Nine notes and memoranda, 1861-1864, addressed to Rainford Junction, near St Helens on railway traffic matters, mostly from the Engineer's Office and the Passenger Dept., St Helens, but also from the Goods Dept. at Garston and Widnes Docks.

Printed bill of lading completed in manuscript for the ship Sprightly Packett, 19 Oct 1782, at Bristol and bound for Cork with eight hogsheads of dye goods.

Two bills of sale of vessels registered at Liverpool, details as follows:

1. Sale of 4/64 share of the barque Charlotte for a consideration of £675, by Philip Nelson, shipowner, to Henry Gardner, produce broker, both of Liverpool, 1 Jun 1866.
2. Sale of 8/64 share of the barque Cecilia, for a consideration of £900, between the parties as above, 25 Feb 1869.

Papers relating to shipping at Southampton, 1844-1847, comprising:

1. Printed form, completed in manuscript, headed 'The Grand Turk. Captain V. Wrightson from Southampton to Havre'. The form provides for entries of the number and names of hands (not entered), log of the voyage (Southampton and Portsmouth), nature and value of merchandise carried, and cabins occupied, 28-30 Sep 1844. It is endorsed '1 Havre Station. G.Turk. Sep 28 - Oct 1 [18]44. £85 12s.O. C.B. 56.'
2. Valuations of the following vessels: Monarch, Atalanta, Ariadne, Camilla, and Sarah (coal hulk), all th £8,800; Calpe, Transit, South Western, Grand Turk, Lady de Saumarez, Robert Burns, City of Edinbro', and Queen Mab (coal hulk), all worth £14, 718; and also of 12 horse boxes on wheels (£84), and one office on wheels (£15) belonging to the South Western Steam Packet Company; and of mooring chains, anchors, etc., of the hulks Queen Mab and Sarah (£70). Each valuation is signed by Joseph White, ship builder, East Cowes, for Ritherdon & Carr, Oct 1844.
3. Three bills of sale, completed in manuscript, for the Ariadne, Camilla and Monarch, all dated 8 Jun 1847, sold to George Henderson of Southampton, and Matthew Uzielli, merchant, of 62 King William Street, London, by the trustees of the South of England Steam Navigation Company. Each bill is endorsed 'Custom House Southampton' 21 June 1847, with signatures of customs officials. The bills include details of the construction (and subsequent alterations) of the ships, date of building, and date of registrations. On the dorse of each bill is a printed form, completed in manuscript, for the receipt of money.
   (a) Bill of sale for Ariadne of Southampton, master John Fuszard, sold for £3,000.
   (b) Bill of sale for the Camilla of Southampton, master John Priaulx, sold for £2,000.
   (c) Bill of sale for the Monarch of Southampton, master Richard White, sold for £10,000.

Copy of the memorial of Arthur Lemuel Shuldham [of Dunmanway, Co. Cork] to the commissioners of the Excise, asking them to remit the costs of a suit begun by the Commissioners against Shuldham's pleasure yacht, built at Bristol in May 1789 at a cost of £2000. The yacht was condemned by the jury, and orders were given to dispose of it 'and your memorialist thereby lost many things therein not belonging to the said vessel'. The peculiar hardship of the case, and the largeness of Shuldham's family make him hope that the commissioners will remit the costs. The document is neither signed nor dated.

Papers relating to property of John Michie, Director of the East India Company, at 'Muffets' or North Mimms, Hertfordshire, comprising a list of the fields, woods, etc. with their acreages, dated May 1780. There is also a list of those paying land tax, with the amounts, headed 'Present rate of North Myms Common' 7 Jul 1780.
On the reverse of one list is a brief memorandum headed 'By the Joint Committee of private Trade and Shipping', concerning an enquiry into the conduct of captain Peter Douglas of the Queen and Captain John Coggan of the Shrewsbury for 'parting company outward bound contrary to the orders of the Secret Committee' in 1777, dated 5 May 1780, initialled by four of the Company directors, and with a note that it was read in court. The documents are accompanied by a wrapper endorsed 'Muffets. (Account of Grounds by Messrs. Michie'.

Printed share certificate no. 1399 of the Grand Junction Canal, completed in manuscript, owned by Elizabeth Grant, spinster of Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire. It is dated (in print) 16 Sep 1793, at the second general meeting at Daventry, Northants, signed by two clerks to the company, and sealed with the paper seal of the company.

