The two volumes contain Book I, Chapters 1-4: it is not known if the work proceeded any further. It is a didactic work, intended not only to describe the ways in which Scottish usage and pronunciation differ from English but also to recommend adherence to English usage, and it draws upon French and Italian as well as English authors. It is undated: the latest datable reference in the text appears to be to Thomas Sheridan`s ‘Lectures on the Art of Reading’ which was published in 1775, and from references to other contemporary authors it would appear to have been written, or at least begun, not long afterwards. The text is written on the rectos of the leaves: there are numerous deletions and amendments throughout, some quite lengthy, many of which are written on the versos, and some of these have been subsequently deleted. It is not clear whether the work was intended for publication: besides the numerous alterations, there is, at Adv.MS.23.7.19, folio 55 verso, what may be an instruction to the printer. Glenbervie’s bookplate is pasted inside the front cover of each volume.