The collection chiefly concerns Scotstarvet`s patronage of literature and learning, and political events on the continent.

Symbols have been written in an unidentified hand, apparently of late 17th century provenance, in the upper left-hand corner of many of the letters; their meaning is not known.

Leaves from a lost ‘album amicorum’ of Scotstarvet have been identified in folios 101-112. They contain inscriptions to him with mottoes, or classical extracts, by a number of Dutch scholars, written in Scotland and Holland between February 1620 and February 1621.

The contents are as follows.

(i) Poem, undated, of Joannes Rosa. Printed in ‘Delitiæ poetarum Scotorum’, volume ii, page 282. (Folio 2.)

(ii) Letter, 1642, of Caspar Barlaeus. Printed in ‘Casparis Barlæi epistolarum liber’, page 863. (Folio 3.)

(iii) Letter, 1642, of Jan Blaeu. English translation printed in ‘New light on the first atlas of Scotland’ by D G Moir and R A Skelton, in ‘Scottish geographical magazine’, volume 84, number 3, pages 149-159. (Folio 5.)

(iv) Letter, 1642, of Isaacus Gruterus. (Folio 6.)

(v) Letter, 1642, of William Forbes, with poems. The poems printed in ‘The life and art of George Jamesone’ by Duncan Thomson, page 143. (Folio 8.)

(vi) Letter, 1642, of Isaacus Gruterus. (Folio 10.)

(vii) Letter, 1631, of Willem Janszoon Blaeu. Printed with Dutch translation in ‘Monumenta cartographica Neerlandica’, VI by Günter Schilder, appendix IVA, no. 6, page 336. English translation by D G Moir in ‘The early maps of Scotland’, 3rd edition, page 43. (Folio 11.)

(viii) Letter, 1622, of Raphael Thorius. (Folio 12.)

(ix) Letter, undated, of Jacobus Fetzer and Joachim Morsius. (Folio 13.)

(x) Letter, undated, of Petrus Goldmannus. (Folio 14.)

(xi) Letter, undated, of Gulielmus Valesius. (Folio 16.)

(xii) Poem, undated, of David Mitchell. (Folio 17.)

(xiii) Letter, undated, of William Barclay. (Folio 18.)

(xiv) Poem, undated, of Petrus Goldmannus. (Folio 20.)

(xv) Letter, undated, of Petrus Goldmannus. (Folio 21.)

(xvi) Letter, 1623, of William Barclay. (Folio 22.)

(xvii) Letter, 1621, of William Barclay. (Folio 23.)

(xviii) Letter, 1619, of Samuel Wallas. (Folio 24.)

(xix) Letter, ?1620, of Abraham Sauchelle. (Folio 26.)

(xx) Letter, ?1619, of Joannes Bonius. (Folio 28.)

(xxi) Letter, 1618, of Antonius Clement. (Folio 30.)

(xxii) Letter, 1619, of D Lippius. (Folio 32.)

(xxiii) Poem, undated, of William Forbes. Printed in ‘Poemata miscellania’ by William Forbes, folio A2. (Folio 34.)

(xxiv) Letter, 1642, Caspar Barlaeus. Printed (with differences) in ‘Casparis Barliæ epistolarum liber’, page 874. (Folio 36, concluded folio 39.)

(xxv) Poem, 1642, of Caspar Barlaeus. Printed in ’Casparis Barliæ antverpiani poemata’, edition v, volume II, page 226. (Folio 37.)

(xxvi) Letter, 1642, of Isaacus Gruterus, with poem. (Folio 40.)

(xxvii) Letter, 1636, of Isaacus Gruterus. (Folio 42.)

(xxviii) Letter, 1641, of Isaacus Gruterus. (Folio 44.)

(xxix) Letter, 1621, of Daniel Heinsius. (Folio 46.)

(xxx) Poem, undated, of William Forbes. (Folio 47.)

(xxxi) Letter, undated, of Arthur Johnston; with poem. Letter and poem printed in ‘Delitiæ poetarum Scotorum’, volume i, pages 3-7; poem printed in ‘Poemata omnia’, page 414. (Folio 49.)

(xxxii) Letter, 1619, of Joachim Morsius. (Folio 51.)

(xxxiii) Unidentified poem, undated. (Folio 53.)

