Mss Eur E72

One hundred and four folios of drawings in water-colour and pen and ink depicting Gangetic Fishes, made under the supervision of Francis Buchanan (later Buchanan-Hamilton, 1762-1829).

103 fishes are illustrated, one fish (No.65 and 66) occupying two folios. A coloured side view is usually given with a dorsal view in outline. Sometimes a third illustration or only a coloured side view is given.

Some of these pictures were probably made between 1798 and 1800 in Baruipur, Twenty Four Parganas. Others were made during the surveys of 1807-14. A volume of notes accompanies these drawings (Mss Eur E70) and according to them drawings would appear to have been made of specimens at 'Roopgunje, 1807', 'Nathpur, 3rd August 1810', 'Patna, 7th April 1812' etc.

The drawings are inscribed with the Latin name and the Bengali in both roman and Bengali scripts. Notes by Buchanan appear on some drawings , such as f.88: 'This fin is badly copied. The two last pair of rays should be united so as to form 5 in all.'

The same artist appears to have made all the drawings. Buchanan, while at Baruipur from 1798 to 1800, trained an Indian artist for this work and he may well have worked for Buchanan throughout his career in India.

These drawings were used for making the plates to Buchanan's ‘An Account of the Fishes found in the River Ganges and its Branches’ (Edinburgh, 1822). Ninety-eight drawings were used for 39 plates; ff.100-104 of the manuscript were not printed.

Buchanan was handicapped in the production of his book by the loss of the survey drawings made between 1807 and 1814 which Lord Moira ordered to be kept in India. These may be the drawings of fishes which McClelland saw at the Botanic Garden, Calcutta, in 1836 and which were transferred to the Library of the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1842 or 1843. In the manuscript preface to his book (Mss Eur E71) Buchanan writes, 'I have to regret, that the number of plates is so small owing to my having been deprived of the drawings of 144 fishes. These together with drawings of 20 quadrupeds, of 241 birds and 130 plants the Government of Bengal at the instigation of the Earl of Moira took from me by one of those mean exertions of power, into which a weak man thrust into high authority is liable to fall.'

The Marquis Wellesley appears to have had copies made of many of these drawings The volume of fish drawings in his Collection (NHD36) contains several duplicates of Buchanan's illustrations.

This volume of Buchanan's drawings, together with the notes, was received by the Library on 12th November 1823.