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This collection does not contain a great quantity of personal material: there is no correspondence with family and friends, for example; there is however a manuscript account of a tour by yacht on the Norfolk Broads in 1903, perhaps by Huia Onslow's governess Helen Moodie as well as creative work by Huia Onslow, such as poetry and a short story, and his translations of poems from Joachim du Bellay's Amours. There is also a group of letters relating to Onslow's stay for health reasons at Banchory, Scotland, in 1913, mainly concerning the choice of house and payment of rent. Financial and legal material includes correspondence between Onslow and his solicitors regarding duties payable on the death of his father William, 4th Earl of Onslow, in 1911, statements of rent received from properties in London account books (including a record of laboratory expenses, 1918-1922), and an inventory and valuation of furniture at Onslow's house made after his death.

Despite the lack of personal correspondence, the papers include a large number of letters. Significant groups include: Onslow's correspondence with J. Donovan, sparked by Donovan's advert in the Athenaeum magazine asking for a physicist to provide him with help on 'an original line of inquiry bearing on the explanation of Life and Mind in exclusively physical terms'; correspondence with various members connected to the Eugenics Education Society (1914-1920) relating to Onslow's work for them; and letters relating to Onslow's work as secretary for the Anaesthetics Emergency Fund of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Families Association (1915-1916), particularly over-seeing contributions from New Zealand.

Correspondence relating to Onslow's own work includes: letters to and from George MacElwee and Frederick Fletcher in response to Onslow's advertisement in the Times as 'A Struggling Scientist' seeking funds for his research (1914-1915); letters between Onslow, William Auton, and Helen Moodie regarding the breeding of rabbits and mice (1914-1915), as well as letters from H. W. Blake, Mabel Illingworth, and W. S. Singleton on the same subject. There is however no correspondence with Sydney Cole (except for a 1914 bill from Cole for private tuition), Muriel Wheldale or other scientists.

Onslow's scientific research is well represented in the form of notes: most of the material in this category is in the form of notebooks recording his investigations into genetics and biochemistry from 1912 onwards, such as three large books on Onslow's programme of breeding rabbits for colour, and books concerning his research into pigmentation in insects (butterflies and beetles) and birds. Also present is a fair quantity of loose material on experiments relating to trytophan, probably the work which led to his (posthumously published) paper on the subject. Onslow's interest in hypnosis is also reflected in his loose notes, which include observations from a series of hypnosis sessions in 1912.

There are also drafts of several of Onslow's articles, some later published, others seemingly unpublished, and offprints of the majority of his published articles. Finally, there are a few textbooks, presumably used by Onslow as an undergraduate.

No title is given, though the poems each have their number.

With MS note: 'MSS. of H. Onslow'.

'Melanism in Boarmia Abietaria'.

4 Montagu Square, Hyde Park. - Dr Head thanks Onslow for the cheque.

12 Dee St, Aberdeen. - Miss Burnett Ramsay does not wish to consider Lady Onslow's offer to keep on Banchory Lodge for June.

Is sending a copy of the paper Fletcher said he wanted to see; has 'only just received the reprints'.

Notebook used from both ends in, usually on opposing pages. Shorthand is frequently used. Notes on biology and chemistry - both reading and experimental material; draft letters; to do lists; drafts of eg 'The French Commission on Depopulation' [published in the Eugenics Review, Jul 1913.

One loose sheet: list of books, such as Temple Thurston's book of poems The Open Window (1913), William Locke's novel Stella Maris (1913) and Anatole France's The Gods are Athirst [English translation, 1913, of France's 1912 novel).

7 Richmond Terrace, Whitehall, S.W. - Thanks Donovan for his letter of the 5th; Donovan's 'suspicion of the 2nd Law of Thermo-dynamics seems to be a growing one in several quarters; at least with regard to its universal if not its particular application'; mentions Bickerton's 'Theory of Impact' and Steinmetz's article 'The Death of Energy'.

