Fonds consists of six letters, with four manuscript letters from Rilke written between 1896 and 1922 and two discussing letters discussing these. The four letters from Rilke are addressed to various correspondents, including on 8 November 1896 to the author Gabriele Reuter regarding her book, 15 October 1904 to Anette Vedel, and 9 July 1907 to an unidentified correspondent. The fourth letter dates likely from August or September 1922 and is addressed to Elfriede Nicolaus. The two later letters which discuss the Rilke letters include one dated 13 December 1954 from Hedvig Wahlgren regarding the date of the 1922 letter to Nicolaus and one dated 29 November 1955 from Ruth Fritzsche (née Rilke) to McGill Librarian Richard Pennington.
The fonds reflects the scientific and literary outreach activities of the Montreal Natural History Society over the course of its existence and contains correspondence, minutes, financial records, council and committee reports, membership lists, donation lists, catalogues of holdings, newspaper clippings, lecture advertisements and weather maps. In addition, the fonds includes reference material to other societies and information regarding the publication and creation of the Canadian Naturalist and Quarterly Journal of Science, Canadian Naturalist and Geologist and the Canadian Record of Science.
The fonds is composed of the following series: 1) Accounting Records (1860-1917); 2) Administrative Records (1833-1887); 3) Catalogues (ca.1829-ca.1925); 4) Correspondence (1871-1896 with gaps); 5) Essays and Lectures (1829-1852); 6) Minutes (1827-1832,1844-1923); 7) Montreal Microscopical Society (1884-1906); 8) Reports (1828-1881 with gaps); 9) Weather Maps (1895-1897).
Consists of an English translation of a letter to the Marquis de la Jonquière written by Antoine-Louis Rouillé, comte de Jouy, secretary of state for the French Navy, at Versailles, dated 28 February 1750. The letter discusses an immediate release of prisoners of war taken during conflicts between the French and British colonies. It also includes a mention of Indigenous allies of England and France, and Indigenous people captured during the conflicts: "the Indian Prisoners among the two Nations be likewise released, but after all the French and English Prisoners are released" The letter also includes the name of examiner Josiah Willard, secretary of the province of Massachusetts-Bay.
The fonds documents Judith Fitzgerald’s personal and professional activities as a journalist, poet, and country music enthusiast, put together by Fitzgerald herself, documenting her work from the years 1965 to 1995. The majority of the records consists of research about individuals and musical acts, as well as other work-related projects that Fitzgerald was involved in. These include notes, drafts, and published work written by Fitzgerald, as well as various publications that she collected about the subjects and projects she worked on. The fonds also notably includes Fitzgerald’s creative work, including notes, drafts, manuscripts, and copies of her published books of poetry. Other materials include correspondence between Fitzgerald and friends, publishers, and individuals and institutions that she covered in her research. In addition, the fonds includes some financial records and personal records relating to Fitzgerald’s day-to-day activities and significant events in her life. These records include her marriage certificate, scrapbooks containing collected publications on herself, and notes on her autobiography.
Consisting of documents detailing the 1785 travels and observations of Joseph Hadfield through the Northwest fur trade of North America and to Niagara Falls (probably written after 1810). Observations are primarily economic in nature; however, there are also references to the geographical and cultural surroundings.
Frobisher's papers comprise a letterbook of the North-West Co. containing copies of letters written by Frobisher from April 1787 to October 1788, two original letters to Simon McTavish, 1796, and one from him, 1787, business and legal documents, largely concerning the estate of James McGill, 1810-1834, and a diary, 1806-1810, mostly a record of where he dined.
McDonald's correspondence, 1791-1860, mostly concerns business and property matters, but also includes personal correspondence. There are statements of account with McTavish, Frobisher & Co., 1799; with McTavish, Fraser & Co., 1803-1804; with McTavish, McGillivray & Co., 1808-1809. There are two volumes of autobiographical notes assembled in 1859 and covering the period 1791-1816.
There is a second copy of the autobiography, probably transcribed in the late 19th century. Written on the front fly leaf is the name: A.E. MacDonald. It has 63 leaves, and there are minor textual variants.
