Archives created by the British soldier and diplomat Henry Burney relating to his service in Burma [Myanmar] and Siam [Thailand]. The cataloguing of the collection has occurred in several stages. In 1921, the RCI Librarian Evans Lewin listed the main English language material in four series, assigning each a letter, A to D. In 1958, Dr D.K. Wyatt examined the Siamese material, including some as yet uncatalogued European material. He listed it in three sections, with the letters E, F, and G. In 1973, Dr G.E. Marrison produced a provisional description of the Burmese manuscripts (letters H and J), and in 1975, this was supplemented by a more detailed catalogue by Patricia Herbert, who at the same time, revised Mr Lewin's original list B. This listing of the collection follows that published in the appendix to Thuang Blackmore, 'Catalogue of the Burney Parabaiks in the India Office Library', (London, 1985).

For the automated catalogue, the original division of the archive has been retained, but the letters RCMS 65/A-H and J have been replaced with the Arabic numerals, RCMS 65/1-9. A new section for a small amount of miscellaneous material has been created, RCMS 65/10.