The bulk of these papers are records of research. Drafts of six articles co-authored by Winkler, a number of them on RDX, an explosive, are in some cases accompanied by graphs and correspondence. A file of notes, graphs and reports of research assistants focusses on solution polymerism. There is also a report by Winkler to the Federal Department of Agriculture on bacon (1940), and two draft articles by colleague J.A. Perce. Materials from his student years are also research oriented: his M.Sc. thesis on hydration of bio-colloids, and his Oxford Ph.D. dissertation "The kinetics of gas reactions". Teaching files contain three undergraduate research projects by Winkler's students, and lecture notes for courses in thermodynamics and chemical kinetics. Winkler's writings on non-scientific topics include addresses on the nature of education and the future of the Royal Society of Canada, his obituary of Clifford Purves for the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Canada (1966), and a diary of a visit to China (1974).
The Mountain family papers consist of two albums. The first contains watercolours and sketches (probably by the daughters of Bishop Mountain, though only a few are identified) of scenes in Québec and Europe, as well as flowers and birds, and copies of Indian designs. There are also prints showing Swiss folk costumes. The second album is entitled 'Family Poems', and many are by Mountain. These are largely moral and lyrical relections, with some occasional verse and translations.
Hereford's scrapbook of autographs contains excised signatures, and sometimes entire letters from federal and provincial government officials. The correspondence is sometimes personal, sometimes official, but the criterion for preserving the letter seems to have been the signature.
Letters from Florence Nightingale to Maria Machin discuss her career, give advice about hospital conditions in Montréal and nurses suitable for work there, and expound Nightingale's ideals of nursing. The originals are at the Public Archives of Canada.
Chamberlain's papers consist of the following: medical certificates, 1827, 1851, 1853, two bound collections of sheet music with annotations, ca 1850; photocopy of a printed letter from Henry Lyman concerning the surgical instruments of Chamberlin, 1880s.
These papers consist of photographs and programmes of McGill activities during the 1890s and include the invitation of the 1893 graduating class to the opening of the Macdonald Physics Building and a menu for a reunion dinner of the Applied Science class of 1893, 1898.
Howes' papers are entirely concerned with his work at McGill and fall into four series: personal materials, teaching materials, research papers and consulting files, and papers concerning collective bargaining. Private files (16 cm) cover the period 1939-1962 and contain memoranda, correspondence and reports concerning Howes' appointments, salary and benefits, his engineering courses and Extension Department work, and the business of MAUT. Personal notes and poems from colleagues are also included. Teaching materials comprise 20 cm of lecture notes and laboratories notes for his course in radio design (1960), as well as a small number of files on equipment, the Engineering Faculty Summer School and student advisors (1944-1959). Research papers include a copy of Howes' doctoral thesis, as well as 18 cm of National Research Council applications, both his own and others', but all relating to acoustics, from 1948 to 1964. His work as a consultant is documented by a further 18 cm of engineering briefs and performance reports on radio stations in Ontario (1949-1960) and files of correspondence and reports on television transmission in Ottawa and Fredericton, as well as work undertaken for the U.S. Signal Corps. Howes' effort to justify the construction of the anechoic room in the McConnell Engineering Building resulted in 18 cm of plans, reports, and correspondence with industries interested in sound-proofing (1958). There are also some general research notes on noise levels in the Engineering and Physical Sciences buildings at McGill. Finally, Howes' involvement in the question of collective bargaining rights for engineers is attested by 13 cm of notes and correspondence, largely with professional engineering associations and with political figures such as Senator A.K. Hugessen and Prime Minister McKenzie King.
Apart from some personal and obituary materials, Kelly's papers concern his career as an infantry officer in Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry during World War I. A pocket diary records his experiences in 1918 and a copy of a photograph album shows scenes around Mons in 1914. Printed souvenirs, Christmas cards, certificates and medals supplement these documents. Other photographs show Kelly and his family, and the McGill Observatory.