Letter written by Richard Lawson, dated 21 May 1800 on the island of St Thomas, Virgin Islands, addressed to Messrs. Anderson [of London], concerning Lawson's schooner Nonesuch which 'arrived here about a couple of months ago...with a Cargo of Negroes which turned out extreemly well'; and business of Mr. Lalanda of St Thomas in the court of the Vice-Admiral relating to the capture of a vessel taken to Jamaica while on its way to St Domingo.

Transcript of a series of articles that appeared in the Athenaeum, 1842-1843, giving itineraries and descriptions of monuments that could be visited in day excursions by railway from London, the first headed 'The Bye Paths of England' and signed 'M' (Athenaeum, 1842, pp.634-5), the others headed 'Days' Excursions out of London' (Athenaeum, 1843, pp.715-7, 736-7, 754-6, 819-20, 882-4, 904-6).

The working drawings of John Smeaton, civil engineer. They illustrate his researches on waterwheels and applied mechanics, and the relative efficiency of overshot as opposed to undershot wheels. With supplementary engravings and manuscript notes.

Manuscript of the work 'Philosophical Experiments, containing Usefull and necessary Instructions for such as undertake long Voyages at Sea', by Stephen Hales, printed by and at the expense of the Royal Society in 1739.

Correspondence, papers, notebooks and specimens (copper and photographic) compiled by Sir Henry James.

The majority of this correspondence is based around the following themes: James's work for the Ordnance Survey (particularly the book of maps and photographs produced by the OS of Jerusalem), James's investigation of the corrosion by sea water of the copper bottoms of ships, letters discusing George Biddell Airy's proposed system of projection and personal letters of invitation to James.

The majority of the photographs relate to 'The Wreck of the RHONE', and in particular, of a survivor of the shipwreck, a cabin boy called John Bailey. (The RHONE was a steam packet ship, built in London in 1865. It sank off the coast of the Virgin Islands in October 1867, after being struck by strong winds. Of the 197 people on board only 24 survived. The wreck of the RHONE is now regarded as one of the world's most famous wreck dives).

The sketchbook consists mostly of sketches of trilobites drawn whilst James was in Ireland and the notebook contains notes on military topics.

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.

Personal correspondence of William Blair-Bell, 1920-1931, including 5 photocopies of documents relating to William Blair-Bell's private practice and to his personal dress etc, 1923-1928; page of a letter sent to Blair-Bell by a firm of monumental masons relating to the churchyard memorial to his mother and brother, 1931; copy letter of Blair-Bell to the Secretary of the Royal Automobile Club complaining of treatment he had received at a hotel recommended by the RAC; letter of thanks to Blair-Bell from Dorothy Leith. Murray, wife of Herbert Leith Murray, FRCOG, and Blair-Bell's successor as Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Liverpool University; photocopy of a letter of congratulations from J M Munro Kerr to Blair-Bell, almost certainly on the latter's appointment as Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Liverpool University; photocopies of two letters to Blair-Bell from solicitors and insurers relating to a verdict of negligence against Blair-Bell in a motor accident; letter of thanks to Blair-Bell for a donation to a fund for the medical care of an individual; two letters regarding references for chauffeurs, 1924; letter from an antiquarian bookdealer, 1921; copy letter to a travel agent, 1925; letter from Sir Ewen J Maclean thanking him for a testimonial; 1921; letter relating to rental of shooting rights, 1924; correspondence with American Hospital suppliers, 1926.

Letter of Cunard Steam Ship Company Ltd to William Blair-Bell confirming his passage to New York, 1925.

Papers of Donald Whatley Roy, 1897-1948, and including correspondence, 1898-1948; medical certificates, including one a as a Foundation Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1897-1930; articles and speech, 1930-1938; card announcing results of the III MB Pt 1, 1903; testimonials, 1908-1929; passenger lists of ships on which he was surgeon, 1910; applications, 1916-1934.

Papers of Max Lock, 1936-1988, produced and collected by Max Lock and the Max Lock Group, relate to Lock's career as a planner and architect and to wider issues in planning, particularly after World War Two, and comprise working papers (including survey papers) and finished material.

