Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
Richard Richardson to Hans Sloane – August 12, 1732
Item info
Date: August 12, 1732
Author: Richard Richardson
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4052
Folio: ff. 164-165
Original Page
Transcription
[fol. 165] North Bierley Aug: 12 1732 Hond Sr I am very much concerned that there has not been a more expacitiouse dispatch in finding the plants yu deserved out of Mr Petivers collection but I have of late been pretty much from home & Mr Petiver was not inclinable to do any thing with out any assistance yet have at last (ran) over a very numerous collection & putt out a great part of the plants you desire the greatest number of them Dr Dillenius had seen and added names to them; especially the Submarine plants & mosses the difficulty in classing the […] regularily I take to be very great since several of them put on quite different faces at different seasons but since we have the authotity of so great a judge in this sort of Botany we are willing to acqu […] till we can be better informed. Mr Brewer sent the plants hither a few days agoe which I put up in a Box & sent by Sam: Haggus who Inns at the white Horse Cripplegate he wil be in London on Thursday next in the Box you wil find some Fossils amongst the rest you wil find two or three beautyfull varieties of stalactites most of these I had from the Limestone Rocks in Craven & if any thing in this kind or in any part of Nat: Hist: comes to my hands, you may be assured to hear from
your much obliged servant
Ric: Richardson
Mr Brewer designs to write to you by this post
Richardson was a physician and botanist who traveled widely in England, Wales, and Scotland in search of rare specimens. He corresponded and exchanged plants with many well-known botanists and naturalists (W. P. Courtney, Richardson, Richard (16631741), rev. Peter Davis, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2010 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/23576, accessed 31 May 2011]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
Richard Richardson to Hans Sloane – June 16, 1702
Item info
Date: June 16, 1702
Author: Richard Richardson
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4038
Folio: ff. 353-354
Original Page
Transcription
[fol. 353]
North Bierley June 16 702
Worthy Sir
I am glad to heare by your last that the designes were soe diverting to your Society, I hope longe agoe you got the coale plants & safe there are some 2 or 3 small ones which if you have time to examine them nicely you wil find the representations of seed upon them which is rare to be met with specimens of our same northern plants I am mounting for you I said with I knowe of any thing else that My country affords which I might find along with them that nigh & pound weight of stones voyded by urine in her then I years time by a person in Hallifax parish I have some of them by me that weigh nigh xxgr a piece & mr preistley in whose hands they now are told me there were much larger which he had disposed of, they are of very irregulare formes & the poor man voided of them dayly not with out very violent paine I wil save some of them for you to be sent with the plants this being soe unnaturall a case I could not omit it for a person of your curiosity & of any thing in naurall history occurr worthy of your observation I shall not be wanting in my comunications: & if any duplicats occurr to you in the regutation of your curiouse collection when you have time to regulate them any […] of naturell History obliged [?] to a [?] us […] ardson
[fol. 353 v]
Mr Bonivert drink with me this day, we drinke your health & he gives you his humble service
Richardson was a physician and botanist who traveled widely in England, Wales, and Scotland in search of rare specimens. He corresponded and exchanged plants with many well-known botanists and naturalists (W. P. Courtney, Richardson, Richard (16631741), rev. Peter Davis, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2010 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/23576, accessed 31 May 2011]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
John Machin to Hans Sloane – November 24, 1729
Item info
Date: November 24, 1729
Author: John Machin
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4050
Folio: f. 238
Original Page
Transcription
Machin forwards a draft of a letter he is going to send to an engineer in France. It is based on what was discussed at the previous meeting. Machin ‘read over his [the engineer’s] book more carefully’ and determined the man is ‘slightly skilled in astronomy’. The man wants his discovery, an invention of some sort, sent to England for examination by the Royal Society and given to the King of Great Britain. Machin thinks this to be a pompous request.
