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. 44]
Hond Windsor Castle Nov: 28 1720
My very ingenious & intimate Friend Dr
Snape having recommended to me the undertaking of
Mr Jones, a M.A, & Fellow of his College, I presume
to recommend him to you, & the R.S. if there
be occasion for it, about an Abridgmt of the
Philos. Transactions; wch I find he hath finished,
ready for the Press. He is desirous to have the So-
cieties leave & approbation.. But how far their
leave is necessary, you can best judge. Dr Snape
tells me he is an ingenious man, & versed
in curious Learning. He is willing to shew
his Papers to any yt the Society shall recom-
mend them to, & I believe will give all the
satisfaction yt can be desired. I am with
great respect
Your much obliged & most humble servt
Wm Derham
I would willingly
have been with you
on St Andrews, but our
Chapter now sitting hinders.
Read more- Letter 2438
Latest Statistics
| Pages digitised | |
| 4,545 | Document summaries |
| Documents transcribed | |
| People | |
| 1,527 | Medical Cases |
| Places |