They include correspondence; notes and card indexes; photographs (some aerial), slides, drawings, maps and plans; Bills, Acts, white papers and other official publications; books, articles, reports and other publications (some annotated); typescripts; press cuttings; and conference papers. The bulk of the material dates from the 1940s to the early 1970s. Material relating to Lock's career and projects within the UK includes papers on his time as a Watford councillor and his architectural practice in the 1930s, including a timber house he designed at Stanmore, Middlesex; Hull, 1939-1957, including conflicts between Lock and his superiors; Scalby, 1940-1941; Middlesborough, 1943-1970; Hartlepool, 1946-1970; Portsmouth, 1948-1973; Salisbury, 1949-1969; Sutton Coldfield, 1950-1967; Bedford, 1950-1971; Sevenoaks, 1954-1965; Aberdare, 1957-1959; Stratford (West Ham), 1957-1962; Hackney and Shoreditch, 1960-1971; Woodley, 1962-1969; Oldham, 1962-1971; Covent Garden, 1963-1971; Battle, 1964; Brentford and Chiswick, 1964-1970; Torbay, 1968-1969; Dunstable, 1968-1972; Greater London Development Plan Inquiry, 1969-1971, and other material on GLC planning and transport; Beverley, 1969-1972. Material on projects and visits overseas includes papers on Scandinavia, 1937-1939, 1946-1949; India, Pakistan and Ceylon, 1946-1955; the Netherlands, including the Town Planning Institute Tour (1946), 1946-1957; the Americas, including Brazil, the West Indies and the USA, 1952-1969; Italy, 1952-1970; the Middle East, including Iraq and Jordan, 1954-1958; Australia, 1959-1960; Aden, 1960-1961; Kuwait, 1961; Nigeria, including Kaduna and Maiduguri, 1962-1975.

The collection includes a large volume of accumulated material, 1944-1987, largely printed material by other authors, including other planners, planning bodies and architects, some from architectural and planning journals and from the national and regional press, on planning and related issues both in the UK and overseas, such as planning law and procedures; central and local government and administration; public inquiries; housing; historic buildings; urban development; industry and retail; transport infrastructure, including roads and ports; traffic, noise, and the environment; social and economic issues including employment, labour, and social class; population levels and density; public amenities and utilities; land use and open space; and statistical data. Some papers relate to the affairs, including legal and financial matters, of the Max Lock Group; the architectural work of Max Lock and Partners; premises in Victoria Square, London; and the Max Lock Group Nigeria. Papers of or concerning Lock himself include his notebooks and other papers reflecting the development of his ideas; papers relating to publications and broadcasts; papers relating to professional bodies, including the TPI, RIBA, TCPA and UDAG; personal correspondence; photographs of him and his friends; papers on music and architecture, including lecture notes; articles about Lock, and his obituary in the Independent, 3 May 1988.

Papers of Jeremy John Durham (Paddy) Ashdown, [1970]-1999, including material relating to the working of the Liberal Democrat Party (including files on the merger of the Liberal and Social Democratic Parties in 1988), campaigns, and relations with related Liberal groups, such as campaigning within ethnic minorities, the Liberal Youth and Student Office, the Liberal Movement, the European Liberal Democratic and Reform Parties, and Liberal International; material relating to Social and Liberal Democrat and Liberal Democrat conferences, 1989-1993, comprising programmes, agenda and correspondence; files relating to the administration of party political broadcasts and press releases, 1988-1992; papers relating to general, by, local and European elections, 1988-1993, including the 1991 report on general elections, and the European Election Task Group and ASLDC reports on local government elections; files on parliamentary procedure, 1989-1992; financial and administrative papers of the Liberal Democrat Party, 1986-1992, notably relating to fund raising; material concerning the organisation of local parties, 1988-1993, including those in Scotland and Wales; Liberal Democrat correspondence, 1982-1993, mainly with party members; constituency correspondence, 1985-1994, relating to Yeovil; general correspondence, 1983-1994, with members of the public, on subjects including animal rights, the arts, blood sports, capital punishment, constitutional and electoral reform, defence, education, energy, the environment, Europe, foreign affairs/policy, health, housing, human rights, legal aid, minority rights, the Poll Tax, taxation, trade and industry, and transport; correspondence relating to issues in individual constituencies, 1988-1994; files of information and correspondence on particular subjects, 1984-1993; personal material relating to work by Paddy Ashdown, 1983-1994, including books, articles, speeches and details of programmes; files on the employment of staff in Paddy Ashdown's office, 1984-1992. Also: files created by Ashdown as leader of the Liberal Democrats, c1991-1999 (AccNo: M1981); Paddy Ashdown's diaries, July 1988-April 1997 (AccNo: M3059); personal and party correspondence, 1987-1998 (AccNo: M3322); diaries and emails, 1999-2006 (AccNo: M3348).

