A letter from William Ball in Edinburgh, Scotland to his brother John Ball Jr. at Comingtee Plantation discussing an upcoming birth in John's family, their brother Isaac's courtships, and the statement that "war resounds from all quarters." The letter goes on talking about the inhabitants of Edinburgh and their excessive alcohol and tea drinking, tobacco use, nervous disorders, and the "badly attended" theater.
A letter from William Ball in Edinburgh, Scotland to his father John Ball Sr. in Charleston, South Carolina discussing his impending graduation, plans to travel to London to attend medical school, his friend John Wilson getting a job in the engineering department in America, the cost of provisions and taxes, and that oatmeal is the "chief support" for laborers in Scotland.
A letter from William Ball in Edinburgh, Scotland to his brother John Ball Jr. in Charleston, South Carolina discussing the cold weather, the upcoming birth of a baby for John, attending a performance of the actress Sarah Siddons, issues with selling the crops in South Carolina, William's opinions on the medical field including his "little faith" in the London Hospitals.
A letter from William Ball in Edinburgh, Scotland to his father John Ball Sr. in Charleston, South Carolina discussing his final exams in medical school, the dangers of traveling to France, and discussions of health and diseases.
A letter from William Ball in Edinburgh, Scotland to his father John Ball Sr. in Charleston, South Carolina discussing a letter of credit, the severe winter in Edinburgh, deciding not to travel to Paris for medical school, plans to return to Charleston to work as a doctor, and William's opinions on the study of medicine.
A letter from William Ball in Edinburgh, Scotland to his brother John Ball Jr. at Comingtee Plantation discussing the birth of a baby in John's family, other family matters, and the observation that many inhabitants in Edinburgh have a wooden leg due to sickness.
A letter from William Ball in Edinburgh, Scotland to his brother John Ball Jr. at Comingtee Plantation discussing letter writing, their brother Isaac, William's traveling companions, his views on how the enslaved persons in South Carolina are "better off" than the "highland peasantry," and an account of the living conditions of the Scottish Highland inhabitants.
A letter from William Ball in Edinburgh, Scotland to his father John Ball Sr. at Kensington Plantation discussing the weather in Edinburgh, William's opinions on drinking alcohol, his belief that there is no cure for excessive drinking, the "degraded state to which human nature is brought by drunkenness" and the "ill effects it produces on the constitution."
A letter from William Ball in Edinburgh, Scotland to his father John Ball Sr. at Kensington Plantation discussing John suffering from "Cholic," and William's account of the landscapes, inhabitants and agriculture of the Scottish Highlands.
A letter from William Ball in Edinburgh, Scotland to his brother John Ball Jr. in Charleston, South Carolina discussing letter writing, the birth of their twin sisters, the death of Mr. Fraser, their Uncle Elias Ball and brother Isaac Ball's excursions, and the music of the Scottish Highlands.