Nepal
January 12 1843

H. Torrens Esqre
Sec. Asi. Society

Dear Sir

On the 13 May last I had the honour to transmit to you thirty one large sheets of Drawings as per accompanying 'List' - for the purposes of their being submitting to the Society's inspection and of their subsequent transmission [thru?] it if deemed proper, to England - As these drawings have an extreme value for those whom their peculiar subject concerneth and no value whatever for any one else, I trust the Society will be sensible that it's honour is much concerned in their alleged disappearance, without a word of explanation from the very hour of their known arrival with you up to the present moment
I have the honour to be
Dear Sir
Your faithful servant
B. H. Hodgson

LIST OF DRAWINGS TO H. TORRENS MAY 13 1842

1. Newars or aborigines of Nepaul Proper (Two Sheets)
2. Trans Nivean Bhoteahs
3. Cis Niveanor Cachari Bhoteahs
4. Heads of Newars
5. -ditto- of Cachari Bhoteahs
6. 1. Elephant of Saul Forest
7. 2. Martes Toufous
8. 3. Lynchus Vulgaris of Tibet
9. 4. The Habshi [Tangam] of Des Dharma
10. 5. Hemitragus Quadrimammis
11. 6. Ounce of Tibet
12. 7. -do- -do- Junior
13. 8. Felis Nigripectus Manul
14. 9. Mustela Canigula
15. 10. Sorex Nemorivaguset Pygmaeus
16. 11. Lepus Pallipes
17. 12. Vulpes Ferrilatus
18. 13. Aquila Crassipes
19. 14. Totanus Glareoloides
20. 15. Dicrurus Albirectus
21. 16. Vultur Fulvus
22. 17. Vinago Maronatus
23. 18. Egretta Grayii
24. 19. Crypsirina Simoniiset Vagabunda
25. 20. Carduelis Spinoides
26. 21. Phasianus Pictus et [Amherstii?]
27. 22. Mesidus Nivicola
        28.23. Caracias Bengalensis
28. 24. Thonicarnis Princeps

Total 31 Sheets
Notes at the end of the list
6 Haman to Lord Auckland
Lent 24 animals to British Museum whereof 12 Mammals and 12 Birds

1844
6 Haman
12 Quadruped
12 Birds
To British Museum by my father brought home by H.J. Princeps
'List of drawings sent home by H. J. Princeps and delivered to Brit. Museum by M.H. Senior 1844'

EXTRATCS FROM THE MINUTES OF THE COMM. OF CORRESPONDENCE OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY

7 Nov 1837
A minute of this date refers to Mr Hodgson's proposed publication on the Zoology of Nepal, and gives a statement from one of Mr Hodgson's letters to the effect that he had despatched to the care of the Royal Asiatic Society, 26 sheets of Mammals and Birds and will continue to send others till the series be completed which he commends to the keeping of the Society; stating also, that he had despatched 5 in Jany last by Capt. Robinson, with directions to deposit them with the Royal Asiatic Society, in case his prior stores should have been removed from the keeping of the Zoological Society - The minute concludes thus:- None of the above articles having been received, the committee directed that the matter should [lie?] over the present

15th March 1838
The Chairman read before the Committee a letter written to him by J. Princep Esq. of Calcutta, relative to Mr Hodgson's work of the Mammalia of Nepal, the the publication and circulation of which the Bengal Society are desirous of furthering etc. etc. "Sir Alexander Johnston stated that he had communicated the content of Mr Princep's letter to Sir Wm. Jardine who had expressed his willingness to cooperate in any measures whereby Mr Hodgson's labours might be given to the world."
19th Apl. 1839
The Chairman now read a letter from Mr J Princep, dated Calcutta 7 Sept 1838 respecting Mr Hodgson's proposed work on Nepal Zoology and recommending application in support to the Court of Directors.
5th March 1842
A minute of the Council of this date accepts Mr. Hodgson's offer to dedicate Mr Hodgson's Mammals of Nepal to the R. Asiatic Society; and promises to subscribe for a copy of the work.

To B. H. Hodgson Esqre

British Museum
1 February 1843

Sir,

Mr. Gray, the Keeper of the Zoology has reported to the Trustees that he had received a very extensive Collection of Mammalia and Birds, collected by you in Nepal, out of which you have been pleased to offer to the acceptance of the Trustees such specimens, as are desirable for the Museum on the following conditions

1. That you are furnished with a list of the whole collection

2. That Mr. F. Howard engaged in publishing your Drawings of these Mammalia and Birds be allowed to have on loan such specimens as he may require to verify the Drawings

3. That no one be allowed to figure or describe the specimens which may not hitherto have been described until Mr Howard's work now in the press has appeared.

