Correspondence and papers of Alexander von Humboldt relating to his many scientific interests, publications, and professional and social life. Most of the letters are written to French men of science, publishers, officials and others, with a smaller number to German, British and other correspondents.

Correspondence, notes and photographs from C W Andrews' expedition to Christmas Island, 1897-1898, including notes on the birds and other animals of Christmas Island, with a register of photographs; notes on the vegetation and geology of Christmas Island, with a register of plants; notes on the geology of Christmas Island, with a register of rock specimens; rough sketches and notes on the geology of Christmas Island; letters from Andrews to C D Sherborn written from Christmas Island and elsewhere; photographs taken during Captain Pelham Aldrich's visit to Christmas Island in HMS Egeria, 1897-1898 and 1908; photographs taken by Andrews on Cocos-Keeling, 1898; album of photographs taken by Andrews on Christmas Island; leaflet prepared by Graham Collins and others, reprinting a letter from C W Andrews on Christmas Island to C D Sherborn, 11 Sep 1897, with illustrations and calendar of the Christmas Island Natural History Association for 1988, containing reprints of some of C W Andrews' photographs of the island.

Includes: Minutes of Council; Minutes of the General Meetings (the Fellows' AGMs); Minutes of the Gardens Committee (i.e. London Zoo); Minutes of the Whipsnade Committee; Daily Occurrences of London Zoo and Whipsnade (these list the arrivals and departures, births and deaths of animals at London Zoo and Whipsnade); Staff cards; post-mortem books; press-cuttings albums; charters; maps and plans; 19th Century Letter Collection (mainly from Fellows to the Secretary of ZSL. There are no replies. Authors include: Darwin, Abraham Bartlett, the Duke of Bedford, Wallace, and Barnum etc.); Ephemera, e.g. London and Whipsnade Zoo guides, posters and leaflets, Music Hall songsheets, medals, tickets, a keeper's uniform, menus.

Papers of Sir Joseph Banks, 1788-1811, comprise microfilm, and enlarged prints from the microfilm, of papers held in the Sutro Collection, State Library of California concerning subjects including the Africa Association.

Papers of George Bennett, 1877-1879, comprising 3 volumes of a typescript travel diary relating to Australia (Sydney); Europe (England, France, Italy, Germany); America (San Francisco); and India (Bombay).

Manuscript journal of George Caley, entitled 'Remarks on the weather &c', containing a travel diary, 1811-1817, describing a canal journey from London to Manchester and a journey to St Vincent in the West Indies.

Papers of William Clift, 1802-1817, comprising a volume titled Scrappiana or Extracts various, containing notes, poetry, thoughts and maxims, and extracts from publications including Erasmus Darwin's Zoonomia.

Compilation de divers morceaux de physique, de Médecine, de chirurgie, d'histoire naturelle, etc., des moyens dont leurs auteurs célèbres, se sont servis avec succès, en plusieurs facheuses circonstances, et de quelques anecdotes très curieuses. Par un Autre Ami des Hommes, 1769-1779.

Travel journals of John Davy, 1816-1847. The 3 later volumes in this collection of journals deal with a period as a medical inspector in the West Indies, while the earlier ones cover a voyage to Ceylon and a period based in the Mediterranean. In all these places Davy records the local economy, geology, wildlife and attitudes, occasionally illustrating the journals with his own drawings.