Papers mainly concerning the construction and administration of bridges, roads, piers, railways, harbours, reservoirs and canals in Scotland, 1782-1841, including correspondence of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742-1811), Robert Saunders Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville (1771-1851), and Sir Thomas Dundas, 1st Baron Dundas (1741-1820). The collection comprises letters, petitions, memorials, plans, estimates, reports, financial accounts, legal papers, trustees minutes and circulars relating to bridges including the Dee, Don, Urie, Findhorn, Montrose, Nairn, Pease, and Spey; canals including the Borrowstone Canal Navigation, the Clarence Canal, the Forth and Clyde Navigation, and the Union Canal (Falkirk to Edinburgh); ferries such as the Dysart Ferry, Queensferry, and Tay Ferries; harbours and piers notably Burntisland Harbour and Pier, Kinghorn Harbour, Hartlepool Pier, and Newhaven Pier; the Gala Water Railroad; the North Esk Reservoirs; roads in Aberdeen, Inverness, Dalkeith, Edinburgh, Glenlaidnaig, Glenlichorn, Lanarkshire, Lauriston, Perth, and Stirling.

Press cuttings, leaflets and reports of proceedings of the Parliamentary Committee on the proposed Cheltenham and Oxford Railway Company.

Papers relating to the Bristol and Exeter Railway Company, comprising printed letters to shareholders, reports of directors, reports in newspapers and notices of requirement of land to build the railway, addressed to Charles Fox and Sarah Fox of Wellington, Somerset.

Memorandum of inspection of the management of railways in Germany, Belgium, Austria and France by George Findlay and Messrs Webb, Neale, Borel and Michael, presumably on behalf of the London and North Western railway. The aim was to ascertain if "...any lessons might be learned in connection with Railway management in this Country".

Emergency timetables and news bulletins for London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) during the General Strike.

Papers of the Inland Waterways Association (IWA), 1971-[1983], including minutes of the Commercial Carrying Group/Inland Shipping Group, 1971-1982; minutes and reports of the Regional Inland Shipping Committees, 1976-[1983]; official IWA/ISG correspondence, 1973-1980; IWA and ISG address and membership lists; ISG publications, [1972]-1982, including fact sheets; press cuttings, papers and printed material not relating to ISG, 1975-1979.

Correspondence and memoranda, including letters to Ignaz Jastrow; 1896-1934; letters relating to British and Irish rail companies 1889-1910; letters concerning the grain trade, 1795; letters to Albany Fonblanque from Jeremy Bentham, Francis Place and Charles Pelham Villiers, 1827-1834; letters to Henry Dunning Mcleod relating to his Dictionary of Political Economy, 1862; letters to Graham Wallas 1898-1903; letters from Arthur Young, Claude Henri de Rouvroy and William Boyne 1814-1866; letters concerned with the families of John Frederick Denison Hare and John Sterling 1836-1913; letters to Sir William Mitchell Acworth 1889-1899; and letters to Henry William Macrosty 1934-1939.

Papers relating to the 1937 Central London Omnibus Strike, notably proceedings of the Court of Inquiry into the Central London Omnibus Dispute, 1937; documentary evidence submitted to the Court of Inquiry by the London Passenger Transport Board, 1926-1937, including details of rates of pay and conditions of service, correspondence of Ernest Bevin to Frank Pick and Theodore Thomas of the LPTB, statistics relating to driver illness, and details of London traffic and bus speed; left-wing material regarding the strike, 1936-1937, notably pamphlets issued by the London Busmen's Rank-and-File Movement, the Transport and General Workers' Union and the Communist Party of Great Britain, as well as copies of The Daily Worker; miscellaneous material, including a memorandum of agreement between the TGWU and the LPTB as to rates of pay and conditions of service for conductors and drivers.

Papers relating to Rees Jeffreys' involvement in the Roads Improvement Association and the Road Board; road legislation, finance, design and development; Road Congresses; roads overseas; the relationship between road and rail transport; roads during the two world wars and their reconstruction in the post-war period; motor legislation and motor organisations; motorways; town planning; transport congresses and transport policy; transport infrastructure in the Commonwealth; bridges; buses and tramways; Rees Jeffreys' book, 'The King's Highway'; journals concerned with transport; and personal material, including private correspondence, biographical writings and overseas tour diaries.

