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A bound volume containing copies of letters sent in the administration of the Society between the years 1823-1835 and 1846-1861. The earlier ones, covering 1823-1835, are all concerned with the finances of the Society. There is then a break in the letters until 1846, after which the correspondence covers a broader spectrum of activities.

The first minutes for the Committee of Correspondence are for 19 May 1831. However before this time items communicated to the Society were being recorded. Thus these two volumes are both connected with the administration of correspondence. These are:

Register of Communications, April 1823 To February 1846
This volume lists papers and correspondence sent to the Society, including their date and correspondent. Many of the entries also detail the outcome of the correspondence at the Society - whether read at a General Meeting or published within the Society's Transactions or Journal.

Minutes of the Committee of Correspondence May 1831 To July 1842
The Minutes for the Committee of Correspondence cover the time period 19 May 1831 - 9 July 1942 when the 'Committee resolved themselves into a Meeting of the Council'. In the meetings correspondence to the Society was read and decisions made how best to respond. This volume also contains a copy of the 'Memorandum on the Babylonian Inscriptions forwarded by Mr. Norris to Professor Wilson for transmission to Major Rawlinson. Dated, 15th May 1846'. The copy fills 5.5 pages of the book.

The Society holds a Royal Charter. These documents concern changes within the Charter and also its Rules, Byelaws and Standing Orders.

The material in this catalogue was formed in the administration of the Governance of the Royal Asiatic Society. They include Reports and Statements, Correspondence concerned with both internal and external business, Attendance Books, Records of use of the Society's Seal, examples of emblems and seals, and some other ephemera.

The signed Minutes and some associated correspondence of the Meetings of the Royal Asiatic Society's Finance and Investment Committees.

These records were produced in administrating the finances of the Society. Much of the day-to-day finance records have not been kept. The archival documents include signed accounts, dealings with the Charity Commission and Inland Revenue, administrations of grants, donations and bequests, and Minutes of a Fundraising Committee,

Lists of Royal Asiatic Society "Delegate Representatives" attending conferences from November 1930 to September 1939. The first sheet, A, covering the time period 1930-1933, lists the Conferences but not the delegates. Sheets B & C, covering 1933-1939, give the delegates appointed.

All new researchers have to register their details before accessing the Collections. For the most part these exist only as current records and are disposed of at the end of their retention schedule. There is only one historic document that has been kept related in some way to researcher registration. This is a bound leather volume entitled "Names of Visitors to the Museum of the Royal Asiatic Society, Great Britain and Ireland, 1832". At this time the Society had in its possessions many museum objects. The majority of these have now been dispersed to other institutions.
The volume is a registration book for visitors to the Museum covering the period January 1832-January 1840 on pp.1-123, and February 1848-June 1849 on pp. 125-126. It should be noted that on the outside of the Ledger is a label which reads "Committee of Agriculture and Commerce" and on pp.151-157 is an article, "Cost of Carrying Cotton" extracted from "The Friends of India..." dated 23 July 1861. On pp. 158-159 is an extract from the Council Meeting of the Royal Asiatic Society, 16 January 1871. The other pages are hand-numbered but are blank. Leather bound volume with ruled pages, handwritten. The binding is in a fragile condition and the leather has some red rot.

This catalogue contains the policy documents of the Society regarding Collections management. Because of the relatively small nature of the Society, historically many such policy decisions have been made by its Council or Library Committee, recorded in the Minutes of the Meetings, and these Minutes used as the "policy documents". Further some Collections management policy is covered by the Charters and Byelaws of the Society. Therefore researchers of policy decisions should also consult these materials.
The creation of policies and their updating is an ongoing process. Historic ones have been added to this catalogue; and others will be added as they become available.

This archive consists of correspondence, documentation, reports and allied material concerned with the loans of the Collections of the Society to other institutions predominantly for exhibition but sometimes for more long-term care. The Society has not kept comprehensive records throughout its history. Further information pertaining to the Loans from the Society can be found in the Minutes for the meetings of the Council and Library Committees. Loans continue in the life of the Society. More recent ones are held in the Society's records management system and will be transferred to the archive in due course.