Showing 18 results

Canterbury Dec '27 1844

J.E. Gray Esq
Keeper Zoological Dept
British Museum

Sir,

With reference to the series of my drawings presented to the British Museum I have the honor to state to you that on refering to my own original drawings from which those above averted to were copied for transmission to England, I find the original Drawings to be in number as follows
2/ Anatomical and quasi anatomical

1. Mammals - 94 108 Sheets
   Birds - 14
   Ordinary or Non-Anatomical
2. Mammals
   Bats 7 Sheets
   Quadrupeds 245 Sheets
   111 Birds
   Old and new Series 826 Sheets

IV Fishes, Snakes, Lizards
Frogs and Tortoises 24 Sheets

3/ Of the above a nearly complete Series of Nos 11 and 111 were transmitted to England in regular numerical order on the smaller scale of about 20 inches by 12, and, previously there had been sent more than half of the series of [ruder] execution and upon a much larger scale.
4/ Of the anatomical series or No. 1 only portions were sent to England, and frequently in connexion with the Drawings of the species in question So also of the series No 1V only a small portion was ever transmitted.
5/ Nevertheless the total of drawings transmitted from India exceeded what would seem to have been received by you ad the deficiency in your series appears to be so great particularly in the small sized drawings that I am led to request you will be pleased to give me a fresh and a careful Statement of all the Drawings you possess distinguished into greater and lesser sized ones, with the additional information when and whence you received them.
6/ You will kindly let me have this information as soon as possible in order that I may institute inquiries myself at the several channels of transmission
7 you have recently received from me 52 sheets of Birds and 10 of Mammals and I have this day delivered to your [Apt.?] 19 more sheets of Birds and 1 of mammals these which are the [sequel?] of the small series and ought nearly to complete it you will be pleased to include in your Statement as above requested.
8/ There can be no question that a considerable number of Drawings despatched from India is not forthcoming at present if I may judge by the rough Memo left with me by you for my species amount to 823 as per margin
Nepal Mammals 126
Birds 656
Tibet Mammals 47
and, not to mention that the larger Series of Drawings was far advanced in the copying when the lesser series was began there was not only a nearly complete series on the smaller scale transmitted to England (inclusive of those delivered at Canterbury as above noted) but also several repeated and amended delineations of the same species in that series, particularly among the quadrupeds; and lastly, in the new and small series of Drawings there were seldome more than one species delineated on the same sheet, so that there should be on the whole pretty nearly as many sheets as species
I have the honor to be
Signed
B.H. Hodgson

To B.H. Hodgson

Lord Derby wrote to me that you have written to him shall I send off his box of Specimens? The list of Drawings only refer to The Mammalia

My Dear Sir
The list sent are correct in the numbers but the names as I am aware are ludicrously wrong but this arrived from the ignorance of the copyer but I thought you would be able to recognise them when you send them back the names shall be corrected. It was quite impossible to describe the new species until the whole collection was [sorted?] that the new and old might be compared and you appeared so fearfull that we should keep all that I concluded the sooner we could get the duplicates out of the Museum the better you would be please. The Mammalia their Heads and Horns exclusive of the of the more or less imperfect skeletons which are not yet unpacked have been sorted as follows
Skins Head and Horns
British Museum 170 195
Skins Skull and Horns
Collection n. 1 102 Ind. H
n. 2 78 ? [Leiden]
n. 3 48 Paris
n.4 37 Berlin
Collection Skull etc for Col. Surg 50 [58]
Horns for India House 45
Collection 5 - 7 For Mus. Frankf
6 - 1 [?] taken by Mr. Ogilby
Horns [Promican?] to Mus. Canterbury 2-

Bird Skins
British Museum 1753
No 1. Leyden M 655
2 Paris Leyden 536
4 Berlin 411
5 Frankfurt 352
6 321
7 290
8 259
No 9 237
No 10 213
11 205
12 169

The birds names are nearly finished I much fear that there are many errors in the numbering of them two very differing kind[s] having the same number and the Bills shew they evidently do not belong to the genus of the [?]

We have seen no more of Mr. Howard. Have you written to Mr Rees of the Zool. Soc. about the Drawing? I believe they have no or very few Birds [Bones] at the Zool. Soc. The anatomical museum I mentioned was Haslar near Gosport under the care of Dr. John Richardson the arctic traveller.
Yours ever
J.E. Gray

Canterbury Dec 27th 1844

J.E. Gray Esq
Keeper Zoological
Dept. British Museum

Sir,

With reference to the series of my drawings presented to the British Museum I have the honour to state to you that in refering to my own original drawings, from which those above averted to were copied for transmission to England. I find these original drawings to be in number as follows
2/ Anatomical and quasi anatomical
1/ Mammals 94
Birds 14 108 Sheets