Birmingham and Gloucester Railway time book, filled in by Herbert Spencer with details of his surveying work, [1838-1839].

Records, 1926-1951, of the Chinese Government Purchasing Commission (CGPC), including information on the state of Chinese communications; the workings of the Chinese Ministries of Communications, Railways and Industries; Chinese banking; construction and engineering technology and the work of British manufacturers; and some information on Chinese educational and cultural institutions in receipt of subsidies from the Board of Trustees for the Administration of the Indemnity Funds Remitted by the British Government.

Records, 1926-1951, relating to the foundation and constitution of the CGPC comprise printed report of the Anglo-Chinese Advisory Committee (China Indemnity Advisory Committee), 1926; correspondence, largely letters from the Board of Trustees to the CPGC, 1931-1950, concerning the constitution of the Commission, procedural issues, personnel and financial matters; file on procedure on appointment of a new member of the Commission, 1947-1948; correspondence concerning events preceding the winding-up of the Commission, 1951.

Financial records, 1931-1951, comprise papers on the Board Account, 1937-1950; papers on the Chin Fund (apparently a grant paid to Constance Chin, a patient of the Bethlem Royal Hospital), 1945-1951; summaries of expenses relating to purchase orders made by Chinese ministries, 1931-1951; Indemnity Fund cash books, 1937-1950; invoices and receipts relating to CGPC business, 1937-1951; financial statements and correspondence relating to banking matters with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, 1931-1951, the subjects including investments and tax.

Operational records, c1928-1951, relating to the administration of purchase orders, comprise register of tenders/purchase orders, 1942-1946; contract registers (not comprehensive), 1931-1949, recording the management of contracts for the supply and delivery in China of plant, machinery and other materials manufactured in the UK for the Chinese government, and over 1,000 related contract files for engineering companies and manufacturers for industrial, construction, railway and other projects; tender forms, 1934, issued to contractors by the CGPC; specifications and standards, c1928-1937 and undated, largely for the construction of railways and carriages; correspondence concerning administration of purchase orders, 1932-1951, relating especially to delivery of locomotive spare parts and related materials; registers of export licences issue to British manufacturers under wartime regulations, 1941-1946; applications for export licences, 1939-1945; registers of shipments, insurance, freight and inspection fees, 1931-1951; shipping letters, 1937-1950, issued for CGPC shipments; general correspondence concerning the administration of the CGPC, 1931-1951, including correspondence with solicitors and correspondence concerning the CGPC premises in Tothill Street, London.

Annual reports and accounts, 1931-1950, comprise typescript accounts and reports, 1931-1950, of the CGPC and published annual reports, 1931-1950, including summaries of receipts and payments; and annual reports of the Board of Trustees, 1931-1938.

Miscellaneous records, c1932-1950, comprise one file including papers on subjects including railways, training Chinese students, Japanese imperialism, and CGPC records, a photograph of ships in harbour, and maps of China and the Far East.

Records, 1939-1943, of the China Purchasing Agency Ltd comprise standing regulations of the Board of Directors, undated; correspondence, 1939-1943, concerning various purchase orders; miscellaneous items, c1939-1940, including list of tenders passed for acceptance, 1939, and an undated schedule of materials shipped.

Papers, 1776-1991 (including some copies), some undated, collected by Anthony James Broomhall for his work on the China Inland Mission, Hudson Taylor and China's Open Century, comprising manuscript, typescript and printed notes and sources, largely undated, on Chinese and missionary history, on James Hudson Taylor, including his letters and personal papers, the chronology of his life, and his forebears, and on Frederick Howard Taylor; photocopies of drawings and photographs, including James Hudson Taylor and also Chinese buildings, cities, boats and rivers, and other scenes, copies of documents associated with Taylor, including his Bible and marriage certificate, and a photograph of his grave; maps of China and other parts of Asia, some including China Inland Mission stations; Broomhall's correspondence relating to his research, 1939-1991.

Papers, 1903-1940, of the Rev W H Warren, comprising four station reports from Shaohsing, 1903-1914; two printed China Inland Mission reports from Shanghai, 1931; Warren's manuscript account of an attack by pirates on a mission party travelling from Shanghai to Chefoo schools (Yantai), 1935; typescript report on events in China and their implications for missionary work, 1937; typescript report from Shanghai, 1940; Nosu hymnbook, undated.

