LIFE OF SIR HANS SLOANE. 7 



with due attention to the several symptoms and changes of their 

 diseases. 



The voyage of Dr. Sloane was productive of much subsequent 

 benefit to science, by exciting an emulation both in Britain and on 

 the Continent. Sir Arthur Rawdon, upon viewing this splendid col- 

 lection, sent James Herbert, a skilful gardener, to Jamaica, who re- 

 turned with a ship almost laden with plants, in a vegetating state, and 

 with a great number of dried specimens. Of the latter, Sloane had 

 all such as were new before he published his first volume. Many of 

 his living plants succeeded in the garden of Sir Arthur, at Moyra, in 

 Ireland ; and many were distributed into the garden of the Bishop of 

 London, at Fulham, Dr. Uvedales, at Enfield, the Chelsea Garden, and 

 especially that of the Duchess of Beaufort, at Badminton in Glouces- 

 tershire ; the botanic gardens of Amsterdam, Leyden, Leipsic, and 

 Upsal, shared their varieties. 



Sir Hans was ever ready to promote the interests of science by his 

 purse and his exertions. He advanced .£100 to the College of Phy- 

 sicians, which he allowed to be paid off by instalments ; and in 1121 

 he made the same society a present of £100. The same year (having 

 become lord of the manor of Chelsea, by purchase, in 1111), he gave 

 to the Company of Apothecaries the freehold of their botanical gar- 

 den there, upon the sole condition, that they should present yearly to 

 the Royal Society fifty new plants grown in the garden, till the num- 

 ber should amount to 2,000, and pay a quit rent of £5 per annum, 

 which was cheerfully accepted, and the number, of course, was com- 

 pleted in the year 1161, but the practice was continued till 1713, at 

 which time 2,550 were completed. Sir Hans also contributed largely 

 towards the expenses of the hot-houses and other necessary erections. 

 In testimony of their respect for him, the Company, in 1133, erected 

 in the centre of the garden a marble statue, executed by Rysbrach, 

 representing him in a full-bottomed wig and doctor's gown. On the 

 pedestal is a Latin inscription, commemorating his donation and the 

 design and advantage of it. 



"Upon the death of Sir Isaac Newton, in 1121, Sir Hans was elect- 

 ed President of the Royal Society, having previously served the office 

 of Vice-President. To this Society he had ever liberally contributed ; 

 besides a hundred guineas he presented them with a bust of King 

 Charles the Second ; and when at the age of eighty he begged to retire 



