These papers include sketches made on a trip to the United States, Canada, and the West Indies; catalogs of objects of natural history, such as fish, animals, insects, and fossils, sent by him to the Museum; and notes.

These papers include two pages by Rubens Peale concerning landscapes, a notebook by Rembrandt Peale relating to the portrait of Washington, and a commonplace and recipe book, with sketches of gas lights.

This collection was assembled by Court and was partly used in the book, "The History of the Microscope" (with Reginald S. Clay, London, 1932). There is historical correspondence (including some by Court), documents, broadsides, and photographs, concerning microscopes and instruments. This includes material on Joseph Bonomi, James Epps, John Lee, Edward Nairne, and others. There is significant material on Cornelius Varley: account book, autobiographical sketch, watercolors and sketches, etc. This collection also contains a large number of deeds pertaining to the property of John Lee (1783-1866), Fellow of the Royal Society and an amateur astronomer. In addition, there are about 300 pamphlets, including early trade and auction catalogs, used by Court for his research.

These papers include diaries (1777-1782), expense books (1794-1804), notebooks, a commonplace book, drafts of essays, excerpts from minutes of Friends' Monthly Meeting, Tortola (1741-1761), newspaper clippings, sketches, and correspondence. Also included are letters and papers of Mrs. Thornton.

Principally covering botany and agriculture, this collection includes many manuscripts on trees, shrubs, and plants of different species, copies of botanical essays by others, essays on fruit trees, etc., by Auguste Denis Fougeroux de Bondaroy (1732-89), notes and drafts for the latter's revision of Duhamel's Traité des Arbres et Arbustres. Also miscellaneous essays, sketches, and memoranda on bones of birds and animals, electricity, fish, steam engines, ventilation, temperature and air pressure, mathmatics, paleontology ("Observations sur les os d'éléphants fossiles"), chemistry, metallurgy, entomology, architecture, taxidermy ("Méthode pour empailler les oiseaux"); lists of plants; notes on England, Canada, Mexico, China; notes of reading in Pliny, John Evelyn, Alexander Russell, William Derham, and others. An unpublished translation of Jethro Tull's Horse-Hoeing Husbandry, with additions and revisions by Duhamel du Monceau. An alphabetical catalogue of Duhamel's gardens, prepared by Fougeroux de Bondaroy. The collection has manuscript material in pre-publication form along with published material with marginalia for improvements of later editions. There are a multitude of sketches, botanical materials and seed packets. The collection includes lists of American trees and seeds shared with European scientists. Benjamin Franklin acts as a go between French and American botanists and John Bartram sends seeds to France from his garden. Also correspondence (ca. 170 pieces) with, among others, Peter Collinson, Duc d'Aven, Duc de Noailles, Louis J. M. Daubenton, Mathurin Jacques Brisson, Jean François Gauthier, Comte de La Galissonière, Chrétien Guillaume de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, Emerich Vattel. The collection has been described in part by Gilbert Chinard, "Recently Acquired Botanical Documents," APS Proc. 101 (1957): 508: and by Joseph Ewan, "Fougeroux de Bondaroy (1732-1789) and his Projected Revision of Duhamel du Monceau's Traité (1755) on Trees and Shrubs. I. An Analytical Guide to Persons, Gardens, and Works mentioned in the Manuscripts," APS Proc. 103 (1959): 807.