The Royal Asiatic Society is a learned society which was founded in 1823 by men, most of whom had spent some time in Asia as civilian administrators or in the army. It was founded to provide a forum in which new discoveries regarding Asia could be announced and discussed by like-minded people. The Society holds the following items: approximately 100,000 monographs; approximately 2,250 bound volumes of periodicals, approximately 2,000 Oriental manuscripts; over 2,000 prints, paintings, drawings, busts; many albums of photographic prints; approximately 800 photographic glass plates and a wide variety of miscellaneous ‘museum’ items including a Qajar ceramic bowl and bronze figures from southeast Asia.