The collection consists of correspondence, documents, and manuscripts of James Alexander, the bulk of which relate to the allocation of land, primarily in New Jersey, or to the legal and government problems arising from its ownership during the period Alexander was surveyor-general of New Jersey and, later, New York. Indian deeds, surveys, and a "Copy of the Jersey Commission for running the Division Line betwixt the Province of New Jersey and New York" are included, with petitions and correspondence regarding land riots (1740) and those arrested during land disputes, and the petition of Alexander and William Smith for reinstatement after their disbarment in the libel trial of printer/publisher John Peter Zenger. In addition, there are letters and documents signed by colonial governors of New York and New Jersey, including William Burnet, Robert Hunter, Edward Hyde Cornbury, Cadwallader Colden, and Jonathan Belcher, as well as letters by David Ogden, and Richard Stockton.