The letters appear to be to John Murray III, John Murray IV and Robert Cooke. They concern the preparation and publication of various works by George Smith, including:

“The life of John Wilson, D.D., F.R.S.” (1878, 1879);

“The geography of British India, political and physical” (1882);

“The life of William Carey, D.D.” (1885 and subsequent editions);

“Stephen Hislop pioneer missionary and naturalist in Central India from 1844-1863” (1888, 1889);

“A modern apostle. Alexander N. Somerville, D.D. 1813-1889” (1890);

“Bishop Heber, poet and chief missionary to the East, second Lord Bishop of Calcutta, 1783-1826” (1895).

The letters are arranged chronologically.

1878-1879: folios 1-20;

1880-1884: folios 21-70 [Note 1];

1885-1889: folios 71-96;

1890-1894: folios 97-141 [Notes 2-3].

Notes.

[Note 1.] Folios 31-32. Printed “letter post”, 25 May 1880, of Charles Bernard to George Smith. The letter was forwarded as an enclosure to George Smith’s letter to John Murray, publishers, 5 July 1880 (folios 29-30).

[Note 2.] Folio 103. Photographic portrait, ?1880-?1889, of Alexander Somerville. The portrait was sent as an enclosure to George Smith’s letter to John Murray ?III, 24 June 1890 (folios 101-102). The portrait was used as the frontispiece to “A modern apostle. Alexander N. Somerville, D.D. 1813-1889”

[Note 3.] Folio 120. Letter, 20 June 1893, of Lemuel Bangs, of Charles Scribner’s Sons, to ?John Murray IV.