John Machin (bap. 1686?, d. 1751) was an astronomer. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1710 and served as its Secretary between 1718 and 1747. Machin was on the Royal Society committee that mediated Newton and Leibnitz’s dispute over the invention of calculus. Some of his mathematical work was published in the Philosophical Transactions (Anita McConnell, ‘Machin, John (bap. 1686?, d. 1751)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/17533, accessed 19 Aug 2014]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
Servington Savery to Hans Sloane – July 25, 1730
Item info
Date: July 25, 1730
Author: Servington Savery
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4051
Folio: f. 78
Original Page
Transcription
[fol. 78] Exon July 25th 1730 Honrd Sr I was lately at my House in ye Country, where my Friend, who waited on yr Honour wth my first Letter coming to see me, told me he was about to imbark in a Ship bound for London. I desir’d him to wait on you with a second, supposing yor (or rather ye Secretary’s) Answer to ye first had miscarried. Ye Civility’s to him gave me incouragemt to give you ye sd second Trouble. At my return to Exon last night, I found my self oblig’d by a Letter under yr own Hand, which I esteem’d an unmerited Favour, & for wch I return my sincere Thanks. Since you are so kind as to desire to know which way the Transaction, when it is printed, may be sent to me, Please to order it to be deliver’d to Mr Richd Hett Bookseller at the Bible & Crown in ye Poultry wth Instructions to send it to Mr Aaron Tozer Bookseller in Exon the next Time he sends him Books. I beg pardon for giving you so much Trouble & remain Yr Honrs most obedient & most humble servant Servington Savery
Servington Savery (c.1670-c.1744) was a natural philosopher. He authored a paper on magnetism that was published in the Philosophical Transactions in 1730. Savery also designed a telescope, which George Graham used to measure the sun’s diameter. He spent his career in Shilston, near Modbury, Devon (Patricia Fara, ‘Savery, Servington (c.1670–c.1744)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/53780, accessed 18 Aug 2014]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
William Byrd to Hans Sloane – April 20, 1706
Item info
Date: April 20, 1706
Author: William Byrd
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4040
Folio: ff. 151-152
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Language
English
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Library
British Library, London
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Categories
Collections, Royal Society, Scientific, Travel
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Subjects
Botany, Herbals, Roots, Snakes, Specimens, Virginia
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Date (as written)
April 20, 1706
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Standardised date
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Origin (as written)
Virginia
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Others mentioned
-
Patients mentioned
Original Page
Transcription
Byrd left England so abruptly upon receiving news of his father’s death. As such, he did not receive the Royal Society’s commands. He asks that Sloane them their instructions to him. Byrd notes that much work needs to be done on North America’s natural history, but few people are capable of doing it. Business keeps him from making observations. He writes that there are very few diseases in America. He encloses a root used by Native Americans to cure snakebites and a description of how it is processed and applied.
William Byrd was a landowner, diarist, and agent of the colony of Virginia in London from 1697 to 1704. He returned to Virginia on the death of his father and served the colony in several capacities (Paul David Nelson, Byrd, William (16741744), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/68334, accessed 2 July 2013]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
John Thomas Woolhouse to Hans Sloane – July 13, 1730
Item info
Date: July 13, 1730
Author: John Thomas Woolhouse
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4051
Folio: ff. 68-69
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Language
English
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Library
British Library, London
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Categories
Government, Legal, Medical, Patronage, Philosophical Transactions, Royal Society, Scholarship, Trade or Commodities, Travel
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Subjects
Books, Deaths, Estate, Medical Theses, Parliament, Post, Subscriptions
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Date (as written)
July 13, 1730
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Standardised date
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Origin (as written)
Paris
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Others mentioned
Horatio Walpole Robert Walpole Philip Henry Zollman William Rutty
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Patients mentioned
John Thomas Woolhouse
Original Page
Transcription
Woolhouse is glad the 35 theses have finally reached Sloane. Zollman carried the package. Woolhouse was sorry to hear of Dr Rutty’s death, as he had recently sent a new book titled ‘Banister’s Breviary’ to him. Rutty was to forward the book to the Royal Society and collect subscriptions. Woolhouse thinks that some of Rutty’s papers may be worth publishing in the Philosophical Transactions. Horatio Walpole was in Paris and is leaving for Compiègne. Woolhouse was frustrated in his attempt to visit Walpole to gain his protection and laments a recent law passed by Parliament, which will lead to his estate on the Strand being appropriated by the state. Mr Price is Woolhouse’s lawyer. Woolhouse requests that Sloane petition Sir Robert Walpole for help.
