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This is a leather bound volume with pages numbered from 143 to 300 containing handwritten commentaries relating to India and Russia in 1830, described on the introductory pages as follows:

• Sir John McDonald's observations of Col. Evans work on The Invasion of India pp 143-216.
• Sir John Malcolm's notes on Col. Evans and Sir John McDonald's remarks, pp 217-230.
• Memoir of the NW Frontier taken from Public records by Capt/now Major/ Bonamy showing the Importance of the River Indus as connected with its defence, pp 231-300.
• Included in the volume is a newspaper cutting, dated April 1840, about a Russian expedition against China.

'A copy of the Report from the Madras Government to the Court of Directors on the importance of the Study of Sanscrit (Sanskrit) and the vernacular languages of the South of India to their civil servants. Dated January 1812. Also other documents relating to the same object.' This description is written on the internal front cover. Documents include:

• 'Extract Public Letter from Fort St George, Dated 10th January 1812'
• 'Extract Fort St. George Consultations in the General, Commercial and Law Departments dated the 10th December 1811'

These reports include findings of the committee set up to investigate the effectiveness of the teaching of languages and include letters from W. Thackeray, D. Hill and named Committee members.

Correspondence concerning the identification of the portrait, The reception of Lord Amherst by Rup Lal Mallick, by William Henry Florio Hutchisson. The painting, at the time of the correspondence, was owned by Major-General Sir George McKenzie Franks. The material consists of:

• A photograph of the painting mounted on brown card.
• Letter from Major V. Hodson to Sir Patrick Cadell to give his opinion on who might be present in the painting. He recognises Colonel Duncan Macleod and names other possibilities. With the letter is a pencil sketch of some of the figures and his identification of those numbered. He also writes of a possible date and occasion. Typed letter, dated 13 July, 1947.
• Letter from Sir Patrick Cadell to Sir Richard Winstedt to write of the information he has obtained from Major Hodson. The letter records that the photo was sent to Winstedt by a Mr Sheppard. He also adds thoughts from other sources, but admits beyond the information he's provided he cannot help further. He suggests contacting C.E.A.W. Oldham or W. Foster. Handwritten letter, 7 sides, dated 18 July 1947.
• Note from Sir Richard Winstedt to Sir William Foster to ask him if he might be interested in the material and be able to identify the painter. Handwritten on Royal Asiatic Society headed paper, dated 30 August 1947.
• Letter from Sir William Foster to Sir Richard Winstedt in which he suggests that the artist might be William Henry Florio Hutchisson. Typed letter, dated 1 August 1947 (Probably 1 September 1947).
• Letter from Major-General Sir George McKenzie Franks to Major Sheppard in which he writes of new information that he acquired about the picture from a book he had been lent by a Mrs Brabazon with reminiscences of her ancestor, General Sir George Bell. In the book is an account of an event in 1827 in Calcutta which fits with the details of the painting. This dates also fits with the time that Franks' great-grandfather was in India. The description gives clues to other people present and that the event was hosted by Rup Lal Mallick. With the letter is a typed copy of the appropriate section from Bell's memoirs. Typed, 4 sides, dated 16 September 1947.
• Letter from Major-General Sir George McKenzie Franks to Sir Richard Winstedt to update him on the material that has been found describing the events of the painting. He invites Winstedt to view the painting if ever in Ireland. With his letter he sends a list entitled 'Notes on colour of uniforms, etc, with reference to numbers on tracing'. Typed, dated 22 September 1947.

At different times proposals were made and considered for branches of the Royal Asiatic Society. This material covers proposals for Australia, Burma (Myanmar), Indonesia and Taiwan.

A plate of part of the 'Akshobhya in his Abhirati Heaven', the 15th century image from Western Tibet (Guge) which is found in the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection now in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. This plate shows only the bottom left corner of the image. Pencilled on its surround is '165e'.

A letter from Colonel Henry Helsham-Jones to Sir Edward Douglas Maclagan to give information regarding the Patparganj Pillar. This was erected in 1916 to commemorate the 1803 Battle of Delhi. Helsham-Jones relates that he had heard from Col. Creswell, a former Royal Engineer, who was assistant engineer when Helsham-Jones had been constructing the Lower Ganges Canal. Creswell had asked his daughter, a Mrs Talbot, when at Delhi, about the Pillar. Mrs Talbot had seen the pillar and asked General Norman who informed her that he "had moved the pillar to what was considered the right spot". Helsham-Jones therefore supposes that the pillar has been moved and set up on the mound mentioned at the conclusion of Maclagan's monograph.

With the letter is a note to say that the letter had been found in a copy of the Journal of the Panjab Historical Society, Vol. I, 1911-12 and that this Journal had been given to the Society by Maclagan.

The pillar can currently be found within the grounds of the Noida Golf Course.

The second volume of two containing a handwritten copy of the Daśabhūmīśvara transcribed from a Calcutta manuscript under the supervision of Harinōhana Vidyābhūsana for Samuel G.T. Heatly (Heatley). Unfortunately the first volume is now missing from the collections. The volume has brown marbled cover and is in good condition.

These papers consist of "The Symbolism of the Puranas (Part I)", subtitled, "An enumeration of the symbols on the 'Purana' coinage of Hindustan (with four plates) by W. Theobald, formerly Deputy Superintendent of the Geological Survey of India". (The plates are not with these papers). This is a draft manuscript, typed with handwritten corrections, of an article by Theobald subsequent to his two previous articles on the subject published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1890, Part 1, No. 3, p.181f and Vol. LIX, 1901, Part 1 No. 2, p.38f. The article builds on this work and the earlier work of Walter Elliot and Edward Thomas. It is a systematic review of all the symbols used. It is unknown whether this article was ever published.

These Papers of William (Bill) Roff relate mainly to his research interests in the Hajj pilgrimage particularly among pilgrims from Southeast Asia. The material consists of research notes, papers of Roff and others, and official documents.

Personal papers of William Pettigrew connected with the Manipuri language and other local dialects.