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Papers of John Drew Bate with some allied correspondence of his Daughter, E.E. Bate.

John Drew Bate was not only an active missionary, but also interested in the wider culture of India and, in particular, the Hindi language. These papers reflect his interests, comprising mainly of notes and manuscripts for sermons, articles and books. He is particularly known for authoring the Hindi Dictionary, first published in 1875 with a later edition in 1918. His handwritten notes for this dictionary are included in the papers, along with Manuscript notes for a book on Islamic Studies.

Paper originally titled "Description of the various classes of vessels constructed and employed by the natives of the coasts of Coromandel, Malabar and the island of Ceylon, for their coasting navigation". John Edye catalogues, classifies and provides short descriptions (with original drafts) of the main river and ocean-going vessels used in Southern India in 1829. The vessels covered range from fishing canoes to ocean-going Dhows and Baggalahs, and provide a comprehensive overview.

Copy of the 'Notes of Excavation at Muqeyer during January and February 1858'. A handwritten manuscript with pencil drawings describing Taylor's excavations at Tell el-Muqayyar, Iraq, in ancient times known as Ur. This is a description of later excavations, not those first written about by Taylor (wrongly attributed as J.E. Taylor) in the 1855 Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, under the title Notes on the Ruins of Muqeyer.

These Papers are mainly concerned with excavations undertaken by David Stronach and John Hansman at Šahr-e Qumis in 1971 and 1976, and by David Stronach at Pasargadae in 1963. There is also the manuscript for Hansman's book, "Julfār, an Arabian Port", and more recent correspondence between Hansman and RAS Archivist, Nancy Charley.

The Papers of John Massey Stewart, including newspaper clippings and ephemera from his trips to Mongolia.

The papers of John Romer consist of:

• An untitled translation beginning: "Translation of the first fifteen verses of Col. 1 of the Behistun inscription, being done into the literal and schismatic Persian rejecting Arabic works". Romer provides a description of his translation in English and a copy of the fifteen verses in Persian. He acknowledges the work that Sir Henry Rawlinson undertook on the inscriptions. Six sheets of paper, 20 sides. The final page bears the label in a different hand, "Persian Language, J. Romer Esq."
• A letter to the Bombay Gazette found within the 1687 Complementum thesauri linguarum Orientalum by Franciszek Meninski, (1623-1698). This Thesaurus was donated to the the Royal Asiatic Society by John Romer. The letter to the Gazette takes issue with a contemporary evaluation of the Dabistan, a seventeenth century work in Persian, which is a unique study of different religious creeds. The letter gives some explanation of the Dabistan and provides some examples. It is dated 20 July 1820, handwritten, 8 sides.

The papers consist of a single letter from Joseph Edkins to Thomas William Rhys Davids concerning the philosophy behind Primitive Buddhism including Nirvana and karma.

"On the Discovery of the Buddha's Birthplace by L.A. Waddell". A notebook with black cover into which Waddell has pasted several articles concerning his attempts to find the birthplace of Buddha. These are entitled and annotated by him by hand. The articles included are:

• "The Discovery of the Birthplace of the Buddha" from the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1897, pp.644-651
• "Where is the Birthplace of Buddha?" from the Englishman, 1 June 1896
• "A Tibetan Guide-book to the lost Sites of the Buddha's Birth and Death" from the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1896, pp. 275-279
• Editorial Note from the Englishman, 1 June 1896
• "Who found Buddha's Birthplace?" from The Pioneer Mail, 29 October 1897
• "Who Found Buddha's Birthplace?" - a reply to Dr Führer's letter, from the Englishman, 30 November 1897
• "Christian Tombs in the North-Western Provinces and Oudh" from The Pioneer, 22 September 1897
• "The Birthplace of the Buddha" by Sir George Birdwood, from The Times, 9 September 1897
  It appears from the title page of the book that Waddell prepared this volume especially for the Royal Asiatic Society in February 1898.

The papers of Lieutenant Chalmers consist of two hardbound volumes of handwritten text, being the 'Akbar Nameh of Abul Fazl Allami' translated by him. The Akbar Nameh ('History of Akbar' or 'Book of Akbar') was the official history of Akbar's reign, commissioned by Akbar and written by his court historian and biographer Abul Fazl in Persian. Chalmers's translation is an abridged version of the original text.

Volume I has the following additional items pasted into it:

• a letter from Henry Beveridge to Miss Latimer, Assistant Librarian at the Royal Asiatic Society, returning Chalmers's translations which the Library has lent to him and saying it is a pity that his translation is little known, dated 21 February 1923
• two sheets of notes signed G. O. [Gore Ouseley], commenting on the translation
• two slips recording borrowing of the volumes by two readers in 1877, 1880 and 1885

Volume II has the following additional items pasted or inserted into it:

• a note stating that this book has been entered in the Society’s catalogue in September 1877
• a small slip of paper containing an extract from the volume and further notes by an unidentified author. This was found in the Society's Institutional records in 2024 and was therefore inserted into the volume
• a letter from J. C. Morris, Secretary to the Madras Literary Society, to the Secretary of the Oriental Translation Committee, requesting to submit Chalmers’s two volumes of translation. The letter goes on to state although the translation is not accompanied by the original as required by the rules of the committee, Mr Lushington (English Tory Politician and Governor of Madras from 1827-1832) will on application provide the loan of the original work in his possession from which Chalmers's translation was prepared. Dated 30 May 1833.
• a pressed fern on page 157

The Papers consist of copies of letter sent by Stoddart, a newspaper cutting about his death, and the original containing envelope. These are:

• Copy of a letter from Stoddart to Crawford to inform that he had been appointed Commander of the Escort, a position gained for him by Mr Ellis, which is not onerous and has increased his yearly salary. He also writes that he will stay in Persia unless a more attractive opportunity opens for him. He asks for news from England. Typed, 2 pieces, dated 17 April 1837.
• Copy of a letter from Stoddart to Crauford (different spelling to letter above) from 'Bokhauran' (Bukhara) in which he writes that his appointment to Bokhauran should have made him his own master and therefore at liberty to write more freely. However four days after his arrival he was imprisoned and from 21 December 1838 until February 1841 was unable to write at all. Now however, he is at liberty. He gives news of Heraut (Herat) and Kabool (Kabul) and the military manoeuvres of the Persian and English armies. He writes that he is now well-treated and bears no ill-will. He asks for news to be sent via the Foreign Office. Typed, 3 pieces, dated 1 May 1841.
• 'The Murder of Lieut. Col. Stoddart and Capt. Conolly, in Bokhara' - a newspaper cutting from an unknown newspaper giving the details of the execution of Stoddart and Conolly on 17 June 1842.
• The original containing envelope with the title, 'Murder of Lt. Col. Stoddart by the Amir of Bokhara on 17.6.1842 - & of Captain Conolly'.