The fonds contains chiefly the writings of Jeremy Walker on a variety of issues in moral philosophy and related literary topics. These writings, including anthologies, drafts of books and lecture notes, demonstrate the range of his eclectic interests from his formal studies of Kierkegaard and moral philosophy to his more personal intellectual pursuits concerning the literature of Kipling, Jane Austen, and Dostoyevsky, as well as the poetry of Woodsworth and reflections on Englishness. There are also examples of his published and unpublished poetry.

His more personal writings are in diaries that cover more than 20 years of his adult life and in contrast to his erudite writings on grand philosophical topics reflect his feelings and at times his dreams, on the state of his health, relationships with women, and recount the day-to-day events of urban travel and socializing.

His personal and family relationships are reflected by correspondence with family, friends and students, photo albums of travels to England and Greece, travel diaries document his summer activities from 1947 -1950, including lists of books read, drawings and photographs. As well, in a file titled Personalia (3) Apologiai Walker provides some personal chronologies, and reflects upon his writings and his life.

The project files which occupy most of the archives of J.T. Donald and Co. fall into two series: ordinary business and special assignments. Both series contain the firms report's, and correspondence. Special assignments were largely connected with wartime armaments production. A few files concern work for the Imperial Munitions Board in World War I, but most consist of reports for the Chemical and Explosives Branch of the Department of Munitions and Supply, 1939-1948. Ordinary projects involve consultation for food, pulp and paper, petroleum, and chemical manufacturies, as well as for some government departments, 1888-1940. Outgoing correspondence from 1881 to 1909 is contained in letterbooks. A file of legal documents, 1924-1946, refer to claims against the company, agreements, and partnerships. Also included are an undated notebook on chemical analysis, and scrapbooks and files of newsclippings of professional interest (e.g. reports of explosions caused by oil and gas) covering the period 1916-1958. There are also reports on mining and energy sources prepared by Donald alone and also in partnership with J.H. Ross for various private and government bodies.

These papers concern the work of the committees on which Beach served from 1962 to 1969, and contain correspondence, memoranda, proposals, and reports, mostly for the Academic Policy Committee and the University Libraries Committee.

Wallis' papers are grouped into three series: general scrapbooks, military scrapbooks, and military diaries. General scrapbooks, covering the years 1908-1977, contain letters, photographs, and printed materials relative to Wallis' career. Some volumes include his diary for the period, and all are heavily annotated. They cover all aspects of his career from high school to post-retirement, with special emphasis on his military career and social life. Military scrapbooks contain the same variety of materials for the period 1911-1969, but are devoted exclusively to Wallis' activities during the two World Wars, and his roles in the Black Watch and as an Honorary A.D.C. Military journals give brief reports of his daily activities form 1941 to 1945.

Oliver's papers deal almost entirely with his work for the Royal Commission on Biculturalism and Bilingualism. Correspondence, minutes, reports and press releases document the Commission's meetings, organization, personnel, and finances. There are also briefs, reports of study groups, drafts of the final report, and files on individuals. Records of his Vice-principalship at McGill can be found in Record Group 3.

This small file of Van Horne's correspondence concerns McGill affairs between 1901 and 1915. Apart from routine notices of Governors' meetings, there are appeals from professors for funds to purchase equipment, collections and scholarships, letters from Sir William Peterson on the appointment of Carrie Derrick as Professor of Botany, from E.B. Greenshields on the University Magazine and from others, including Sir William Macdonald, Helen R.Y. Reid and R. Tait Mackenzie.

The Ross family fonds consists primarily of records related to the student achievements of the Ross children and includes student notebooks, news clippings, convocation programmes, certificates, and memorabilia of the Red and White Revue such as songs, photographs and original songs. Edward Russell Paterson’s student notebooks in geology, petrography and English literature are included.

In addition, there are two diaries of William Stieven Paterson’s from his travels through Civil War battlefields in the southern USA and a trip to Cuba; 8 photograph albums depicting the Paterson side of the family; 3 scrapbooks of magazine stories for children, poems and household hints; and correspondence between Dorothy Jean Ross and the McGill University Archives.

This archive contains letters and copies of letters, from the Wisdom sisters to one another, describing their experiences at Royal Victoria College, 1900-1908. There is also a letter from Stephen Leacock, accepting an invitation to deliver an address, and two from Hilda Oakeley to Mrs. Wisdom. Programmes (particularly of R.V.C. plays and sports events), clippings, and photographs are also included. There are also course notes for C.W. Colby's Renaissance history and William Caldwell's history of modern philosophy.

A small number of letters between Graham and E.B. Tiffany, an offical of Henry Birks and Co., discuss the occurrance of diamonds in Canada (1949). A record of Graham's work as a teacher in his field is a set of notes on the use of the petrographic microscope.