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A copy of the foundation epigraph from the Jama Masjid, Ahmedabad. This is written in black ink on paper which has been mounted onto cloth. The epigraph translates as: 'This lofty edifice and extensive mosque was built by the slave who trusts and returns and has recourse to the mercy of God who is kind, who alone is to be worshipped according to the Qur'an verse: "Verily, the Mosques belong to God; worship no one else with Him" - by the slave who trusts in the helping God, Nasiruddunya waddin Abul Fath Ahmad Shah, son of Muhammad Shah, son of Muzaffar, the king. The date of its erection from the flight of the Prophet (God's blessings on him) is the first day of Safar (may the month end successfully and Victoriously) of the year 827 [4 January 1424]. (This translation was undertaken by H. Blochmann in his article 'Eight Arabic and Persian Inscriptions', Indian Antiquary 1875, pp. 289-293.)

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'.

Three notebooks into which have been copied extracts from the letter books for 1630-1673 and 1675-1676 from the Surat factory.

Two copies of Imperially Commissioned Illustrations of Tilling and Weaving (Yuzhi gengzhi tu 御製耕織圖), a book illustrating the processes of rice growing and silk production which was first printed in 1696 by order of the Qing emperor Kangxi. The two copies are both woodblock-printed, but are different editions.

Copy 1

This copy is in a concertina format. It includes a preface, followed by a section on rice and the other on silk. Each section contains woodcut prints facing each other, each containing an inscription in it and accompanied by poetry composed by Kangxi in the upper margin, with seals in black. There are 44 prints in total, including 23 from the rice section and 21 from the silk section.

This copy has disintegrated into several parts and no covers are present. The opening page of the preface is missing, and two prints from the silk section (for steps of ‘warming the screens’ 炙箔 and ‘demounting’ 下簇) appear to be also missing. Page size measures 37cm high and 28cm wide.

Copy 2

This copy is in traditional Chinese thread binding. It includes a complete preface and one section on rice and the other on silk. Each woodcut print also contains an inscription and is followed by poetry on the verso. For each print the poetry composed by Kangxi is followed by additional poetry, including that composed by the Emperors Yungzheng and Qianlong, the latter in honour of the original poetry composed by Kangxi. This suggests that this copy is a later edition and is datable to the reign of the Emperor Qianlong (1735–1796). There are no seals accompanying the prints. There are 46 prints in total, including 23 from each section.

Annotation in pencil on the cover reads: ‘Pictorial Representation of Rice-growing + Silk [?] with preface by Kiang Hei, dated 1696’. A label on the cover bears the reference number ‘RAS 50’. Annotation in ink on the bottom edge reads: ‘御製耕織圖’. Page size measures 28.5cm high and 29.5cm wide.

Stored together with this copy is a photocopy of an article on the book, possibly taken from an auction catalogue (reference number 14921), made in October 2002.

The Papers of P.E. Roberts consists of lists extracted from the India Office Letter Books for 1702 to 1753. These handwritten lists detail, for each year, all the East India Company ships sent out from Britain, their tonnage, the destination of each and the value of the cargo.

With the lists are two typed letters from Roberts to William Harrison Moreland, sent from Worcester College, Oxford. The first, dated 12 January 1924, explains that Roberts had been looking through old papers and had come across the lists which he had made about 23 years ago. Feeling he would not use them, he was about to dispose of them when he thought Moreland might find them helpful. He therefore asks if Moreland would like them. Roberts also comments on his admiration for Moreland's books on Indian Economic History.

In the second letter, dated 15 January 1924, Roberts thanks Moreland for his letter and writes to send him the extracts. Roberts recalls that he was working for Sir William Hunter at that time he made the lists and, that subsequently, he found the lists were accurate according to Hardy's Shipping Register.

"Diccionario Grandonico Malabar Portvguez" - a dictionary of Malayalam and Sanskrit words written in Malayalam script, explained in Portugese. The title page is printed and dates the book to Verapoly, 1745. A Malayalam and English inscription on the title page states that the book was purchased by Lieut. M.S. Osbourne from J. de Santos, Sheristadar, of Tellicherry Adaulatt, in 1795. The volume is bound with marbled cover. The front board is loose from the spine. With the book is a typed label with an identifying description.

An imperfect copy of the Puthen Pana or the Misiha Charitham of Johann Ernst Hanxelden. A letter inserted into the book, dated 26 January 1934, sent from L.D. Barnett to Mrs Cardew, identifies the volume and dates it as 18th century. The Puthen Pana is a poem written by Hanxleden about the life of Jesus Christ. On the front papers there is a note to state that the manuscript was given to the Society by Sir Alexander Johnston and that it is in Malayalam.

The poem consists of 14 padams. The first padam informs readers that the poem is written at the request of Antonio Pimental, Archbishop of Cranganore. The second padam focuses on the Fall of Man, fourth - the Annunciation, fifth - the Nativity, seventh - the Sermon on the Mount, tenth - the Last Supper, eleventh - the Trial and Crucifixion, the twelfth padam portrays the lament of Virgin Mary at the Crucifixion and Death of Jesus, thirteenth - the Resurrection, and the fourteenth portrays the Ascension. The 12th padam is considered the most important in the poem. But for the 12th, which is written in the metre, Nathonatha, the rest of the couplets are written in the metre, Sarpini.

Some of the pages are fragile and a few have had historic conservation repairs.

A translation into the Braj Bhasha dialect of Hindi of Raja Niti, a version of the Hitopadesha, a series of fables. The translation was undertaken for John Gilchrist by Lallūjī Lāl Kavi and the scribe was Siva Prasanna Diivedi. it is dated to V.S. 1858/ Sāka 1825 which equates to 1802-3. The work was made for John Gilchrist when he was principal of Fort William College, Kolkata.

Pasted inside the front cover is a handwritten explanation of the Hitopadesha taken from 'Colebrooke's Preface to the "Hitopadesa" in the original Sanscrit'. The last front paper bears an English description of the work, the signature of John Romer, dated 1804, the Royal Asiatic Society stamp, and that the work was presented to the Society by John Romer. Also within the volume is a more modern label giving identification details and where it is noted as being a very early edition of the work.

Please note that the boards and some pages are loose from the binding and the book spine is no longer present. The boards are covered in red leather.

'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.

There are three Chinese documents concerning trade and interaction with the English. With the documents are English abstracts and modern Chinese translations created in 2018.