One file of letters from G.S. Puri, Regional botanist, Botanical Survey of India, Wester Circle, Poona to H.R. Fletcher at RBGE describing the development of the Poona herbarium, museum and experimental garden in around 1958. There is discussion of a seed exchange plus a short article on the activities of the Poona herbarium for publication in our journal [was it ever published?].

1 letter, dated 8th November 1830, regarding the donation of a chest of dried plants, the herbarium collection of Dr. Francis Buchanan Hamilton, to the University of Edinburgh, a duplicate set having been given to the East India Company, written by William Blacklock, directed by Hamilton's Trustees, to Prof. Robert Graham.

Around 40 ledgers were transferred from the RBGE Herbarium in October 2023, to which was added the earliest Donations ledger already in the Archives.
List of Ledgers transferred to Archives, October 2023

Accession RBGEA2023/019

Gifts/Exchanges

Donations to Herbarium, 1878-1914 (Feb) (commencing from the Donation List printed in Trans Edin Bot Soc v xiii pt2)

Collections Presented or Purchased, 1923-1930 – small notebook

Purchases / Gifts, 1956-1999

Donation Book – indexed by year – 1902-1958 – foolscap

Exchange book – 1956-1998 - arranged by institution we’re exchanging with – keeps track of exchange tallies to keep to and fro even. Some irregular exchanges listed here with note to see red Irregular exchange book for details (below)

Irregular exchanges, 1979-1999 – details (?) of irregular exchanges listed in above book. (looks like this book was meant for listing expedition accessions, but only 2 expeditions listed in 1998.

Incoming Loans

Loans Received 1956-1964 – small notebook

Loans Received 1964-1969 – small notebook

Incoming Loans (Store Copy) 1966-1986 – boards detached

Incoming Loans 1987-1999 – boards detached

Loans Record for RBGE staff, 1952-1999 – keeping track of what loans belong to RBGE staff members

Outgoing Loans ledgers

1: Loans from 1 April 1955 to 12 December 1958

2: Specimens on loan from 6 December 1958 to 1963, Nos 42/58 to 38/63

3: Specimens on loan, 1963-1965 - 39/63 to 20/65

4: Specimens on loan, 1965-1966 – 21/65 to 106/66

5: Specimens on loan, 1967 – 1/67 to 126/67

6: Specimens on loan, 1967-1969 – 127/67 to 25/69

7: Specimens on loan, 1969-1970 – 26/69 to 59/70

8: Specimens on loan, 1970-1971 – 60/70 to 89/71

9: Specimens on loan, 1972-1973 – 1/72 to 33/73

10: Specimens on loan, (Loans Out) 1973 – 34/73 to 137/73

11: Loans Out, 1974-1975 – 1/74 to 104/75

12: Loans Out, 1975-1977 – 105/75 to part loan 87/77

13: Loans Out, 1977-1978 – 61/77 and cont. loan 87/77 to 161/78

14: Loans Out, 1979-1980 – 1/79 to 177/80

15: Loans Out, 1980-1982 – 178/80 to 77/82

16: Loans 1982-1984 – 78/82 to 26/84

17: Loans 1984-1985 – 27/84 to 60/85

18: Loans 1985-1986 – 61/85 to 130/86

19: Loans 1986-1988 – 131/86 to 4/88

20: Loans 1988-1989 – 5/88 to 66/89

21: Loans 1989-1991 – 67/89 to 7/91

22: Loans 1991-1992 – 8/91 to 99/92

23: Loans 1992-1994 – 100/92 to 91/94(pt)

24: Loans 1994-1995 – 91/94(pt) to 134/95

Outgoing Loans – abbreviated Loan books

Loans Out, 1924-1976 – one-line summaries – fore-runner to day book?

Loans Out, 1977-1992 – one-line summaries – nos 1-134 1/77-134/92

Loans Out, 1992-1999 – 135/92 to 2493 one-line summaries – new numbering system starts in 1995 (no 2004) - next book in sequence - ‘Transactions’ or ‘Day Books’

Day Books / Transactions

Transactions, 1999-2007 – nos 2494-5239 – entries are now colour coded to denote what kind of transaction they are – black- loans out, red- loans in, blue- exchange in and out, green- gift in and out

Transactions, 2007-2012 – nos 5240-6766

Transactions, 2012-2019 – nos 6767-8331

Transactions 2019-2023 – nos 8332-8525, followed by Specify Numbers to 01555 at which point it was decided to discontinue paper ledgers as Specify now used to record all transactions.

Folder of notes comprising Ian Hedge's attempts to discover more about a set of Egyptian specimens in the RBGE Herbarium, mostly incorporating the name of Delile [or Delille, Delisle], but sometimes also, Vahl, Desfontaines, Lippi, Vaillantes or Zorsbial [Forskal?] 'Scattered throughout the Edinburgh herbarium are a number of specimens, probably a few score, which appear from the evidence of the labels, to be an early Egyptian collection. In common with some other of the older collections they are often mounted on sheets which have other specimens and labels on them.' The file includes letters written to other institutions by Ian Hedge with their responses between 1983 and 1986.
The collection also includes a set of correspondence between ,B.L. Burtt and Dr Hagerup, Copenhagen, dating to 1955 and relating to similar/connected collections made by Schumacher, Vahl and Forskal.