RAS-1989 — Page 401

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NOTES AND QUERIES

NOTES ON

THE ROBERT HART PAPERS

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG LIBRARY'

The Robert Hart Collection at the Hung On-To Memorial Library, University of Hong Kong, is an exciting discovery, and worthy complement to better known Hart papers at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and Queen's University, Belfast. The collection is sorted into 9 box files and 3 cartons, with the manuscript letters undoubtedly constituting the most valuable part. In particular, Hart's letters to his wife, 492 in all, from 1866 to 1907, written predominantly on a weekly basis, are really quite priceless. While very personal in tone and content, these letters also tell much about Hart's work, his social life and his reactions to current events in China, and should be of interest to anyone working on Hart, the Imperial Maritime Customs, modern China and Sino-British diplomacy. Moreover, he comes through these letters as a passionate, sensous and poetic man, and any biography of him would not really be complete without reference to these letters.

BOX I

Letters from Hart' to Lady Hart (Hester Bredon)

Bundle Year Number

Date

of letters

1.

1866 8

(16 June

18 Aug; letter dated 27 July

encloses his photograph)

2.

1868 (1 sketch)

3.

1869 4

(#14, 4 Dec

27 Dec)

4.

1870 44

(#5 — 39, 9 Jan

--

30 July)

(#1 —- 9, ? Aug

-

12 Sept)

5.

1871 31

(#3 —- 30, 4 June

7 Sept)

3 unnumbered

6.

1872 3

7.

1875 21

(Unnumbered, 26 July

(#118, 18 June 11 Oct)

2 Aug)

-