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Material concerned with the Asiatic Society (formerly Asiatic Society of Bengal) and their interaction with the Royal Asiatic Society.

Four letters:

• Letter from Francis Robinson to RAS Secretary to ask for the details of the subjects set for the Essay Competition. Typed with printed letterhead, 1 side, dated 28 April 1970.
• Letter from Francis Robinson to RAS Secretary to submit his title "Government and Politics in the United Provinces, 1883-1920". Typed with printed letterhead, 1 side, dated 5 May 1970.
• Letter from RAS Secretary to Francis Robinson to state that his essay title would be put for approval at the forthcoming Council Meeting. Typed, 1 side, dated 7 May 1970.
• Letter from RAS Secretary to Francis Robinson to inform that his essay title had been approved. Typed, 1 side, dated 12 June 1970.

Letter from Sanping Chen to Professor Francis Robinson to express his appreciation on receiving the Award.

The Royal Asiatic Society put on an exhibition, "Persian and Indian Manuscripts and Paintings from the Collection of the Royal Asiatic Society", hosted by the British Museum. This material covers the organisation, publicity, correspondence and speech by the President connected with the Exhibition. In conjunction with the exhibition, the publication Persian Paintings in the Collection of the Royal Asiatic Society by B.W. Robinson was published. Most of the material concerning this publication is held within the publications archives but some publicity material is included in these Papers.

"Seminar on Fundamentalism: Tolerance and India's Heritage, 28-29 November 2003, Plenary Address" - a copy of the address given by Professor Francis Robinson, President, Royal Asiatic Society, at the seminar held by the Asiatic Society in 2003, 6 pages.

In December 2003, the Council decided to consider moving properties. A Property Steering Group was set up to pursue the recommendation for finding new premises. The material in this series consists of a letter sent by Francis Robinson to members of the group in advance of the meeting of the group on 11 January 2005, and the Minutes for the Group's meeting on 10 February 2005.

Copy of the address given by Professor Francis Robinson, President, Royal Asiatic Society, to welcome guests to the Reception and to provide some history of the Society, dated 14 June 1998. With the speech is a note from Francis Robinson to Noel Guina, Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to enclose the address, dated 15 July 1998.

In 1998, the Royal Asiatic Society celebrated its 175th anniversary with an exhibition, "Persian and Indian Manuscripts and Paintings from the Collection of the Royal Asiatic Society" at the British Museum, and a lecture, "The Book of Kings: The Juki Shahnama of the Royal Asiatic Society" by Dr Barbara Brend, held at the British Library. This material covers the planning, publicity and attendance at these events. Also in conjunction with the exhibition, the publication Persian Paintings in the Collection of the Royal Asiatic Society by B.W. Robinson was published.

From 1904-1929 the Royal Asiatic Society awarded a Gold Medal to a schoolboy writing on a chosen essay title. However, as entrants dwindled and few schools seemed interested in teaching Indian history, it was decided that the competition should be changed to one for undergraduate students. The change was finalised on 15th December 1931. Regulations for the University Prize Essay Fund were drawn up in 1932 and the first prize was awarded in 1933. In 1939, Professor Perceval Yetts designed a certificate to be presented with the prize (an example of this can be found in these papers). The prize was initially awarded annually but then became biennial. The prize money also increased at various intervals.
The records of the Universities Prize Essay cover the conversion from the Public School Medal to the Universities Prize Essay Fund, governance of the award and the conferment of the Honour in subsequent years. They include Rules, correspondence, and winning essays. However there are not records for all instances of the presentation of the award. Researchers are advised to also examine the Council Minutes and the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (both held in the RAS Collections) when researching concerning the Universities Prize Essay and its recipients.