 Ordinary or Non-Anatomical Mammals

11 Bats 7 Sheets
Quadrapeds 245

111 Birds
Old and New Series 826 Sheets

1V Fishes, Snakes, Lizards 24 Sheets
Frogs and Tortoises

3/ Of the above a nearly complete series of nos 11 and 111 were transmitted to England in regular numerical order on the smaller scale of about 20 inches by 12 and previously there had been sent a more than half of a series of ruder execution and upon a much larger scale
4 of the anatomical series or No. 1 only portions were sent to England and frequently in conjunction with the drawing of the species in questions. So also of the series No 1V only a small portion was ever transmitted

5/ Nevertheless the total of drawings transmitted from India exceeded what would seem to have been received by you; and the deficiency in your series appears to be [?] great particularly in the smaller sized drawings that I am led to request you will be pleased to give to me a fresh and careful statement of all the Drawings you possess distinguished into greater and lesser sized ones, and with the additional information when and whence you received them
6/ you will kindly let me have this information as soon as possible in order that I may [institute?] inquiries myself at the several channels of transmission
7/ you have recently received from me 52 sheets of Birds [210] of Mammals and I have this day delivered to your Apt. 19 more sheets of Birds and 1 of Mammals. These which are the sequel of the small series and ought nearly to complete it be pleased to include in your statement as above requested. There can be no question that a considerable number of the drawings despatched from India is not forthcoming at present if I may judge by the rough memo left with me by you, for, my species amount to 823 as per margin and not to mention that the larger series of Drawings and began far advanced in the copying when the lesser series was began there was not only a complete series on the smaller scale transmitted to England (inclusive of those delivered at Canterbury as above noted) but also several repeated and amended delineations of the same in that series particularly among the quadrupeds, and, lastly, in the new and small series of Drawings there [?] more than one species delineated on the same sheets so that there should be on the whole pretty nearly usually as many sheets as species
I have the honor etc
B.H. Hodgson

[Notes in Margin]
Nepal
Mammals 126
Birds 656
Tibet
Mammals 47[1]

To B.H. Hodgson

13 Feb. 1845

Dear Sir
The Boxes of Birds have now been examined and divided into four collections thus

British Museum 352 Specimens
Collection No. 1 140 "

• No. 2 79 "
• No. 3 40 "
  Besides these are 52
  either evidently [?[ named or not named at all which are therefore of comparatively little use to any person. Pray indicate who is to have Series 1.2.3 I have kept every horn of the [Javai] but evident duplicates you will observe that I have now put aside to keep in the Museum a complete series of the Skulls and Horns of Mammalia and of the Bones of the Birds. I have not as yet done anything with regard to the more or less imperfect skeletons of the Mammalia which are evidently are not filled. For the Zoological Collection (as I told you when first I saw them) but I hope to have to communicate with you respecting them hereafter.
  If you will sign the inclosed order and return it to me I will send to Mr. Rees from the Drawings of Birds which I hear they have lately finished.
  Yours very truly
  J.E. Gray
  13 Feb 1845

To B.H. Hodgson
Long Port
Canterbury

23 April 1845

My dear Sir

The description of the Mice and Shrews were printed in the Annals but I have not received any separate copies so that I cannot send them to you. My brother sent the descriptions of the bird you indicated but they are to be printed in the Annals [Journal?] for May as they had no more room. I don't know what is [?] with respect to the Paper on Birds sent to the Zoological Society. We have not yet received the drawings of the Mammalia but that is not much importance as they can be added to the catalogues as soon as they arrive and as the Birds require much more time for their examination and comparison than I expected, the absence of this [head?] drawing have so far caused no delays I am going to Leyden [Leiden?] on the first of May for a few days and I shall take that opportunity to make some comparisons.

Yours Very Truly
J.E. Gray

[Note on back of letter]
1845
J.E. Gray
Papers printed by him on the [Murines?] and some Birds

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?

To B.H. Hodgson

British Museum
Feb 6th 1845

My dear Sir

I saw in looking over the list of Birds that the Tibetan Pheasant that the 2 [Grandalleus[em] Caldeola?] has not been marked, it was at the stuffers when the list was being prepared, so it escaped, we did not retrieve any specimens of the Ganges Pelican but only a head. Besides the [587?] Birds distributed according to the list there are numerous specimens in so bad a state as not to be of any use to any person. What shall be done with them?
The catalogue we are preparing will contain a detailed list of every specimen we have received from you between 1840 and now. I send herewith a list of the Mammalia shewing how they and their bones have been distributed. If you let me have the list of Birds for a day the distribution of the Birds since should be added to it.
I should recommend the Bird Bones to be sent

1. To Coleges of Surgeons
2. To Museum Haslar Hospital the second best anatomical hospital in England
3. Leyden
4. Paris
   2, 3 and [?] will be very small in number. Mr. Strickland has written to say he's very much obliged to you for having given him some of your birds. I saw his note
   Yrs very truly
   J.E. Gray

My brother desires me to inform you the Sun Birds stuffed they come to 1. 5. 0 case and all. Shall they be sent to Canterbury or where. I here from Mr. Rees that they have found 50 drawings of Birds at the Zoological Society but they say they are waiting for your instruction to deliver them. Pray write to them.