Goes on to discuss a problem 'which, if you have not seen it, I owe to Mr. Pocock. It is based on the hypothesis of Psycho-neural Parallelism, or, as Huxley says, on the supposition that every Psychosis is correlated to a Neurosis'. Goes on to discuss memory and the 'quantity of neural energy' expended in learning.

Incomplete?

Thanks Fletcher for his 'extremely kind and sympathetic letter'; is grateful for his 'confidence and encouragement'. Apologises for typing letter; note at end adds that the letter was eventually 'written by hand'.

Typed index pasted in at back of book lists topics, with page numbers:
'Examination of Aldehyde Samples; The Making of Active Aldehyde; [Henry Charlton] Bastian's experiments, Aug 1913-Feb 1914; Miss [Florence] Durham's Experiments;

Chromogen of White Hairs; Inorganic Constituents of the Ash of Hair; The Oxydase reactions of White Hairs (Keeble and Armstrong); Granule Content of Black and Blue Hairs; Microscopical Examination of Pigment grantues; Action of re-agents on Keratin; Products of Keratin Hydrolysis; the same, Cholesterine-free hair; Nitro-benzene Oxidation products of Keratin. A Digestible Product of Keratin;

Preparation of Melanins [dates from 26 May 1913-11 May 1914; Spiegler and Gortner cited];

Urochrome and Urobilin [Spectra]; Preparation of Urobilin in Urochrome; Urochrome and Urobilin (Summary); Lepidopteric Acid; Uric Acid of Lepidoptera; Solubility of Lepidopteric Pigment;

Acid Haematoporphyrin (SpectraP); Tyrosinase of Haemolymph; Calibration of Objectives; Excretion of Arsenic by the Skin.'

Conversion Table by Baird & Tatlock (London) Ltd. also pasted in at end.

Enclosures found between pp. 48 and 49: 3 ff. of MS notes on observations of cultures in colloidal silicon solutions, Aug 1913-Aug 1915 (dates of initial sterilisation); tables of experimental proceedings, with notes on back; 1f. typed extract from Mary, 'Experimental Work of Dr Bastian on the Origin of Life', Knowledge, Jan-Sept 1917 p. 7; 2ff. typescript, 'The nature of growths in colloidal silica solutions', Onslow; 2ff. typescript with MS. annotations, further observations of solutions; 3ff. of MS observations; 7 ff. typescript with MS annotations, dated 8-10 Apr 1914, notes on solutions of urochrome, urobilin extracts, urochrome and active aldehyde etc; 2 ff with MS graphs, one headed 'Tryptic Digestion'.

Printed at Cambridge University Press.

7 Richmond Terrace, Whitehall, S.W. - Is sorry not to have answered Donovan's letter of 1st Aug before, but has been away on holiday. Fears is not yet able to assist Donovan, 'either experimentally, or by a priori or mathematical methods'. Seems to him to be two methods of approach possible, 'the one philosophical, based on the sense data derived from the empirical science of psychology, and the other the analytical or quantitative method, which must resort to Physics and Chemistry etc....'

12 Dee St, Aberdeen. -

Receipt of cheque for £45 for rent of Banchory Lodge for the month of May.

'Report to the Medical Research Council (From the Biochemical Laboratory, Cambridge).
Sheets paginated 1-10; another labelled 10; sheet with references and no pagination; sheets paginated 8-9; three sheets, two with unclear pagination and one labelled II.

III.Melanism in Boarmia consortaria (var.Consobrinaria, BKH)

3 St. James Street, S. W.- Acknowledging receipt of the cheque for four pounds; cannot agree to the deduction of three pounds since 'this bracelet was made to Mr Onslow's particular order, and it is no fault of ours that he does not now require it'. Know they have 'no legal claim' to the interest, but had they 'known it was not going to be paid we certainly should not have given three and a half years credit'.

The Cottage, Melbourne, Derby; salutation, 'Dear Madam'. - Is sorry to hear no young have been born to the chocolate mice; 'their brother, & sisters have all bred here' since she had them. Discussion of breeding habits of mice.

