Letter from William MacBean George Colebrooke to Alexander Johnston in which he writes that his and Henry Thomas Colebrooke have added their signatures leaving room for Johnston's. He is also sending Johnston a stock of Prospectuses. He hopes the Society will prosper and that he will find it fully established on his return to England. He writes with information concerning Dr Noehden and Lord Lansdowne. He finishes by sending Mrs Colebrook's compliments to Lady Johnston. Handwritten, 4 sides.

Incomplete letter from William MacBean George Colebrooke to Alexander Johnston in which he writes concerning the two individuals that he would be gratified to be the means of bringing their great merit to the knowledge of the African Institution. He writes also of the Java Institution and in a postscript that he is about to embark. Handwritten, 3 sides with further side for address and label.

Letter from William MacBean George Colebrooke to Alexander Johnston to send him a notice of the proceedings in Java on the Slave Subject. He has not had time to transcribe it but asks that Johnston alters it according to his judgement. Colebrooke asks again that his name not be connected in any way at this time with the African Institution due to the nature of the journey on which he is about to embark. He expresses his views on the abolition of slavery. In a postscript he writes that "Mr Colebrooke thinks of circulating a notice for a meeting of the Asiatic Society, either at his house or at the Thatched House on Saturday next". Colebrooke doubts that he will be able to attend, as though wind-bound at the time of writing, he expects to have set sail before the meeting. Handwritten, 4 sides.

This material contains underleases for rooms sublet on the Ground Floor of 56 Queen Anne Street, and selected correspondence. There is also a print block for the "Exhibition of Embroidery Then & Now" 1959 for the Embroiderers' Guild Expansion Fund. This must have been left at the premises.

Letter from Perowne, Gedge and Company, Solicitors, to Royal Asiatic Society, to inform the Society that the Embroiderers' Guild had just entered into a contract for purchase of their own property and therefore would be vacating the rooms at 56 Queen Anne Street. Dated 7 April, 1950.
Also a print block for an advertisement for the for "Exhibition of Embroidery Then & Now" 1959 for the Embroiderers' Guild Expansion Fund to be held at the Old Knoll, Eliot Hill, Lewisham. The exhibition was being held by the kind invitation of Dr and Mrs J.E. Stokes, presumably the then inhabitants, and to be opened by Wingfield-Digby, Keeper of Textile Department at the V&A.

Correspondence concerning the letting of the rooms formerly occupied by the Embroiderers' Guild to Mr J. Harris, an architect. These letters are primarily between the Royal Asiatic Society, Howard de Walden Estates and T.L. Wilson & Company, Solicitors, and concern the change of usage for the rooms to a commercial nature and the drawing up of the underlease. Dated from 2 May 1960 - 7 September 1960.

it is presumed that Mr Ralph Tubbs took over the tenancy of these rooms from Mr J. Harris. It is unknown when he began his tenancy as the correspondence for 1966 suggests that Mr Tubbs was already occupying the premises. It seems at this time there was also a suggestion that rooms at the rear of the premises might also be sublet.

• A photocopy of the Lease between the Royal Asiatic Society and Mr Ralph Tubbs, Architect, for the two front rooms. Dated 2 April 1977.
• Correspondence regarding Mr Tubbs tenancy between the Royal Asiatic Society, Mr Tubbs, Morton-Smith & Company, Chartered Surveyors, and T.L. Wilson and Company, Solicitors. Mr Tubbs wrote to relinquish his tenancy on 25 December 1975.

The Royal Anthropological Institute began making inquiries regarding the lease of rooms at 56 Queen Anne Street in January 1976 and they began to occupy the premises in 1977. In 1979 they extended the numbers of rooms to include two small back rooms to house their photographic collections. They finally agreed to leave the premises on 5 January 1988.
The material concerns the Underlease agreements between the Royal Asiatic Society and the Royal Anthropological Institute. These are:

• Underlease between the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland for the Ground Floor Front Rooms at 56 Queen Anne Street, dated 7 February 1977.
• Licence between the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland for the use of the various rooms for storage, administration and lectures. Dated 7 February 1977.
• Licence between the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland relating to the use of ground floor rooms and other facilities. Dated 1 March 1983.
• Photocopy of Licence between the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland relating to the use of ground floor rooms and other facilities. Dated 27 July 1984.
• Correspondence concerning the agreements between the two Societies, the rental arrangements, and the timing of the move of the Institute on the Royal Asiatic Society relinquishing the lease for the premises. These are mainly between the Royal Asiatic Society, the Royal Anthropological Institute, the Howard de Walden Estate and the institutions' solicitors.

Correspondence regarding the lease of the third floor flat. These include:

• Correspondence with Mr Seal regarding an extension to his lease, 1956.
• Correspondence regarding the transfer of the lease from Dr Seal to Elizabeth Holloway (later Mrs Erleigh), 1961.
• Correspondence regarding the Erleigh's tenancy. This includes a newspaper cutting about the unexpected birth of Mrs Erleigh's child, 1962-1965.
• Correspondence regarding temporary/unofficial residents, Mr Leon and Mrs Hardy, 1968.
• Correspondence regarding the relinquishment of the lease by Mrs Erleigh and its reassignment to Mr N. A. Lane and Mr M.E. Feirtag, 1968-1969.
• Correspondence regarding the relinquishment of the lease by Mr N. A. Lane and Mr M.E. Feirtag and reassignment to Howard Anthony Jacobs and Michael Horowitz, 1970-1972.
• Correspondence regarding the tenancy of Mr and Mrs Jacobs, 1976-1985.
• Director's Note regarding possible tenancy of Mr and Mrs Davidson, 1986.

The majority of the correspondence is between the Royal Asiatic Society, their tenants, and their respective solicitors.

In 1987 the Society looked to release itself from the lease for 56 Queen Anne Street. The lease was bought back from the Society by Howard de Walden Estates for £430,000. This series contains correspondence regarding the sale of the lease for 56 Queen Anne Street. This correspondence includes that with the Howard de Walden Estates, solicitors, the building surveyors, Morton-Smith & Co., and Charity Commissioners.