Mss Eur D723

Notebooks and papers of Professor Augustus Frederic Rudolf Hoernle (1841-1918), oriental scholar, including papers relating to the proposed publication of `An ancient medical MS from Eastern Turkestan'.

The collection originally comprised four notebooks and a file case of correspondence relating to a proposed volume II of Manuscript remains of Buddhist literature found in Eastern Turkestan (volume 1: Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1916). It also contained a packet of fragments which were removed and put with the Hoernl India Office Sanskrit fragments (Note dated 20.9.67 by A.F.Thompson ).

Two of the notebooks (nos 21 and 22 below) contain drafts of the proposed work: 'An ancient medical manuscript from Eastern Turkestan'. This is an edition and translation of the Khotanese Jivaka-pustaka, Stein MS Ch.ii.003, as far as folio 72r. Two extracts from it: ff 44ai - 47biii and 64aiv - 65ai were published and overlooked by later scholars (cf. R.E.Emmerick in BSOAS, XLV.2, 1982 p. 343 and A guide to the literature of Khotan. 2nd ed., Tokyo: The International Institute for Buddhist Studies, 1992, pp 42-3) as 'An ancient medical manuscript from Eastern Turkestan' in Commemorative essays presented to Sir Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar. Poona: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 1917, pp 415-432 (Reprinted with the title R.G. Bhandarkar commemoration volume. Delhi: Bharatiya Pub. House, 1977.)

The file case contains mostly registers and lists of fragments sent out to various scholars. Some of which were published in Manuscript remains vol. 1. These are categorized as: "S.A. Sanskrit. Complete" - "S.B. Sanskrit. Large fragments" - "S.C. Small fragments in Sanskrit" - "M. Miscellaneous" - "M.BL. Misc. biliteral" - "M.BD. Misc. Brahmi document" - "M.N. Misc. Nestorian Syriac" - "NS.B. Non-Sanskritic mss. Large fragments".

(The file case (f 513) as described by Hoernl on the cover originally contained: General registers of mss fragments sent out to scholars, in three parts: SA,SB,SC. All Sanskrit, Special register of ms fragments sent to Dr Thomas (with correspondence), Special register of ms fragments sent to Dr Barnett , Special register of ms fragments sent to Professor L ders, Register of miscellaneous bilingual and non-Sanskritic mss, Folder of registers of mss, arranged according to language and scripts, enclosed in envelope, Register of Khotani ms fragments sent to Sten Konow, Register of Kuchari ms fragments sent to Prof. S. L vi and returned by him.)

Most of the lists detail the number of folios; the size; consignment number; condition; number of lines; and the script (Kal1 = Calligraphic 1st class; Kal 2 = Calligraphic 2nd class; Ord = ordinary; and Blank).

Additionally, each item was circled according to whom it was sent for examination. The numbers circled in blue were sent to Dr Thomas, the numbers circled in red were sent to Dr Barnett and the numbers circled in red and blue were sent to Prof. L ders. Some of the items have been annotated in red 'Read p. 1 [etc].