The collection consists of 35mm photographic slides taken by Professor Carter showing views of geographical features, cities, towns, villages, landscapes, industrial and agricultural locations in Eastern European countries, as well as slides of graphs, maps, archives and other historical data relating to cities and regions of Eastern Europe. Additionally, the collection includes slides of data on subjects such as agriculture, the environment and foreign direct investment (FDI).

Photocopy of journal kept by Aubyn Bernard Trevor-Battie describing his stay on the Island of Kolguev in the Barents Sea, 1904.

Letter from John Edward Masefield of Burcote Brook, Abingdon to [Rudolf Santer], [c1941]. Thanking him for sending his new address.

Manuscript volume containing a detailed description of the medieval Mappa Mundi in Hereford Cathedral, [1900-1925], including illustration copied from the map.

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

Manuscript, c1760, entitled 'Directions for sailing from the harbour of Halifax to Quebec, by James Cook, Master of His Majesty's Ship Northumberland'. The text is written in Cook's hand throughout. Pasted into the manuscript are a table showing latitude and longitude of capes etc (f 17r) and a list of names, mostly of native chiefs encountered in the Pacific on Cook's first and second voyages (f 18r).

Papers of Sir James Paterson Ross, mid 20th century, comprising a St Barthlomew's Hospital notebook [?], containg addresses; information relating to the rebuilding of the Royal College of Surgeons of England after World War Two bomb damage; a card allowing Ross to remove packages without inspection, 1941; a letter thanking Ross for his lectures on the Nervous System, 15 Jul 1942; printed notes on 'Enemy Gas Attacks'; and a reprint of The Physician's Testimony for Christ by Andrew Clark, an address originally delivered in 1890.

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 They form a complementary series to the Early Letters, both of which were superseded by the Letters and Papers.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.

Six papers or memoirs by Captain Edward Sabine, written chiefly during the progress of the voyage of discovery of the Isabella in the year 1818.

Observations for ascertaining the distances across the English Channel made by direction of the French and English Governments, bearing the signatures of François Arago, Henry Kater and Thomas Colby.

Log of the Proceedings on board HMS Fury on a voyage for the discovery of the North West Passage kept by James Clark Ross, 21 Jan 1824-5 Oct 1825.

Manuscript Journal Geographical Magnetical and Meteorological made by Captain Edward Sabine during Ross's Arctic Voyage in 1818.

Correspondence of Sir Edward Sabine, together with two volumes of correspondence on Terrestrial Magnetism by Sir Edward Sabine, Reverend Humphrey Lloyd and others.

Letters and papers of Alexander Gordon Laing chiefly relating to his last and fatal expedition to Timbuktoo.

Papers, mainly accounts, concerning the British Antarctic expedition (1910-1913).

Horizontal pendulum records from the British National Antarctic Expedition 1901-1904.

Identifications and field notes by Edred John Henry Corner and Wee Lek Chew from the Royal Society's expeditions to Kinabalu, North Borneo, 1961 and 1964; with a preliminary report on the Cambridge expedition to Mount Kinabalu, 1965.

An account of the Mato Grosso based on the Royal Society and Royal Geographical Society expedition to central Brazil in 1967-1969 by Anthony Smith. Typescript marked 'First draft'.

Expedition papers of James Andrew Grant relating to the Royal Society expedition to the Solomon Islands in 1965 and to subsequent work in Australia. Includes a large number of photographic slides.

Papers of the National Antarctic Expedition, 1901-1904, including drafts of letters written by Sir Clements Markham and Cyril Longhurst; incoming correspondence relating to all aspects of the expedition, Markham's own notes summarising events of the expedition and its administration, Captain Scott's summaries of proceedings, deck logs of the DISCOVERY, letter books and minute books of the Antarctic Committee; papers realting to the MORNING and the TERRA NOVA relief ships and correspondence relating to the winding up of the expedition's affairs. The Archive also holds Louis C Bernacchi's private diary on board the DISCOVERY, 14 Feb 1904-5 Nov 1904, and George Murray's journal on board the DISCOVERY from Cowes, 6 Aug 1901 to within sight of Cape Town, where he left the expedition. Papers generated by the Royal Geographical Society related to the expedition are also filed with this collection.

