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"Autograph Book belonging to Susan Hodgson, Alderley Grange, Wotton under Edge" A leather bound autograph book belonging to Hodgson's wife, Susan, in which are placed certificates, diplomas, academic and personal correspondence, newspaper cuttings and extracts related to Brian Houghton Hodgson's life. Leather binding with metal clasp. The book's binding is broken and some pages are loose. Care must be taken when using this item.

Correspondence with H T Prinsep. There are two letters in this file: one from John Forbes Watson to Henry Thoby Prinsep, dated 2 July 1868; and one from Henry Thoby Prinsep to Brian Houghton Hodgson, dated 3 July [1868].

Letter from Henry Thoby Prinsep to Brian Houghton Hodgson in which he apologises for the Hodgson's papers being so long detained at the India Office. He sends the results of his enquiries and the promise that they will be returned along with the volumes to which they have contributed. Handwritten, 3 sides, dated 3 July [1868].

Letter from Thoby Prinsep to Brian Houghton Hodgson in which thanks Hodgson for procuring and sending the complete body of Tibetan Buddhist scriptures (classics) of Kahgyur and Tangyur and also for the gifts to the Asiatic Society of Bengal. The Hungarian scholar Csoma de Koros has been asked to translate and thereby make known the Buddhist texts. Princep asks how many copies of the Mahabdarata would the Raja of Nepal take for his temples and colleges. He discusses publication of this and other Manuscripts. Thoby Prinsep was the President of the Asiatic Society of Bengal at that time. Handwritten, 3 sides, dated 6 August 1835.

Hodgson used much of his time in both Nepal and Darjeeling in research, wanting to discover and understand about the architecture, languages, ethnography, religion, zoology and botany. He collected specimens and manuscripts, and had many drawings made, which he donated to many collections throughout Europe. He was also politically involved during his Residency in Nepal, and also later in England, when he continued to show an active interest in the Indian subcontinent, particularly regarding trade and vernacular education. These Personal Papers reflect these interests and are a record of much of his activity - Hodgson and his wives seemed to have a need to record all his successes. He was also a keen annotator of material, so that most of the printed material also bears his handwritten comments.