The collection contains a wide range of professional and personal papers. There is an extensive selection of printed and manuscript material collected in Hong Kong, China and Japan throughout Parkes' career. There are also around 750 letters, including correspondence with Sir Rutherford Alcock, Major-General Charles George Gordon, Lord John Russell and Sir Ernest Satow. Most of the personal correspondence addressed to Parkes dates from the last two years of his life, with much of the remainder relating to periods of particular activity such as the Second China War. The collection also contains maps; a few documents in other languages; and a set of letters, sketch maps, memoranda and other papers regarding Gordon's campaigns at the head of the 'Ever Victorious Army' in the service of the Chinese Imperial government during the 1860s. Most of the material belongs to three main sections: Correspondence and Despatches (Parkes 1-6); Material from O.H.M.S. Envelopes (Parkes 7-30); and Other Material (Parkes 31-42). The remaining papers are documents in Chinese (Parkes 43-46); Japanese (Parkes 47); and Korean (Parkes 48).