| Order number: |
CWM/LMS/China/Personal/Box 3c
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| Summary: |
Includes:
Note in Morrison's hand, 8 Jan 1825, commiting entire control of his Chinese Library to the London Missionary Society, and indicating his wish that the Society would "appoint some person to make himself acquainted with the Chinese Library, to keep it in order, to attend a few hours, once a week, or once a month, when the Mission Museum is open, for the purpose of exhibiting the Books & curiosities, to those who are interested concerning China & its Mission...".(1p);
Manuscript, "Outline of a proposed Academy for the purpose of instructing missionaries destined to the East in the languages of their respective stations, and of communicating to them other important Oriental knowledge previous to their embarkation", n.d. (8pp);
Printed subscription form entitled "The Late Rev Dr Morrison's Chinese Library", circulated by Morrison's Trustees to raise money from the public for the purchase of his Library and its donation to "one of the most eminent Literary Institutions of the Metropolis" [1835], (3pp);
Letter from the Librarian at University College London Library, 3 May 1935, confirming the transfer of the Morrison Chinese Library to the School of Oriental Studies at the time of the institution of that School (1p)
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| Previous numbers: |
CWM/LMS/China/Personal/Box 3
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| Extent: |
4 items (15pp)
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| Admin history: |
The Morrison Collection at the School of Oriental & African Studies comprises the Chinese books accumulated by Dr Robert Morrison (1782-1834), the first Protestant missionary to China, during his sixteen years residence in Guangzhou (Canton) and Macao between 1807 and 1823, together with a small number of nineteenth century additions to the collection. Morrison's English language books and the Chinese books that he collected after his return to China in 1826 up until his death in 1834 were donated by his son to the Morrison Education Society, and were ultimately given to the University of Hong Kong where they formed the basis of its Morrison Library. [Source: Catalogue of the Morrison Collection of Chinese Books, Andrew C. West (SOAS, 1998)].
Robert Morrison's design in bringing his Chinese Library to England in 1824 was to offer it as a free gift to his country, provided it could be used as the means of establishing a school for the study and cultivation of the Chinese language. Not meeting with encouragement in this primary design, he projected a Society under the title of 'The Language Institution', to whose apartments in Bartlett's Buildings the Library was transferred. The object of the Institution was to give instruction all persons desirous of obtaining a knowledge of the Chinese and other Oriental languages, which would additionally be free to all those wishing to use this knowledge for the propagation of Christianity. Morrison himself attended and gave instruction in Chinese to several pupils. After his return to China, the Institution languished, and at length was closed. The Library was then placed under the care of Trustees in the headquarters of the London Missionary Society. Following Morrison's death in 1834, his trustees decided to seek subscriptions from the public for the purchase of the Library. In 1837 the Library was presented to University College, London. In 1917 the School of Oriental Studies (now SOAS) was opened, and University College London agreed to transfer the Library to the School. The transfer took place in 1922. |
The Morrison Collection at the School of Oriental & African Studies comprises the Chinese books accumulated by Dr Robert Morrison (1782-1834), the first Protestant missionary to China, during his sixteen years residence in Guangzhou (Canton) and Macao between 1807 and 1823, together with a small number of nineteenth century additions to the collection. Morrison's English language books and the Chinese books that he collected after his return to China in 1826 up until his death in 1834 were donated by his son to the Morrison Educati ... View more |
| Access status: |
Open
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| Language: |
English
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| Copies: |
This material not microfiched. |
| Related material: |
References to Morrison's Chinese Library and his Language Institution can be found amongst the incoming correspondence series in the LMS archives [ref: CWM/LMS/South China/Incoming Correspondence], and also the letterbooks containing correspondence between Morrison and Thomas Fisher [ref: CWM/LMS/China/Personal/Boxes 1-2].
The Morrison Library is held by SOAS Library and can be consulted in the Special Collections Reading Room. Please see the SOAS Library Catalogue for details of individual volumes, or consult the published guide,'Catalogue of the Morrison Collection of Chinese Books', by Andrew West (SOAS, 1998). A manuscript copy of Morrison's catalogue of his Chinese Library is available in SOAS Special Collections, ref: MS 80823. A manuscript copy of the UCL Catalogue of the Morrison Chinese Library is also available, ref: MS 58685. Papers relating to his library, 1916-1926, can be found at ref: MS 226830, SOAS Library Book Exchange. |
References to Morrison's Chinese Library and his Language Institution can be found amongst the incoming correspondence series in the LMS archives [ref: CWM/LMS/South China/Incoming Correspondence], and also the letterbooks containing correspondence between Morrison and Thomas Fisher [ref: CWM/LMS/China/Personal/Boxes 1-2].
The Morrison Library is held by SOAS Library and can be consulted in the Special Collections Reading Room. Please see the SOAS Library Catalogue for details of individual volumes, or consult the published guide,'Ca ... View more |
| Format: |
Archive
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