Papers of the African Association, 1788-1831, including microfilm and enlarged prints from microfilm of the Association's minute books of its Committee Meetings (1788-1809), General Meetings (1790-1831) and Meetings of the Saturday Club (from 1799 the African Club) (1788-1815) and miscellaneous correspondence: nine items of different dates (1808-1822) principally concerning John Lewis Burkhardt.

Additional notes, 1907, to an article by August Ferber in the Geographical Journal entitled 'An Exploration of the Mustagh Pass in the Karakoram Himalayas', Vol. 30, No. 6 (Dec., 1907), pp. 630-643.

Bearings and positions by A C Hoey of Lake Baringo to Addis Abbaba, 1909.

Papers of Alexander Douglas Mitchell Carruthers, 1904-1957, comprise travel diaries and notebooks from Syria and Lebanon, Central Africa, Turkestan and Arabia; correspondence, notes, published articles and cuttings about birds, mammals and other natural history topics.

Typescript translations by Archibald Gostling, 1932, from the Spanish of accounts of a voyage to the Canary Islands by Nunez Cabeza da Vaca (c 1490-1564) and of book by Bartolome de las Casas (1484-1566) [possibly 'Very brief account of the Destruction of the Indies'].

Papers of A G E Jones including biographical notes on Sir Allen Young, 1981; biographical notes on John L Cope, 1982; lists of ships leaving London for New South Wales and Van Diemans Land, 1786-1825; copies of press cuttings relating to finding the grave of one of Franklin's men in North Canada, 1984; copies of two letters on the loss of the log book of the DISCOVERY, 1904; copy of an article by Jaones in 'Notes and Queries' Dec 1984 on the crew of the TERROR and Franklin's last voyage; copies of two pages from the log of the SOUTHERN CROSS; typescripts of 'The Southern whale fishery' and 'Danial Bennett and Company', 1968.

Notes by Sir Albert Gray and others on voyages to the East Indies and the Maldive islands, 1880s.

Correspondence of Sir Albert Hastings Markham, 1876-1880, including letters to Mr Isbister, on the subject of the publication of his book The great frozen sea, Apr 1878-Sep 1880, together with a letter from Clements R Markham on the same topic, 22 May 1878 and letter from Markham to 'Mammie' from HMS ALERT, 26 Oct 1876.

Journals, charts and other papers relating to A H Ninnis' commission as purser in SS AURORA on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914-1916 and the Relief Expedition, 1916-1917.

The papers include diaries of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition, 23 Dec 1914-12 Feb 1917, with a single volume typescript summary of the diaries; notebook entitled 'The Log of Taroona Camp, H E Wild and A H N with the 26 and stores for dog teams' including notes of equipment and stores for the dog teams; list of the dogs' names and a journal headed 'RMS Ionic, Hobart, Ocean Quay', 31 Oct-24 Dec 1914; copies of letters from Ninnis including to Ernest Shackleton, 6 Jan-5 Feb 1920 and to John Lachlan Cope, 9 Jun 1920; press cuttings, 1919-1920; papers reviewing Antarctic exploration achieved and proposals for another expedition under J L Cope in TERRA NOVA, for 1923; printed prospectus of Cope's Antarctic expedition; Ninnis' certificate of discharge made out at Wellington, New Zealand, Feb 1917; three large charts titled 'Map of the Antarctic East Longitude 150°-180° showing drift of SY Aurora', 1931 (the three are similar but two have small insets of landscape sketches); small chart entitled 'Map of the Bay of Whales', from a survey by Blackburn and Coman, Byrd Antarctic expedition, 1929-1930, with a second sketch map showing the route of Byrd's polar flight; three volumes of uncorrected typescript of High Latitude by J K Davis.

