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Correspondence concerning the identification of the portrait, The reception of Lord Amherst by Rup Lal Mallick, by William Henry Florio Hutchisson. The painting, at the time of the correspondence, was owned by Major-General Sir George McKenzie Franks. The material consists of:

• A photograph of the painting mounted on brown card.
• Letter from Major V. Hodson to Sir Patrick Cadell to give his opinion on who might be present in the painting. He recognises Colonel Duncan Macleod and names other possibilities. With the letter is a pencil sketch of some of the figures and his identification of those numbered. He also writes of a possible date and occasion. Typed letter, dated 13 July, 1947.
• Letter from Sir Patrick Cadell to Sir Richard Winstedt to write of the information he has obtained from Major Hodson. The letter records that the photo was sent to Winstedt by a Mr Sheppard. He also adds thoughts from other sources, but admits beyond the information he's provided he cannot help further. He suggests contacting C.E.A.W. Oldham or W. Foster. Handwritten letter, 7 sides, dated 18 July 1947.
• Note from Sir Richard Winstedt to Sir William Foster to ask him if he might be interested in the material and be able to identify the painter. Handwritten on Royal Asiatic Society headed paper, dated 30 August 1947.
• Letter from Sir William Foster to Sir Richard Winstedt in which he suggests that the artist might be William Henry Florio Hutchisson. Typed letter, dated 1 August 1947 (Probably 1 September 1947).
• Letter from Major-General Sir George McKenzie Franks to Major Sheppard in which he writes of new information that he acquired about the picture from a book he had been lent by a Mrs Brabazon with reminiscences of her ancestor, General Sir George Bell. In the book is an account of an event in 1827 in Calcutta which fits with the details of the painting. This dates also fits with the time that Franks' great-grandfather was in India. The description gives clues to other people present and that the event was hosted by Rup Lal Mallick. With the letter is a typed copy of the appropriate section from Bell's memoirs. Typed, 4 sides, dated 16 September 1947.
• Letter from Major-General Sir George McKenzie Franks to Sir Richard Winstedt to update him on the material that has been found describing the events of the painting. He invites Winstedt to view the painting if ever in Ireland. With his letter he sends a list entitled 'Notes on colour of uniforms, etc, with reference to numbers on tracing'. Typed, dated 22 September 1947.

'Unto us a Child is Born' - a manuscript documenting the story of the rise and fall of a supposed miracle or holy child in a village near the Indo-Afghan border. The narrator describes himself as a junior officer serving in an administrative capacity. The story is of interest to him for its potential disruption to the area as people took sides believing or negating the child, who showed his holiness by wanting his father rather than his mother. The incident occurred a little while after Halley's comet had been visible in the night sky which some took to be a portent. The matter died down once the child started preferring its mother.

The story would seem to be related by somebody in the nineteenth century, but the document is from the mid-twentieth century. There are no identifiers as to the author or the narrator, so it is possibly a transcription of an earlier text or a work of fiction.

A letter from Colonel Henry Helsham-Jones to Sir Edward Douglas Maclagan to give information regarding the Patparganj Pillar. This was erected in 1916 to commemorate the 1803 Battle of Delhi. Helsham-Jones relates that he had heard from Col. Creswell, a former Royal Engineer, who was assistant engineer when Helsham-Jones had been constructing the Lower Ganges Canal. Creswell had asked his daughter, a Mrs Talbot, when at Delhi, about the Pillar. Mrs Talbot had seen the pillar and asked General Norman who informed her that he "had moved the pillar to what was considered the right spot". Helsham-Jones therefore supposes that the pillar has been moved and set up on the mound mentioned at the conclusion of Maclagan's monograph.

With the letter is a note to say that the letter had been found in a copy of the Journal of the Panjab Historical Society, Vol. I, 1911-12 and that this Journal had been given to the Society by Maclagan.

The pillar can currently be found within the grounds of the Noida Golf Course.

An English translation of "Entwurf einer Grammatik der Herero Sprache", the work by Karl Hugo Hahn, that was supposed to be undertaken with the linguist Wilhelm Bleek. As this was not possible, due to circumstances, Hahn delivered his own version of the book to Riga in 1854. It is the first grammar of the Herero language spoken by the Herero people in Southern Africa.

The manuscript of 208 pages is heavily corrected and the translator is not identified. There is a note on a torn piece of paper which states "Presented ... Sir Bartle Frere K.G.C.B., C.S.I. by the Translator, Cape Town, January 19th 1880.

