File consists of 11 letters dating from 1879. Letters are from professional colleagues, including Sandford Fleming of the Canadian Pacific Railway and Daniel M. Gordon, who went on an expedition with George Mercer Dawson in 1879 to explore possible routes for the Pacific railway. Two letters and a memorandum are between George Mercer Dawson and his assistant, R. G. McConnell. One letter from missionary W. H. Collison discusses Collison's observations of the naming customs among the Haida of Haida Gwaii (coastal British Columbia).
File consists of letters dating from 1895 and contains both professional and family correspondence. In particular, many letters are from colleagues congratulating George Mercer Dawson on his appointment as director of the Geological Survey.
File primarily consists of supplementary documentation for the Lake of the Woods Report and a letter addressed to Capt. Anderson regarding the British North American Boundary Commission.
File includes George Mercer Dawson's memoranda on a report on the British North American Boundary Commission, a well as newspaper clippings from the Daily Telegraph,.
File includes a memorandum addressed to Mr. Selwyn and a list of articles forwarded by William Fisher for the Canadian Commission regarding the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876. Also includes a list of descriptions of objects for the exhibition catalogue, which includes many descriptions of Indigenous artifacts.
File includes reports on coal and iron ore mines in Port Hood (N.S.), Brookfield (N.S.) and Blanchard's Settlement (N.B.). File also includes detailed mining plans, sketches, and maps.