Records, 1764-1966, of the London Missionary Society (LMS), dating mainly from the foundation of the Society in 1795, but with some material from 1774 onwards relating to Madagascar and Mauritius, and a series of 'Extra' correspondence dating from 1764. The records relate to the structure and administration of the Society and mission activity overseas and comprise LMS Home Office minutes and papers, committee minutes, correspondence inward and outwards, candidates' papers, and papers of official deputations; official journals, reports and correspondence from LMS missionaries in the field; special series of 'Odds', a collection of miscellaneous documents including material from the mission field; a large collection of portraits of missionaries; more than 15,000 photographs, showing individual converts, mission staff and buildings, and also depicting the lives, work and pursuits of indigenous peoples, means of transport, topographical scenes and historical events.

Records, 1869-1967, of John Swire & Sons Ltd, comprising the bulk of known surviving material stored in the London Office, covering the development of the firm from about 1870 to 1947, and including series of correspondence coming in and out of the London Office; legal material including original deeds and leases; accounts; organisation papers; and photographs. The importance of the collection lies in the comprehensiveness of the nineteenth and twentieth century correspondence in illustrating the development of the firm and its subsidiaries from the London side where policies were decided, and from the Eastern side where they were implemented. It also gives a good picture of leading figures and firms involved in the Far Eastern trade at that time such as Jardine, Matheson & Company, the China Merchants Company and Holt's, and reveals aspects of Chinese trade and British business philosophy at the end of the Victorian era.

Records, 1848-1984, of the Melanesian Mission, including minute books; correspondence, journals and diaries of pioneer missionaries including R H Codrington and J C Patteson; correspondence of more recent missionaries; logs relating to the Mission vessels including the first 'Southern Cross' log book, 1855. Material relating to the Church of Melanesia includes the proceedings of the Provincial Synod from its inception in 1975, conference reports, and lists of missionaries from the Mission's beginnings to the 1920s. Printed materials include the Southern Cross Log, 1895-1954, 1963-1973, and Annual Reports, 1864-1939 (1917 and 1923 missing). There are also a large number of photographs and manuscript maps of the Diocese of the Melanesian Mission dating from 1875 onwards.

Records, 1744-1976, documenting the work of the Methodist Missionary Society (from the Methodist Union of 1932), and the work of its predecessor missionary societies prior to 1932 - the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, Primitive Methodist Missionary Society, and the missionary societies of the churches that formed the United Methodist Church - and covering overseas missionary work in Europe, North America, West Indies, Africa, India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), China, Burma and Australasia.

The main series for the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society/Methodist Missionary Society include material from the home organisation in London, which directed overseas missionary affairs, including Committee minutes and papers, candidates papers, 1829-1869, finance papers, 1817-1945, and outgoing correspondence. However, the bulk of the material comprises Synod minutes and correspondence send to London from missionaries in the overseas districts, including Europe, North America, West Indies, West Africa, Central Africa, South Africa, Kenya, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Southern India, Northern India, Burma, China & South East Asia, and Australasia/South Seas. Special series include biographical material of missionaries from all denominations; missionary ships' logs and papers; and a miscellaneous assortment of notes, typescripts, unpublished articles and histories. There are approximately 2500 photographs, which cover India, Burma, Ceylon, Australasia, Africa, China and the West Indies.

The collection also includes minutes of Conference for the Wesleyan Methodist Church, 1744-1976.

Photocopies of papers, 1891-1892 and undated, of Walter Collins, comprising his journal, 1891-1892, covering his journey by sea and the overland journey to Lake Victoria, and his work around Kampala delivering goods to various missions, also describing the political situation and fighting between tribes, and the homeward journey; notebook, 1891, containing poems by Collins inspired by Biblical verses; undated notebook containing notes by Collins on Uganda; two books produced by the Church Missionary Society, 1892 and undated, on Uganda and its history, including published sketches; undated printed songs or hymns.

Papers, 1927-1973, concerning the Rev Forbes Tocher, comprising manuscript letter from George Wilson to Mrs Tocher concerning the Lalor case, 1927; typescript letter from Butterfield and Swire, Shanghai, to Forbes Tocher thanking him for his help in releasing Captain Lalor, 1928; undated press cutting announcing the award to Tocher of the CBE, following his release of Captain Lalor, and giving an account of the events [1928]; photocopy of undated notes by Tocher concerning his work securing the release of Captain Lalor in 1927; press cuttings from Scottish newspapers on celebrations to commemorate Tocher's 55 years as a minister, giving accounts of his life and career, 1964; typescript copy of funeral oration to Tocher, 1973.

