This collection is made up of letters, reports, and addresses. Of special interest is a four-page letter written to Reverend Alden while he was at Andover Seminary, June 8, 1841, which describes life on steamboats as "wicked" and "degrading." Also of interest is a report by Alden on western boatmen. The collection includes information on the American Bethel Society for Sailors. Also present here is information on the Millerites. A series of quarterly, monthly, and annual reports from Tipton, 1844-1845, provides information about a small town frontier mission, which includes such topics as slavery, temperance, the "Big Woods," the bleak prairie, and fever and sickness.   The collection is comprised of 37 items making up 257 pages.