The contents are as follows:

(i) Manuscript of an article, 'Bulwer', by Margaret Oliphant, published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, February 1855 (folio 1);

(ii) Manuscript of an article, 'Theology: the broad church', published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, July 1855, as part of the series 'Modern light literature' (folio 24);

(iii) Manuscript of the second part of an article, 'Macaulay', published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, September 1856; the opening paragraph differs from the printed text (folio 52);

(iv) Manuscript of an article, 'Siena', published in “Blackwood's Magazine”, July 1898 (folio 88);

(v) Fragments of manuscript concerning ‘Annals of a publishing house: William Blackwood and his Sons’ (folio 103);

(vi) A list of Mrs Oliphant's contributions to "Blackwood's Magazine", less complete than the list published in ‘The autobiography and letters of Mrs M O W Oliphant’, 1st edition (folio 111).