Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
John Morton to Hans Sloane – April 29, 1706
Item info
Date: April 29, 1706
Author: John Morton
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4040
Folio: ff. 154-155
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Language
English
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Library
British Library, London
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Categories
Collections, Patronage, Philosophical Transactions, Royal Society, Trade or Commodities
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Subjects
Books, Booksellers, Curiosities, Elephants, Fossils, Specimens, Teeth
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Date (as written)
April 29, 1706
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Standardised date
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Origin (as written)
Oxendon
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Others mentioned
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Patients mentioned
Original Page
Transcription
Morton thanks Sloane for his favours and for his ‘favourable representations of me, and my poor collection, to the Royal Society’. He will do his best to honour them. Morton is busy describing ‘Fossil Teeth and Bones’ and would like to speak about them with a particular member of the Royal Society. He believes a specimen he examined previously is ‘the Grinder of an Elephant’ and would appreciate the opportunity to confirm that opinion. Morton asks Sloane to send the latest Philosophical Transactions. He promises to pay for them. He has more questions on ‘Books & Curiosities’, but does not want to burden Sloane any further.
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 -
Martin Folkes to Hans Sloane – October 1st 1733
Item info
Date: October 1st 1733
Author: Martin Folkes
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4053
Folio: f. 60-61
Original Page
Transcription
Folkes writes to Sloane to recommend two gentlemen to Sloane who he thinks will be of service and use to the Society. A Professor of Alchemy and Meteorology at Padua and one who has published a book on Physick and Sr Isaac Newton’s principles.
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 -
Henry Plumptre to Hans Sloane – September 25th 1733
Item info
Date: September 25th 1733
Author: Henry Plumptre
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4053
Folio: f. 55
Original Page
Transcription
Plumptre writes that the bearer John Creswell will deliver something as soon as convenient.
Henry Plumptre (bap. 1680, d. 1746) took an active role in the Royal College of Physicians, eventually serving as its President from 1740 to 1754. He published medical treatises and worked very hard on the Pharmacopoeia Londinensis (A. F. Pollard, Plumptre, Henry (bap. 1680, d. 1746), rev. Kaye Bagshaw, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Oct 2006 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/22403, accessed 18 Aug 2011]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
Richard Richardson to Hans Sloane – September 5, 1726
Item info
Date: September 5, 1726
Author: Richard Richardson
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4048
Folio: ff. 193-194
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Language
English
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Library
British Library, London
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Categories
Collections, Library, Scientific, Social, Trade or Commodities, Travel
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Subjects
Books, Botany, Cabinet, Chelsea Physic Garden, Curiosities, History, Japan, Subscriptions
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Date (as written)
September 5, 1726
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Standardised date
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Origin (as written)
North Bierley
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Others mentioned
Engelbert Kaempfer Johann Jakob Scheuchzer Mr Pieller
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Patients mentioned
Original Page
Transcription
Richardson viewed Sloane’s cabinet of curiosities and admits he ‘could have spent a month’ looking over the collection. On his way home, ‘four miles South of Grantham’, Richardson happened upon a ‘great plenty [of] Stashys Fuchey [?]’. There are many plants missing in the Chelsea Physic Garden, especially from Wales and northern Britain. He is going to inform Mr Pieller of the plants he thinks the garden should have. Richardson asks Sloane to put him in the service of Dr Scheuchzer and inform him that he has found three subscribers for Kaempfer’s History of Japan. Richardson thanks Sloane for sending books. He includes a list of books he wants to purchase for his library.
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 -
Christopher Wren to Hans Sloane – May 19, 1708
Item info
Date: May 19, 1708
Author: Christopher Wren
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4041
Folio: f. 142
Original Page
Transcription
Wren sends a catalogue of his collection of Greek medals, which he would like presented to the Royal Society.
