The six pocket-sized notebooks forming this file contain the journals, notes and memoranda accumulated by Captain Thomas Bell during or related to his military service in the Louisbourg and Quebec campaigns and as aide-de-camp to General James Wolfe. The first five notebooks contains Bell's own notes and journals, while the sixth holds Bell's transcription of Wolfe's journal for the period 13 May to 16 August, 1759.
Notebook 1, entitled "Miscellaneous" holds historical notes of the chief occurences in North America, from 1753 to 1758; an account of the English and French land and sea forces engaged at Louisbourg; and copies of selected orders issued by James Wolfe.
Notebook 2 contains Bell's journal of the Gaspé expedition, with topographical sketches inset at various points, supplemented by an account in French of Montcalm's victory at Crown Point in July 1758, copied from a text found during that expedition.
Notebooks 3 and 4 contain Bell's journal of Quebec campaign, from the sailing of the fleet from Spithead on 14 February 1759 to the burial of Wolfe at Greenwich on 20 November, concluding with copies of Wolfe's 25 July 1759 proclamation, reports on troops and the local population, and a report on events up to 28 April 1760, apparently translated from a French document.
Notebook 5, entitled "Relative to Transports emplyed in the Quebec Expedition," contains Admiral Saunder's orders for the fleet, the signals, and the list of transports with the number of men on each.
Notebook 6 is prefaced by Bell's statement that it contains "an exact and faithful copy of General Wolfe's Journal from the 13th May 1759 to the 16th of August 1759, (the remainder of his journal to near the day he was killed (13th Sept.) was destroyed by himself before the Battle,) also some loose hints and part of a Journal of his Expedition to Gaspé faithfully copied from one of his memorandum books."