John Thomas Woolhouse was an English oculist and physician. He practiced physic in London, served James II for a time, and in 1711 secured a position at Paris’s Hospice des Quinze-Vingts. He served as the King of France’s oculist, was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1721, and a member of both the Berlin Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Sciences of Bologna. Woolhouse was criticized for charlatanry by some contemporaries (Anita McConnell, Woolhouse, John Thomas (16661734), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/29954, accessed 17 July 2013]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
Benjamin Holloway to Hans Sloane – April 14, 1730
Item info
Date: April 14, 1730
Author: Benjamin Holloway
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4051
Folio: ff. 19-20
Original Page
Transcription
[fol. 19] Midleton-Stony Ap. 14. 1730. Honrd Sr Since I wrote to ye las I have had occasion to alter my Purpose as to my sons place of Education: He will not come to London, by wch Means also my Journey thither will be deferrd for some time, unless yu think my Presence necessary sooner on Account of my Requests to ye Society in wch case I will wait on you according to your order I am with great Respect Sr Your Obedient Humble Servant B. Holloway. P.S. I trust yu woud be so good as to look over my Papers before yu laid them before ye Society, & if if any thing was incorrectly expressd, to amend it.
Benjamin Holloway (1690/91-1759) was a Church of England Clergyman and religious controversialist. He provided evidence to support the geological theories of John Woodward, which were published in the Philosophical Transaction. In 1723, with Sir Hans Sloane’s support, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Holloway published many books on religious topics (Scott Mandelbrote, Holloway, Benjamin (1690/911759), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/13572, accessed 25 July 2013]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
Benjamin Holloway to Hans Sloane – March 18, 1729/30
Item info
Date: March 18, 1729/30
Author: Benjamin Holloway
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4050
Folio: ff. 294-295
Original Page
Transcription
Holloway has long wanted to send an account authored by Heddington Pitt, of Oxford, to Sloane and the Royal Society. He forwards critical notes with the account. Dr Woodward informed Holloway that those members of the Royal Society who cannot attend the weekly meetings have their fees remitted. Holloway hopes that he qualifies for the remittance. He is unable to wait on Sloane or attend Royal Society meetings because of his business affairs. Holloway is coming to London soon to help his son settle for school. He will wait on Sloane when he is London and asks for confirmation that his letter arrived.
Benjamin Holloway (1690/91-1759) was a Church of England Clergyman and religious controversialist. He provided evidence to support the geological theories of John Woodward, which were published in the Philosophical Transaction. In 1723, with Sir Hans Sloane’s support, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Holloway published many books on religious topics (Scott Mandelbrote, Holloway, Benjamin (1690/911759), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/13572, accessed 25 July 2013]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
John Morton to Hans Sloane – October 4, 1712
Item info
Date: October 4, 1712
Author: John Morton
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4043
Folio: ff. 94-95
Original Page
Transcription
Morton explains that the fossils he was to send did not make it because the carrier failed to come to town. He plans on sending the rest of his collection of specimens from Northamptonshire next week. The collection includes different soils, stones, minerals, and fossils.
John Morton was a naturalist who was in correspondence with Sloane from roughly 1703 to 1716. Morton contributed nearly one thousand specimens (fossils, shells, bones, teeth, minerals, rocks, man-made artifacts, etc.) to Sloane’s collection (Yolanda Foote, Morton, John (16711726), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2010 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/19364, accessed 2 July 2013]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
Richard Richardson to Hans Sloane – November 29, 1712
Item info
Date: November 29, 1712
Author: Richard Richardson
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4043
Folio: ff. 113-114
Original Page
Transcription
Richardson thanks Sloane and the Royal Society for electing him a Fellow. He is going to forward some of Mr Llwyd’s correspondence and comments on letters by Drs Woodward and Robinson.
Richardson was a physician and botanist who traveled widely in England, Wales, and Scotland in search of rare specimens. He corresponded and exchanged plants with many well-known botanists and naturalists (W. P. Courtney, Richardson, Richard (16631741), rev. Peter Davis, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2010 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/23576, accessed 31 May 2011]).