Notes on the Ancient Figures and Inscriptions from Márab sent to the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society by George Smythan, and resented by The President of the Society, John Wilson. A description and analysis of inscriptions on stones found by Dr A. Mackell at the town of Márab or Sábá, believed to be the seat of the Queen of Sheba. Four stones were found, two of which were acquired and facsimiles made for the others. Mackell believed the inscriptions were more Ethiopic in character. Wilson compares these inscriptions with ones found by J.G. Hulton and J. Smith (see Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, vol.5, 1838, p.91). Wilson however suggests these may be of Sabean origin. The article is dated 28 November 1836 with a postscript, dated 2 December 1839, concerning Wilson's reluctance to have his findings published.

With the article are three lithograph sheets showing the figures and inscriptions.

'Instructions of the Chinese Government to the Merchants trading with the Russians'. The document was communicated to Sir George Staunton by James Brogden Esq., M.P. who received it from Russia. Staunton then presented it to the Royal Asiatic Society and it was read at the General Meeting on 20 December 1823. it is listed in the Society's Catalogue of English Manuscripts as IV. No.2 and according to the description on p.64 of the catalogue, the document is:

"Secret Instructions of the Great Empire of China to the Company of Traders of the interior Provinces trading to Kiachta (Kyakhta) with the Russians confirmed by the Emperor on the 5th day of the 3rd moon of the 57th year of his reign...

"This paper (which was given to Sir George Staunton by Mr Brogden, who received it from Russia) contains twenty four regulations for the government of the trade carried on at Kiachta (Kyakhta) between the Russians and Chinese.

"The first rule recommends harmony among the merchants to prevent the foreigners getting the advantage.

"The second directs that each merchant shall communicate the information he received to the head of the company, that general instructions may be issued for the guidance of the whole body.

"The third to eleventh principally contain hints for keeping down the prices of the Russian traders, and enabling the Chinese to sell at higher rates in proportion.

The twelfth to the sixteenth relate to the conduct of the Chinese Merchants in their intercourse with the Russians, and the remainder detail the punishments (generally severe) to be inflicted on those who are guilty of infraction of the preceding ordinances."

With the actual document is a cover sheet with the title and details of its presentation; also a label identifying the document as IV No.2 in the Catalogue of English Manuscripts.

A duplicate of a Petition to the House of Commons from the Natives of Bombay (Mumbai) and others: Christians, Jews, Chinese, Parsis; Muslims and Hindus; more than 4000 in number. All the signatures, along with the petition, are on the document which is made of 25 skins of parchment. It is written in English, Gujarati and Marathi and is dated Bombay, 25 January 1831. It asks for a reform in the judicial regulations of the government at Bombay; for more impartial administration of the laws, that native people may freely be admitted to civil and judicial offices; and for the diffusion of the English language among the inhabitants to be encouraged by the British government. The original was sent to England by Sir Charles Forbes, M.P. and Joseph Hume, M.P. and was presented to the House of Commons on 1 September 1831.

Documents of Marathi history dating to the eighteenth and nineteenth century presented to the Royal Asiatic Society by Sir Alexander Malet in 1828 and by General John Briggs in 1874. The papers donated by Briggs are predominantly correspondence from the Peshwa Court at the time of Nana Fadnavis and were given by Nana Fadnavis' widow to Briggs in 1825. Those from Malet were collected by his father, Sir Charles Warre Malet, during his political career in India and are predominantly handwritten accounts of Marathi history.

Each of the documents also has a description provided by Simon Digby when Honorary Librarian at the Royal Asiatic Society from 1970. The documents written in Marathi are in modi script.

Twelve notebooks containing the author's notes on India, its religions and inscriptions, mainly extracts from, and comments upon, published authors' works.

A facsimile of a monumental inscription at the Fa-hsing Temple, Canton (Guangzhou), acquired by Sir John Bowring, whilst Governor of Hong Kong. The facsimile measures 155cm x 90cm and is black ink on white paper, probably created from a squeeze impression. It is in fragile condition, with some previous repairs.

With the inscription is a translation, made by J. Gibson, entitled "Renovation of the monumental Inscription of the Buddhist Gods", dated 14 October 1858. This is handwritten in ink with further annotations in both ink and pencil to give further details regarding dates and allusions.