58 MEMOIR OF 



during his West Indian voyage were the nucleus. 

 The earliest notice of it occurs in Evelyn's Diary, 

 who, under the date of April 16, 1691, mentions, 

 " I went to see Dr Sloane's curiosities, being 

 a universal collection of the natural productions 

 of Jamaica, consisting of plants, fruits, corals, 

 minerals, stones, earth, shells, animals, insects, 

 &c. selected with great judgment ; several folios 

 of dried plants, and one which had about eighty 

 several sorts of ferns, and another of grapes ; the 

 Jamaica pepper, in branch, leaves, flower, fruit, 

 &c. This collection, with his journal and other 

 philosophical discourses and observations, is indeed 

 very copious and extraordinary, sufficient to furnish 

 a history of that island, to which I encouraged him/' 

 It received its first, and perhaps principal increase, 

 however, in 1702, upon the death of his friend 

 Mr Courten, who, we have seen, bequeathed his 

 extensive and valuable museum to Sir Hans, upon 

 condition of his paying certain legacies specified 

 in his last will. What was the precise state or 

 value of this accession, we have no means of 

 knowing,* as there exists no separate catalogue of 

 its contents. The Biographical Dictionary, 

 indeed, informs us, that there are MS. catalogues 

 which, " swelled with short histories and accounts 

 of their contents, amount in all to thirty- eight 



* We have seen it estimated at 8000, both by "Evelyn 

 ml Thoresby. See p. 4, 5. 



