Letter from William MacBean George Colebrooke to Alexander Johnston in which he expresses that he was pleased to be able to send the Prospectus and that he was in time for the post. He expresses regret that he was unable to make a fair copy. Handwritten, 1 side, plus a further side with address and label.

Letter from William MacBean George Colebrooke to Alexander Johnston in which he conveys Henry Thomas Colebrooke's regrets that he will unable to attend at the Johnstons' house that evening as he has a heavy cold picked up at the Royal Society meeting. William Colebrooke writes concerning Dr Noehden and about the preparation of the Prospectus which he will discuss further with Johnston that evening. Handwritten, 3 sides, plus further side with address. Undated.

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.

A bound volume containing copies of letters sent in the administration of the Society between the years 1823-1835 and 1846-1861. The earlier ones, covering 1823-1835, are all concerned with the finances of the Society. There is then a break in the letters until 1846, after which the correspondence covers a broader spectrum of activities.

The Society holds a Royal Charter. These documents concern changes within the Charter and also its Rules, Byelaws and Standing Orders.

This volume contains copies of, or extracts from, letters sent to the Royal Asiatic Society between 1846 and 1852. They are written into a leather-bound volume with the title 'Extracts' on its front cover. Besides the letters which cover 93 pages, there are subsequently some rough pencil notes and a diagram in a different hand (possibly a child's) followed by blank pages and an index at the end of the manuscript.

The first minutes for the Committee of Correspondence are for 19 May 1831. However before this time items communicated to the Society were being recorded. Thus these two volumes are both connected with the administration of correspondence. These are:

Register of Communications, April 1823 To February 1846
This volume lists papers and correspondence sent to the Society, including their date and correspondent. Many of the entries also detail the outcome of the correspondence at the Society - whether read at a General Meeting or published within the Society's Transactions or Journal.

Minutes of the Committee of Correspondence May 1831 To July 1842
The Minutes for the Committee of Correspondence cover the time period 19 May 1831 - 9 July 1942 when the 'Committee resolved themselves into a Meeting of the Council'. In the meetings correspondence to the Society was read and decisions made how best to respond. This volume also contains a copy of the 'Memorandum on the Babylonian Inscriptions forwarded by Mr. Norris to Professor Wilson for transmission to Major Rawlinson. Dated, 15th May 1846'. The copy fills 5.5 pages of the book.

The International Congress of Orientalists, initiated in Paris in 1873, was an international conference of Orientalists. It was later renamed as the International Congress of Human Sciences in Asia and North Africa and then as the International Congress of Asian and North African Studies. This material covers the interaction of the Royal Asiatic Society with the Congress in the time period 1889 to 1993.