The Papers of Alexander Johnston consists of manuscripts written by Johnston, commissioned by him, or simply presented by him to the Society. These are:

• Portfolio of material donated by Sir Alexander Johnston to the Royal Asiatic Society
• 'A Summary of the Principle Evidence for the Truth, Divine Origin of the Christian Revelation' by Beilby, Lord Bishop of London, translated J.G. Philips & C. de Saram into Sinhalese.
• "Moses in the Bulrushes - A Sacred Drama" and "Joseph" by Hannah More, translations in Sinhalese.
• Report on tumuli or barrows in the Sardis region (Turkey) by George Hale.

A bound volume of manuscripts of various kinds given by Sir Alexander Johnston. The volume is in poor condition with the front board detached from the spine and the rear board missing. The cover bears a list of the manuscripts. These are:

• "A Vutteluttoo Syllabarium" - "a table of Vatteluttu script".
• "Vocabulary English and Cingalese which last is spoken in the Island of Ceylon" - an "English-Sinhalese vocabulary" presented to the Society by Johnston on 17 November 1827.
• "3 forms of the Singalese character used in writing Sanscrit, Pali and Singalese" - "Sinhalese-Pali alphabet"
• "Plan of a Comparative Vocabulary of Indian Languages; Read at the Literary Society of Bombay on the 26th May 1806 by Sir James Mackintosh". Printed, Bombay, 1806, presented to the Royal Asiatic Society by Johnston on 12 July 1828.
• "English-Sinhalese-Pali-Sanskrit vocabularies".
• "Vocabulary English and Cingalese which last is spoken on the Island of Ceylon" - an "English-Sinhalese vocabulary" presented to the Royal Asiatic Society by Johnston on 17 November 1827.
• "Vocabulary English and Pavly" - an "English-Pali vocabulary" presented to the Royal Asiatic Society by Johnston on 17 November 1827. Two manuscripts which also bear the name Mr. Burnouf.
• "Translation of a Sanscrit Inscription in Singhalese characters" - presented to the Royal Asiatic Society by Johnston on 17 November 1827. The description is dated April 1820 and bears the names of 3 contributors (difficult to decipher).
• "[This] translation you made at [j...] from the Sanscrit by the [Namma] of [Cunclasus]" - English translation concerning the whereabouts of someone who has gone to a hermitage.
• English-Sanskrit [?] vocabulary "In Sanscrit" - sheet of Sanskrit words.
• Paragraph of [Sinhalese] with "Honble Sir A. Johnston" on reverse. Sketch of a standing column.
• "Malabar Translation of the King of Achun's Pass for the [Gral] Ship, Allum Shah, [J D Lippiatt]
• "2 large & 2 small Cyngalese Alphabets Presented by Sir A Johnston Noy 17 1827"
• "1 Large & Small Cingalese Alphabet by Ahan de [Sarum] "Large & small Cingalese Alphabet" - these are on large sheets of paper which have been folded to fit the book.
• Burmese Alphabet.
• "Vocabulary English, Congalese and Pavly" - "English-Sinhalese-Pali- Sanskrit vocabularies" presented by Johnston 17 November 1827.
• "Maldive primer in Maldive script" - with note stating "The Maldive Alphabet as given in a MS presented to the RAS by Sir Alexander Johnston is writing from right to left and is evidently of Arabic origin." The pages are oversize and have been folded to fit the size of the book.
• Further Maldive vocabulary sheets.
• "This Book is called [Rayloe Rearyee]" - a booklet of alphabet and vocabulary in [Tamil] script.
• Vocabularies and alphabets in Maldive and roman script with Tamil translation
• "Letters from Sultan Muhammad Muin al-Din ibn Sikandar to the Governor of Ceylon on his coast in A.H.1227".
• "A prayer in Arabic." and "The above prayer translated into Booganese language & character by the Booganese [Hadgie]" - "Arabic prayer with translation into Bugis language in Bugis script"
• "Booganese Alphabet written by the Booganese [hadgie] on the [hare] Island the 19th of Nov 1815" - table of Bugis aphabet with key.
• "A Tamil Vocabulary" - "English-Tamil-Telugu vocabularies, mixed".
• "A Telugu Syllabarium" - "Telugug and Oriya alphabets", presented to the Royal Asiatic Society by Johnston on 3 March 1827.

The manuscript consists of different handwritten verses from the 235-275th jātakas of the Theravāda Jātaka canon (around 547 jātakas in total). Handwritten by Gogerly in the Sinhalese script, before November 6, 1847 in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). The text is aligned in columns, possibly leaving space for English translation on the right page side. The notebook consists of 19 loose sheets (21 pages of text) and is incomplete, as the last sheet is missing. Moreover, most of the pages are damaged and therefore some of the verses cannot be fully seen. Slightly fragile. 24.3cmX18.6cm.

The manuscript consists of different handwritten verses from the 277-275th jātakas of the Theravāda Jātaka canon (around 547 jātakas in total). Handwritten by Gogerly in the Sinhalese script before November 6, 1847 in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). The text is aligned in columns, possibly leaving space for English translation on the right page side. 18 pages of text. 24.3cmX18.6cm.

The item seems to be a fragment from the traditional commentary on the jātaka tales (the tales concerning the previous births of Gautama Buddha), and consists of two and a half foolscap sheets. Handwritten by Gogerly in the Sinhalese script, probably in Sri Lanka, date unknown. The pages show signs of aging. Fragile. Approx. 35cmX22cm.

There are three translations: one printed and two hand-written Gogerly translations of the Saccavibhaṅga sutta. The Saccavibhaṅga sutta belongs to the Mahā Pirit Pota ('The Great Book of Protection'), which is a Theravāda Buddhist text of rituals to be performed on particular occasions in Sri Lanka for spiritual and physical protection.

There are three manuscripts related to Gogerly's translation of the Brahmajāla sutta. The sutta discusses two main topics: 1) the elaboration of the Ten Precepts (Cūḷa-sīla), the Middle Precepts (Majjhima-sīla), and the Great Precepts (Mahā-sīla); 2) the 62 beliefs (diṭṭhi) which are devoutly practised by ascetics in India.

The manuscript is a tentative Gogerly translation of the Thūpavaṃsa chronicle. Written in the middle of the 19th century in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Transcribed by an unknown author. Translated from Pāli or Sinhalese. 37 loose sheets (pages 25-62); the other 12 sheets are missing. The text is written on one side; black ink. The translation is full of corrections and notes. The Thūpavaṃsa narrates the history of the relics of Śākyamuni Buddha, and contains a rich depiction of the institutionalisation of the Buddha-Śāsana in Ceylon during the reigns of kings Aśoka and Devanampiyatissa, as well as the construction of relic monuments by the later king Duṭṭhagāmaṇī. The central focus of this work concerns the variety of relics associated with the historical Buddha, particularly how the relics were acquired and the presumed benefits of venerating them. 32cmX20cm.