The collection of letters consists of the incoming correspondence to the Colonial Bank in Trinidad from its inception in 1837 to 1885. It comprises a total of 1848 items, the majority of which - about 57 % - are letters from the Court of Directors in London to the Manager in Trinidad. The correspondence affords an insight into the economic and social history of Trinidad, the banking needs of the sugar planters and the precarious nature of sugar production in the nineteenth century.