Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 4. (1951)
HOMMA, Josef Karl: Die Herrschaftsarchive des Burgenlands
Indien 283 early survey activities undertaken by the officers of the East India Company and various survey organisations of the Government of India, throw a flood of light on the condition of life as lived in India during the 18th and the early 19th centuries. Among the most important papers in this collection are: Paper on Astronomical Observations (1789—1828), Lambton and Evarest Papers (1801—1825), Du Vernet Records on Himalayan Survey (1841—1843, 1848—1854) and Journal and Journeys in Tibet 1861. Most interesting from the Indian point of view are the papers relating to Indian Surveyors such as — Papers of Kushal Singh and Ghanashyam Das on Punjab and Kashmir Survey (1809), and particularly the collection of papers relating to Radhanath Sikdar (1849—57) one of the most brilliant Indians to have ever been associated with the Survey of India. Equally important were the efforts made by this Department to induce other agencies of the Government of India to transfer their records to the custody of the National Archives of India where they could be afforded better protection. A circular letter was issued by the Department in this behalf inviting information on the archival assets of each agency, to which replies are still awaited. The Department, one notices with pleasure, was more successful with regard to its project of acquiring the old records of the late Political Department as well as those of its many agencies scattered all over India. The Government of India who had inherited the records from His Excellency the Crown Representative on the termination of paramountcy agreed to transfer all of these to the National Archives repository. The records have begun to pour in and will form one of the most valuable possessions of Central Archives. Records of Indian interest in foreign repositories. Another project of this Department connected with the field of acquisition which deserves to be specially noted is that of obtaining microfilm copies of records and other historical documents of Indian interest from foreign archival repositories and libraries. The National Archives of India was able to collect during the year valuable information on important collection of records housed in the Register House, Scotland, and in the custody of Earl Stair at Loch inch Stranraer. Among other collections about which information was compiled were those relating to the famous mission of Chinappa Naik to Denmark and Danish activities in India, deposited in the Norwegian Archives, and the records on French activities in India, housed in the Mauritius archives. The Department also acquired from the Archives of the French India Historical Society photo-copies of several Persian Records bearing on early French activities in India. Among other Record offices contacted in this behalf include the Archives Nationales, the Bibliothéque Nationale, Paris. The Archives of the Ministry of Marine, France; the Bodleian Library, Oxford, and the British Museum. One learns with satisfaction that much of the preliminary ground relating to the work was covered during the year under report.