Papers of John Davy include notebooks and papers relating to his travels and observations whilst on foreign military service, detailing information such as the propagation of orange and lemon trees, the temperature and rainfall of the areas, buildings, antiquities, irrigation, landscapes, volcanoes, medical observations and general descriptions of places visited: (JD1/5) notebook on Barbados, Trinidad, Tobago and London; (JD1/6) notebook on Sicily, Lipard Islands, Italy, France and England; (JD1/7) notebook on West Indies; (JD15-JD22) notebooks of Ceylon 1815-1819; (JD23) notebook of Ceylon, Colombo, Africa, St Helena, Cape St Vincent, Ancona, Corfu, Malta 1819-1834; (JD24) journey from Colombo to Adams Peak 1817; (JD26) travels to Paris and coast of Corfu 1825; (JD27-JD29)travels in Corfu 1825; (JD30) Islands round coast of Corfu 1825; (JD31) travels through St Maura, Ithaca and Italy 1825; (JD32) visit to the Dardanelles 1825; (JD33) extracts re Greece and Asia Minor 1826; (JD34) notebook about Cerigo 1827; (JD35-JD42) Malta medical notes and observations 1827-1833; (JD44) Malta memorabilia; (JD45) Malta medical and meteorological notes 1821-1838; (JD46) notes about Sicily; (JD47-JD48) description of new volcano in Mediterranean 1831; (JD49) notes on inquiry connected with hospitals in Turkey 1840-1841; (JD50) notebook about Turkey 1841; (JD51) notebook about Turkey and travels in Europe 1841; (JD52) medical notes and notes on Murrayfield; (JD53) voyage to West Indies 1844; (JD54-JD68) notebooks about West Indies; (JD73) journey from London to the Lake District 1855; (JD74) tours to France and San Remo 1866. Notebooks and papers relating to scientific notes, experiments and lectures: (JD1/1) notebook on Dr Higgins' chemistry course; (JD1/2) notebook 1802-1843 on natural history, astronomy, history and mathematics relating to various topics such as vegetation, lions, elephants, bats, birds, the history of Agesilaus, Hannibal, Attila the Hun, addition, subtraction, the planets, earth, zodiac signs, and eclipses; (JD2/8) scientific notes; (JD3) notebook on animal chemistry lectures 1811-1813; (JD4-JD5) course of chemical lectures 1814-1815; (JD43) notes on reagents of animal textures and lime 1831-1832; (JD6) experiments on small animals 1864-1867; (JD8) notebook on scientific and philosophical notes; (JD9) animal chemistry and digitalis experiments; (JD10) chemical and medical experiments 1811; (JD11) chemical and medical notes 1811; (JD13) observations of the human body; (JD14) analysis of minerals and notes of medical phenomena; (JD25) chemical, medical and geological notes 1817-1829. Drawings and sketches indicating landscapes, scenes, volcanic rocks, ploughs and other topics; (JD1/3) book of pencil drawings; (JD1/4) book of sketches and notes 1831-1842; (JD7) sketch book 1790-1868. Papers relating to publications such as drafts, copies and reprints, which relate to John Davy's articles in journals for example the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, the Journal of Public Health and Philosophical Transactions; (JD2/1-3) files of reprints 1823-1866; (JD2/4) drafts of papers; (JD12) notebook of fair copies of papers; (JD75) draft of The Angler from Home or Fishing Excursions and Piscatory Colloquies in Kenry, Isle of Lewis and Sutherlandshire; (JD76) draft of Salmon and Sea Trout, Isle of Lewis 1857-1857. (JD2/5-7) Correspondence relating to various issues such as defending his brother's (Sir Humphry Davy) honour; (JD69-JD72) notebooks of angling observations 1850-1866; (JD77) Report on the diseases etc of the Garrison of Malta for the year ending 20 December 1828.

Papers of the Exhibition Section and the Education Section of the Natural History Museum, 1939-1983, comprising: DF700 Exhibition Section Project Files; DF701 Exhibition Section Internal Administration; and DF702 Education Section Files.

Papers of Rachel Fowler comprising note books on world travel and Andre Thevet (1502-1590).

Papers of the General Library, Natural History Museum, 1878-1984, comprising: DF600 Head of the General Library's Correspondence;
DF601 Head of the General Library's Subject Files;
DF602 General Library Visitors Books;
DF603 Library Finance and Accounts;
DF604 General Library Official Diaries;
DF605 Library Main Agents Acquisition Files;
DF606 Library Accession Records;
DF607 Library Cataloguing Records.

Catalogue of the private library of Professor Robert Edmond Grant, written in his hand after 1861.

Testimonials and notebook of John Temperley Gray, 1859-1888.

Correspondence between members of the Harland family.

Scientific papers of T H Huxley, 1846-1898, comprising notebooks made whilst Assistant Surgeon to HMS RATTLESNAKE, 1846-1850, containing his observations, sketches of specimens, notably oceanic hydrozoa, mollusca and crustacea, related notes;

scientific notebooks, papers and correspondence, [1855-1888], relating to botany and principally zoology, bound in volumes largely according to zoological classification, including invertebrata, crustacea, vertebrata, teleostei, amphibia, reptilia, aves, mammalia, carnivora, primates, anthropology, mycological, bacteria, hirudinea, mollusca, petromyzon, ganoidei, sturiones, dipnoi, teleostei, salmonidae, insectivora, rodentia, lepus, canidae, fossil fishes, dinosauria, ethnology, origins of biology, gentiana; correspondence concerning deep sea soundings, 1857; syllabus and notes for lectures, [1860-1886], for the Government (later Royal) School of Mines, Royal Institution, working men, London Institution, University of Edinburgh, notably on natural history, zoology, ethnology, elementary geography, physiography; correspondence, 1851-1894; notebooks, [1847-1884], concerning visits to Switzerland, Tenby, Italy, notes on anatomy and vertebrae;

drawings, [1847-1895] many illustrating laboratory work, and relating to observations in his notebooks, relating to protozoa and botany; coelenterata, brachiostomata, echinodermata, mollusca; vermes and arthropoda with peripatus; pisces with tunicata and amphioxus; mammalia; anthropological photographs, [1868-1898].

