Gun ship, & He chief surgeon to beg ye favour of you, that you could be pleas’d to recommend his Case to one of ye Lords of ye Admiralty, that He may obtain a superannuation, He being absolutely incapable of rideing long Journeys to attend his Patients by reason of his being several years tormented with an irregular Gout, affecting his stomach & Bowels, that it has put him frequently in great danger of his Life.
Another favour I have to beg of you is, that you would be as kind as to write a Line or two to Dr Morton to satisfye him, that ye Certificate He will shew both your self, & ye Doctor, is my Hand, & not any forgd Paper.
Your Compliance herein will much add to all ye former Obligations conferr’d on
Honrd Sir
Yr much oblig’d humble servt
Jon Powell
Read more- Letter 3250
Latest Statistics
| Pages digitised | |
| 4,545 | Document summaries |
| Documents transcribed | |
| People | |
| 1,527 | Medical Cases |
| Places |