The contents are as follows.

(i) Manuscript in the hands of James Gibson Lockhart and William Maginn, of 'Noctes xlv', published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, July 1829. (Folio 1.) The texts of three songs, beginning 'Monsieur Judas est un drȏle', 'Here Judas with a face where shame', and 'As from ken to ken I was going', are lacking. Jane Elliot's poem, 'The flowers o' the forest', occurs where James Hogg's poem, "O Love's a bitter thing to bide", occurs in the printed version. The autograph manuscript of Hogg's poem follows. (Folio 27.)

(ii) Manuscript in the hand of James Hogg, of two poems for the Duke of Buccleuch's birthday, 25th November 1825, entitled 'Rejoice ye wan and wildered glens' and "Wat o' Buccleuch". Both were published as part of 'Noctes xxiv' in “Blackwood's Magazine”, February 1826. The poems are preceded in the manuscript by a section of apparently unpublished dialogue. (Folio 29.)

(iii) Manuscript, possibly in John Wilson's hand, of a portion of dialogue for 'Noctes xxxiii', published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, June 1827, page 899. (Folio 31.)

(iv) Manuscripts of six political poems, all apparently in the hand of James Hogg. The first, 'Would you know what a whig is', was published as part of 'Noctes lvii' in “Blackwood's Magazine”, August 1831. Of the second, 'Aytoun the union laddie', the first, sixth, and seventh verses were published as part of 'Noctes lxiii' in “Blackwood's Magazine”, October 1832, and the poem, with the exception of the fifth verse, was published as a political broadsheet. The next three, 'A new song for the electors of the county of Midlothian', 'The clerk of the pipe', and "Here's a health to Aytoun", were included in 'Noctes lxii', “Blackwood's Magazine”, September 1832. 'The clerk of the pipe' was also published as a broadsheet. The last, 'Huzza for Aytoun', was published in the form of a broadsheet. With the exception of the first, all these poems were additionally published, with slight differences, in ‘Reform songs and squibs’ (Edinburgh, undated). (Folio 33.)

(v) Manuscripts, undated, possibly in the hand of John Wilson, of fragments of dialogues for unidentified 'Noctes'. (Folio 44.)