(xxxiv) Poem, undated, of Henry Danskin. Printed in ‘Delitiæ poetarum Scotorum’, volume i, page 304. The quotation is ‘Aeneid’ by Virgil, VI, 470-471. (Folio 54.)

(xxxv) Letter, 1655, of Jan Blaeu. (Folio 55.)

(xxxvi) Poem, undated, of William Forbes. (Folio 56.)

(xxxvii) Poem, undated, of Justinus Arondeaulx (Folio 57.)

(xxxviii) Letter, 1620, of Antonius Clement. (Folio 59.)

(xxxix) Letter, 1619, of Joannes Bonius. (Folio 61.)

(xl) Letter, ?1619, of Justinus van Assche. (Folio 63.)

(xli) Letter, ?1634, of Petrus Goldmannus. (Folio 64.)

(xlii) Letter, undated, of Godfreid van der Hagan to John Leech. (Folio 65.)

(xliii) Letter, undated, of Cornelius Stuart. (Folio 66.)

(xliv) Letter, 1618, of Antonius Clement. (Folio 68.)

(xlv) Letter, 1619, Nicolas Clement. (Folio 69.)

(xlvi) Letter, [circa 1637], of David Wedderburn. (Folio 70.)

(xlvii) Letter, 1654, of Hendricus de Sibad. (Folio 71.)

(xlviii) Letter, 1620, of Eustathius Swartius. (Folio 73.)

(xlix) Letter, 1641, of Isaacus Gruterus. (Folio 75.)

(l) Letter, 1618, of John Leech, with poem. The poem is printed (with some differences) in ‘Delitiæ poetarum Scotorum’, volume ii, page 483; and, in ‘Musa Latina Aberdonensis’, volume iii, page 276. The letters are referred to in ‘Musa Latina Aberdonensis’, volume iii, pages 253-255. (Folio 77.)

(li) Couplet, undated, of William Forbes. (Folio 79.)

(lii) Poem, undated, of William Forbes. Printed in ‘Poemata miscellania’ by William Forbes, folio cl verso. (Folio 80.)

(liii) Poem, undated, of William Forbes. Printed in ‘Poemata miscellania’ by William Forbes, folio 83 verso. (Folio 81.)

(liv) Poem, undated, of William Forbes. (Folio 84.)

(lv) Poem, undated, of William Forbes. (Folio 88.)

(lvi) Poem, 1635, of Isaacus Gruterus. Printed in ‘Delitiæ poetarum Scotorum’, volume I, page 8. (Folio 89.)

(lvii) Unidentified poem, ?1636. (Folio 92.)

(lviii) Poem, undated, of Arthur Johnston. Printed in ‘Parerga’, page 35; in ‘Delitiæ poetarum Scotorum’, volume ii, page 539; and in ‘Poemata omnia’, page 284. (Folio 95.)

(lix) Poem, undated, of Isaacus Gruterus. (Folio 97.)

(lx) Letter, 1620, of Jacob van Dijck, quoting Horace, Odes 3.29.49f. (Folio 101.)

(lxi) Letter, 1620, of Abraham Sauchelle. (Folio 102.)

(lxii) Unidentified poem, undated. (Folio 103.)

(lxiii) Letter, 1620, of Daniel Heinsius, quoting Horace, Epistles, 1.11.28f. (Folio 104.)

(lxiv) Letter, 1621, of Justus Libaeus. (Folio 105.)

(lxv) Letter, 1620, of Alexander McDuff. (Folio 106.)

(lxvi) Letter, 1620, of Eustathius Swartius. (Folio 107.)

(lxvii) Poem, 1620, of Iustinus Arondeaulx, quoting Horace, Epistles 1.2.40. (Folio 108.)

(lxviii) Poem, 1620, of Servatius Carpentarius. (Folio 109.)

(lxix) Letter, 1620, of Petrus and Franciscus Krusius. The second and third sententiae are from Horace, Odes, 2.10.13ff and 2.3.25ff. (Folio 110.)

(lxx) Letter, ?1620, of Samuel Wallace. (Folio 111.)

(lxxi) Letter, 1620, of Cornelius Stuart, quoting Psalm 1, verse 6 (Hebrew), Herodotus, verse 24 (Greek) and Cicero, ‘In Brutum’ (Latin. (Folio 112.)

