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Since its inception the Royal Asiatic Society has encouraged the dissemination of Asian studies through the delivering of papers and lectures. These, particularly throughout the early history, were part of the General Meetings and recorded in the Minutes of the General Meetings (RAS LEC1). The material in this catalogue concerns the administration and publicity of papers, lectures and book launches given for the Society.

Correspondence concerning, and drafts of papers read at, General Meetings. Lists of lecture dates for 1865 and 1868.

Drafts of papers delivered at General Meetings of the Society. These are:

• 'Translation of a Chinese Inscription found on a Rock at Kulangsu (Gulangyu)' by George Tradescant Lay, read at the General Meeting, 15 November 1845, 14 pages + paper wrapper.
• Paper on the cultivation of cotton and sugar by William McClelland, read 7 November 1846, with accompanying letter from W. Corgill, dated 18 May 1846, 17 pages.
• Notes on the progress of the native printing press in India, with reference to a list of periodicals and other works printed at the presses of Delhi and Bareilly with the list and translation by John Dowson. Read By H.H. Wilson, 2 December 1848, 23 pages.
• Notes on the Ruins at Gwalior by Lieutenant Thomas Briggs, read 20 November 1852 when Briggs showed a volume of drawings of the architecture of the temples visited by him at Gwalior and Badami, 8 pages + paper wrapper.
• Paper relating to the use by the Chinese government of the Chinese word for barbarian, read by Edwin Norris from documents communicated by the Foreign Office, 4 December 1852, 13 pieces + paper wrapper.
• Notes on the low caste Mangs of Kolhapoor (Kolhapur); an extract of a report by Lieutenant C. Barr, dated 1 January 1852. This was communicated by Colonel Sykes and read 4th June 1853, printed 10 pages.
• Extracts from letters received from Colonel Henry Rawlinson concerning the kings cited in an inscription. Two pieces, undated but probably dating to 1852-4 when the Assistant Secretary of the Royal Asiatic Society read several such extracts at the General Meetings.
• Description of the Drawings of Buddha and a Pagoda, presented to the Society by the First King of Siam (Thailand) on 23 July 1857. The original description is dated 26 May 1854. The paper was read by the President, H.H. Wilson, at the meeting of 2 January 1858, 8 pages.
• Paper entitled 'A Sketch of Buddhist mythology as represented in Chinese sheet-tract' read by Joseph Edkins, 22 January 1859, 7 pages.
• Papers relating to the inscriptions on two swords given to the Queen by the widow of Major Hodson, but displayed at the Royal Asiatic Society on 6 April 1861, 5 pieces.

Correspondence concerning General Meetings. These are:

• Photocopy of a letter from Edwin Norris, Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society, to Phillipp Franz von Siebold to invite him to be present at the Meeting of the Society on 15 June 1850, handwritten, 2 pieces, dated 14 June 1850. The original of this letter is held at the Brandenstein Archive, Schlüchtern-Elm, Germany. Accompanying the letter are computer-printed transcripts in English and French of a letter from Phillipp Franz von Siebold to the Admiralty in London, dated 17 June 1850.
• Letter from James Whatman Bosanquet to Edwin Norris concerning whether Mr Dunbar should come from the Isle of Wight to deliver his paper, 2 sides, dated 30 March 1858.

Printed cards detailing the dates of the meeting for 1865 and 1868-9.

Correspondence and printed material concerning lectures, and a typescript of one lecture. The material is:

