98 KALM'S ENGLAND. 



and make all kinds of observations on Natural History 

 and Natural Science Natur-Kunnogheten &c, which 

 Sir Hans Shane approved of very highly, and believed 

 that I should find there a number of rare things. Sir 

 Hans Sloane had many years before given up all his public 

 engagements [T. I. p. 409] and resigned himself now 

 for the remainder of his life to live in rest and peace 

 at Chelsea on his estate. He was now rather deaf, so 

 that we were obliged to shout loud for him to hear it. 

 On the tongue he had a swelling, so that he spoke 

 indistinctly enough and very slowly. Sometimes a long 

 time passed by before he got out a word. 



[T. I. p. 388]. The 6th May, 1748. 



Sir Hans Shane's Frus Graf. Lady Shane's grave. 



Sir Hans Sloane had long been a widower. During 

 his residence in Jamaica he had married a very rich 

 widow, which placed him in a position to fulfil his bent 

 for Natural History, and enabled him to buy the greater 

 part of the Natural History Collection he now owns. Ever 

 since he about eight years ago ceased to be President of 

 the Royal Society [1740] [T. I. p. 389] he has lived 

 continually here in Chelsea on his estate free from all 

 care. One and all looked upon this man with a par- 

 ticular respect, because he was the oldest of all the 

 learned men now living in Europe, whose names on 

 account of their writings and learning, are widely known. 

 We find in the Philosophical Letters of that learned man, 

 John Ray, several letters which Sir Hans Sloane had 

 written as long ago as the year 1684, together with 

 several of John Ray's answers to them, from which ap- 

 pears what a great insight Sir Hans Sloane had even at 

 that time [aged 29] into all branches of natural science, 

 not to mention the other sciences. 



