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Papers of Bertram Sidney Thomas, 1930-1940, including lists and notes on observations made during his expedition to southern Arabia, 1930: appendices to article by Thomas, 'A Journey into Rub' Al Khali: The Southern Arabian Desert', The Geographical Journal, Vol. 77, No. 1 (Jan, 1931), pp. 1-31; and astronomical observations, Arabia, 1930-1931.

Papers of Francis Rodd, including typescript copies of journals and astronomical and hypsometric records on expeditions to Air and the southern Sahara, 1922 and 1927. Seven folders of notes and correspondence relating to the same expeditions: notes on the Sahara from authorities of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; journal of route in 1927, with geographical and meteorological notes; drawings, unused chapters of Rodd's book People of the veil; copies of rock drawings, drafts for book lectures; diary, 1927; correspondence concerning the planning and conclusion of the expedition; papers on special subjects arising out of the 1927 expedition including botanical, anthropological and archaeological; survey notes; notes on instruments and chronometer ratings and letters from Francis and Peter Rodd to their parents, May-Jun 1927.

Library Manuscripts comprise manuscript items donated to the Royal Geographical Society. They are chiefly single files or a small number of items which are not large enough to warrant forming a special collection. The papers include, astronomical and meteorological observations, diaries, correspondence, notes, conference papers, reports, articles, photographs, sketches and maps covering all aspects of geography and exploration across the globe and date from 1691 to 1994. Highlights include:

Memorandum on a map of South America, by John Arrowsmith.

Papers of Maj R A Bagnold, 1929-1933, comprising positions, routes and heights in Egypt and letters from Bagnold.

Letters from Sir John Barrow to Lord Melville, 1935-1945 and letters to Barrow from Murzuq, 1822 and J D Dundas, 1818.

Papers of Dr Heinrich Barth, 1846-1952, letters and copy of a sketch map of Timbuktu.

Notes on heights of mountains in America by Capt F W Beechey, 1826.

Letters from the King of Siam to Sir John Bowring, 1855.

Letters relating to the British Arctic Air Route Expedition, 1928-1932.

Correspondence and reports of the British Ornithologists' Union Expedition to New Guinea, 1908-1911.

Papers of G Wyman Bury, 1913-1918.

Papers of Capt R F M Crozier, 1836-1906.

Account of a journey to Lhasa and central Tibet by Sarat Chandra Das, 1902.

Papers of Lt James Barker Emery, chiefly relating to Mombassa, 1822-1835.

Plan and elevation of the Screw Yacht FRAM as reconstructed in 1898.

'Narrative of a small party of HMS LEVEN under command of Lt C W Browns sent to explore the Zambesi by one of the survivors, a native of Angola', by Antonio Jozi, 1823.

Journal of Joseph Kaye's voyage from London to Genoa.

Papers and maps relating to William Kennish's exploration in South America for a canal route.

Papers relating to the Kufara expedition led by H W C J Penderel and P A Clayton to Gilf Kebir, 1933.

Papers relating to the Livingstone Award, 1875-1970.

H B Molesworth's diary of a journey to Mokalla (Mukalla), 1893.

Letters from Sir John Morrison to Henry Dundas and others concerning Persia and trade with Persia, 1783-1792.

Narrative of a shipwreck on the southern shores of Arabia by B A R Nicholson, 1836.
Correspondence of Walter Oudney, 1821-1823.

Papers of Adm Sir W E Parry, relating to the Arctic, 1819-1823.

Papers relating to the Pitcairn Islands, 1831-1885.

Annotated 'Code of Naval Signals' belonging to Adm Sir Home Popham, 1799.

Letter from Sultan Husain Sufrari, 1708.

Account of explorations on the coast of Patagonia by B Villarino, 1782.

Travel journals of J Washington, chiefly in South America, 1822-1829.

Letters to A F R Wollaston, 1896-1926.

Observation files by Robert Lawrence Reid including two angle books, time book, astronomical observations and barometric readings, Anewimi region, 1905-1909. Journal MSS: 1902, 'Some explorations in Portuguese East Africa'.

Observation file of Capt Temple Leighton Phipson-Wybrants, Mozambique, 1880, comprising many pages of astronomical observations and calculations to establish latitude or logitude; some simple sketch maps of various locations; some references to Mr Coles' 'training instructions in the use of instruments, mapping, etc.'

Papers of W O McEwan, 1884-1885, including four field notebooks, Apr 1884 - May 1885, of a journy from Durban to Mozambique via the Zambezi river, Livingstonia and Karonga on Lake Nyasa and of a journey from Lake Nyasa to Lake Tanganyika; astronomical observations, on river Kwaka and at the African Lakes Corporation station at Maruru, British East Africa, May 1884; notes taken on route from Lake Nyasa to Lake Tanganyika, including particulars of the countries passed through, notes on an alternative route from Chirimadamusi to [Diumkorolo]; three sketch maps of British East Africa and aprinted map of 'Route survey Nyassa to Tanganyika by James Stewart, 1879' with red ink line of 'proposed variation' added.