I am directed by the Trustees to acquaint you that they most cheerfully accede to the terms which you propose, and I am at the same time to request that you will accept the Especial Thanks of The Trustees for this very valuable addition to the Natural History of The Museum.

I have the honour to be
Sir
Your most obedient
humble Servant
J. Forshall
Secretary

My dear Hawkins
Having heard from Mr. Gould that Sir William Jardine had a bag of birds which Mr Gould told me he knew was sent to him when he was in communication with Mr. B.H. respecting the publication of the [works?] and that Jardine considered only as deposited with him and still had packed up in his hall I therefore wrote to him and have received the accompanying reply. We cannot make certain that we have all the specimens sent home without we had the opportunity of examining [his/this] bag and it is curious that Sir William should have considered that he was not at liberty to described or figure the specimens if they were absolutely given to him. Willyam communicated with Mr. Hodgson respecting them

Yrs very truly

J.E. Gray
10 Feb 1843

To Sir William Jardine

20 [10?] Feb[ruary] 1843

Dear Sir William

Mr. Hodgson [having/has?] given his collection to the British Museum on condition that we allowed Mr Howard to have them to figure and that we gave Mr Hodgson a catalogue of all the specimens he had sent. He gave me directions to procure specimens from the Zoological Society and other places where they might have been deposited and Mr Gould told me that had a bag from Mr Hodgson which he said was sent to you when you were refered to respecting the publication of the [Mr H's] plates and that he felt certain that you regarded them as only deposited with you and that you had them in the bag in your [hall?] still packed up such being the case I consider that I was by the general direction I had received called upon to send to you respecting them. Hoping you will under these circumstances excuse my mistake.

Believe me yours truly

J.E. Gray

Knowsley
June 29 1844

To B.H. Hodgson
Bengal Civil Service
Longport
Canterbury

[?] Hotel
Vere Street
Oxford Street
London

Sir
I have this morning [?] with yours of the 23rd Inst. and beg to return my best acknowledgements for your kind assistance not on this account alone but on many others previous as I have been fully informed by [Wm. J. Smith?] of the ready aid you have always afforded in enabling him to carry out my wishes of obtaining the various interesting productions of the Hemmaleh Countries, altho' I regret to think in how many instances your kind exertions in my favour have been frustrated by the conjoint efforts of the changed climate and the length of the voyage which has been particularly distressing in the case of the Pheasants of which I fear I must say that the only individual which ahs survived the transit and still does in a very fair specimen of the male [Thos. lineates of Latham/Khatam?] which however we cannot induce to cross with the Hens of any other kind. I earnestly hope that those announced in tour present letter may prove more successful by [?] Smith's advice. I am about to send out in the next Month a person from hence to aid William L. on the spot in the care of the young animals and to take charge of them on their transit to this country partly by the overland and partly by the sea voyage. This person is my principal superintendent here and he will take an assistant or two with him to promote this division of the forces on the return. If you sh[oul]d happen to see Mr. Ogilby or Drs. [Royle] or Falconer, they can tell you the whole of the Plan and [?] [?] remaining in London. When he goes up, I shall return to give him a letter of introduction to you in order that he may profit by any hints you may be disposed to afford him. Should you be aware by what ship the animals your letter has announced to me will be conveyed you will much oblige me by this intelligence, that I may put in train the requisite enquiries after them

I remain Sir
Your very much obliged
Derby

Calcutt 1st July 1844

Per overland via Southampton

B.H. Hodgson
Care Messrs Coutts & Son
London

PRIVATE

My dear Sir

The enclosed I thought you would like to see and both Torrens and myself are desirous that you should known that we at least are not to blame in this dirty job which is neither more nor less than disgraceful for it at least or best deprived you of the honour of simultaneous discovery and publication. My [notice] was written much fuller and stronger for I detailed all the various untruisms in what Blyth had been [?] by us officialy and [?] of this beautiful plate and specifically that at the wanting to your honour though Sciurop.dx was produced, not a syllable was said by him!
[?] from us again as you will of course send the Sc. we will manage with your contribution as in the case of [?] for i doubt not that though in [?] you will bear us in mind for any thing which may offer to you[r] Zoological, Geolog. or Mineralogy etc. I shall be most happy to [?] to yourself or friends here be assured. We are just bringing our poor Herbert's geol. map of the Himalayas effodiated from the shelves of Leadenhall Street and a very creditable one it is.