(lxxii) Letter, 1620, of Jacobus Fetzer. (Folio 113.)

(lxxiii) Letter, 1620, of Charles de Valois, Duc d’Angoulême. (Folio 114.)

(lxxiv) Letter, undated, of Charles de Valois, Duc d’Angoulême. (Folio 115.)

(lxxv) Letter, 1639, of Claude Delescot to William Davison. (Folio 116.)

(lxxvi) Unidentified letter. (Folio 118.)

(lxxvii) Letter, 1634, of – Keith. (Folio 119.)

(lxxviii) Letter, 1635, of – Keith. (Folio 121.)

(lxxix) Letter, 1641, of – Keith. (Folio 123.)

(lxxx) Letter, 1641, of William Scott. (Folio 125.)

(lxxxi) Letter, 1642, of Euerardt Scott. (Folio 126.)

(lxxxii) Letter, undated, of William Scott. (Folio 127.)

(lxxxiii) Letter, ?1621, of Benjamin Basnage. (Folio 129.)

(lxxxiv) Letter, 1638, of – Keith. (Folio 130.)

(lxxxv) Letter, 1620, of Raphael Thorius. (Folio 132.)

(lxxxvi) Letter, 1642, of William Scott. (Folio 134.)

(lxxxvii) Letter, 1634, of – Keith. (Folio 135.)

(lxxxviii) Letter, 1641, of William Scott. (Folio 137.)

(lxxxix) Letter, 1617, of – Keith. (Folio 138.)

(xc) List, undated, of expenses. (Folio 139.)

(xci) Copy, of letter, 1626, of Willem Janszoon Blaeu and letter, undated, of William Barclay (defective; copies are in an unidentified hand). The copy letter of Blaeu is printed with Dutch translation in ‘Monumenta cartographica Neerlandica’ by Günter Schilder, volume IV, Appendix IVA, number 2, page 335. (Folio 140.)

(xcii) Letter, 1643, of Caspar Barlaeus. (Folio 141.)

(xciii) Letter, 1642, of Isaacus Gruterus. (Folio 142.)

(xciv) Letter, 1639, of Mark Duncan. (Folio 144.)

(xcv) Account, undated, of family of Scott in Dauphiné. (Folio 146.)

(xcvi) Letter, 1641, of William Scott. (Folio 148.)

(xcvii) Letter, 1639, of Claude Selescot. (Folio 150.)

(xcviii) Letter, 1642, of Jacques Scott. (Folio 152.)

(xcix) Letter, 1641, of Francis Duncan de Sainte Hélène. (Folio 154.)

(c) Letter, 1636, of Claude Delescot. (Folio 156.)

(ci) Letter, 1622, of Benjamin Basnage. (Folio 157.)

(cii) Letter, 1642, of William Scott. (Folio 158.)

(ciii) Letter, 1620, of Matthieu Fetzer. (Folio 159.)

(civ) Poem, undated, of Isaacus Gruterus. (Folio 161.)

(cv) Letter, 1643, of Isaacus Gruterus. (Folio 165.)

(cvi) Poem, undated, of William Forbes. (Folio 167.)

(cvii) Letter, 1645, of Caspar Barlaeus. Printed in ‘Casparis Barlæi Epistolarum Liber’, page 933. (Folio 169.)

(cviii) Letter, 1645, of Caspar Barlaeus. Printed in ‘Casparis Barlæi Epistolarum Liber’, page 928. (Folio 170.)

(cix) Letter, 1645, of Jan Blaeu. (Folio 171.)

(cx) Letter, 1645, of Jan Blaeu. (Folio 172.)

(cxi) Letter, 1645, of Jan Blaeu. (Folio 173.)

(cxii) Letter, 1647, of Isaacus Gruterus, with poem. (Folio 174.)

(cxiii) Letter, 1618, of – Keith. (Folio 176.)

(cxiv) Letter, 1634, of William Davison. (Folio 178.)

(cxv) Letter, 1619, of John Leech. (Folio 179.)

(cxvi) Letter, 1643, of Isaacus Gruterus (Folio 184.)

