Scientific and other papers sent to the Royal Society, presented at meetings of Fellows, or commissioned by the Society. They form a complementary series to the Early Letters, both of which were superseded by the Letters and Papers. Many of these items, referred to as the 'Guard Books', are duplicated in the Register Book of the Society. The classification is a simplified form of the 'Philosophical Transactions' abridgment by John Lowthorp. This arrangement was completed in 1741 by Thomas Birch. The majority of the papers in these volumes are manuscript, but a few printed documents occur throughout the series. Some of the papers are earlier in date than the grant on 15 July 1662 of the First Charter to the Society. The Committee of Trades seems to have been associated with the earlier meetings of those philosophers who subsequently became Fellows, and produced a number of practical papers, some of which were written in 1639 and which are mostly found in Volume 3(i). There are still earlier documents, mostly in Volume 25, which may have been included in the gift, in 1667, of the Arundel Library.

The correspondence of Sir John Frederick William Herschel, comprising three main groups of documents:
The first series comprises 19 volumes of manuscript letters sent to Herschel, with drafts of his replies (Ref: HS 1-19).

The second series comprises 16 volumes of copy letters from Herschel (Ref: HS 20-25). These are arranged in chronological order and are apparently constructed from Herschel's original letters brought together by a son, Col. John Herschel R.E., for a proposed biography and then returned to their original owners. The biography was never produced. There is some duplication between these versions of finished letters and the rough versions of the same in HS 1-19.
The third series comprises five boxes of unbound manuscript letters, copy books and listings (Ref: HS 25-28) in which there appears information on the copying project, and groups of original letters on particular topics, such as Herschel's involvement in W H F Talbot's photography patent disputes.

The correspondence of Sir John William Lubbock, providing information on a wide range of Lubbock's contemporaries, not exclusively in the field of science. The largest collections of scientific letters are from George Biddell Airy (113 letters), John George Children (128 letters), Joshua Alwyn Compton, 2nd Marquis of Northampton (98 letters), G P D de Pontecoulant (67 letters) and William Whewell (87 letters). There are smaller but no less important groups of letters from Charles Babbage, Francis Baily, Francis Beaufort, Charles Darwin, John Couch Adams, J F W Herschel, Baden Powell and W H F Talbot.

Papers of the Gregory family, volume one includes writings by Sir Isaac Newton, friend of David Gregorie, Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford, the volume is entitled 'Notae in Newtonii Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis' and his 'Theory of the Moon' which was incorporated in the 'Astronomia Physica' published by the Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford; volume two is a volume of letters and papers of the Gregory family, including some papers of Sir Isaac Newton; David Gregorie of Kinnairdie; James Gregorie author of 'Optica Promota'; David Gregorie, Savilian Professor of Geometry at Oxford; James Gregorie Professor of Mathematics at Edinburgh; and Charles Gregory, Professor of Mathematics at Edinburgh University.

Copy of the diary of Sir John Herschel 1834-1870.

Papers relating to the work of the Royal Geographical Society, cientific enquiries, instruments and instruction, 1830-1938, including rough minutes of the Scientific Committee, 1830; note on the potential effects of the projected magnetic expedition, 1842; draft letter to Sir Robert Peel, 1843; plan for correcting and extending knowledge of the Chinese Empire; suggestions for the captains of vessels proceeding to the Antarctic seas, 1892; notes on instruments including of the Instruments Committee, 1857-1860; memorandum on training travellers to make useful scientific observations, by Clements Markham, 1879; draft of proposed arrangement with Mr Coles for instruction, 1879; rough minutes of Scientific Purposes Committee, 1879; instruction and instrument report, 1881; list of instruments lent to travellers, 1877-1883; proposals for instruments, 1884; report on instruments, 1894; prospectus for a 'Course of Instruction in Practical Astronomy and Surveying…' as given by E A Reeves, 1922; 'Course of instruction in exploratory survey and field astronomy', by Col C F Close, 1931; minutes, notes and correspondence of the Committee of Supervision of Instruction, 1936-1938 and instruments catalogues, 1862-1941.

Library Manuscripts comprise manuscript items donated to the Royal Geographical Society. They are chiefly single files or a small number of items which are not large enough to warrant forming a special collection. The papers include, astronomical and meteorological observations, diaries, correspondence, notes, conference papers, reports, articles, photographs, sketches and maps covering all aspects of geography and exploration across the globe and date from 1691 to 1994. Highlights include:

Memorandum on a map of South America, by John Arrowsmith.

Papers of Maj R A Bagnold, 1929-1933, comprising positions, routes and heights in Egypt and letters from Bagnold.

Letters from Sir John Barrow to Lord Melville, 1935-1945 and letters to Barrow from Murzuq, 1822 and J D Dundas, 1818.

Papers of Dr Heinrich Barth, 1846-1952, letters and copy of a sketch map of Timbuktu.

Notes on heights of mountains in America by Capt F W Beechey, 1826.

Letters from the King of Siam to Sir John Bowring, 1855.

Letters relating to the British Arctic Air Route Expedition, 1928-1932.

Correspondence and reports of the British Ornithologists' Union Expedition to New Guinea, 1908-1911.

Papers of G Wyman Bury, 1913-1918.

Papers of Capt R F M Crozier, 1836-1906.

Account of a journey to Lhasa and central Tibet by Sarat Chandra Das, 1902.

Papers of Lt James Barker Emery, chiefly relating to Mombassa, 1822-1835.

Plan and elevation of the Screw Yacht FRAM as reconstructed in 1898.

