This volume was presented to Benjamin Franklin, and contains chapters on electricity, fire, air, water, earth, and earthquakes.

The collection is primarily professional letters written to Russell, but there are also a few letters from his wife and a few by him. There is also an autobiographical letter written by Russell. Most of the correspondence pertains to the Royal Meteorological Society, snow crystals, dew, frost, hail, fog, etc. Russell had wide-ranging interests, however, and some of his non-scientific concerns appear in the letters.