Description of a College Chamber (manuscript copy), ca. 1744

This humorous, rhyming poem appears to have been co-authored by Thomas Handcock of Massachusetts and Richard Waterman of Warwick, Rhode Island. The document is also signed by Catharine Waterman. Neither of the authors attended Harvard College, and the circumstances of this poem's creation are not known. The poem suggests that they composed the poem while visiting - uninvited - the room of "honest Bob." The poem describes the contents of this college chamber, including the following items: an oak table with a broken leg; paper, a pen, and sand for writing; books, including "Scotch songs," philosophy, Euclid, a book of prayer, Tillotson, and French romances; pipes and tobacco; mugs; a broken violin; copperplate and mezzotint prints; a cat; clothes; two globes; a pair of bellows; a broom; a chamber pot; a candle in a bottle; tea; cups and saucers; a letter to Chloe, to whom the room's inhabitant apparently owed money; a powder horn; a fishing net; a rusty gun; a battledore; a shuttlecock; a cannister; a pair of shoes; and a coffee mill. The poem references events related to the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748); British Vice Admiral Edward Vernon's siege of Portobello (in present-day Panama) in 1739; the "Rushian War" (perhaps the Russo-Swedish War of 1741-1743); and the War of Jenkins' Ear (the cat in the college chamber, like British Captain Robert Jenkins, has lost an ear).

Letter from William Croswell to James Maury, 1808 June 4

Draft of a letter to James Maury, the American consul in Liverpool, with information about Croswell's failed plans to publish a map.

Letter from William Croswell to Daniel P. Colesworthy, 1817 October 4

Copy of a one-page letter concerning the payment of a bill.

Letter from William Croswell to Benjamin Webb, 1822 September 4

Draft of a one-page letter primarily concerning Croswell's Mercator maps.

Letter from William Croswell to Harrison G. Otis, 1833 November 4

Two drafts of a letter requesting financial assistance.

Letter from William Croswell to the City Council of Boston, 1827 September 4

Drafts of a letter concerning Croswell's June 1827 petition to the City Council.

Memorial to the City Council of Boston, 1828 February 4

One draft of a letter.