Letters on scientific matters, mostly to M. Dumont (1812-1824); letter from Camille Lamouroux to 'Phillippe' (1895); with correspondence, invoices and catalogue (1904) relating to the sale of these manuscripts.

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, 1898-1948, of Frederick Migeod, comprising notebooks and other manuscript material relating to West Africa. Topics covered include natural history and botany in addition to language materials.

Papers of James Murie, 1864, comprising a manuscript titled Report by James Murie on the conditions etc of the Microscopical Collection, May 1864 relating to the microscopical collections at the Hunterian Museum. The report was presented to the Museum Committee; and a manuscript titled Final Report on the Microscopical Collection, November 1864 presented to the Chairman of the Museum Committee.

Papers of Sir Richard Owen, [1831-1873], comprising papers relating to his scientific research and as Curator of the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Papers largely relating to Owens' research and publications, including work on specimens of the Hunterian Museum and other institutions, namely original illustrations for plates published in his works and proof sheets; notes of dissections performed at the Zoological Society; report of preparations in comparative anatomy from animals which have died at the Zoological Gardens, 1831; report on the dugong received by the Zoological Society, 1831; paper on metamorphosis of insects; notes and sketch on python and boa; papers relating to a variety of subjects, including temporal mastoid-mammals; viscera and muscles of the myrmecophaga jubata (anteater); distinction of an animal from a vegetable; animal kingdom; order ophidia; serpents from British Fossil Reptiles, [c1850s]; list of 'Mr Cumming's Mollusca'; notes on birds closest in structure to mammalia; classified list of D Bennet esq's specimens of natural history, [1836]; notes on the hyoid, with sketches on the salamander; illustrations of cetacea; notes on the fore-foot, megatherium (giant sloth); loose notes on generation; notes on homologies; plates and notes on histology of animals; description of a malformed foetal heart; notes on composition of vertebral segments; notes on the dermo-skeleton, operculum and of a lecture on digestion; notes on belemites; memoranda on various subjects, including harpa ventricosa and Ehrenberg's classification with letters from naturalists; description of the skeleton of an extinct gigantic sloth, [c1842], and megatherium; report of preparations in comparative anatomy from animals which have died at the Zoological Gardens; report on the dugong received by the Zoological Society, 1831; notes on the giraffe, 1837; notes and sketches on a dugong, 1838; notes on the incubation and development of the chick; notes and plates on odontography, 1844; printed papers on Dinornis maximus (moa), with annotations by Owen, 1848-1851; memoir of William Clift, [c1850]; report on the dissection of the chimpanzee, 1844; notes taken at the Garden of Plants, Paris, 1847;

papers largely relating to the administration of the museum collection, namely lists of specimens, additions to the collection from other collections and reports to the Board of Curators of the Museum, including list of Hunterian documents handed by Owen to the Museum Committee; list of duplicate specimens in the College; selection from the collection of M Verraux; report to the Board of Curators, 1833; report on the present state of the museum, 1833; list of second selection of specimens from Mr Langstaff's collection, 1835; list of preparations in spirit presented by F D Bennett, 1836; donations from the Army Medical Departments; donations since July [1843]; report on duties of officers and servants of the Museum, 1852; plans for additional museum space, 1831; report to the Board of Curators on the Museum of Comparative Anatomy in the Garden of Plants, Paris, 1831; observations on the state of the College Museum, 1833; general account of specimens of comparative anatomy and natural history presented to the Museum by George Bennett, 1834; list of specimens proposed to be transferred to the British Museum and specimens of osteology proposed in place of the transfers, 1833-1834; report to the Committee on the chimpanzee, and copies of related correspondence, 1840; report on the physiological catalogue, 1840; list of duplicate preparations from the museum of Sir Astley Cooper not desirable for the College Museum, 1843; list of specimens selected for the College from Dr Buckland's series of bones of dinornis, 1844; report on additional space required for the collection, 1845; list of osteological specimens purchased at Steven's Auction Room, 1847; list of donations from Sir Thomas W Wilson, 1852;

