Correspondence, letterbook, diaries, journals, notebooks, and ships' records and papers concerning Robinson and the U.S. Navy, and his role in the struggle for independence in South America, particularly in Chile and Peru. Includes correspondence regarding his proposed history of Chile; supplying specimens for the Lyceum of Natural History, New York, N.Y.; and efforts to obtain government positions. Also includes ships' records relating to the Beaver (Flat-bottomed ship), USS Franklin (Ship of the line), and USS Ontario (Sloop of war). Correspondents include John Quincy Adams, Richard Alsop, James Biddle, Asbury Dickins, David Findlay, Henry Hall, Michael Hogan, Richard M. Johnson, Samuel L. Mitchill, Bernardo O'Higgins, John Bartow Prevost, Nathan Robinson, Richard Rush, William Thornton, Egbert Van Buren, and John Varnum.