var rmssList=rmss.ToList(); 
            return View(rmssList);

should do the job, so you pass to your model a not null object. Your View get rmssList because you pass it to the View method. Now the only possibilty is that there is a type mismatch, that is the elements in the

list produced at the controller are different types from the ones your view is strongly typed for, so in attempt to conver a null pointer is returned.

The View need to be strongly typed to a List or an IEnumerable of Manuscript not to jus a Manuscript since I understood that you are passing to the View a List of manuscripts.