'Narrative of a small party of HMS LEVEN under command of Lt C W Browns sent to explore the Zambesi by one of the survivors, a native of Angola', by Antonio Jozi, 1823.

Journal of Joseph Kaye's voyage from London to Genoa.

Papers and maps relating to William Kennish's exploration in South America for a canal route.

Papers relating to the Kufara expedition led by H W C J Penderel and P A Clayton to Gilf Kebir, 1933.

Papers relating to the Livingstone Award, 1875-1970.

H B Molesworth's diary of a journey to Mokalla (Mukalla), 1893.

Letters from Sir John Morrison to Henry Dundas and others concerning Persia and trade with Persia, 1783-1792.

Narrative of a shipwreck on the southern shores of Arabia by B A R Nicholson, 1836.
Correspondence of Walter Oudney, 1821-1823.

Papers of Adm Sir W E Parry, relating to the Arctic, 1819-1823.

Papers relating to the Pitcairn Islands, 1831-1885.

Annotated 'Code of Naval Signals' belonging to Adm Sir Home Popham, 1799.

Letter from Sultan Husain Sufrari, 1708.

Account of explorations on the coast of Patagonia by B Villarino, 1782.

Travel journals of J Washington, chiefly in South America, 1822-1829.

Letters to A F R Wollaston, 1896-1926.

Two volumes entilted 'Institutionum Physicae particularis pars prima [et secunda]'. The first volume is illustrated by many inserted pen-drawn astronomical and other diagrams and figures: the second by three anatomical drawings of the cerebrum, the internal organs of a man, and of the eye. Vol. I. 'De corporibus inanimatis': Vol. II. 'De viventibus'. At the end of Vol. I is the inscription 'Proeunte D. Josepho Cyrillo haec anno aere vulgaris 1776 scripsi ego Januarius Pelliccia in Seminario Aversano'. Produced in Aversa.

Notes on astronomy, 1888-1903. The date 1905 occurs on p. 173, and the eclipse of that year is mentioned on p. 1214: on p. 1213 the year 1910 is spoken of in the future tense.

Papers of Jean-Baptiste Biot, c 1800-1937, including correspondence and a translation of Biot's Memoir on the Circular Zodiac of Denderah.

Books relating to the foundation of Gresham College, the history of Gresham School, the lives of the professors of Gresham College, the Gresham lectures of Sir John Flamsteed, the Sir Thomas Gresham trusts, the life and times of Sir Thomas Gresham and genealogical memoranda.

A notebook dated 1772 bearing the title The Rudiments of Geography and Astronomy, from the Dictates of Sam. Dunn, Teacher of Mathamaticks &c.

Arithmeticae et Astronomicae Auctores Varii: 15th century (possibly 1468) mathematical and astronomical treatises by various authors. Earlier texts written in Italy by one hand; others written by Heinrich Langenstein and Paul of Olmütz (?). Full page diagram of the zodiac on folio 47r.

Letters from John Flamsteed, 1673-1719, comprising two volumes: Volume One - Letters from John Flamsteed to Richard Towneley; Volume Two - Letters from John Flamsteed to Abraham Sharp.

'The Right ascension and Polar distance brought to January 1800 of the 2500 Nebulae and Clusters of Stars', printed in the Philosophical Transactions by Sir William Herschel.

Manuscript of a paper 'Astronomical Experiment on the Peak of Tenerife, carried out under the sanction of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. By Professor C. Piazzi Smyth. Communicated by G.B.Airy, Esq., Astronomer Royal' in 'Philosophical Transactions' Volume 148 (1858) pages 465-534. Folder of drawings and watercolours, including tipped-in stereoscopic cards. Received 2 June 1857, read 18 June 1857. Last two pages in the manuscript provide an explanatory account of the photographs, how they were taken and developed, and what materials were used.

Papers of Alfred Percival Maudslay, 1885-1891, relating to the Yucatan peninsula including four notebooks from the Yucatan including some diary entries and observations for positions and notes on excavations, 1886, 1887, 1889 and 1891, and astronomical computations, Yucatan peninsula, 1885.

Papers of Maj Henry Hugh Peter Deasy, including astronomical observations, Lucknow, 1896-1897; route book Baltit to Sinkiang, 1897-1898; meteorological notebook, Sinkiang, 1897-1899 and meteorological notebook with entries by Arnold Pike, Deasy's companion, on journey from Leh to Lanak La, 1896.

Papers of and relating to Percy Fawcett including 'The exploration of the Rio Aquiry', 1906-1907; letters to Reginald Pound, 1923 and to the editor of World Wide Magazine, 1923; report to the Royal Anthropological Institute, London, 15 Nov 1951, on some human remains brought from Brazil by Senor Chateaubriand and thought to be those of P. H. Fawcett; astronomical observations, Bolivia-Peru boundary and Bolivia-Brazil boundary, 1908-1910; 'The new frontier between Bolivia and Peru', 1910 and papers relating to the search for Col Fawcett.

Observation files by Robert Lawrence Reid including two angle books, time book, astronomical observations and barometric readings, Anewimi region, 1905-1909. Journal MSS: 1902, 'Some explorations in Portuguese East Africa'.

Observation file of Capt Temple Leighton Phipson-Wybrants, Mozambique, 1880, comprising many pages of astronomical observations and calculations to establish latitude or logitude; some simple sketch maps of various locations; some references to Mr Coles' 'training instructions in the use of instruments, mapping, etc.'

Papers of Arthur Cowper Raynard, 1881, comprise a letter to Mrs [Sophia] De Morgan, widow of Augustus De Morgan, offering to lend her Professor Edward Singleton Holden's biography Sir William Herschel, his life and works (London, 1881).