'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.

The Papers of Edward William West reflect his interest in Pahlavi language and Zoroastrianism. The majority are handwritten notebooks and other manuscripts in which he did his work. These often have many inserts. There are also loose handwritten notes, some correspondence and some printed material.

Letter from Max Müller to Bernard Quaritch in which he writes concerning Sanskrit grammars, recommending that of Wilson and a new one in the Press by Professor Benfey, a German professor (Theodor Benfey (1809 – 1881) was a German philologist). Handwritten, 3 sides, dated 22 October [1868] (year of Benfey's publication). The letter has been stuck to a piece of cardboard.