papers relating to catalogues of the Hunterian Museum, including sketches and notes for an osteological catalogue, [?1840s]; notes and classifications referring to specimens in the Museum, [1827-1856]; Catalogue of Hunterian Osteological specimens, [?1853]; notes made whilst producing the catalogue of comparative anatomy, ?1831; printed histological catalogue of the Museum, with annotations, 1850; papers prepared for publication of descriptive catalogue of the fossil organic remains of invertebrata in the museum, 1856;

papers relating to the Hunterian lectures delivered by Owen at the College, including museum lectures on the animal kingdom, (Owen's first course of Museum lectures) c1837; notes for lectures delivered at the Royal College of Surgeons, 1830s-1850s; memorandum concerning Museum lectures, 1823-1833; lecture on the comparative anatomy and physiology of the vertebrate animals, 1844; notes, plates and drawings relating to mammalia and Owen's lecture, 1844;

notes taken by William W Cooper on lectures on comparative anatomy delivered at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 1838-1839, revised and corrected by Owen; notes on lectures on comparative anatomy delivered at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 1837, in Clift's hand; notes taken by T E Bryant on Owen's lectures on comparative anatomy, 1839; notes taken by Frederick Hoare Colt on lectures on physiology and morbid anatomy by Owen, 1845; Lady Owen's common-place book, [c1835-1873].

The Photograph Collection contains images of the galleries, exhibits, staff and visitors from the time of the opening of the Museum onwards.

Papers of Emmeline 'Lena' Pike, comprising her notebooks on nature study, containing illustrations, pressed leaves and flowers and notes on experiment with bulbs, compiled whilst a student at Avery Hill College, 1907-1909.

Correspondence of Joan Procter, 1912-1925, comprising personal and professional letters to Joan Procter. Includes pressed flowers from R Pascoli; and a photograph of Franz Werner. Some letters are signed only with first names. Many of the letters have their original envelopes. There are a few replies.

Correspondants include: Thomas Barbour, William Bateson, C J Battersby, St. J Bolkay, Eirene Botting, Edward George Boulenger, George Albert Boulenger, Richard Higgins Burne, Eric Burrows, P Chabanaud, Geroge Coldsteam, Nellie Lousie Condon, Harding Cox, Wilfred Cooksey Crowther, Charles Alexander de Cosson, J van Denburgh, Emmett Reid Dunn, Rodney E Ellis, Sibyl Flower Stanley Smyth Flower, Evelyn C Gedge, George Bernard Gooch, F R Gray, Pamela Adelaide Genevieve Grey, Annie H Hardy, Sir Sidney Frederic Harmer, W Claud Harris, H D Hemming, Lancelot Thomas Hogben, James Baynes Jago, John Brandon-Jones, Miss Lade, H Edith Legge, M Legge, Arthur Loveridge, Marguerite M McArthur, Sir Edward Montague Compton Mackenzie, Ernest William MacBride, Sir Peter Chalmers Mitchell, N Nasbet, J K Noble, Riccardo Pascoli, Cecilia Payne, M Phisalix, A Hayward-Pinch, Alexander G Ruthven, Karl P Scmidt, M B Sloley, Malcolm Arthur Smith, Sir John Bland-Sutton, Sir Francis Patrick Fletcher Vane, Franz Werner, Otto von Wettstein and Gaston Francois de Witte.

Papers of the Natural history Museum's publication section, 1881-1994, comrising: DF500 Publications Salesbooks;
DF501 Publications Stockbooks;
DF502 Booksellers Account Books;
DF503 Photographic Section Negative Registers;

DF507 Publications Exchanges Registers;
DF508 Publications Presentation Books;
DF509 Postcards and Greetings Cards;
DF510 Catalogues of Publications;
DF511 Calendars, Almanacs and Annuals;
DF512 Diaries.

Papers of the Ray Society, 1939-1985, comprising: RS1 Secretary's Correspondence;
RS2 Secretary's subject files;
RS3 Treasurer's files and papers and

RS4 Book Reviews and other printed ephemera.

