Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
John Chamberlayne to Hans Sloane – November 26, 1702
Item info
Date: November 26, 1702
Author: John Chamberlayne
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4039
Folio: ff. 47-48
Original Page
Transcription
Chamberlayne asks Sloane if he has heard anything from Leeuwenhoek. He hopes Sloane will make a correction for him by inserting James Vernon, Esq. into a list, as Chamberlayne cannot attend the Royal Society meeting. He asks that Sloane return Colonel Dudley’s letters.
John Chamberlayne was a translator and editor specializing in modern languages which he studied at the University of Leiden. He translated works on many topics, was a fellow of the Royal Society, and published three works in the Philsophical Transactions (Reavley Gair, “Chamberlayne, John (1668/9-1723)”, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Oct 2009 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/5060, accessed 30 May 2011]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
Martin Folkes to Hans Sloane – November 27, 1726
Item info
Date: November 27, 1726
Author: Martin Folkes
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4048
Folio: ff. 223-224
Original Page
Transcription
[fol. 223]
Sr
I waited upon Sr Isaac Newton our
President to show him the extract of the Societys acct,
and at the same time to know is he had thought
of any persons to recommend for the Council of the
ensuing year upon which he lookt over the best
and pitch’d upon the enclosed names, to be offerd
to the approbation of your self, and the council who
meet before the Election; I remain Sr with
great respect
your most obedient
humble servant
MFolkes
Nov: 27. 1726
Martin Folkes was an antiquary and natural philosopher. He was educated at Clare College, Cambridge and inherited a large estate from his father. Folkes was appointed Vice-President of the Royal Society in 1723 and contributed articles to the Philosophical Transactions. After the death of Royal Society President Sir Isaac Newton in 1727 Folkes and Sloane, both vice-presidents, petitioned to succeed him. Sloane won the election and Folkes only returned to the Royal Society Council in 1733. He succeeded Sloane as President from 1741 to 1752 (David Boyd Haycock, Folkes, Martin (16901754), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/9795, accessed 16 Aug 2013]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
Francis Bernard to Hans Sloane – April 7, 1694
Item info
Date: April 7, 1694
Author: Francis Bernard
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4036
Folio: ff. 169-170
Original Page
Transcription
Bernard informs Sloane he left a note for him at Bloomsbury. He asks if they can meet the following morning at 11 a.m.
Francis Bernard (bap. 1628, d. 1698) was an apothecary and physician. He worked at St Bartholomew’s Hospital from 1661 and was noted for his labours during the great plague of 1665. He was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1680. Bernard had a large library with books in Greek, Latin, French, and Italian (Juanita Burnby, ‘Bernard, Francis (bap. 1628, d. 1698)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/2241, accessed 23 July 2014]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
John Ray to Hans Sloane – November 18, 1702
Item info
Date: November 18, 1702
Author: John Ray
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4039
Folio: ff. 45-46
Original Page
Transcription
Ray returns Sloane’s books. He could not do much with the Magellan plants, which were imperfect specimens. He asks if he can borrow the Chinese plants that Sloane had lately received. He updates Sloane on the status of his book.
Ray was a theologian and naturalist who collected and catalogued his botanical findings in the much lauded Historia plantarum (1686, 1688) (Scott Mandelbrote, Ray , John (16271705), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Oct 2005 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/23203, accessed 18 June 2013]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
James Fraser to Hans Sloane – February 7, 1695/96
Item info
Date: February 7, 1695/96
Author: James Fraser
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4036
Folio: ff. 224-225
Original Page
Transcription
Fraser has been too busy to send anything as of late. To make up for an apparent mix-up Fraser offers to send Sloane a book of equivalent value or return the book he had in the first place.
James Fraser (1645-1731) was a book dealer with a formidable personal library (Brian Moffat, ‘Fraser, James (1645–1731)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/73233, accessed 11 May 2015]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
William Cowper to Hans Sloane – January 6, 1702/03
Item info
Date: January 6, 1702/03
Author: William Cowper
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4039
Folio: ff. 63-64
Original Page
Transcription
Cowper encloses drawings of the human body’s blood vessels and nerves from the tables at the Royal Society Repository. He discusses anatomical works and hopes the Royal Society is pleased with the illustrations.
Cowper was a surgeon and an anatomist, elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1699. He became embroiled in a plagiarism scandal in 1698 when he was accused of copying Govard Bidloos anatomical work (Monique Kornell, Cowper , William (1666/71710), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/6510, accessed 4 July 2013]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
James Fraser to Hans Sloane – October 25, 1702
Item info
Date: October 25, 1702
Author: James Fraser
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4039
Folio: f. 38
Original Page
Transcription
Fraser waited on Sir Isaac Newton, who was in possession of a branch from China called ‘Manga-paha with the Leaves and fruits full ripe’. He describes the branch, its leaves, and fruit in detail.
James Fraser (1645-1731) was a book dealer with a formidable personal library (Brian Moffat, ‘Fraser, James (1645–1731)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/73233, accessed 11 May 2015]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
Thomas Tanner to Hans Sloane – October 19, 1702
Item info
Date: October 19, 1702
Author: Thomas Tanner
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4039
Folio: ff. 35-36
Original Page
Transcription
[fol. 35]
Honored Sir,
The bearer Mr More has
for [the] great part of this summer applyed
himself wth unwearied diligence on the
Sea Coast of Norfolk and Suffolk in search
of Shells, Marine Plants and other Natural
Curiosities. Upon discourse wth him you’l
be able to make the best judgemt of his
Abilities; I believe he’s very honest and
willing to take pains, so that he may be
usefull to you or some other of the Society if
you should have occasion to send any person
into any part of the world on any searches of
this nature. I remain wth a due sense
of your many favors
Sir
Your very much obliged
humble servt
Thom. Tanner
Norwich
Oct. 19. 1702.
Thomas Tanner was the Bishop of St Asaph, an antiquary, and scholar. He was an associate of Arthur Charlett, another Sloane correspondent and Master of University College, Oxford. He left academic life at Oxford in 1698 to take up a clerical position at Norwich, which led to a career in the Church (Richard Sharp, Tanner, Thomas (16741735), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2006 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26963, accessed 4 July 2013]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
David Gregory to Hans Sloane – August 10, 1696
Item info
Date: August 10, 1696
Author: David Gregory
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4036
Folio: ff. 254-255
Original Page
Transcription
Gregory ‘received the enclosed from one Mr Martin last post’. Sloane is to return the item when he is finished with it.
Gregory was a mathematician and astronomer who published the first astronomy textbook to integrate Newton’s gravitational theory (Anita Guerrini, Gregory, David (16591708), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/11456, accessed 24 June 2013]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
Francis Bernard to Hans Sloane – September 18, 1696
Item info
Date: September 18, 1696
Author: Francis Bernard
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4036
Folio: ff. 262-263
Original Page
Transcription
Tancred Robinson informed Bernard the Ramazzini work will be printed. Sloane ‘may tell Dr Saint Claire & if you & hee doe but give it a malicious Title it will sell I doubt not & make a great noyse’.
Francis Bernard (bap. 1628, d. 1698) was an apothecary and physician. He worked at St Bartholomew’s Hospital from 1661 and was noted for his labours during the great plague of 1665. He was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 1680. Bernard had a large library with books in Greek, Latin, French, and Italian (Juanita Burnby, ‘Bernard, Francis (bap. 1628, d. 1698)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/2241, accessed 23 July 2014]).