Sir Christopher Wren was an architect, mathematician, astronomer, and member of the Royal Society (Kerry Downes, Wren, Sir Christopher (16321723), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2009 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/30019, accessed 3 June 2011]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
James Keill to Hans Sloane – May 6, 1708
Item info
Date: May 6, 1708
Author: James Keill
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4041
Folio: ff. 140-141
Original Page
Transcription
Keill did not formally attend medical school, but through the patronage of Sloane he obtained the degree of MD from Cambridge. Sloane helped Keill enter into medical practice in Northampton (Anita Guerrini, Keill, James (16731719), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/15255, accessed 2 June 2011]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
Michael Maittaire to Hans Sloane – August 16th 1733
Item info
Date: August 16th 1733
Author: Michael Maittaire
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4053
Folio: f. 26
Original Page
Transcription
Michael Maittaire writes to Sloane about the trouble he had in obtaining some books from the Royal Society. He asks Sloane to intervene and grant him the opportunity to do so.
Michael Maittaire was a classical scholar, typographer, and schoolmaster. He was educated at Westminster School and and Christ Church, Oxford. Mattaire was under-master at Westminster School from 1695 to 1699 before founding his own private school at Mile End. He published editions of Latin and Greek classics throughout his scholarly career and had an extensive library (Margaret Clunies Ross, Amanda J. Collins, Maittaire, Michael (16681747), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2009 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/17841, accessed 16 Aug 2013]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
John Chamberlayne to Hans Sloane – April 29, 1703
Item info
Date: April 29, 1703
Author: John Chamberlayne
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4039
Folio: ff. 123-124
Original Page
Transcription
Chamberlayne wanted to know why he was in arrears at the last Royal Society meeting, but Sloane would not give a reason. When he did, Chamberlayne was unsatisfied, so he repeats his demand. He requests all the Philosophical Transactions published during Sloane’s ‘epoch’ as recompense for the work he has done for the Royal Society.
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 -
Richard Bradley to Hans Sloane – November 6, 1726
Item info
Date: November 6, 1726
Author: Richard Bradley
Recipient: Hans Sloane
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: Sloane MS 4048
Folio: ff. 212-213
Original Page
Transcription
Bradley informs Sloane that he possesses a ‘saffron kiln of the best sort In London’. He is keeping it in the ‘Warehouse belonging to the Wellington Wagon’. Sloane is to ask for the kiln in Bradley’s name at the appointed place of storage should he want it. He is to pay Mr Fowler, a mathematical instrument maker. Arrangements have already been made for delivery if Sloane purchases it. Bradley thinks it will be a great acquisition for the Royal Society ‘for those who Cultivate saffron in the west of south’. He wants to ‘gett out of the Booksellers hands’ and focus on natural history.
Richard Bradley (1688?-1732) was a scientific author, Fellow of the Royal Society, and Professor of Botany at Cambridge (Frank N. Egerton, “Bradley, Richard (1688?-1732)”, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2005 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/3189, accessed 10 Nov 2012]).
Posted on August 2, 2016 by -
Geo. Harbin to Pettiver – Monday [...]
Item info
Date: Monday [...]
Author: Geo. Harbin
Recipient: Pettiver
Library: British Library, London
Manuscript: MS 4066
Folio: f. 364
Original Page
Transcription
Monday […]
Sr
My Lord Weymouth having paid his
subscription money for yr books […] ..=
[priosines?], desires you wd take care to supply him
with them; he has only ye, 1st, 3d & 4th Decads & con-
-sequently wants the 2d & 5th wth the Table. I desired
Mr Hatton when he had an opportunity to speake
[…] you about ye matter, wch he assured me he did,
that you promised to send them to me wthout
delay; but having not yet recd. yt satisfaction …
you, & ye time of our leaving this place now drawing
on, I am obliged to put you in mind once more
to send ye Decad wee want to me at the Ld
Weymouth’s house on ye [1st?] Terrace in st James’s
street. I am
Sr
Your humble servant
Geo. Harbin
George Harbin writes to James Petiver asking him to send Lord Weymouth a list of books that he had previously requested. George Harbin (c. 1665-1744), was a nojuror and a historical writer. Harbin studied English History and genealogy, and became very knowledgeable in both areas. (John Findon, ‘Harbin, George (c.1665–1744)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/12231, accessed 15 July 2015])