Papers, 1820-1953, of the Sibree family, comprising miscellaneous correspondence and manuscripts, press cuttings and printed papers, 1867-1929, of James Sibree, the subjects including missionary, literary and architectural work and the history, customs and language of Madagascar, including a manuscript of his `Missionary Heroes and Heroism in Madagascar', 1925; eight scrapbooks of James Sibree's papers, 1820-1927, containing printed materials and cuttings, correspondence and notes, maps and sketches relating to Madagascar and to the Sibree family; two volumes presented to James Sibree on the 50th anniversary of his missionary service in Madagascar, 1913; other papers of James Sibree relating to Madagascar, 1874-c1916 and undated, including its natural history; photographs, comprising portraits of missionaries and others connected with the Madagascar mission, 19th century, Sibree family photograph album, 1902-1913, including volcanic eruptions in Samoa, and photographs of Madagascar, including buildings, landscapes, and individuals; scrapbook of Elsie Sibree, c1913-1953, including press cuttings, photographs, and notes.

Papers of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History, 1936-1999, including minute books, 1936-1990; Secretary's correspondence and files, 1936-1985; membership application forms, 1950-1985; financial records, 1936-1987; editorial records, 1986-1999 and the historical collection.

Correspondence of the Sowerby family, chiefly letters to James Sowerby. Correspondents include: George Arnott Walker Arnott; Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward; Etheldred Bennett; William Bingley; James Clealand; Richard Cotton; Francis Crow; James Dalton; George Don; Richard Duppa; William Henry Fitton; Leonard Horne; John Harris; Adrian Hardy Haworth; Henry Heuland; George Hibbert; John Coakley Lettsom; John Lewis; Gideon Mantell; Thomas John Newbold; George Henry Noehden; Charles Panse; Thomas Joseph Pettigrew; Joseph Ellison Portlock; Thomas Purton; Philip Rashleigh; Joseph Sabine; Henry Sheppard; William Travis; Patrick Walker; Henry Warburton; William Wedderburn and Thomas Stamford Raffles.

Correspondence to and from James Sowerby and other family members from naturalists and collectors in Britain and abroad.

A calligraphic sample book, presumably compiled to demonstrate the skills of the unknown artist. Containing samples of writing and drawing styles, including some fine natural history drawings of freshwater animals.

f.1: fanciful decorative border including vignettes of indians with feather headresses, birds, snails, rams' heads, sphinxes, architectural columns, candles and paintings.

f.2: illustrations of four types of freshwater fishes: barbel (top); pike (bottom); bream (left) and gudgeon (right). With outer and inner borders of very small and patterned calligraphy.

f.3: specimen of calligraphy: Proverbs 16: 7-9 commencing "Wenn dem Herrn..." and ending "...aber der Herr allein gibt dass es fortgehe". Highly decorated 'W', using flowers, leaves and fruits.

f.4: seven lines of text with letters staggered at the line centre. Accompanied by a freely drawn bird [a swan on water?] and an illustration of a crayfish or lobster.

f.5r: three columns of written text, various styles and forms of address, commencing "Dantiscanae urbis origo"

f.5v: three coluns of written text, various styles and forms of address, commencing "Qua' tibi depictum..."

The presentation is noted in a meeting of the Royal Society of 26 February 1700/1: "Mr Owen was permitted to be present. He presented a fine piece of writing in a book done on Vellum at Dantzick [Gdansk, Poland]. He was thanked for it". [JBO/10 p.212].

Correspondence of the Tring (natural history) Museum, 1890-1955.

Original drawings of natural history and comparative anatomy for Edward Tyson's works on comparative anatomy.

Alfred Russel Wallace family papers, [1790]-2000, including personal and related family papers, correspondence, accounts of expenditure, publisher's proofs, reprints, photographs, certificates, pamphlets, press-cuttings, lecture notes and obituaries. The correspondence includes letters from Richard Spruce, and letters written by Wallace to his family from Canada, c 1886-1887, to his son William c 1889-1911, to his daughter Violet, to Herbert Walter Bates, and to the Clarion newspaper. Siblings with whom he corresponded or who mentioned in these papers include older brothers William G [George] (died c 1845), John (c 1819-1895) older sisters Eliza (died 1832) and Frances (Fanny, Mrs Thomas Sims; died 1893) and younger brother Herbert Edward. (c 1829-1851).

Notebooks of David Watson, [1864-1867], containing notes on lectures by Professor Andrew Ramsay concerning geology; lectures by August Wilhelm von Hofmann, 1865; lectures by Professor Edward Frankland concerning organic chemistry; lectures by T H Huxley concerning natural history, 1865; palaeontological demonstrations by Robert Etheridge, 1867; notes on mining, metallurgy and physics.