Papers of Sir Albert Hastings Markham, including a log, 1856 to 1874; a diary, 1875 to 1876, and an admiral's journal, 1892 to 1894. For the TRIUMPH, 1879 to 1882, there is a night order book, a captain's information book, a remark book and a letterbook. There is a night order book for the HECLA, 1879 to 1885, a remark book for the ACTIVE, Training Squadron, 1888, a telegram book and reports for the Mediterranean, 1892 to 1894, and press cuttings and photograph albums. The papers include correspondence on the voyage of the ROSARIO; official correspondence, 1886 to 1889, 1892 to 1893; papers relating to the collisions in which Markham was involved; letters and papers on Antarctic exploration and on Markham's literary work. Finally, there is Markham's semi-official and private correspondence throughout his career. This includes letters from his cousin Sir Clements Markham (1830-1916).

Journals, notebooks, papers and letters of Maj Dixon Denham, 1815-1827, chiefly relating to the Denham / Clapperton / Oudney expedition from Tripoli to Bornu 1821-1825; also including diaries kept during the Waterloo campaign and subsequent travels around Europe; papers relating to Ensign Tootle and to the Sahara expedition of 1822-1824.

Papers of Harry St John Bridger Philby, 1918-1955, including notebooks, journals, observations, letters and annotated typescript of Arabian Highlands. The journal and notebooks cover his journey across the Empty Quarter (Al Rub al Khali) in 1932. Typewritten reports cover his motorised journeys around Saudi Arabia from 1946-1955. His observations formed the basis for maps of Arabia prepared and published by the Royal Geographical Society.

Papers of Joseph S Kellet Smith, 1895, concerning explorations in the country west of Lake Nyasa including diary, Jun-Sep, 1895; five unpublished short stories, 'The revolution of Benjamin-wad-Wiri', 'The Lake Trader', 'The sacrificial altar of the Sandili', 'The Brimming cup' and 'The thraldom of Stephen Clinch'; loose pages, untitled, beginning, 'A man's enjoyment of golf...'; fifteen chapters of an unpublished book based on events of the 1895 expedition with 38 photographic prints prepared as illustrations including of river Shire, Hora camp, tribesmen and river steamers.

Journal of the scientific research voyage of HMS Challenger from 1872-1875. Illustrated with watercolours and line drawings. The typescript contains the text of the journal.

Copies of the travel journals of Sir David Wedderburn, 1866-1892, including Vol 1: 1866, United States, Canada, Atlantic passages; Vol 1A: 1868, Ireland; 1873, France, Germany, Luxembourg; Vol 2: 1869, Hungary, Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Egypt; Vol 3: 1870-1871, France, Spain, Gibraltar; 1873, Algeria; Vol 3A: 1871-1872, France, Switzerland, Italy; Vol 3B: 1872-1873 Austria, Channel Islands; Vol 4: 1874, Ceylon. Australia; Vol 5: 1874, Australia, and New Zealand; Vol 6: (Missing); Vol 7: 1876-1877 India; Vol 8: 1877-1878, Ceylon, Java, China, Japan; Vol 9: 1877, Japan and USA, June 1878 Iceland; Vol 10: 1878 Denmark, Russia, Greece, Italy: Vol 11: 1880, Brittany, Ireland, Russia, Pyrenees; Vol 12: 1881-1882 South Africa and a 'Life Sketch' of Sir David Wedderburn 1835-1882, by D A Percival.

Papers of Sir Samuel White Baker including diaries (which include sketches) of expeditions to the Upper Nile between 1861 and 1873, and notes on hunting in Ceylon 1844-1853; cash book for 1869; observations taken in Central Africa, 1860-1873 and papers and letters to John Petherick (1863) and Mr Kerrison (1873).

Photocopies of journals, 1887-1889, of A J Mounteney Jephson, comprising Books One to Four, giving a detailed description of activities of H M Stanley's expedition to relieve Emin Pasha, including the journey via Zanzibar, and the hardships faced. Book Three includes copies of some of Stanley's correspondence. Book Four, covering April to [October] 1889, is less detailed than Books One to Three, and less accurately dated. With typescript transcriptions of the journals [1960s] for Dorothy Middleton's published edition.

MSS. 5958-5963 comprise journals of A B Barton, mainly written while he was a medical officer in the service of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P & O), 1853-1858. They cover his journeys between Bombay, Singapore and Hong Kong; to the Crimea; and to the Far East. They include descriptions of the progress of the Chinese rebellion (MS. 5959), tending to and transporting the sick and wounded from Balaclava to Scutari (MS. 5960), and his shipwreck off the coast of Ceylon, together with General Henry Havelock, on the steamer Erin (MS. 5962). Some are manuscript or typescript copies. MSS. 7589-7594 comprise journals and sketches mainly relating to the Yangtse expedition, led by Captain Thomas W Blakiston, on which Barton served as a medical officer, 1861. One journal, MS. 7591, also records the end of the expedition and Barton's journey to Ceylon via Singapore, with entries on hunting expeditions in Ceylon. The journals are all fair copies. MS. 7592 comprises a narrative of the Yangste expedition read by Barton to the Royal Geographical Society, based on his journals. MS. 7593 is a series of mainly topographical illustrations relating to the expedition, comprising sketches by Barton, plus photographs and engravings based on other sketches by Barton, some of which were used to illustrate Five Months on the Yang-Tse by Thomas W Blakiston (London: John Murray, 1862). MS. 7594 comprises later papers of Brian M Gould relating to Barton and his journals, 1967 and n.d.

