The collection covers Alexander Walker's military and administrative service in the East India Company in great detail from circa 1790 to 1801, notably in Malabar and then in Gujarat, where he was Political Resident at Baroda, until he left India in 1810. He came out of retirement to govern St Helena from 1822 to 1828, The importance of the collection lies in the detailed administrative content of Walker's correspondence and memoranda, particularly for the Gujarat period, a continuing concern for Indian affairs throughout his retirement which led him to maintain or create a wide range of correspondents, and his passionate interest in native customs and traditions which involved him in the collecting of copious materials intended for publication. There are also some papers relating to his small estate at Bowland, near Galashiels, acquired in 1810, and some papers, after his death in 1831, relating to his immediate family.