Included in this volume are short treatises on military topics, such as fortification and geometry, and military discipline; an account of campaigns (1689-1697) with the Royal Regiment of Foot in Ireland fighting the Williamite War between King James II and King William III, an account of campaigns under Prince Eugene of Savoy, with lists of troops; a section entitled "Un traittes touchant les conquètes quon pouroit faire en Amerique sur la maison de Bourbon au cas que la querre devienne generale et qui seules peuvent retablir lequilibre de l'Europe;" and lists of imperial regiments. Volume describes campaigns that took place during the successive reign of William of Orange, Queen Anne, George I and George II. British officers of note are John Lindsay, 20th Earl of Crawford and John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough.

This volume contains approximately 175 letters written by Thomas Penn and Richard Penn on public business. A few are copies of letters by James Hamilton, a member of the Provincial Council and lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, and by or to Abraham Taylor.

The correspondence (1869-1883) is primarily routine business, i.e. navy orders and letters of recommendation, and also includes some personal letters. In addition, there are several notebooks and diaries, including notes from Pennsylvania Hospital clinical lectures, 1867-1869 (2 v.); diaries, 1865-1875 (7 v.); a volume of poetry; and general study notes. There is also early material (1745-1813) on the Cassin family, including a letter of indenture dated 1758.

The first fifteen volumes of these "Notes of Travel" are Lea's account of his trips to Europe during 1832 and 1852-1853. He met with naturalists, scientists, and did much sightseeing in England, France, Germany, Italy, and Austria. He records in detail visits and discussions with scientists, and makes sketches of many of the places he saw, particularly the Rhine River. The sixteenth volume is a memorandum book, 1853, containing accounts and expenses while in Europe.

These are primarily papers relating to the work of the United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, with special reference to surveys of harbors of the eastern United States. Some papers and letters relate to natural history and are addressed to John Lawrence LeConte. Correspondents include Rutherford B. Hayes, Joseph Henry, Daniel Parker, and E.G. Squier.

A politician and arch revolutionary, Richard Henry Lee was an impassioned supporter of American independence from the mid-1760s. Born into one of the most prominent families in the colony on January 20, 1732, Lee was bred to a political life, serving in the Virginia House of Burgesses during the Stamp Act and Non-importation crises, helping convey his state into the revolutionary camp. As a delegate to the Continental Congress, Lee was the first to officially move that a declaration of independence be drafted, and he ended his public career as a principled opponent of ratification of the Constitution and as Virginia's first U.S. Senator. He died at home in Virginia in June 1794. A small, but highly valuable collection, the papers of Richard Henry Lee document the political life and activities of one of the most ardent revolutionaries in Virginia. The 0.5 linear feet of letters (193 items), most addressed to Lee, are an important resource for study of pre-Revolutionary political agitation in Virginia, the increasing connections forged between the colonies, and the political course of the war. To a lesser degree the collection documents Lee's late-life anti-federalism. Among the major correspondents are Lee's brothers Arthur and William, and such leaders in the revolutionary cause as George Washington, Samuel Adams, Charles Lee, John Adams, and Thomas Paine.

Correspondence and an autobiographical sketch of the French and Indian War and Revolutionary War service of Samuel Miles. A native Pennsylvanian, Miles raised and commanded a regiment of riflemen, but was captured near Flatbush in August 1776, during the battle of Long Island. He was held as a prisoner of war in New York until his exchange in April 1778. Miles subsequently served as Mayor of Philadelphia and was a presidential elector in 1796.

This commonplace book consists of brief writings and observations on agriculture, arts and manufactures, commerce, the army and navy, canals and roads, weights and measures, general politics, finance, and population. It includes a sketch of the Battle of Quebec groundworks and layout.

George Weedon (1734-1793) was Captain in the French and Indian War and a General in the American Revolutionary War. Between the two conflicts he was a prominent citizen of Fredericksburg, Virginia, operating a tavern in that city which served as a meeting place for George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, John Marshall and others to discuss politics and the future course of the American colonies.

Major John André (1750-1780) was a British officer during the American Revolutionary War. He is best known in America for his attempt to facilitate Benedict Arnold's surrender of West Point to the British in 1780, but was known in his time as a capable, cosmopolitan officer, who served an interesting and varied career until his death in 1780. A participant in many of the Revolutionary War's most famous battles, André was twice captured by the American army, and served well enough to earn two promotions and numerous important assignments during the conflict. This eight-page letter chronicles the Philadelphia campaign of 1777 and includes descriptions of the Battles of Brandywine, Paoli and Germantown.

Lieutenant William Keugh (b. 1732) was an Irish-born officer in the British army during the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. Serving as Adjutant for the 44th Regiment of Foot, Keugh wrote Report of British Officer to His Majesty from Camp at German Town 28th of Setptemr. 1777, which chronicles the Philadelphia campaign of 1777, including descriptions of the Battles of Brandywine, Paoli and Germantown.

An Irish-born non-commissioned officer in the 49th Regiment of Foot, Thomas Sullivan served with the British Army in North America from the siege of Boston in 1775 through the last days of the Philadelphia Campaign in 1778. He deserted in June, 1778, and became steward to Continental Army Quartermaster General Nathanael Greene.

An early settler and prominent citizen in the Moravian heartland near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Timothy Horsfield was named justice of the peace when Northampton County was formed out of Bucks in 1752, and was one of those given responsibility for the defence of the local white and Christian Indian populations during the French and Indian War. The Horsfield Papers offer a window onto the tumultuous history of northeastern Pennsylvania during the 1750s and 1760s. Comprised largely of correspondence and related documents between Horsfield, William Parsons, and provincial and military authorities, the collection includes important information on the Native tribes' actions (previously described as "Indian assaults") in the region in 1756 and 1757 and the military and diplomatic response of settlers.

