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“Mr Smalley on Captain Burton”. Extract from The Critic, 8 November 1890. The author is apparently George Washburn Smalley (1833-1916) at this date London correspondent of The New York Tribune. It is not clear whether the item was written for The Critic or reprinted from the Tribune.

"A Sketch of the Career of Richard F. Burton (Al-Haj Abdullah). Collected from “Men of Eminence”; from Sir Richard and Lady Burton's own works; from the press; from personal knowledge and various other reliable sources. By Alfred Bate Richards, Andrew Wilson and St Clair Baddeley. (London: Waterlow & Sons Ltd. 1886.) Black board covers with Richard F. Burton in gold handwriting diagonally across front cover.

Containing: inscription in Isabel Burton's handwriting on fly-leaf “In gratitude for kindness and courtesy in a moment of difficulty on the 20th October 1886.” and signed by both Isabel and Richard Burton.

On the next page is a copy of a letter from Robert Davis, ex-Station Master of Oxford Station 1883-1905, to Prof J. S. Margoliouth, New College, Oxford, saying that in October 1886 he found a gentleman in great pain seated on a bench near his office, and a lady anxiously attending him. He had no idea who they were until the A.B. Richards book arrived with the kind inscription. He was now asking what the Arabic inscription on the book meant. Prof. Margoliouth's reply (also attached) gives the translation (“the Pilgrim Abdullah”) and says that Mr Davis is to be congratulated on “having seen this eminent man”.

Pasted to the title page is a letter from Mr R. Davis (Clifton Villa, Ramsgate), to the Royal Asiatic Society, sending copies of the above letters and saying that as he is 82 years old he would like to leave the book and letters to the RAS for their members. “The recollection of that meeting has been a source of great pleasure to me ever since, especially during my retirement”. He also mentions an article in Pearson’s Weekly of 2 September 1916 called “The World's Greatest Love Romance” - the article is pasted on the end fly-leaf

A Series of Letters from Richard Burton to Alexander George Ellis (British Museum) concerning bibliographical enquiries and other matters, dated 8 May 1887- 26 March 1890. All have annotated transcriptions by Mary S. Lovell, dated 24 October 1998

These letters have added significance for the RAS as Ellis was Honorary Librarian at the Society from 1919 to 1937.

The material within this collection comprises of correspondence and publications by and about Richard Francis Burton and his wife Isabel Burton (nee Arundell). There are also two photographs of Burton and artefacts.

Also included within this Collection are correspondence concerning the acquisition of the material by the RAS and some supplementary material regarding Oscar Eckenstein, its original collector.