Papers of Alexander Hamilton Rice, 1917-1928, comprising notes and observations by Rice including of the Rio Grande, Brazil, 1917 and 1919-1920; notes and correspondence about expeditions of 1924-1925 and 1926-1928; journals 1920-1921 from South American expeditions 'The Rio Negro, the Casquiare Canal and the upper Orinoco'; and journal entitled 'Some notes on the Brazilian Amazon and the Venezuela-Guyana expedition', 1925.

Papers of Amory Hooper Waite, 1960-1984, chiefly comprising biographical material including details of Waite created for the occasion of Waite becoming a Fellow of the Radio Club of America, Sep 1976; press release on Waite receiving triple honours, 1 May 1980 and material provided by Waite for his own obituary including an autobiography, 1 Dec 1983; material from the 50th anniversary of the Byrd rescue mission, 1984; papers and history relating to radio ice depth measurements; copy of a paper by Noel Stone, entitled 'The Airborne Survey of Ice Caps at Radio Frequencies', Aug 1960 and copies of articles including 'An Empirical Determination of the Relative Dielectric Constant of the Greenland Ice Cap', by D C Pearce and J W Williams, in the Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 72, 15 Nov 1967; 'Airborne Radar Sounding of the Greenland Ice Cap: Flight 1', by A H Zanella, D C Pearce and J W Williams, in the Geographical Society of America Bulletin, Vol. 79, Nov 1968 and article on Waite, Jun 1984.

Papers relating to the SS TERRA NOVA's relief mission to the DISCOVERY, 1903-1904, including seven log books with pencil sketches [possibly by Second Mate Thomas Elms], 1903-1904; diary of First Officer A P Jackson on the above voyage (very few entries) and letters from T B Jackson, brother of A P Jackson.

Papers of Aeneas Lionel Acton Mackintosh comprising copy in Mackintosh's hand of his journal of a sledge journey from SS AURORA laying relief depots for Shackleton's party on the Trans-Antarctic expedition, 25 Jan 1915-15 Apr 1915 and copy of a typescript diary by Mackintosh during the British Antarctic Expedition, 1 Jan 1908-4 Mar 1909.

Observation files of Sir Alfred Sharpe, including positions, Lake Mweru, 1892 and positions on and near Lake Nyasa including letters and calculations, 1894-1895.

Papers of Capt Alexander Maconochie, 1833-1971, including photocopies of letters concerning the Chair of Geography at London University and his decision to go to Van Diemen's Land, 1833-1836; a statement on his differences with Sir John Franklin, Mar 1839, including copies of letters from F M Innes, J C Macdougall, G Robertson, and Sir Alfred Stephen and original letters from J C Macdougall, 28 Mar 1839, and G Robinson, 22 Mar 1839; 22 letters addressed to Sir John Scott Keltie in his capacity as the Secretary of the Society, 1834-1839; letter from Hobart Town, 22 Jun 1837 on the natives at Port Phillip in Australia and containing a sketch of the structure of Van Diemen's Land and photograph of Maconochie's headstone, 1971.

The Royal Geographical Society Additional Papers relate to all aspects of the RGS's history, 1830-1945, including Council minutes; committee minutes; Prospectus of 1830; reports on the state of the RGS, 1833 and 1837; correspondence concerning special meetings; financial statements and reports; notes on the Map Room and the Library; papers relating to the RGS's awards; regulations and byelaws; lists of Council and committee members; papers of the African Exploration Committee, 1877-1881; the fire-watcher's log books, 1940-1944; papers relating to the election of women as Fellows; papers on scientific enquiries, instruments and instruction; papers relating to the Kosmos, Raleigh and Geographical Clubs; formal addresses and diplomas; papers relating to anniversaries and other events; evening meeting minute books and papers relating to the leasing and furnishing of premises for the RGS, 1837-1930, in particular the purchase of Lowther Lodge.