Copies of diaries of Frederick James Stevenson, of his travels in North and South America, 1863-1869, comprising Vol. 1 USA and Havana, 1863-1867; Vols 2 and 3, eastern States of South America, 1867-1868; Vol. 4, Patagonia, 1868 and Vol. 5, Bolivia and Peru, 1868-1869.

MSS.3356-3382 comprise journals and memorandum books documenting the various phases of McCormick's career, as follows: MS.3356, sketchbook relating to West Indies and South America voyages, 1824-1825; MS.3357, journal of voyage north of Spitsbergen in the Hecla, 1827; MS.3358, notes of lectures on natural philosophy by Robert Jameson (1774-1854) at Edinburgh University, 1830-1831; MS.3359, diary of voyages to West Indies and South America, 1830-1832; MS.3360, half-pay diaries (7 volumes), 1830-1838; MS.3361, diaries covering 1823-1830, fair copy; MS.3362, sketch book covering voyages in North Sea and West Indies, 1832-1833; MS.3363, diary covering blockade of Dutch coast and voyage to West Indies, 1832-1834; MS.3364, diary of a walking tour in Devon (apparently part of a longer journey of which the other journal volumes are not extant), 1834-1835; MS.3365, diary while fitting out the Antarctic expedition of the Erebus, 1839; MSS.3366-3368, diaries written during the Erebus Antarctic expedition (15 volumes), 1839-1843; MSS.3369-3370, meteorological and ornithological logs respectively of the Erebus Antarctic expedition, 1839-1843; MS.3371, half-pay diaries (4 volumes), 1843-1845; MS.3372, memorandum book on Arctic discovery, chiefly compiled during the voyage of the North Star as part of the search for Sir John Franklin, 1848-1852; MS.3373, diary while fitting out the North Star as part of the search for Sir John Franklin, 1852; MSS.3374-3380, diaries written during the voyage of the North Star as part of the search for Sir John Franklin, 1852-1853; MSS.3381-3382, meteorological tables and sketches respectively, made during the voyage of the North Star as part of the search for Sir John Franklin, 1852-1853. MS.8682 comprises loose miscellaneous material, chiefly printed, relating to various phases of McCormick's career: evolving versions of his Narrative of a Boat-Expedition up the Wellington Channel in the Year 1852 (London: Eyre and Spotteswoode, 1854), plus testimonials, printed items by other authors including the Arctic traveller Dr. Richard King, publisher's advertisements and newspapers.

Papers of James Alfred Steers, 1928-1970, including diary of voyage to Australia and Great Barrier Reef Expedition, 14 Jun 1928-11 Jan 1929; reports prepared for the Ministry of Town and Country Planning on coasts of England, Scotland and Wales, 1943-1949; report and recommendations by Steers on the conservation of coasts in certain countries of Europe, 1969 and 'Protection of coastal areas', a paper by Steers prepared for the European Committee for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, May, 1970.

Papers of William Singer Barclay, 1901-1918, comprise diaries, 1901-1918, of residence and travel in Uruguay, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina Ecuador and Colombia; reports on the Misiones region, 1904-1907 and miscellaneous notes and news cuttings from a variety of sources concerning South America.

Diaries of Edward Wilding, 1926-1929, comprising diary in four volumes, illustrated with photographs, postcards, etc, of voyage to South America and a journey to Corriented and Posada on the River Parana and its tributaries, 1926 and diary in five volumes, illustrated with photographs, postcards etc, of a voyage to South America and a journey up the River Parana and in northern and western Argentina, 1929.

Papers of Hugh Robert Mill including manuscript and printed papers relating to Antarctic whaling expeditions; collection of approximately 200 letters to Mill from officers of the Royal Geographical Society chiefly concerning the affairs of the RGS, 1847-1944; collection of approximately 800 letters to Mill from geographers, travellers cartographers and others, 1833-1944; 'Daily Doings', two volumes, 1861-1919 and 1920-1945, which briefly record the events of each day, contain lists of Mill's published works and the appointments he held, and are indexed by personal and place names.

Correspondence and papers, 1834-1950s, of and relating to David Livingstone, composed of three sub-collections.

Official London Missionary Society (LMS) papers of and relating to Livingstone, 1834-1872, largely comprise a series of over 100 original letters from Livingstone to his friends and to the LMS in connection with his work as an LMS missionary, mostly from southern Africa, the bulk dating from the 1840s and 1850s, and also include letters between other correspondents and miscellaneous other documents relating to Livingstone; 15 letters, 1852-1855, of Mary Livingstone (née Moffat), probably mostly directed to LMS officials, with typescript copies.

The LMS reference collection on Livingstone comprises typescript and manuscript copies of the LMS Livingstone letters; original letters relating to Livingstone, 1845, 1850; copies of other letters and documents by or relating to Livingstone, 1841-1881, held elsewhere, including a later copy of Livingstone's answers to LMS questions on becoming a missionary (1838); photocopy of Livingstone's Bechuana journal, 1853; two microfilms of materials on Robert and Mary Moffat and Livingstone; papers relating to Livingstone, 1850s-1950s, collected by the LMS, including copies of further LMS documents relating to him, typescripts, press cuttings and printed material on his life and fame and places associated with him.

The Bruce Livingstone collection comprises original letters, largely from Livingstone to Robert Moffat, 1844-1857, and photocopies of four letters, 1847-1853, from David Livingstone to Charles Livingstone.