4 sheets of notes on bacterial cultures, with observations on appearance, fluorescence, liquefaction of gelatin etc and suggestions as to identification.

1 page of notes headed 'Serum Reactions, Sept 11 1913', with observations on hemolysis.

36 Theobald's Road, Gray's Inn, W.C. - Acknowledging the receipt of Onslow's secretary's letter of the 4th with a cheque for 30 punds 12 shillings and sixpence; this has been sent today to Somerset House in payment of the Legacy Duty on the Royal Exchange Assurance Stock [after the death of his father].

Also thanking him for the 'two bundles of bills', one being bills contracted before his majority and still unpaid, the other of bills contracted after his majority and paid by him. Will deal with the unpaid bills and send a cheque for the amount he has already discharged.

The Elms, Avenue Road, N.W. - Quotes from McDougall's Body and Mind[: A History and Defence of Animism] (1911) on experiments by 'Professor O. W. Attwater [actually W. O. Atwater].

Is sure Onslow's proposed work will lead to 'important results', and wishes he could help with purchase of necessary apparatus, but 'this ghastly war' is having a considerable effect on his income and he feels unable to do so. Would much appreciate seeing a copy of the paper Onslow has read before the Royal Society.

12 Dee St, Aberdeen.

Notes on each individual rabbit (with tab cut to make finding records easy) recording where bought or ancestry, dates of matings, and size of resulting litter. Sex of offspring usually recorded as well as the colour and markings; stamp often used to indicate these. If the rabbit's skin is one of the specimens in the list at f 85r of the first notebook [ONSL/19], this is also recorded.

f. 83v: 'Rabbits at Pyxford, being kept for Bl[ac]k Eng[lish] skins'
f. 84v: 'Rabbits at Cambridge, Autumn 1917'. Notes of 'Matings to be made as soon as possible'

All found together in an envelope labelled 'M.S. for Perfume Paper'.

Account of the first ascent of the Croda da Lago via the west face [by Leone Sinigaglia], with the guides Zaccaria Pomponia and Angelo Zangiacomi, in August 1895 and of the first ascent by Sinigaglia and Pietro Dimai [in 1893] via the north ridge (2 sheets). Another sheet with quotations about mountains by Sinigaglia and others (some crossed through), and names of books about the Dolomites.

Table showing ascents of the Croda da Lago between Jul 1884 and Aug 1893, showing date, mountaineer, route, and any remarks. Paper looks to be an unused exam answer sheet, with 'This margin may not be written on' at the top. Sticker on top right of the sheet has a reference to The Alpine Journal vol VI (1872-1874) p 204, this is from 'Alpine Byeways' by W. E. Utterson Kelso, and is also a reference to a climb by the Crodao. On the reverse are notes on some failed early attempts, then a detailed account of Sinigaglia's ascent via the west face in 1895. Notes in the margins on books about mountaineering, continued onto a part sheet of the same paper.

Poem, 'Light on the Mountains'; first line 'Dreary and chill the snowfield stretches wide...' (1 sheet)

Poem, 'The Snowstorm'; first line 'Over hill and vale a frigid trail...' (1 sheet)

Sheet with drafts of several pieces of poetry, including part of a parody of Poe's The Raven, ending 'Say - Oh Raven - Evermore?'. Passage from Parson Kelly by A. E. W. Mason and Andrew Lang, about walking at night, on other side.

Poem, 'Discontent'; first line 'The break of the day that is over...' On other side of sheet, part draft of poem; game of 'Hangman', with text to guess a line from Keats' 'The Eve of St Agnes'; some shorthand.

The Hollies, Avenue Road, Brentwood, Essex. - Thanks for the cheque received this morning. The 'brown doe was mated today to the buck 2nd at the Palace last year'; will send them both to him tomorrow morning. Is glad he is 'taking the Havana' as she thinks he will 'have a good home'. Discusses attempts of breeding Dutch rabbits to that colour.

A small gathering of textbooks, presumably used by Onslow as an undergraduate.