(cxvii) Letter, 1628, of Willem Janszoon Blaeu. Printed with Dutch translation in ‘Monumenta cartographica Neerlandica’ by Günter Schilder, volume IV, number 4, page 336. (Folio 186.)

(cxviii) Letter, 1626, of Willem Janszoon Blaeu. Printed in ‘Monumenta cartographica Neerlandica’ by Günter Schilder, volume IV, number 1, page 335. (Folio 188.)

(cxix) Letter, 1633, of Willem Janszoon Blaeu. Printed in ‘Monumenta cartographica Neerlandica’ by Günter Schilder, volume IV, number 7, page 336. (Folio 190.)

(cxx) Letter, 1619, of John Leech. (Folio 192.)

(cxxi) Letter, 1618, of John Leech. (Folio 194.)

(cxxii) Letter, 1619, of John Leech; with poems. (Folio 196.)

(cxxiii) Letter, 1636, of Patrick Panter; with poem (Folio 198.)

(cxxiv) Letter, 1627, of Willem Janszoon Blaeu. Printed in ‘Monumenta cartographica Neerlandica’ by Günter Schilder, volume IV, number 3, page 335. (Folio 200.)

(cxxv) Letter, 1630, of Willem Janszoon Blaeu. Printed in ‘Monumenta cartographica Neerlandica’ by Günter Schilder, volume IV, number 5, page 336. (Folio 201.)

(cxxvi) Letter, 1618, of John Leech. (Folio 202.)

(cxxvii) Letter, 1617, of John Leech. (Folio 204.)

(cxxviii) Letter, undated, of John Leech; with fragment of poem. The complete poem is printed in ‘Joannis Leochaei Scoti musae priores’. Epigrammatum liber primus, page 17. (Folio 206.)

(cxxix) Letter, undated, of Joannes Gellius. (Folio 208.)

(cxxx) Letter, 1621, of John Leech. (Folio 209.)

(cxxxi) Poem, 1618, of John Leech. (Folio 211.)

(cxxxii) Letter, 1618, of John Leech. (Folio 213.)

(cxxxiii) Unidentified poem, undated. (Folio 214.)

(cxxxiv) Letter, 1617, of John Mason. Summariezed in ‘Royal letters, charters and tracts relating to the colonization of New Scotland… 1621-1638’, edited by David Laing, page 5. (Folio 215.)

(cxxxv) Poem, undated, of P Norius. (Folio 217.)

(cxxxvi) Letter, 1649, of Jan Blaeu. (Folio 219.)

(cxxxvii) Letter, 1630, of Elizabeth Donaldson, née Goffin. (Folio 221.)

(cxxxviii) Letter, 1659, of Andrew Burnet. (Folio 223.)

(cxxxix) Article, 1641, of Robert Boniface Strachan, Order of Saint Benedict. Printed in ‘Joannis Blaeu theatrum orbis terrarium, sive atlas novus, pars quinta’, pages 22-25. (Folio 225.)

(cxl) Letter, 1642, of Caspar Barlaeus. (Folio 229.)

(cxli) Letter, 1646, of Ludovic Lindsay, 16th Earl of Crawford; copy certified by John Gibson. (Folio 230.)

(cxlii) Letter, 1657, of Silvester Rattray. Printed, as dedicatory epistle, in ‘Aditus novus occultas sympathiæ causas inveniendas’. (Folio 232.)

(cxliii) Letter, 1647, of Isaacus Gruterus; with poem. (Folio 233.)

(cxliv) Letter, 1657, of Jan Blaeu; with poem (Folio 235.)

(cxlv) Letter, 1641, of Claude Delescot. (Folio 237.)

(cxlvi) Letter, 1658, Silvester Rattray. (Folio 239.)

(cxlvii) Letter, undated, of Jan Blaeu. (Folio 241.)

(cxlviii) Letter, 1654, of Jacobus Alanus. (Folio 243.)

(cxlix) Letter, 1663, of James Graeme. (Folio 244.)

(cl) Letter, 1665, of Isaacus Gruterus. (Folio 247.)

(cli) Letter, 1668, of Alexander Wedderburn. (Folio 238.)

(clii) Letter, 1665, of Isaacus Gruterus. (Folio 250.)

(cliii) Letter, 1667, of Robert Maclellan. (Folio 251.)

(cliv) Contents list, undated. (Folio 252.)