The son of William Franklin, Royal Governor of New Jersey, William Temple Franklin worked as aide to his grandfather, Benjamin Franklin, when the latter served as minister to France during the American Revolution. A bonvivant, Temple received his highest public appointment as Secretary to the American delegation at the Treaty of Versailles in 1782-1783, largely through the influence of his famous grandfather, but never again attained a significant post. As Franklin's literary heir, he edited and published a three volume set of his grandfather's writings in 1817. He married his long time mistress a few months before his death in Paris in 1823. The William Temple Franklin Papers provides a richly detailed portrait of the life of the grandson of Benjamin Franklin, and consists largely of letters received during the years that Temple served as his grandfather's aide in France, 1776-1785. Although much of the correspondence is routine, during this period, Temple received regular reports from friends and diplomatic colleagues relaying information on the American Revolution, the course of diplomatic and peace negotiations, and French public opinion on Benjamin Franklin and the new United States. The collection is also a rich resource for information on the personal lives of the Franklins, including interesting correspondence from Temple's relatives William Franklin, Elizabeth Franklin, Sarah Franklin Bache, and Jonathan Williams, and his mistress Blanchette Caillot.

Three volumes contain letters, laws, charters, reports, proclamations, petitions, and other official and semi-official documents relating principally to early Pennsylvania and New Jersey, signed by or addressed to William Penn, among others. A fourth volume is Penn's cash book, 1699-1703, which records expeditures, payments of quit rents, etc. Tipped in is "Catalogue of Goods left at Pensbury," and of goods left at Philadelphia, 1701.

A Sachem and Civil War adjutant to Ulysses Grant, Ely Samuel Parker was an important figure in the Seneca Indian nation during the first half of the nineteenth century. Trained as an engineer, Parker was deeply involved in the Senecas' land disputes with the Ogden Land Company and he played an important role in interpreting Seneca culture for a white audience, most notably as a consultant for Lewis Henry Morgan. Collected by Arthur C. Parker, the Ely Samuel Parker Papers include correspondence, manuscripts, and printed materials relating primarily to Seneca affairs, history, language, and culture, as well as politics, education, engineering, and the Civil War. Among Parker's correspondents were Henry Clay, Millard Fillmore, Henry M. Flagler, Lewis Henry Morgan, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, Daniel Webster, and Asher Wright. Several letters relate to Parker's service as engineer of public buildings in Galena, Illinois, and to his Masonic activities. Among the noteworthy items in the collection are several essays on Seneca history and culture, a fragment of Parker's diary, 1847, and a significant quantity of material on the Seneca language assembled by Asher Wright.

The Lusanna, a seventy-ton brigantine, was owned by Elisha Doane of Massachusetts, and sailed with his son-in-law Shearjashub Bourne as supercargo. She sailed from Massachusetts in 1775 at the onset of the American Revolution. On the return voyage from London in 1777 she was captured by the privateer McClary out of Portsmouth, NH. In the prize case that followed in the New Hampshire maritime court, Bourne and Doane unsuccessfully tried to defend their ship. Their appeal eventually made its way to the Continental Congress. The Lusanna Prize Case Records is a written transcript of the proceedings in Admiralty Court of the armed brigantine McClary vs. the brigantine Lusanna in the State of New Hampshire. The transcript contains the entire proceedings of the case including the libel, statements of the crew and passengers, invoices for items shipped aboard the Lusanna, bills of lading, copies of letters pertaining to the voyage and cargo, copy of the prize case against the Industry (another vessel owned by Doane captured by the British in 1775), testimony in support of the owners of the Lusanna as loyal to the United States, the decision of the court, and the appeal.

Reports on conferences and treaties with the Indians and miscellaneous Indian affairs in Pennsylvania, with emphasis upon the French and Indian War. Correspondents include: John Armstrong Thomas Barton Edward Braddock Daniel Claus George Croghan James Hamilton James Logan Hugh Mercer Andrew Montour Robert Hunter Morris Robert Orme Ferdinand J. Paris Thomas Penn Horatio Sharpe Joseph Shippen William Shirley John Stanwix Robert Stobo William Trent Conrad Weiser

James Burd (1726-1793) was well-known in colonial Pennsylvania through his role in the French and Indian War, as well as his connections to many of the colony's leading families (most notably the Shippen family). Initially starting out as a merchant in Philadelphia, Burd became increasingly involved with colonial affairs after moving to Lancaster County with his family in 1752. It would be on the frontier where Burd would make his mark first as a soldier, and later as a magistrate. The Burd-Shippen Papers consist mainly of letters and business documents sent to James Burd, with the bulk of the collection relating to the French and Indian War, 1754-1763, in which Burd served as an officer commanding troops at Fort Augusta and elsewhere. The collection reflects all aspects of Burd's life in Pennsylvania as a merchant, soldier, and magistrate; as well as his involvement with the Shippen family professionally and personally. Intermixed with items sent to Burd are receipts to his wife Sarah Shippen Burd, and correspondence between Edward Shippen and James Hamilton regarding land matters and Indian affairs in Lancaster.

The Calendar of the Papers of Benjamin Franklin prepared by Isaac Minis Hays for the bicentennial of Franklin's birth in 1906 provides access to the largest portion of the Franklin Papers at the APS. The items were originally bound into volumes in roughly chronological order, with letters to Franklin preceding those from Franklin and at the end of the collection, Franklin's letters owned by the University of Pennsylvania. Each manuscript is still identified by Hays' reference numbers, which include a roman numeral refering to the original volume followed by an arabic number to identify the folio. The electronic version of the finding aid replicates Hays' calendar, including the introductory material and item-level descriptions. It has been updated to reflect corrections in the metadata, corrections of personal names, dates, and description.