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This group of approximately 1,000 letters from the papers of Hamilton Fish, Sr. relates to the business, functioning, and activities of Columbia College in the 19th century. The letters include those addressed to Fish and those written by him. The earliest material bears on Fish's activities and interests at about the time he graduated from Columbia, but the majority of the letters fall into the latter part of his life, many being written by and to Fish as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Columbia College. The collection includes correspondence with presidents Charles King, F.A.P. Barnard, and Seth Low of Columbia College, also with Edmund Bailey, Charles Davies, Charles W. Harper, William M. Sloan, William C. Schermerhorn, and others. The majority of the letters are original manuscripts and typescripts, but many of the letters from Fish are photostatic and typed copies. Most of the letters are tipped onto manila sheets. Included are two diaries of Mr. Fish's European travels, 1856-1857. There is also a box of printed materials relating primarily to the settlement of the Alabama Claims.

This collection includes letters from members of the academic community at Columbia and elsewhere, former students, Columbia College alumni, members of the Van Amringe family, and friends. These letters deal with the official, alumni, and personal matters. There are two letter books for 1894 when he was Dean of Columbia's School of Arts (later known as Columbia College, the undergraduate school). The manuscripts include holograph and typescript copies of speeches made by Van Amringe at various Columbia functions, at alumni affairs, and at meetings of civic, charitable, and academic organizations; course notebooks while he attended Columbia College; diaries of daily appointments, 1909-1914; intimate prose and poetry written by Van Amringe and members of his family; a pencil sketchbook and notebook containing three plays by his daughter Emily Bulow Van Amringe. The collection includes numerous clippings, brochures, invitations, and other Columbia and personal memorabilia.

This collections consists of John Purroy Mitchel's (Columbia College 1899) college papers, notebooks, essays and exam books. There are also penmanship handbook and exercise books.

A collection of letters to and from John Treat Irving Jr. While there are 63 letters from Irving, the majority of the correspondence is that of his father and mother, John Treat Irving, Sr. and Abby Furman Irving, other members of the Irving family, and friends. There are no letters of Washington Irving in the collection, though there are many interesting reference to him. There are nineteen letters to John Treat Irving from his uncle, the writer Peter Irving (1771-1838), dated 1835-1837. The collection also contains 51 pages of extracts from letters dating from the period of his European travels of 1836-1837. Included are two notebooks. The earlier of the two, dating from 1828 when John Irving was a senior at Columbia College, records class notes, problems, and exercises. The second contains poems, sketches, and essays, most of which are dated 1831-1833, the period preceding his travels to the West and the writing of INDIAN SKETCHES.

Papers of McCrea containing manuscripts of his addresses and essays on classical themes and on specific Latin authors including Cicero, Horace, and Lucretius. There is an unpublished book manuscript in various stages of completition entitled "Cicero as Philosopher." Letters to McCrea from Nicholas Murray Butler, Gonzalez Lodge, Frank A. Patterson, and Ernest G. Sihler, dealing with university and academic matters. In addition to some family documents and photographs of McCrea, there are twelve folders of essays and themes written for Columbia College classes by a relative, Robert Glenn McCrea, who received his A.B. degree in 1896. Also a group of term papers submitted to McCrea, a grade book for Latin courses, and exam questions prepared by McCrea for M.A. and Ph.D. candidates.

Correspondence and papers of Vroom, consisting chiefly of letters received by Vroom from a variety of individuals including J.H. Austin, Andrew Deutcher, Alfred Gale, P.B. Kennedy, James Parker, and John M. Wycoff. These letters deal with business, legal, and political affairs. There are a few personal letters, various legal papers and documents, and memoranda written by Vroom. The early material contains Vroom family letters and documents including letters to Vroom's father, Peter D. Vroom (1745-1831). Also of interest is Vroom's Latin-English vocabulary notebook kept during his junior year at Columbia College, 1807. The notebook contains a list of his classmates. In addition there is his 1808 Columbia College Commencement address.

This collection is primarily concerned with Prof. James Renwick and his professional correspondence and papers, both as Professor of Natural Philosophy (Physics) at Columbia College and as a leading engineer. Many certificates of membership in honorary societies are included. There are letters from Washington Irving (1783-1859) to Prof. Renwick and to his mother, Jane Jeffrey Renwick, pertaining to contemporary events and Irving's own activities. The letters to Mrs. Renwick are about the travels and experiences of Irving and Renwick abroad. The collection also covers the affairs of the Prof. Renwick's grandfather, including documents concerning his land grants in New York State, and those of James Armstrong Renwick, including his valedictory address at Columbia College in 1876 and his class reunion in 1916. There are many legal documents, letters, and manuscripts of various members of the Renwick and Brevoort families; among these are Prof. Renwick's notes on his family genealogy and a memoir of Jane Jeffrey Renwick. Correspondents include Clement Clarke Moore, John A. Dix, Martin Van Buren, Secretary of State John Forsyth, and Secretary of the Navy James K. Paulding. There is one letter from Sir Edward Sabine (1788-1883), President of the Royal Society, giving his views on the American Civil War.

Lecture notes and essays of Canfield while a student at Columbia College. A number of subjects are covered including Richard Sears McCulloh's lectures on physics, on optics, and on pneumatics, Francis Lieber's lectures on history, and John McVickar's lectures on religion. Also, Canfield's graduation thesis "The Dignity of Labor."

Letters concerning academic matters and student discipline at Columbia College. Most of the letters are addressed to the Rev. Dr. William Harris.

Papers of Shepherd, including correspondence with professional colleagues at home and abroad, U.S. government officials, and Latin American government officials dealing with his own publications, his trip to Austria in 1932, and his interest in Latin American affairs, the Institute of Latin American Affairs, the INTER-AMERICAN HISTORICAL SERIES, Latin American area studies, oriental area studies, and the NEW ORIENT SOCIETY. The manuscripts include three boxes of lecture notes on American history in English and German; abstracts and related material of his lecture tour in England, 1922; typescript instructions for his HISTORICAL ATLAS, including maps, related correspondence, and documents; notes, bibliographies, essays, photographs, and related materials on Latin America; a scrapbook of clippings on the Williamstown Institute, 1927; his English literature notebook while an undergraduate at Columbia College, 1893; two boxes and a scrapbook of travel photographs and lantern slides of views from around the world; Shepherd family items include a hand-drawn, hand-colored coat of arms and a letter book of his father, William Shepherd, dated 1867-1871; and Iona Shepherd's 1905 autograph book.