The fonds consist of a typescript copy of the diary kept by Abigail Chipman Ryerson, wife of Captain John K. Ryerson, during a voyage by sailing ship from Saint John, New Brunswick, to Greenock, Scotland, and back. The voyage began on 27 August and the last entry in the diary was made on 19 December 1847 at Brier Island where the vessel was stayed by a snowstorm.

The diary includes descriptions of everyday life on a ship from a female point of view, including such activities as quilting, sewing, knitting, and cooking. She also mentions Partridge Island, noting the recent arrivals of Irish immigrants there. There is a description of an encounter 24 November 1847 with the abandoned and waterlogged remains of the "Cumbria of Gloucester", located at latitude 50, longitude 40.