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Correspondence concerning the sale of William Boutcher archaeological drawings of Assyrian sculptures made for the Assyrian Excavation Fund from 1853-1854. These were sold to the British Museum for £250 to be put with the drawings made by Boutcher post 1854. Fifteen letters and two statements, typed and handwritten.

This archive consists of correspondence, documentation, reports and allied material concerned with the conservation of the Collections of the Society. The Society has not kept comprehensive records throughout its history. Further information pertaining to the conservation of the collections may be found in the Minutes for the meetings of the Council and Library Committees. Conservation continues in the life of the Society. More recent records are held in the Society's records management system and will be transferred to the archive in due course.

The Society has within its collections three Persian manuscripts: the Shahnamah of Muhammad Juki (RAS Persian 239), the Gulistan of Sa‘di (RAS Persian 258), and the Masnavi of Zafar Khan (RAS Persian 310). These are both fragile and of great value. Therefore since 1946 they have been housed at other institutions which are able to provide the necessary care for them, firstly with the British Museum, then the British Library, and currently at the Cambridge University Library.
The material in this subseries concerns the care of these manuscripts:

• Correspondence and documentation concerning the loan of the manuscripts to the British Museum. Typed and printed, 11 pieces, dated 15 April 1946 - 30 December 1965.
• Correspondence between the British Library and the Royal Asiatic Society concerning the conservation of the Shahnamah of Muhammad Juki manuscript, Typed, 13 pieces, dated 18 June 1992 - 29 September 1993.
• Correspondence between the British Library and the Royal Asiatic Society concerning the making of microfilm copies of the manuscripts. Typed, 5 pieces, dated 19 October 1993 - 4 November 1993.
• 'RAS Manuscript. Shahnama. Persian MS 239 Conservation Report and Estimate 31 May 1994' - conservation report. Typed, 9 pieces.
• Correspondence between the British Library and the Royal Asiatic Society concerning the further care of the manuscripts, Typed, 2 pieces, 4 November 1994 -10 August 1999.
• Correspondence, indemnity certificates and valuations for the documents for 1999 and 2002. Typed, printed and handwritten, 14 pieces, dated 7 September 1999 - 12 December 2002.
• Correspondence and documentation between the British Library and the Royal Asiatic Society concerning the loan of the manuscripts to other exhibitions. Typed, 8 pieces, dated 28 October 2010 - 7 February 2011.
• Loan documentation, indemnity certificate and valuations for the manuscripts for 2014. Typed and printed, 28 pieces.

Correspondence, insurance quotes, and indemnity certificates concerning the permanent loan of material to the British Museum. This material consists of:

• The commemorative inscription of the Ananta-Vasudeva temple at Bhuvanesvar, dated 1278 A.D.
• Three Ujjain copper-plate grants of the rulers of Malwa
  *. The Taxila Plate of Patika.
• Other stone inscriptions

These items were already at the British Museum before the first letter dated 6 June 1967 and have remained there. The correspondence includes some to confirm that the material is still with the British Museum. Much of the correspondence are photocopies of original letters. 67 items.

Since the 1960s the Society had deposited on indefinite loan some copper-plate grants and other inscriptions with the British Museum. The material in this subseries consist of correspondence and documentation concerning this loan.

• Correspondence between the British Museum and the Royal Asiatic Society concerning the initial loan and the continuing care of the items. Typed and printed, 12 pieces, dated 29 November 1967 - 5 March 1973.
• Correspondence between the British Museum and the Royal Asiatic Society concerning indemnity insurance for the items on loan. Typed and handwritten, 4 pieces, dated 16 September 1993 - 25 October 1993.
• Correspondence and list between the British Museum and the Royal Asiatic Society concerning the ongoing loan and production of photographs, Typed, 4 pieces, dated 20 April 1998 - 7 September 1999.
• Correspondence between the British Museum and the Royal Asiatic Society concerning obtaining a full list of the items loaned. Computer printed, 1 piece, dated 30 March 2016.

Acknowledgement slip for the disposal of some volumes of the Numismatic Chronicle to the British Museum. One item.

Correspondence, Reports, Lists and Minutes concerning the transfer of museum objects to the Victoria & Albert Museum and British Museum. These are:

• Letter from Alex H Wilson, Solicitor to Miss Sykes, Secretary to Royal Asiatic Society to state that there should be no objection to the Society's objects being transferred from the Victoria and Albert Museum to the British Museum with the consent of both bodies and the acknowledgement from the British Museum that they are held in account for the Royal Asiatic Society. Dated 5 April 1924. With this letter are two letters concerned with the transfer of the Museum objects to the India Office, one dated 1869.
• Letter from Victoria and Albert Museum to Miss Ella Sykes, Royal Asiatic Society to discuss the items that were in their Collections belonging to the Society, that had been transferred with the India Office collections and to send a list of these items (not with the letter). He writes how best to accommodate the objects either at the V&A or at the British Museum or returned to the Society. He also confirms that the Maori green-stone club will go to the Otago Museum. Dated 11 April 1924.
• Correspondence between Mr L. Hopkins, L.D. Barnett, British Museum, and Ella Sykes, Royal Asiatic Society, concerning transfer of items to the British Museum. Three handwritten letters, dated 14-23 April 1924.
• List of the items held at the Victoria and Albert Museum with key to their disposal. Typed with handwritten annotations.
• Report from an interview at the Victoria and Albert Museum concerning the sale of the Jahangir Cup to the Museum. Typed with handwritten notes. Date of interview, 27 May 1924.
• Letter from R. Sharp, Department of Printed Books, British Museum to L.D. Barnett to agree the transfer of some material, Handwritten with printed letterhead, dated 20 November 1925.
• Three reports from the Committee on the Society's Collections of Antiquities and on the Objects belonging to the Society now in the Victoria and Albert Museum which outline the decisions made regarding the collections. One also has handwritten notes and is dated by hand 30 November 1925. One is undated, the third is dated 3 December 1925 (this is a copy).
• Correspondence with L.D. Barnett concerning the sale of items at Steven's Auction Rooms. Two letters, one typed, one handwritten, dated 28 December 1925 and 29 January 1926.
• Sales catalogue for Stevens Auction Rooms Ltd. for auction of items belonging to the Society not wanted by the V&A or British Museums. Printed material, auction date 12 January 1926.

Correspondence concerned with conservation of the Society's collections within this time period:

• Correspondence and instructions re cleaning marble using Sepiolite, 2 pieces, typed, dated 22 March 1968.
• Correspondence with British Museum regarding creating stands for sculptures, 8 pieces, handwritten and typed, dated 1 April 1969 - 13 October 1969.
• Correspondence with E. Panetta, V & A Museum concerning the restoration of a teak stool, 5 pieces, typed, dated 12 March 1969 - 15 April 1969.
• Correspondence with the India Office Library concerning the laminating of a manuscript, 1 piece, typed, dated 20 December 1973.
• Correspondence with the Armouries, Tower of London concerning the restoration of a mail shirt, 12 pieces, handwritten and typed, dated 24 September 1975 - 22 August 1983.
• Correspondence concerning the possible conservation of James Wales' painting of Madhu Rao Narayan, the Maratha Peshwa (RAS Head Cat. 01.014), 3 pieces, handwritten and typed, dated 25 August 1982 - 2 September 1982.
• Letter from A.D.H. Bivar to Dennis Duncanson concerning the storage of collections in a basement room, 1 piece, typed, dated 16 June 1983.
• Copy of a letter from Godfrey Goodwin to 'Neale; to express his appreciation for the quality of the conservation of two watercolour paintings, 1 piece, handwritten, dated 10 July 1989.