772 Clementina St.,

San Francisco 3, Calif.

11th October, 1959

Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society,

56 Queen Anne St.,

London, V. 1, England

Dear Secretary:

In all likelihood I shall be sending in subscription for two years sometime between now and the end of January. The immediate plans are to leave this part of the world sometime next year. As the prospectus may interest part in of the members or the Society as a whole, I am making a break-down of the journey that confronts me at the present time.

Music and Dancing: One reason for leaving here is a prospective marriage with a lady of English nationality who has lived most of her life in India and has been trained in all branches of Indian dancing and more recently also in those of the Pathan country. She has a tape recorder and has been able to obtain some types of native music’s which may not yet available in the West.

I am also hoping to get to Ajmir either in the near of more remote future to obtain the chants of the Chisti Sufis. I am already a member of this Dervish Order and the shrine has complete electrical equipment which may make the recording possible.

Islamic Art: The first destination after leaving the United States will probably be Egypt. I am already in contract with present Nasser and Dr. Hussein of the Faculty of Arts, Cairo. I hope to make a special study of ceramics and tiles of the Near East and Iran. Have been a student of Chinese ceramics for almost thirty years. In the classes here my main contribution has been a knowledge of chemistry, ionic coloring, etc. I also have suitable introductions for Iran.

Buddhist Art: This may be mainly in the way of collections. I have an invitation to visit Swat and another to go into remote parts of Malay, although there is no past of the Buddhist world which I have either not visited on may visit. In 1956 I found a Mahayana Temple in the mountains of Central India not on record until that time. I was fortunate enough to see the Buddhist Jayanti exhibits all over India. If the dates given to the specimens are correct we have not yet a complete history of Buddhist art in India, especially Mahayana art.

I am expecting to obtaining specimens for the East-West Gallery of the Rudolph Schaeffer School here in San Francisco.

Art Various: The Indian government has already given me authority to visit places practically unexplored. I am also interested in going more deeply into the Hebrew records at Taxila and the Pathan country. I am a personal friend of Judge Rabbini who once officiated at Woking and it is possible that he may have prevented you with his Knowledges. He is also the property owner of the Asoak rocks in N.W. Pakistan.

 I have already established excellent contacts in many Asian lands and am in the rather unique position of having had training in Sufism, Vedanta, Yoga and Zen Buddhism. I was in 1956 the first non-Asian to be permitted to visit the stupa over the ashes of Lord Buddha in Japan as well as to visit the Royal Cemetery. I also saw the personal records of Shogun Yoritomo. I am sorry that at that time I had no camera and never expected to have such opportunities.

My itinerary will not permit an early visit to Great Britain unless my intended bride makes a dancing tour in your art of the world.

I shall advise later when I send cheque where to send copies of the Journal in my absence.

Sincerely,

Samuel L. Lewis