Zoological Society of London
11, Hanover Square
London W
June 18th 1858
Dear Sir
I am extremely gratified that the manner in which your new species was published in the Proceedings has met your approbation and I have no doubt that in your memoranda there must be much which would afford interesting matter for future papers.
As Dr. Gray originally suggested to Dr. Horsfield that your new species should be described in the Proceedings, and had, I believe the merit of selecting those which were most suitable for the figures. I have thought it best to consult him on the subject of your letter of the 10th instant especially as he is one of our Vice Presidents and one of the most active members of our Publication Committee. Dr Gray undertakes to examine the collection of Mammalia and Bird Skins, to select such as appear new for description and such as appear to be desirable for the British Museum and he will then pack up and forward the duplications to any Museums or persons whom you may designate. The descriptions we propose to publish in the Society's Proceedings, illustrated as before with extracts from your memoranda. I think a very interesting series of papers may be made in this manner, and I hope you will approve of the plan. I have deposited the skins of Mammalia already received in the care of Dr. Gray. If you will give me an order for receiving the bird skins and box of drawings and Memoranda I will send them to him also, so that the examination of all may be commenced and we may be enabled to bring the papers successfully before the Society when our sittings recommence after the vacation. Your assistance will be required in translating the memo when they are in the Native tongue, but it will be unnecessary to trouble you until the collection has been gone through carefully in the first instance and the probable extent of what we shall have to do ascertained. Mrs Hodgson's pet is quite well. The [cheer?] and three species of [Gullophasis?] are breeding [freely?]. I expect to have near 100 birds in all.
I am Sir
Yours very faithfully
D.W. Mitchell
Belgrave Mansions S[ou]th
30 Jan[uar]y
My dear Hodgson,
I wrote to your yesterday in some hurry from the club and had not y[ou]r letter with me. On referring to the latter I find that you describe the material with wh[ich] you [anticipate?] supplying Marshall as bulky? - Not I know what a valuable collection of drawings you have in those large portfolios of yours and it would be a great treat to me to have them to reach in at my leisure - but please bear in mind that I am only fixed for some 6 months and have but limited space at my command. My [traps?], books, specimens etc. are all at the warehouse hard by Taylor's Depository. Marshall will have to confine his labours to the subject of his special Monograph - the [climbing?] Barbets there is already a question raised as to what families of the order sh[oul]d come into the group thus defined so that for his present purpose he will hardly require many of y[ou]r drawings. Suppose therefore you in the first instance only send y[ou]r ornithology drawings or shall I ascertain from M. what he would like to have of them, before you despatch any. He told you I suppose that he and his brother are only at home on a short leave. They seem to me to have already undertaken more than they can well do during their stay in England and I fear you may be disappointed if you expect much work from them on your materials [?] I say this without the least intention to disparage the bona fides of the 2 brothers in whatever they may have engaged with you to do - they are full of the true Zoolog. enthusiasm and will do their best. I was unable to attend the last meeting of the Z.S. I sh[oul]d probably have met them there, they do a great deal of their work there with [?] Sharpe out librarian whose monograph on the Kingfisher you probably know. Have you seen [Beauves?] Editor of Sir H. Elliot's Glossary he has done his work very well.
S[incerel]y y[our]s
A. Grote
Alderley Grange
Feb[ruary] 2 1870
My dear Marshall
I have your note of yesterday. Why, you are a whole week ahead of the time you [?] when here. I am glad your brother likes the sample of my [work?] which you showed him but you don't say whether he and you are disposed to tackle the huge [residue?]. Let me know but please first see Grote who seems scared for you or himself at the undertaking of [?] it will require lots of room to lay out the contents of the 4 portfolios so as to make a [just?] inspection by the preliminary operation of bringing together from the 4 receptacles wherein they are now scattered pell mell all that related to each species and group. Have you room and leisure for the opperation and for taking the results more or less perfunctorily. Your brother is soon to return and you have only till October with a deal of work already in hand. Perhaps however Grote and you may manage the storage between you - you alone who are a glutton for work may be equal to the [?] of the material and thence to decide the further question of the expediency of advising Hume to [turn?] the whole over to India with a view to incorporation in his work on the General Ornithology of India. Pending the settlement of which point it would seem that the portfolios should rest in London. All I can say is that I am ready to send up the whole as soon as I hear from you and Grote, and to trust you out and out for the fit care and utilisation of my treasures. Never mind about the [lamp?]. Thanks for your thoughtful attention to that trifle. Mrs. H joins me in Kindest Regards
Ever Yours
B.H. Hodgson
Zoological Society of London
11 Hanover Square
London W
13th July 1874
Dear Sir
I have received your letter and enclosed list of the drawings of Mammals which you propose to present to the Society's Library. I need hardly say that we shall receive the valuable collection with great pleasure.
