Twenty-eight letters, 1832-1859, from Nassau Senior to Lord Lansdowne as President of the Cabinet Council, some discussing contemporary political issues including Poor Law administration, Ireland and the economy. Others are written from Paris, Athens and various German towns and refer to the political situation and social conditions in these respective countries.
Also included are two letters, 1835-1836, from Alexis de Tocqueville to Lord Lansdowne, together with transcripts of four letters, 1848-1855, from de Tocqueville to Nassau Senior; one letter, 1848, from George Sumner to Nassau Senior discussing the 1848 revolution in France; and other related letters.

A manuscript fair copy (watermark 1816) of an account, by Nassau William Senior of a tour through parts of Ireland, Scotland and Wales, undertaken in 1819. It contains extensive social commentary and economic analysis, particularly of the condition of Ireland, and is written in the form of a letter to Senior's friend, the author John Hughes. The text is in an unknown hand which is contemporary with Senior, and it includes corrections in Senior's hand. The inscription on the front cover, 'A sketch of a hasty tour over parts of Scotland, Ireland & Wales in the autumn of 1819 - by NWS', is also in Senior's hand.