The contents are as follows.

(i) Manuscript of an apparently unpublished article describing Queen Victoria's visit to Edinburgh in 1842. (Folio 1.)

(ii) Manuscript of an apparently unpublished article, 'The finances', concerning Peel's introduction of income tax in 1842, written by George Croly. (Folio 3.)

(iii) Manuscript of an apparently unpublished article reviewing the portion of the final volume of Sir Archibald Alison's ‘History of Europe during the French Revolution’ (Edinburgh, 1842), which relates to the battle of Waterloo. (Folio 13.)

(iv) Manuscript, circa 1843, of an apparently unpublished article on O'Connell. (Folio 15.)

(v) Papers, circa 1845, concerning the proposed publication of a 'Statistical account of England'. They comprise various outlines and plans of the project, written mainly by John Gordon, His Majesty's Inspector of Schools for Scotland, an account of, and financial statements concerning, the ‘New statistical account of Scotland’ (Edinburgh, 1845), on which the project was to be based. Included are printed forms relating to the compilation of the necessary statistics. (Folio 17.)

(vi) Manuscript, circa 1850, of an apparently unpublished article, 'The German sugar refineries'. (Folio 59.)

(vii) Manuscript, 1859, of an apparently unpublished ballad, 'Once I loved a lady fair'; this was collected by Lady Rachel Evelyn Butler and sent to Blackwood for Professor Aytoun. (Folio 65.)

(viii) Corrected proofs of part of an article by John Hanning Speke, “Captain Speke's adventures in Somali Land, part III”, published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, July 1860. (Folio 67.)

(ix) Manuscript of the introduction by George Wingrove Cooke to his ‘Conquest and colonisation in North Africa’ (Edinburgh, 1860). (Folio 70.)

(x) Corrected proofs of an apparently unpublished article on Lytton's ‘A strange story' (London, 1862), entitled 'The supernatural in art'. (Folio 75.)

(xi) Manuscript, 1884, of an apparently unpublished article, 'Continuous railway brakes', possibly written by P T O'Callaghan. (Folio 84.)

(xii) Corrected proofs, circa 1885, of an apparently unpublished article on whist, probably by James Wolfe Murray. (Folio 104.)

(xiii) Typescript, undated, of an apparently unpublished description of Paris in 1815, the original of which must have been written after 1830. (Folio 106.)

(xiv) Manuscript, undated, of part of an apparently unpublished article, 'A few hints to candidates for the Royal Army'. (Folio 115.)

(xv) Manuscript, undated, of the beginning of an apparently unpublished, untitled article, short story, or novel concerning the Inns of Court. (Folio 119.)

(xvi) Miscellaneous notes, circa 1843, undated, in various hands. (Folio 125.)