• Admittance ticket for a lecture by Sir Charles Eliot, 'The History and Monuments of Cambodia', 13 February 1912.
• Admittance ticket for a lecture by Professor Albert von le Coq, 'Journey and Results of the 4th Turfan Expedition', 18 October 1927.
• Admittance ticket for a lecture by Sir E. Denison Ross, 'The Contribution of Hungary to Central Asian Studies with special reference to Csoma de Koros', 12 June 1928.
• Admittance ticket for a lecture by Sir Aurel Stein, 'A Journey of Archaeological Expedition in South-Western Iran (1933-6)', 11 November 1937.
• Typescript of the lecture given by Professor Kochi Doi on Japanese Myth. The lecture was given on 9 December 1937. The typescript is annotated with a note from Doi to Colonel Hoysted, dated 28 January 1938. With the typescript is an admittance ticket for the lecture and a letter from Harold Powlett to Colonel Hoysted to return the typescript, dated 5 February 1938.
• An album containing correspondence and admittance tickets for lectures held between November 1932 and June 1940.
• Admittance tickets for lectures by Sir Richard O. Winstedt, 'Malaya and the Malays', 13 February 1941; and Dr. H. Buchtal, 'Indian Tales in Islamic Art', 4 March 1941.
• Admittance ticket for a lecture by Rev. E.R. Hughes, 'The Chinese Collection in the Bodleian Library', 10 April 1941.
• Admittance ticket for a lecture by Lord Samuel, 'The Hebrew University of Jerusalem', following the Anniversary meeting of 6 May 1941.
• Admittance ticket for a lecture by Mr Hsiao Ch'ien, 'Some Remarks on Contemporary Chinese Literature', 12 June 1941.
• Admittance ticket for a lecture by Mr K. de B. Codrington, 'Classical Contacts with Indian Art', 5 March 1943.
• Letter from H.W. Bailey to Sir Richard Winstedt to express his honour at being asked to lecture at the Society, handwritten, dated 23 December 1943.
• Letter from Menier Collin to Sir Richard Winstedt concerning his forthcoming lecture on 'The Ramayana as a work of Art', handwritten, dated 8 April 1944.
• Admittance ticket for a lecture by Bishop Stephen Neill, 'The beginnings of Tamil Literature' which would follow the presentation of the Triennial Gold Medal to Sir Richard Winstedt, 9 October 1947.
• Admittance ticket for a lecture by Professor Dr. Nihar Ranjan Ray, 'Fundamental Approaches to Indian Art', 24 January 1952, a joint lecture with the Royal India, Pakistan and Ceylon Society.
• Newspaper cutting of a short article entitled 'Royal Asiatic Society Lectures' in The Times, regarding the Society's new series of popular lectures, including those by Mr A. M. Blackman, Sir Denison Ross, Dr H. R. Hall and Mr Sidney Smith, 15 January 1926.
• Newspaper cutting of an article under the heading 'Evening Instruction' regarding the Society's new series of popular lectures, from The Englishman (Calcutta), 5 January 1926.

Correspondence and printed material concerned with lectures and General Meetings held at the Society between 1960-1969.

Printed cards listing the dates of Meetings at the Royal Asiatic Society with the names of the speakers and titles of their lectures. These are for 1965 (March -June), 1965-1966, 1966-1967, 1967-1968, 1968-1969, and 1969-1970. The last of these for 1969-70 also details the Council for that year and details about the Library.

There are also handwritten and typed draft lists for lectures for 1961-1963.

Printed admittance tickets for lectures held at the Society. Some of these have been annotated with the numbers of people attending the lecture:

1963

• 14 November: Sir Richard Winstedt, 'Thirty-two Years in Malaya'. 12 December: Margaret Medley, 'Ceramic Design and Industry in the Ming Period'.

1964

• 12 March: H.L. Shorto, 'The Thirty-seven Nats'.
• 11 June: Dr F.R. Allchin, 'The Indo-Greeks and their Successors in Gandhara (Further Excavations at Charsada, 1963)'. This card has had the date crossed out, 8 October inserted, and that crossed out too.
• 8 October: E.H.S. Simmonds, 'Literature and Society in Thailand'.
• 12 November: Dr D.L. Snellgrove, 'The Decline of Tibetan Civilization'. 10 December: J. Burton-Page, 'The Building Art of Bijapur'.

1965

• 14 January: H.E. Richardson, 'Early Tibetan Civilization'.
• 11 February: Dr. Cheng Te-Kun, 'Archaeology in the People's Republic of China'.
• 11 March: Dr Carmen Blacker, 'Mountain Cults in Japanese Buddhism'.
• 8 April: Professor E.G. Pulleybank, 'Chinese and Indo-Europeans'.
• 10 June: Dr J. Elfenbein, 'In Baluchistan'.
  *14 October: B.W. Robinson, 'Some Persian Manuscripts in the Chester Beatty Library'.
• 11 November: Dr F.R. Allchin, 'The Place of Tulsī Dās in North Indian Devotional Tradition'.
• 9 December: Professor Owen Lattimore, 'Some Recent Publications of Mongol Historians'.

1966

• 13 January: Professor Gordon H. Luce, 'The career of Htilaing Min (Kyanzittha), the Uniter of Burma fl. 1084-1113 A.D.' This lecture took place after the presentation of the Society's Triennial Gold Medal to Professor Luce.
• 10 February: Ralph Russell, 'Ghālib (1797-1869), Self-Portrait of a Delhi Nobel and Poet'.
• 10 March: Miss K.M. Kenyon, 'Excavations in Jerusalem'.
• 14 April: Dr I.M.P. Raeside, 'The Mahānubhāva Sect'.
• 19 June: Dr. C.R. Bawden, 'The Anti-Manchu Rebellion of 1756-7'.
• 12 October: Dr. A.D.H. Bivar, 'Mesopotamian Elements in Roman Mithraism'.
• 17 November: Professor Yigael Yadin, 'Masada of Herod and the Zealots'.
• 8 December: Dr J. de Casparos, 'The Unity of the Realm'.