Letter, 1894, from Roger Turpie to the London Missionary Society concerning his expenses while in Britain, with printed Young People's Missionary Letter, 'Our New Steamer', by Capt Turpie and others [1893], on launching the John Williams (IV).

Letters, 1927-1941, of and relating to Jack F Blackburn, mainly comprising his letters to his mother Margaret Blackburn in Guildford, 1927-1941, concerning his activities and discussing family affairs, describing visits as a naval officer to the ports of Singapore, Malaya, Cairo, and Aden, and including information on his work with the Chinese Maritime Customs; also including two letters from well-wishers to his mother congratulating her on Blackburn's behaviour on HMS LADYBIRD in 1941.

Photographic material, 1912-1919, of George Cormack, comprising 42 glass slides, c1912-1919, principally of Manchuria and the Chinese Labour Corps, and an album of photographs, 1912-1913, relating to a visit on the Trans-Siberian Railway to Siberia and North Manchuria.

Photocopies of 13 letters, 1882-1899, from Alexander Russell to his sister, Barbara Russell, recounting trips on missionary and other vessels in the South Pacific, including visits to Sydney (Australia) and Fiji.

Typescript transcript of letters and extracts of letters, and some photocopies of original letters, 1818-1821, from Thomas and Abigail Beighton to family and friends, recording problems encountered on the journey from England to Madras; local customs; and missionary work in Malacca and Penang, particularly their work in education; also including much discussion of family matters and of relationships among the missionary communities.

Diary, 1825-1827, of the Rev William Fidler, describing his voyage from Bristol to St Vincent accompanied by his wife Anna and other Methodist missionaries, and containing detailed descriptions of events and places during his first two years in the West Indies, and religious reflections.

Papers, 1780s-1790s, largely of Captain Francis Light, including several hundred Malay letters, primarily letters received by Light and his business partner, Captain James Scott, from rulers and dignitaries of the Malay Sultanates.

The letters cover the history of relations, negotiations and conflicts between Light, the rulers of Kedah and the Governor General in Bengal leading up to and including the settlement of Penang in 1786 and the armed conflict of 1791. There are also letters dealing with business affairs between Light and Malay nobles such as the purchase, shipment and sale of commodities, ammunition, slaves and opium, and the maintenance of good political and economic neighbourly relations; letters from the Sultanate of Selangor; letters from royal merchants at the Malay courts; and letters concerning trade from various rulers and nobles in the Peninsula and Sumatra, especially from Aceh, Asahan and other North-Sumatran states.

In addition, the collection contains several dozen letters and documents from the same period relating to Bencoolen (Benkulen) and the West Sumatran Presidency, which are unrelated to Light.

Personal, estate and business papers, c1820-1893, accumulated by Sir William Mackinnon, predominantly during the latter half of the nineteenth century. The material covers a wide range of commercial, imperial and humanitarian topics, and includes correspondence and papers relating to the Imperial British East Africa Company, the British India Steam Navigation Co. and the City of Glasgow Bank.

Papers, 1881-1891, of Donald James Mackay, 11th Baron Reay, as Governor of Bombay, comprising correspondence, memoranda, petitions and other papers, 1884-1889 and undated, on A'bkari administration (a system of licences for the distillation and sale of spirits in Bombay); correspondence, memoranda, minutes, reports and other papers, 1881-1891 and undated, relating to military and naval subjects; correspondence, memoranda, minutes and reports, 1885-1890 and undated, on education; correspondence and other papers, 1881-1891 and undated, on agriculture; correspondence and other papers, 1884-1889 and undated, on sanitation and water works; correspondence and papers, 1884-1891 and undated, on various other subjects including administration, hospitals, irrigation, railways and finance; addresses of welcome to Lord Reay, 1886-1890 and undated; a drawing of Bombay harbour and accompanying manuscript plan, undated; manuscript map of Karachi Harbour Board, 1887.

Papers of and relating to Sir Robert Hart, 1866-1954, comprising two series of private letters from Sir Robert Hart to his personal representative in England, J D Campbell, one dating from 1868-1879 and one from 1879-1906; a run of semi-official letters to Campbell, 1874-1906; a file on the Chinese Fleet, 1876-1894; correspondence and papers, 1866-1954, concerning the letters, including their ownership. A run of Campbell's letters to Hart, 1874-1877, is also included in the collection.