The contents are as follows.

(i) Manuscript of a pamphlet entitled ‘Ten minutes of reflection on the late events in France. Recommended by a plain man to his fellow citizens’ (Woodbridge, 1793). (Folio 1.)

(ii) Manuscript, 1803, of two apparently unpublished poetical letters, 'The new Oxford guide', which follow very closely the form and style of Christopher Anstey's ‘The new Bath guide’ (London, 1766), and therefore may possibly be by Christopher Anstey himself. (Folio 13.)

(iii) Manuscript, circa 1811, of an apparently unpublished article, 'Conjectural history of polytheism'. (Folio 18.)

(iv) Illustrated manuscript, circa 1816, probably written by a child, of an apparently unpublished story, 'Life and adventures of Subido Saffurat'. (Folio 22.)

(v) Manuscript of an article, “Observations on ‘Macbeth and King Richard the third, an essay in answer to remarks on some of the characters of Shakespeare’, by J P Kemble” published in the “Edinburgh Monthly [i.e., Blackwood's] Magazine”, August 1817, under the pseudonym 'Senex', who has been identified by Professor Alan Lang Strout as Horatio Townsend. (Folio 44.)

(vi) Uncorrected proofs of part of the second section of an article, “Remarks on the review of Mr Stewart's dissertation in the Quarterly Review, No. xxxiii”, published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, November 1817. The aforementioned article is attributed by Professor Strout to William P Alison. (Folio 50.)

(vii) Manuscript, 1817, signed with the pseudonym 'Crito', of an apparently unpublished article, “Short strictures on a paper in number 5 of ‘Edinburgh Monthly Magazine’ entitled ‘Reply to the article “Stewarts of Allanton” by J R’”, i.e., John Riddell. (Folio 51.)

(viii) Manuscript of an apparently unpublished review of “Blackwood's Magazine”, October 1817, entitled 'The two new Edinburgh magazines'. (Folio 59.)

(ix) Manuscript, circa 1817, of a poem, 'Notices', concerning the early numbers of “Blackwood's Magazine”, published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, June 1818. The manuscript is written in two hands, which may be those of John Wilson and John Gibson Lockhart. (Folio 60.)

(x) Manuscript, 1817, of an apparently unpublished article on military education. (Folio 66.)

(xi) Uncorrected proof of (a) two 'Sonnets to Mr. Wordsworth', published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, February 1818, signed 'P G P', identified as Peter G Patmore, and (b) part of a poem, 'The fairies' published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, April 1818, as 'The fairies. A dream like remembrance of a dream', signed 'N', i.e., 'Christopher North', pseudonym of John Wilson. (Folio 76.)

(xii) Manuscript of a preliminary notice, published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, December 1818, of Jean Baptiste de Rocquefort's edition of ‘Poisies de Marie de France’ (Paris, 1819). (Folio 77.)

(xiii) Manuscript in the hand of John Anster of a poem, 'A speech to the tune of the emerald isle' published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, January 1819. The authorship of this poem is attributed to an unidentified friend of Anster by Professor Alan Lang Strout in a paper in ‘The library’, 5th series, volume xi (1956), page 193. (Folio 79.)

(xiv) Manuscripts of two apparently unpublished articles reviewing John Gibson Lockhart's “Peter's letters to his kinsfolk” (Edinburgh, 1819). (Folio 81.)

(xv) Corrected proof of part of an article, 'Death of Microsophus and sale of his museum', published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, December 1820. (Folio 86.)

(xvi) Uncorrected proof of part of 'Translations from the less familiar Latin Classics, number 3', published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, December 1820, signed 'TD', i.e., Thomas Doubleday. (Folio 88.)

(xvii) Manuscript of an article by George Croly, 'The King', published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, March 1821, as number eight of the series, 'The warder'. (Folio 89.)