1967

• 12 January: Professor D.C. Twitchett, 'Evidence from Tun-Huang on the T'ang Governing Class'. The lecture was preceded by the presentation of the Burton Memorial Medal to Wilfred Thesiger.
• 9 February: Mrs Mildred Archer, 'Birds and Flowers in Indian Painting'.
• 9 March: Dr G. Fehérvári, 'Ayyūbbid Metalwork in Syria'.
• 13 April: Dr C.E. Bosworth, 'The Coming of Islam to Afghanistan'.
• 12 October: Professor D.M. Lang, 'Old and New in Georgia and Armenia'.
• 9 November: Dr Romila Thapar, 'The Tradition of Historical Writing in Early India'.
• 14 December: Dr C.A. Macartney, ' The Maygars Eastern Auxiliaries'.

1968

• 11 January: Professor O.R. Gurney, 'The Hittite Shrine of Yazilikaya'.
• 8 February: Dr T.M. Johnston, 'The Middle East Command expedition to Socotra, 1967'.
• 14 March: E.H.S. Simmonds, 'The Nature and Function of Court Entertainment in Old Siam'.
• 4 April: Professor W. Watson, 'The King of Tien (Yunnan, 1st Century BC)'.
• 13 June: The Hon. Sir Steven Runciman, 'The Fate of the Byzantine Churches in Ottoman Istanbul'.
• 10 October: Dr C.J. Dunn, 'Aspects of the Japanese Puppet Drama'.
• 14 November: C.H.B. Reynolds, 'The Maldive Islands'.
• 12 December: G.R. Tibbetts, 'The Origins of Arab Monsoon Navigation'.

1969

• 9 January: Professor E. Ullendorf, 'A Jewish Tribe in Ethiopia?'.
• 13 February: Professor J. Segal, 'Christianity in Mesopotamia during the First Two Centuries of the Common Era'.
• 13 March: Miss B.E. Ward, 'The Boat People of Hong Kong'.
• 10 April: Susan Skilliter, 'English Pirates in Turkey in 1581'.
• 12 June: Peter Parr, 'An Archaeological Reconnaissance in North-West Arabia'.
• 19 June: John Burton-Page, 'Iranian, Central Asian and Indigenous Currents in the Arts of the Mughal Courts: A Cultural Synthesis'. This event took place in Manchester.
• 9 October: Brigadier S.H. Longrigg, 'Arabia: The Last Fifty Years'.
• 13 November: Professor R.C. Zaehner, 'Yudhishthira: A Crisis of Conscience'. This was a lecture to mark Gandhi Centenary Commemoration.
• 11 December: Dr. M.A.N. Loewe, 'Witchcraft and Han Dynastic History 91-74 B.C.'.

Correspondence connected with the organisation of Lectures:

• Correspondence with Dr D. L. Snellgrove, 9 items, dated 30 July 1964 - 6 November 1964. These include correspondence from The Education and Scientific Officer, India House, the Royal Afghan Embassy, and the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia about attending the event.
• Correspondence with E.H.S. Simmonds, 3 items, dated 30 July 1964 - 2 September 1964.
• Correspondence with Miss E.M. Boyce, 14 items, dated 13 October 1964 - 17 May 1965.
• Correspondence with J. Burton-Page, 3 items, dated 21 October 1964 - 17 December 1964.
• Correspondence with Dr J. Elfenbein, 6 items, dated 6 November 1964 - 11 June 1965.
• Correspondence with H.E. Richardson, 1 item, dated 6 November 1964.
• Correspondence with Professor E.G. Pulleybank, 8 items, dated 6 November 1964 - 9 April 1965.
• Correspondence with Dr Cheng Te-kun, 6 items, dated 30 November 1964 - 15 February 1965.
• Correspondence with Dr Carmen Blacker, 7 items, dated 11 December 1964 - 15 March 1965.
• Correspondence with Dr I.M.P. Raeside, 8 items, dated 2 March 1965 - 15 April 1966.
• Correspondence with Dr C.R. Bawden, 13 items, dated 2 March 1965 - 13 June 1966.
• Correspondence with Professor W.B. Emery, 6 items, dated 2 March 1965 - 24 May 1966.
• Correspondence with Yigael Yadin, 10 items, dated 5 March 1965 - 21 November 1966.
• Correspondence with Dr G. de Casparie, 10 items, dated 8 March 1965 - 21 December 1966.
• Correspondence with Dr K.M. Kenyon, 5 items, dated 11 March 1965 - 15 March 1966.
• Correspondence with Professor Owen Lattimore, 6 items, dated 15 March 1965 - 16 December 1965.
• Correspondence with Ralph Russell, 7 items, dated 15 March 1965 - 22 February 1966.
• Correspondence with Basil W. Robinson, 5 items, dated 20 May 1965 - 26 October 1965.
• Correspondence with Professor G.H. Luce, 1 item, dated 22 July 1965.
• Correspondence with Professor D. Twitchett, 8 items, dated 24 January 1966 - 13 January 1967.
• Correspondence with Dr S.M. Stern, 3 items, dated 14 July 1967 - 18 July 1967.