Papers relating to the foundation, early history, Charter and seal and meetings of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), 1830-1973, including Prospectus for the establishment of the London Geographical Institution, 4 May 1830; booklet containing printed prospectus, list of members, regulations and note on the Royal Premium of the RGS, 1831; minutes of RGS meetings 24 and 26 May 1830; histories of the RGS; list of RGS members, 1830; report entitled 'The RGS: a report on the state of the Society', 10 Jun 1833; paper by J R Jackson entitled 'Regarding the labours of the RGS, by a member', 1837; Charter of the RGS; drawings and correspondence relating to the RGS's seal, 1859; minutes of the Special General Meeting, 20 Jun 1863; papers relating to anniversary events and conversaziones, 1855-1930; tabular statement on the number of Fellows, 1908-1916; visitor's books, 1831-1973 and press cuttings.

Papers relating to Royal Geographical Society formal addresses and diplomas including photograph of formal address presented by the RGS to Queen Elizabeth II on 25th anniversary of her accession; formal addresses to the RGS from Geographical Societies from around the world on the occasion of the RGS centenary, 1930 and the 150th anniversary, 1980; diplomas awarded to the RGS at the British Empire Expedition, 1924 and document received from the Legislature of California for the Drake celebrations.

Papers of the Kosmos, Raleigh and Geographical Clubs, 1827-1977, including Raleigh Club minute book, 1827-1854; Geographical Club minute books, 1854-1966; Geographical Club correspondence and accounts, 1880-1952 and Kosmos Club minute books, 1927-1956; Kosmos Club correspondence and accounts, 1893-1960; printed pamphlets of the history of the clubs; lists of members; and press cuttings.

Papers relating to Royal Geographical Society publications including the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society (JRGS) and Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society (PRGS), 1837-1987, including a list of institutions which received the JRGS, 1850; papers concerning the distribution of the PRGS, 1856 and 1859; report of the PRGS committee, 1878; expenditure and income of the PRGS; note on advertisements in the PRGS, 1880; list and related correspondence of advertisements in the JRGS, 1879; leaflets for advertising in the JRGS and the PRGS, 1893; report on the progress of, and other papers relating to Hints to Travellers by J H Leroy, 1882; samples of printed advertisements in Geographical Journal, 1930; proof and preliminary drawings of diagrams for H R Mill's Record of the RGS; publications account book, 1896-1922; and records of papers received for publication, 1837-1987.

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.

Papers relating to the Royal Geographical Society Council, committees and bylaws, 1830-1993, including balloting lists for the Council, 1840-1932; lists of Council and Committee members, 1879-1880; summary notes of Council minutes, 1830-1929; papers relating to revisions of bylaws; papers relating to the African Exploration Committee, 1877-1881; minutes of the Polar committee, 1933-1937; biographical data on Council members, 1869-1906; Staff Association papers, 1975-1991 and papers relating to library committees, [1969-1993].

Papers of Arthur Hinks including private scientific correspondence, proofs of articles and other papers, 1896-1930, concerning map projections and methods of survey; typed list of Hinks' contributions to the Geographical Journal and papers relating to A E Young.

Papers of Baron A von Humboldt, 1783-1848, including letter from Paris, May 1835, to Francois Arago; facsimile of a letter from Sans Souci, 12 Aug 1848, to A K Johnston and five small geographical drawings, done at the age of 16 years.

Papers of Bertram Sidney Thomas, 1930-1940, including lists and notes on observations made during his expedition to southern Arabia, 1930: appendices to article by Thomas, 'A Journey into Rub' Al Khali: The Southern Arabian Desert', The Geographical Journal, Vol. 77, No. 1 (Jan, 1931), pp. 1-31; and astronomical observations, Arabia, 1930-1931.