Papers of Alfred Percival Maudslay, 1885-1891, relating to the Yucatan peninsula including four notebooks from the Yucatan including some diary entries and observations for positions and notes on excavations, 1886, 1887, 1889 and 1891, and astronomical computations, Yucatan peninsula, 1885.

Papers of Sir William Macgregor relating to Labrador, 1902-1909, including astronomical observations, Labrador, 1902-1908; letters from the Hydrographic Office, 1905 and letter from Macgregor to Grenfell, 24 Nov 1909.

Papers of David Livingstone including autograph letters and articles; one small watercolour; copies of letters to various correspondents; a notebook of astronomical observations and many letters and copies of letters from relations; friends and the Foreign Office referring to Livingstone.

Papers relating to the period 1850-1852, including a letter from Livingstone to William Cotton Oswell dated from Kuruman Sept 20 1852 which contains an account of the activities of the Boers around Kuruman and towards Sechele and copies of letters, 1850-1851, to the London Missionary Society. (9 items)

Papers, 1853-1857, principally concerning the expedition to Loanda, Linyanti and the Victoria Falls. These include 10 letters from Livingstone in Africa, 1853-1856, reporting to the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) on the progress of the expedition, the discovery of the Victoria Falls etc (long extracts from these letters were published by the RGS); a letter dated [25 Aug 1856] to the Editor of the 'Athenaeum' discussing 'easy chair versus field geography'; 18 letters from English addresses, Jan 1857-Feb 1858 to Dr Norton Shaw (the Society's Secretary) in which Livingstone asks for information on the mouth of the Zambesi, requires a copper boat, comments on his book, maps, family matters and the London Missionary Society; copies of letters from Livingstone to E Gabriel from Cassange, 14 Feb 1855, to Mr Sturge from Tette, 11 Dec 1858 and to Mr Layard from Bombay, 28 Sep 1865. (76 items)

Papers, 1858-1865, concerning the expedition to the Shiré, Zambesi and Lake Nyasa. These include 8 letters from Livingstone in Africa 1860-1864, to Sir Roderick Murchison and Dr Norton Shaw at the RGS reporting on the progress of the expedition; a small watercolour of the Victoria Falls; a report on the navigation of the Zambesi; an article in which Livingstone summarises proceedings of the expedition and activities of Universities Mission [probable date Jan 1862]; letters from Mary Livingstone to Dr. Norton Shaw, 1858 and 1860; copies of 19 letters from Livingstone to Macgregor Laird, the Foreign Office, Sir Thomas Maclear, E. Gabriel, the Rev A Monk, 1858-1862. (54 items).

Papers, 1865-1873, concerning Livingstone's last expedition. These include 3 letters from Livingstone to Sir Roderick Murchison, 2 Feb 1867; to Sir Thomas Maclear 8 Jul 1868, to Sir Henry Rawlinson dated from South Central Africa 1873 [probably written in early April, and the last known communication addressed by Livingstone to any official of the RGS]; a notebook of astronomical observations 1872-1873; a collection of news cuttings of 1872 about Livingstone and H M Stanley; copies of 17 letters from Livingstone to the Foreign Office, Sir Bartle Frere, Dr. John Kirk, Sir Roderick Murchison and Mr Seward; letters of Dr. John Kirk, H A Churchill and others communicating news and rumours about Livingstone. (60 items).

Papers relating to the death and funeral of Livingstone. (11 items).

Papers of John Walter Greogory, 1903-1922, including photostat of annual report of the Secretary for Mines and Water Supply to D McLeod, State of Victoria Australia, including a report by Gregory, Director of the Geological Survey, 1903; hyposometric and astronomical observations, Yunnan and Tibet, 1913; and notes and letters from E A Reeves and A R Hinks of the Royal Geographical Society to J W Gregory and C J Gregory, 1921-1922.

Papers of Sir David Gill, [1870-1920], including approximately 1000 letters addressed to Gill, chiefly scientific in content, written in the 1870s and in the first decade of the 20th century; letters relating to awards and orders received by Gill, 1891-1913 and printed report on the initiation and progress of the geodetic survey of Rhodesia.

Observations by James Baillie Fraser, 1820-1821, including astronomical observations on a journey from Bushire to Tehran, 1821 and observations for latitude time and longitude from Lucknow to Bombay, 1820-1821.

Papers of and relating to Percy Fawcett including 'The exploration of the Rio Aquiry', 1906-1907; letters to Reginald Pound, 1923 and to the editor of World Wide Magazine, 1923; report to the Royal Anthropological Institute, London, 15 Nov 1951, on some human remains brought from Brazil by Senor Chateaubriand and thought to be those of P. H. Fawcett; astronomical observations, Bolivia-Peru boundary and Bolivia-Brazil boundary, 1908-1910; 'The new frontier between Bolivia and Peru', 1910 and papers relating to the search for Col Fawcett.

Papers of Maj Henry Hugh Peter Deasy, including astronomical observations, Lucknow, 1896-1897; route book Baltit to Sinkiang, 1897-1898; meteorological notebook, Sinkiang, 1897-1899 and meteorological notebook with entries by Arnold Pike, Deasy's companion, on journey from Leh to Lanak La, 1896.