This Series contains 52 letters between Thomas Manning and his father, William Manning, Rector of Diss. These date from 1785, when Thomas was a child on holiday, until 1810, the year of William Manning's death There are a further 5 letters between Thomas Manning and other family members.

Correspondence with Dr. D.R. Bhandarkar, Indian Museum, Calcutta. These are:

Letter from Col. Hoysted, Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to Dr Bhandarkar to ask, on behalf of the President and Council of the Society, whether Bhandarkar would be willing to represent the Society at the Seventh Indian Conference. Dated 29 May 1933.

Letter from Dr Bhandarkar to Colonel Hoysted to inform that he would be delighted to represent the Society. Dated 22 June 1933.

Letter from Col. Hoysted, Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to Dr Bhandarkar to express, on behalf of the President and Council, their gratitude that he has agreed to represent the Society. Dated 10 July 1933.

Letter from Dr Bhandarkar to Colonel Hoysted to inform that his health has suddenly become worse and therefore it will be doubtful if he will be able to attend the Conference. Dated 14 December 1933.

Letter from Col. Hoysted, Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to Dr Bhandarkar to express, on behalf of the President and Council, their concern regarding his health and the hope that he was well enough to attend the conference. Dated 2 January 1934.

Letter from Dr Bhandarkar to Colonel Hoysted to inform that he did not attend the Conference but as he did not leave Calcutta, his health did not become worse. Dated 25 January 1934.

In 1944 the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal sent letters to the Government of India and Government of Bengal concerning the post-war reconstruction of the cultural life of India. Within this they also sought support of British Institutions. The material in this series is:

Letter from K Nag, General Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, to the Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to ask for the Society's support in their approach to the Governments of India and Bengal on the cultural reconstruction of India. Typed, dated 31 December 1944.

Letter from K Nag, General Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, to the Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to send part II of the pamphlet concerning the Society's proposals in connection with post-war reconstruction, Typed, dated 10 February 1945.

The printed pamphlet "Proposals made by the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal in connection with Cultural Reconstruction, Part II". Letter from Richard Burn to Richard Winstedt concerning the proposals for cultural reconstruction, Handwritten, dated 8 April 1945. With the letter are 18 pages of handwritten notes expanding his opinions.

"Proposals of R.A.S. Bengal for Cultural Reconstruction in India Part II". 4 pages of handwritten notes on the proposals.

Letter from Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to the General Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, to inform him of the Council's general agreement with the proposals. If the Governments of India and Bengal request the views of the Society they will endeavour to express support. Typed, dated April 1945.

"Cultural Relations between India and the United Kingdom" - note by the Royal Society to call an informal conference at the Society's rooms on 24 July 1945 regarding cultural relations. With the letter is an agenda for the meeting and a note prepared by Mr Justice Bigley on matters for consideration at the conference, a Copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Special Council of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal for 24 March 1945 and Notes by Mr Justice Bigley relating to Cultural Relations. Typed, 6 pages.

"Copy of a letter from Sir Cyril Norwood, President of St John's College, Oxford, to the Secretary of the Royal Society, dated 3 July 1945" in which he expresses his opinions concerning Cultural Relations with India, as he will be unable to attend the forthcoming meeting. Typed, 2 pages.

Handwritten notes on the approach by the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal to the Government of India. 3 pages, undated.

"A Descriptive Catalogue of the Paintings, Statues, Framed Prints, Copper Plates and Other Curiosities in he Rooms of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, by C.R. Wilson, M.A., corrected up to April 1897." Pamphlet describing the Society's collections, published by the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1897.

Extract from the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (No. 62, N.S.) to report on the Proceedings of the Asiatic Society for February 1844. The monthly meeting on the 6 February had been an occasion on which Members were afforded an opportunity to express their sentiments on the departure of Hodgson. Printed material, 1 partial copy of 3 sides, 1 fuller extract which includes more details of Hodgson's life and works, 4 sides. Also printed testimonials to Hodgson from the Journal for October 1844, printed material, 8 sides.

"Extracts from Asiatick Researches, Volume the First, Calcutta MDCCLXXXVIII, Issued on the inaugural ceremony of Institute of Higher Sanskrit Studies & Research by Giana Zail Singh, President of India on August 3, 1985, at Calcutta". Printed pamphlet published by Dr Chandan Roy Chaudhuri, General Secretary, The Asiatic Society. Two copies.

Two newspaper articles concerning the Asiatic Society. These are:

"Police raid Asiatic Society premises" concerning a police raid in connection with some stolen gold coins. From the Indian Express, New Delhi, 22 August 1996.

"Fallen Angels: Original paintings in the Asiatic Society rot for lack of space and funds" concerning the reportedly poor condition of some of the Society's Collections. From www.travel-india.com/new/1998/fallenangels.htm (no longer available on the internet)

Notice from S.K. Saraswati, General Secretary, The Asiatic Society, to inform that by Order of the Council, at its meeting on 21 July 1958 it was decided to combine the two series of the journal into one to be named the Journal of the Asiatic Society.

Hodgson 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.

The main item in these papers is the Letter Book, complied by Richard Macan concerned with the sale of the estate of the late Major Turner Macan. There is also a note written by Richard Macan and some modern research notes on the Letter Book and Turner Macan's biography.