164 RAY. 



is the Natural History of Jamaica, of which the 

 first volume appeared in 1707, the second not 

 till 1725. He was a governor of most of the hos- 

 pitals of the metropolis, to which he left consi- 

 derable sums. He set on foot the scheme of a dis- 

 pensary for the poor ; gave the Apothecaries' Com- 

 pany a piece of ground for a botanic garden ; and 

 on many occasions exerted himself eflfectually for 

 the public benefit. Such a man is undoubtedly 

 worthy of more honour and admiration than the 

 mere author, who, it may be from the most selfish 

 motives, labours in solitude to enlighten the world 

 and illustrate himself: " The good that men do 

 too often dies with them," and as books are lega- 

 cies of which the benefit is more extended than that 

 of individual acts of generosity or patriotism, peo- 

 ple are ever ready to laud an author, even al- 

 though they may not clearly see wherein his me- 

 rit lies ; while the truly good, whose lives are a 

 continued scene of beneficence, have but a slight 

 hold on the admiration of posterity. The share 

 which Sir Hans Sloane had in the establishment of 

 the British Museum is the circumstance on which 

 his reputation seems now chiefly to depend. Hav- 

 ing made an extensive museum of natural history, 

 medals, books, and manuscripts, he bequeathed it 

 to the public, on condition that £20,000 should be 

 paid to his executors, — a sum far from equal to the 

 value of the collection. In 1753, an act was passed 

 by the legislature for purchasing it and the Har- 

 leian manuscripts, as well as for procuring a gene- 

 ral repository for their better reception and more 

 convenient use, the Cottonian library included. In 

 this manner commenced the British Museum, which. 