Pray believe me very f[aith]f[ully] yours
H. Piddington

X Torrens did not like to be too full less it might appear personal. Pray [?] if the Mag. Nat History Society between 70 and 85 and we known we (Society) are made footstools of it

To Brian Houghton Hodgson

26 July 1844
Brit. Mus.

My Dear Sir

I am sorry that you did not tell me you intended to send me a preamble or I would have directed the press to have been stoped to insert it when sent, the list was printed off last Friday with the corrections you made when you read the list over here. I don't think its important as very ornithologist of any reputation will duly estimate the value of the list and clearly see that it was prepared so as kindly to over look any errors in the nomenclature any they must be fully aware whenever your numerous and valuable papers have appeared if they are not, their appearance in my estimations would not be worthy of attention. The last was made out with care and verified so I don't see how any species could have been left out. Mr Brother desired Longmans & Co to send you the genera as he understood, you ordered him to do so. If you don't wish to keep it please send it back to him here, as soon as convenient Mr. brother assures me he has not in any way interfered with nor copied any of your [novelties?] nor will he do so without your express permission. The Indian Vulture was figured from a specimen from Bengal given to the Museum by General Hardwicke to which my brother had given a new name but when your list was received, he finding that you had already named it, out of compliment to you he adopted your name instead of his own. I have directed the duplicate specimens of your collection to be packed together into the Boxes. Shall they be sent to you? and what is the best manner of doing so. I know nothing of Mr [Howard] nor of his Proceedings nor of the specimens he has. I shall be detained in town until the end of the month by the marriage of my friend so that if you are ready, I can still come to make the selection
Believe me Dear Sir
Y[ou]rs Very Truly

J.E. Gray

Note
The duplicates amount to almost 860 birds and [20/28] Mammalia
the latter are all in bad condition

Express overland
B.H. Hodgson Esq
Care of Messrs Coutts & Co
Strand, London

Sept 21 1844
Calcutta

My dear Hodgson

[Maddock?] sent me a few weeks ago an extract from a letter of yours [reverting] to the publication of your Zoological Drawings by Mr. Howard I would gladly do my utmost in furtherance of so desirable an object but as I told Maddock I thought you were in a better position by proximity to artists and publishers to ascertain if at the high rate the drawings must be sold, the subscription could fill and secondly whether the addition of a more obscure name be interested in the progress of the work might not interfere with its success. I did what I could in giving publicity to your prospectus and publishing in the Journal a coloured specimen of your [reduced?[ drawing: I think England and not India is the place to ascertain the two main points noted over page and you will oblige me by letting me know how these stand after enquiring and how you wish me to act. Yours of the 20th July has been sent me by Piddington would you know the arrogance Blyth has given us by disobedience, shuffling and erosion of his duty as we acquire it to be done, you would not wonder at any thing from him, he now says as an excuse for three years delay in editing [B's?] Zoology of the subject on the plates which [?] that he has lost [Dr Ford's?] notes on them! I will see about your papers the man is [deluded?] by that wretched professional English [?] which insists in denying all merit and if possible interfering with all success of any other naturalist more especially one not professional:- the [?] of his finding him has been [?] discussed and I am ready to carry it through for the amount of arrogance I undergo from the jealousy, arrogance smugness and absurd pretentions of all my subordinates in the Society requires a thinking example you shall have by the next mail of the fate of your papers and I hope have copies sent you as desired. Allen & Co have also written good accounts of the progress of the Bust, it's place is empty but the [?] say the vacant pedestal waiting it with impatience at least [?] impatience as that of which [?] I [shall] be proud [?] of having seen these noble busts of great and good names added to our collection in my time [?] Princep, Hodgson: - we are going on in all departments though not exactly straight as in Blyth's and Sir [B] Hardinge will be our President. I trust you enjoy England:- I doubt much if I will see England again. I have played a great game and tried to come in and drew the stakes just as I hoped for success. Let me hear from you, and believe me
Very sincerely
H. Torrens