Yours truly
P.L. Sclater
Zoological Society of London
11 Hanover Square
London W
12th Aug[us]t 1874
Sir
I am directed by the Council of this Society to acquaint you with the following resolution which was passed at their meeting held this day. "That B.H. Hodgson Esq. M.Z.S. be admitted a Fellow of the Society without a ballot in accordance with the Bye-Laws, and that his admission fee and [composition?] fee be remitted in acknowledgement of service rendered to Zoological Science, and to the Society"
I am Sir
Your Ob[e]d[ien]t Servant
P.L. Sclater
Secretary
B.H. Hodgson Esq.
Zoological Society of London
11, Hanover Square
London W
12 Aug[us]t 1874
Dear Sir
The enclosed letters will I think, explain themselves and we shall now put your name in the list of Fellows of which I send a copy by this same post with a "double asterisk" before it
Yours truly
P.L. Sclater
B.H. Hodgson Esq.
To Brian H. Hodgson Esq
Political Resident in Nepal
From The Royal Asiatic Society London
My dear Sir,
London 6th July 1836
I have to return you my thanks for your very interesting letter of 28th June 1835. As soon as I received it I called upon Sir James R. Garnac, the then Deputy and the present Chairman of the East India Company. I also called upon Colonel Sykes. I shewed your letter to them, to the first with a view of pointing out to him and through him to the Court of Directors, the value and importance of your intended publication; to the second with the view of ascertaining from him in what manner the Royal Asiatic Society could most effectively forward your object. Sir J.R. Carnac assured me that he was fully aware of the [utiIity?] of such a publication; and that he would give it every encouragement in his power. Colonel Sykes explained to me the nature and extent of the support which you may expect to receive in London. I likewise consulted with your relative the Dean of Carlisle and with Mr. Bennett the secretary of the Zoological Society, and I called the attention of Sir William Jardine, of Jardine Hall in the county of Dumfries to the subject. Sir William who is equally distinguished by the knowledge he possesses of Natural History and by the zeal with which he himself cooperates with others in promoting its ability study, enters very warmly into your views, and has, at my request, as he tells me, written to you explaining the course which he would advise you to pursue. I am convinced that no person in this country is more capable than he is of affording you valuable assistance; and I am therefore extremely happy to find that he has opened a communication directly with you. I shall as soon as you let me know the details of the plan which you have adopted, be most ready to lay them before the Royal Asiatic Society, the Board of Control, and the Court of Directors, and to urge each of these powerful bodies to afford such aid as they may respectively be enabled to do. I shall, in a short time, send out to Lord Auckland a resolution of the Committee of Correspondence, expressive of their sense of the great advantages which the peoples of England and the Natives of India must derive from your exertions, and of their hope that Lord Auckland wiIl both publicly and privately, patronize your researches to the utmost of his power. Allow me to add that all my friends in this country entertain the greatest admiration for the activity which you shew in promoting science and literature and will feel the greatest pleasure in taking every opportunity to make the public aware of the debt of gratitude which all those who have an interest in the improvement of the native of British India ought to acknowledge to you for the able manner in which you have directed your researches to the investigation of questions which are so intimately connected with their happiness and prosperity . I think it of so much importance that your views as to the Natural History of India should be generally known on the continent of Europe and in America that I shall have your letter to me upon this subject published in the next number of the Quarterly Journal of the R.A. Society, a work which has I understand a very extensive circulation. I send you a copy of the Proceedings of the last Anniversary meeting of the R.A.S. By this you will be able to see that I alluded to your
plan in my Report as Chairman of the Committee of Correspondence.
I remain etc etc
(Signed)
Alexander Johnston
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
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