Letter from Captain Henry Harkness, Secretary to the Royal Asiatic Society, to Brian Houghton Hodgson to thank him for his generous donation of the manuscript scripture of Satasahasrikāprajnāpāramitā and his promise of further donations of various other Buddhist scriptures including the Navadharma from Nepal. The Council are in agreement with Hodgson on the Sanskrit language in which the Buddhist sages first committed their doctrines. Handwritten with printed letterhead, 3 sides, dated 24 January 1836.
Harkness Henry Captain East India Company, Secretary RASHodgson 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.
Hodgson Brian Houghton 1801-1894 Indian Civil Servant, Naturalist