To B.H. Hodgson
From J.E. Gray

25th Dec 1844
British Museum

My Dear Sir

This will be delivered to your by Mr. Gerard who will pack the specimens and give you an account of them. I have [desired?] him to bring the Thibet items with him by rail and to learn from Mr Masters the best ways of sending of the others.
As soon as I have received the specimens and been able to sort them into kinds I will as once proceed to make the short descriptions you desire of the hitherto undescribed specimens which are marked as not having yet been characterized in the list of your birds which you have promised to send to me and send their descriptions for mention in Taylors Annals of Natural History. It would be more satisfactory if you transmitted with the list the descriptions you have already made on these species that my additions may only be the filling up of any [?] that may be necessary as I consider everything that van be [?] from your own hands so very much more valuable thats what is to be desired from the study of the dry skins and bones and at the same time more satisfactory. As soon as the collection is sorted out and the duplicates distributed into sets for the different Museums according to your letters we will set to work to form the catalogue of them and of the drawings but it would greatly facilitate this affair if you will give me a complete list of your various Papers and the Books in which they have appeared that I may search for them in the India House and other libraries for the local magazines of India very rarely find their way to this country and are even more rare in perfect sets. Hence the great difficulty we experience in knowing when the Indian species are described. This catalogue may be made in 3 or 4 months so as to appear in the Spring. I consider this catalogue of the greatest use as making known where your numerous and very interesting descriptions are to be found for if the works which contains them are rare in London their existence are quite unknown on the Continent and if the Specimens were sent without being accompanied by such work the names would almost all be considered as mere {Mss.?] one and therefore little or not at all recorded. You have more than once accused me of being anxious to grasp at your Collections, in this you quite misunderstand me, my anxiety to have the specimens is more on your own account than any mere wish to increase the Museum Collection which has been increasing at the rate of 20,000 specimens a year for the last 2 or 3 years and will have added more than 27,000 specimens this year. But by your sending a series of specimens to the British Museum there can be no [cavilling?] in time to come your discoveries and the type of your species and you will have them to refer to any time that your Nepal fauna may appear, at the same time it must be owned and nobody can be more willing to allow it than I am that your collection is a most magnificent contribution to the National collections and Science in general. I will use my utmost endeavour to induce some artist to undertake the publication of a selection of your drawings [figuring?] especially the more interesting of the numerous new species which you have discovered for I don't think that it is possible that I could ever find any one to Engrave or purchasers to support the entire series. I say artist for large publishers will never undertake such publications and I believe it is only a person who will devote himself to the work and to getting it into circulation as Mr. Gould does that could make a work of the hands pay its expenses. Should such an artist be found I will give him any assistance in my [?] power as I did to Mr. Howard when he was engaged upon it. If you were going to remain here I should have recommended you to have at once set to work to collect together [reports?] in a systematic form all the very interesting and strikingly novel [research?] and observations with which the backs of your Drawings and Notes Books are filled and to proceed to print them for I believe they would form a work which many publishers would be glad to undertake and which would be a most valuable contribution to [natural?] knowledge, but as your are going back to nearly the same neighbourhood I think it better the work should be delayed for a few years that you may add to it any fresh observations which you may be enabled to make and read it over when it is collected together into an acceptable form to take from it any [repetitions] and add to it the facts that must recur to your memory on such a perusal. When you have your materials together I will peruse and give you any friendly assistance that may occur to a [closet?] and systematic naturalise like myself but I am convinced/concerned from what I have seen of the notes that very little assistance will be wanted from me as I should not recommend you to over[burden?[ the work with dry systematic descriptions taken from the dry skins or measurements which are comparatively of so much less importance than the notes on the structure and habits of an animal or Birds made on the spot by an enlightened and accurate observer like yourself but what ever friendly assistance my numerous and laborious occupations here will allow me to give to the work I shall be most happy to afford though at the same I must decline to take on myself any responsible part in either the publication of the plates of letter press descriptions
Believe me my Dear Sir
Yours Truly
J. E. Gray

To B.H, Hodgson Esq.

To Brian Houghton Hodgson

British Museum
26 Dec 1844

My Dear Sir

Herewith as you wished I send you the following abstract of my letter to the Secretary of the British Museum respecting your collection
"Mr Hodgson wishes the museum to prepare at once "a short description of the new species to appear in one" of the Monthly scientific Journals and then to print a short "catalogue of the specimens and drawings presented by Mr. Hodgson to the Museum referring to where he has described them that he may have the credit of his discoveries which have been very numerous" "The collection of Specimens and Drawings are certainly the most extensive and complete materials which have ever been collected together for the Fauna of any country and of Europe (excepting perhaps those made by Mr Gould in New Holland) and it is very desirable that Mr. Hodgson should have every credit for the very great exertions he has used to make us acquainted with the Natural History and habits of the Mammalia and Birds of the provinces of India and Thibet "with the patronage of the India Company and the list of subscribers which Mr Hodgson informs me he has in India. I think it is very probable that before the end of the two years specified by Mr Hodgson (during which he has reserved to himself the exclusive privilege of using his [figures[ as specimens) It is very probable that some artist with the consent of Mr Hodgson may be induced to undertake the publication of a selection of them. If this should be the case I have promised Mr. Hodgson that every facility and assistance which it can be in the power of the Zoological department (consistent with their other duties) to afford him shall be given to him to forward his wishes.

Yrs very truly
John Edw. Gray

[Written on outside of letter]
1844
Gray's pledges
and report to the Trustees

He promises
1st describe new species within a month
2nd to make catalogue in 3 or 4 months
3rd to exert himself touching publications of Drawings

N.B. Catalogue to be distributed with each set of duplicated forwarded to the following by Brit. Mus. Paris, Leiden, India House, Canterbury, Newcastle, Plymouth, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinbro., Dublin
Their address?