Papers of Professor Charles Alfred Fisher, 1954-1980, including lecture notes on South East Asia including the overseas Chinese, the Mekong River and his visit to Burma in 1974; Foreign Office Research Department paper entitled 'UK Interests in SE Asia', 1964; and six personal letters on academic subjects, 1954-1980.

Royal Geographical Society Correspondence Block 1830-1833 consists of correspondence with the Society in the first four years after its foundation. The letters cover administrative matters as well as all aspects of Geography and exploration throughout the world. These files contain incoming letters only, replies are held separately in the out-letter books. Authors include John Arrowsmith, Sir George Back, Friedrich Bialloblotsky, Robert Fitzroy, William Richard Hamilton, Baron Alexander von Humboldt, Alexander Maconochie, William Marsden, Paris Geographical Society, Dr John Richardson and Robert Hermann Schomburgk.

Royal Geographical Society Correspondence Block, 1931-1940, consists of correspondence with the Society covering administrative matters as well as all aspects of geography and exploration throughout the world. These files contain incoming letters only, replies are held separately in the out-letter books. Authors include Latham Valentine Stewart Blacker, British Grahamland Expedition; Francis Chichester; Vivian Fuchs; Tom H Harrison, William Harold and Doreen Constance Ingrams, Ronald Kaulbeck, Eric Shipton, Wilfred Thesiger, Brig Ralph Alger Bagnold, Dr John Ball, Louis Charles Bernacchi, Charles Kenneth Howard Bury, Commander Richard Evelyn Byrd, Douglas Carruthers, Gertrude Caton-Tompson, F Spencer Chapman, Augustine Courtauld, Sir Percy Z Cox, Frank Debenham, George Miller Dyott, Lincoln Ellsworth, Filippi de Filipo, Rosita Forbes, Douglas William Freshfield, William Joseph Harding King, Halford J Mackinder, Thomas Henry Manning, Sir Douglas Mawson, Dr Hugh Robert Mill, Mrs Wilhelmina Ness, Edward Felix Norton, Noel Ewart Odell, Harry St John Philby, Alexander Hamilton Rice, Hugh Ruttledge, Francis Sydney Smythe, Prof James Alfred Steers, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Sir Mark Aurel Stein, Sir Percy Molesworth Sykes, Prof Eva Germaine Rimington Taylor, L R Wagner, Frank Kingdon Ward, Henry 'Gino' Watkins and Sir Francis Younghusband.

Royal Geographical Society Correspondence Block, 1941-1946, consists of correspondence with the Society covering administrative matters as well as all aspects of geography and exploration throughout the world. These files contain incoming letters only, replies are held separately in the out-letter books. Authors include Prof Hans Ahlmann, William G V Balchin, Miss Lucy Evelyn Cheesman, Francis Chichester, Augustine Courtauld, Charles Frederick Arden-Close, Thomas Walter Freeman, Rupert Thomas Gould, Edward Heawood, Arthur R Hinks, Thomas Henry Manning, Einar Mikkelsen, Prof Eva Germaine Rimington Taylor, Prof James Alfred Steers, Sir Mark Aurel Stein, Frank Sydney Smythe, James Mann Wordie, the War Office, United Nations, K S Sandford, Scott Polar Research Institute, Wilfred Thesiger and the Ordnance Survey.

Royal Geographical Society Correspondence Block, 1834-1840, consists of correspondence with the Society covering administrative matters as well as all aspects of geography and exploration throughout the world. These files contain incoming letters only, replies are held separately in the out-letter books. Authors include William Ainsworth, Sir George Back, Sir John Barrow, Captain F Beaufort, F W Beechey, William Bollaert, James Brooke, Sir Alexander Burnes, F R Chesney, Colonial Office, Charles Darwin, Capt Robert Fitzroy, W R Hamilton, William Hilhouse, Alexander Maconochie, Woodbine Parish, Henry Creswicke Rawlingson, Dr John Richardson, Robert H Schomburgk and Sir J Gardner Wilkinson.