The bulk of the collection falls within the period 1914-1920 when Novar (Ferguson) was Governor-General. It includes official despatches from Novar to the King, private letters from Novar to the King's Private Secretaries and their replies, both personal and official despatches to the Secretaries of State for the Colonies and their replies and correspondence relating to Novar's official duties as Governor-General. Voluminous personal correspondence includes letters with W.M. Hughes, G.F. Pearce and leading military and political figures in Australia and England. The subject matter of both personal and official files includes the war, including recruiting and conscription, Australian political events at State and Commonwealth levels, the Australian economy, and Australian, Japanese, and British interests in the Pacific region. Correspondents include L.S. Amery, Sir James W. Barrett, Sir Edmund Barton, General W.R. Birdwood, Sir William Bridges, Sir James Burns, Bede Clifford, Sir Joseph Cook, Andrew Fisher, Lord Forrest, Sir Samuel Walker Griffith, L.V. Harcourt, A. Bonar Law, Walter Long, Sir Alfred Milner, Lord Stamfordham, Sir George Steward, Sir Gerald Strickland, Sir Henry MacMahon, Sir John Maxwell, J.G. Legge, Sir George Houston Reid, W. Watt, and E.D. Millen.
