File includes a collection of 12 short essays written by George Mercer Dawson as a child. On the verso of many is a title, date, and a sketch. The titles of the essays are: "The Indian Antiquities (of Montreal)"; "Fishes"; "Winter"; "Rivers"; "Mountains"; "The Ocean"; "Paper"; "Flowers"; "Vegetation"; "The Wolf"; "Europe"; and "The Lion." The first essay ("Indian Antiquities") discusses the discovery of objects belonging to previous Indigenous inhabitants of the region, including pottery, knives, etc.
File consists of two childhood diaries. The diary dated from summer 1865 recounts a trip to the United Kingdom taken with his father when George Mercer Dawson was 16 years old. The diary dated 1861 was kept while George Mercer Dawson was 11 years old and begins 1 March 1861. One loose leaf with instructions for a magic lantern was previously laid in the diary. 1861 diary speaks of lessons with "Miss," tells of pasttimes and games including tops and marbles, siling boats, tag, bow and arrows, magic lantern, etc. Speaks also of continued headaches and being tired.
File consists of two bound notebooks with notes on chemical lectures delivered at the Royal College of Chemistry by Professor Frankland, 1869-1870 session.
File consists of two notebooks kept by Dawson, one is volume three of his notes on chemical lectures delivered at the Royal College of Chemistry by Professor Frankland, 1869-1870 session; the second is Dawson's chemistry laboratory notebook.
File consists of two bound pocket notebooks, one dated 1882 and one between 1869-1871. The notebook beginning 21 June 1869 is a small red pocket notebook with gold clasp and contains geological observations and drawings of a cave at Murray Bay in Quebec (1869), Grange Quarry and Burntisland (summer 1870) and a British Geological Association excursion (1871). The 1882 notebook contains poems and notes on France and Germany written while traveling .
File consists of two diaries, one dated 1869 and one dated between 1871-1872. The 1869 diary begins 11 September 1869 contains entries describing his first year in England and contains remarks on sailing from Montreal to Ireland (September-October 1869), Edinburgh (October), church attendance, sightseeing and trips, accounts, etc. 1871-1872 notebook contains notes on geological findings, descriptions of Middlesbrough-on-Tees (July 1872), and coal mining in Pictou county, Nova Scotia.
