This collection contains a 1900-1901 daily travel diary written by Dr. J. Garner. In the diary, J. Garner describes his experiences with British army Major H. H. (Herbert Henry) Austin's expedition that traveled from Cairo, Egypt to Zeila, Somalia via Lake Rudolf. In Major Austin's "Through the Sudan to Mombasa via Lake Rudolf" (published in Scottish Geographical Magazine, Vol. XVIII, 1902), Austin notes that a Dr. J. Garner joined the expedition in Cairo around the 7th of December - a few days prior to the beginning entry of Garner's travel diary - and mentions Garner throughout.

Garner's diary begins on December 14, 1900 and ends on September 6, 1901. At the end of the diary, Garner kept a list of deaths of members of the expedition, the reasons for which include "exhaustion," "shot for killing donkey," "heat apoplexy," and "speared by natives." Throughout the entries, Garner describes the condition of the men's health, the reasons why they fell ill and died, his own illnesses, the geography and climate of the land, and the social life and customs of the people that were encountered. There are several illustrations of the camp set-up as well.