The item contains six telegraphs from the Telegraph Director in Bombay, with four directed towards Kodaikanal and two towards Chetput(Chennai). One is a request for a copy of the magnetogram taken during the magnetic storm.

The album contains archival documents related to the building, instruments and observations at the Madras Observatory. It mainly includes an old photo of the Madras Observatory, a photocopy of the first observation taken in 1786 from the observatory, two pictures of Kater's pendulum hung in front of the Haswell clock in the observatory, a sketch of the Madras Observatory building from 1848 Taylor's catalogue and painting of Madras coast by Daniel.

The album includes documents on the results of astronomical observations and photographs related to the Madras Observatory. A copy of the first observation made at the Madras Observatory and a page from Madras M. S. record is preserved with photos of the Madras Observatory, Shelton clock and granite slab with Latin inscription at Madras Observatory. A map of Madras Observatory land in 1826 and a sketch of John Goldingham swinging Kater's pendulum hung in front of Haswell clock in the observatory.

This item was a magnetic compass which was used by M.K.Vainu Bappu during the visit to Kavalur for site survey. The magnetic compass is a tool used for determining direction on the surface of the Earth. It operates by using a magnetic pointer that aligns itself with the Earth's magnetic field. This type of compass is the oldest and most commonly used in various forms of transportation such as aircraft, ships, and land vehicles. The Earth's magnetic field acts as an enormous bar magnet with a North-South field that causes freely moving magnets to take on the same orientation. Although the direction of the Earth's magnetic field is not entirely parallel to the North-South axis of the globe, it is close enough to make an uncorrected compass a reasonably good guide. The inaccuracy, known as variation (or declination), varies in magnitude from point to point on Earth.

The letter was to inform Edward Barnes to arrange for trained workers for the magnetic observation that P. R. Chidambara Aiyar was supposed to do.

The letter was written by E. C. J. Bond, the officer in charge No. 18 party (Magnetic), Survey of India, to the Director of the Madras and Kodaikanal Observatories, Kodaikanal, Via the Superintendent of the Trigonometrical Survey. Through this letter, E. C. J. Bond was conveying three suggestions to the magnetic observers to raise the calibre of the observatory magnet.

The letter was written by E. C. J. Bond who was the officer in-charge No. 18 party (Magnetic), Survey of India to the Director of the Madras and Kodaiknal Observatories, Kodaikanal. In this letter, he claims to have sent a registered parcel post to Kodaikanal that contained three strips of fine phosphor bronze fibre and four incredibly fine tungsten wires that could be used to suspend the magnetograph's declination. The letter was written in Dehra Dun in 1919.

The letter was written by E. C. J. Bond who was the officer in-charge No. 18 party (Magnetic), Survey of India to the Director of the Madras and Kodaiknal Observatories, Kodaikanal through the Superintendent of the Trignometrical Survey. Through this document, the author was inquiring how the tabulated data in the original and duplicate magnetic forms taken from Kodaikanal and delivered to the Survey of India office differed. Also provided are a few instructions for the observers. Letter was sent from Mussoorie in 1920.

Letter from E. C. J. Bond to the Director of Kodaikanal Observatory about recording the magnetic observations

This letter is from Colonel St. G.C. Gore to the Meteorological Reporter to the Government of India and Director General of Observatories about the Vertical force Magnetograph, which had been sanctioned for Kodaikanal.