Among the earliest materials are two copies of papers relating the lives and deaths of the Franciscans and Jesuits martyred in Nagasaki in 1597, one of whom was Saint Felipe de Jesus, the first North American saint. These are accompanied by typed transcripts, the first entitled Martires del Japon, with corrections in an unknown hand. At least one of these transcripts apparently was published by Nicolas Leon as "San Felipe de Jesus, Protomartir Mexicano ...", in La Semana Catolica in 1898 [see Eduardo Enrique Rios, Felipe de Jesus, el santo criollo, Mexico, Editorial Campeador, 1954 (F1201 .F47 no. 16).] Also present is a bound volume partly in the hand of the Franciscan Juan Pobre de Zamora entitled Ystoria de la perdida y descubrimiento del galeon San Phelipe ..., which has been described by Charles R. Boxer in Indiana University Bookman, Nov. 1969, no. 10.

In addition to coverage of Jesuit and Franciscan missionary work in Japan, the early materials also contain reports and correspondence concerned with Jesuit work in China, Cochin China, the Mariana Islands, and the Philippines. A bound volume on the history of the Philippine Islands in a 16th century hand, entitled De la historia de las Philipinas ..., includes contemporary accounts of China, Japan, Cambodia, Thailand and Borneo.

The 17th century materials in the collection are especially descriptive of Jesuit missionary work in the Mariana Islands.

Documents dating from the 18th century include a bound volume by Gregorio Alexandro Bustamante Bustillo y Medinilla concerning his mission as Spanish ambassador to the Kingdom of Siam in 1718 and two documents from the Real compania de Filipinas, founded in 1785, which discuss the slave-trade in Latin America and the advantages of inviting Armenians to help develop commerce in the Philippines. Among the legal papers of this period is a file concerning the will and testament of Charles Connelly which contain information about Connelly's brother Thomas, an Irish Dominican who was the confessor of the Spanish king.

Reports on various Spanish military construction operations in Manila and Cavite, as well as a signed royal decree concerning the rights of the Discalced Order of Saint Augustine in the Philippines appear among the 19th century documents. Other subjects of interest are the Chinese in the Philippines and how they were to be taxed, opium use and its taxation, gold mining in the province of Camarines Norte, and tobacco cultivation, manufacture and trade. An undated water-color by M. Ortega, depicting a Holy Week procession in Manila, folded and bound in boards, complete the 19th century materials.

Included in the few 20th century items are two documents that deal specifically with the Spanish-American war and the Battle of Manila Bay, one of which is a telegram in code. The last dated item in the collection is a printed post card from the Mexican botanist Gabriel Alcocer.

Correspondents in the collection are Juan de Ahumada; Francisco de Paula Alcala de la Torre; Gabriel Alcocer; Juan Francisco de Anda; Juan Apostol; Salvador Azpiroz; Pedro Calderon Enriquez, Tomas Casanas; Francisco Combes; Jose Diaz y Sala; Francisco Enriquez y Giron; Diego de Espina; Damian de Esplana; Miguel Lino de Ezpeleta, Bp. of Cebu; Sebastian Fernandez Canel; Salvador Font; Francisco de San Jose; Jacinto Garcia; Diego Garcia Herreros; Ciriaco Gonzalez Carvajal; Vicente Gonzalez de Tagle; Jose de Iturrigaray y Arostegui; Jose de Santa Orosia; Saint Juan de Santa Marta; Tomas Antonio Martinez de Trillanes; Juan Manuel de la Matta; Jose de Mijares; Juan Nepomuceno Mijares; Jose Antonio Pavon; Saint Pedro de la Ascencion; Juan de Quintana; Antonio Rodriguez; Jose Rodriguez Varela; Mateo Joaquin Rubio de Arevalo, Bp. of Cebu; Juan Cruz Ruiz de Cabanas y Crespo; Blas Ruiz de Fernan Gonzalez; Eduardo Sanz y Menendez, marques de Soller; Francisco Tello de Guzman; Jose de Veitia Linaje; Vicente de Victoria; Felipe Maria Rodriguez de Madrid y Davila, 2. marques de Villamediana; marquesa de Villamediana; and Juan de Zarzuela.