1 ^ r • - ffiriH-’j f.-^’r.-i-.-.-.-rr % i; r- ■. * *. -*. ’J/tbjl. .ytf, ► - ' r , / 'I 21 l^/lAR1B39 ANNUAL REPORT FOR MDCCCXLIII, ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL OF THE YOKKSHIEE PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY FOR MDCCCXLIII. PRESENTED TO THE ANNUAL MEETING FEBRUARY 6, 1844. YORK: RICHARD BURDEKIN, 16, H I G H - 0 U S E G AT E . 1844. TRUSTEES OF THE YORKSHIRE MUSEUM, APPOINTED BY THE ROYAL GRANT, HIS GRACE, EDWARD, LORD ARCHBISHOP OF YORK. GEORGE, EARL OF CARLISLE, K.G. CHARLES WILLIAM, EARL FITZWILLIAM, F.R.S., F.S.A. THOMAS PHILIP, EARL DE GREY. HON. AND VERY REV. HENRY HOWARD, D.D., DEAN OF LICHFIELD. SIR WILLIAM LAWSON, BART., F.S.A. FRANCIS CHOLMELEY, ESQ., F.S.A. ROBERT DENISON, ESQ. REV. WILLIAM VERNON HARCOURT, F.R.S. WILLIAM HATFEILD, ESQ., F.G.S. RICHARD JOHN THOMPSON, ESQ. PATRONESSES OF €tfe ¥otfi;65tt;e HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN. Her Royal Highness The DUCHESS OF KENT. PATRONS. HIS GRACE THE ARCHBISHOP OF YORK. EARL OF CARLISLE, K.G. EARL FITZWILLIAM, F.R.S. EARL OF TYRCONNEL, F.R.S. THE VISCOUNT MORPETH. THE LORD STOURTON. THE LORD WHARNCLIFFE. THE LORD FEVERSHAM. THE LORD WENLOCK. OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY, 1844. PRESIDENT: Earl Fitzwilliam, F.R.S. VICE-PRESIDENTS: Rev. Stephen Creyke. Rev. Thomas Egerton, F.G.S. Charles Heneage Elsley. Rev. Wm. Vernon Harcourt, F.R.S. William Hatfeild, F.G.S. Sir J. V. B. Johnstone, Bart, M.P. John Henry Lowther, M.P. Rev. Charles Wellbeloved. TREASURER: Robert Davies, F.S.A. COUNCIL: 1841 .. . .Rev. William Hey. Elected 1842. . . .James Allen, John Phillips, F.R.S., F.G.S. H ENRY Robinson, William Whytehead. 1843.. . .James Barber, Captain Bentham, Rev. John Kenrick. 1844. . . .Rev. W. B. Cooke, George Goldie, M.D. William Gray, Jun. Thomas Henry Travis. SECRETARY: Thomas Meynell, Jun, F.L.S. a2 VI OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY. CURATORS. NATURAL HISTORY DEPARTMENT; Geology .. .. J. PhillipSjF.R.S.jF.G.S. Mineralogy . . . . W. Hatfeild, F.G.S. Zoology — Vertebrata .. Rev. William Hey. Annulosa .. T. Meynell, JuN. F.L.S. Mollusca and ^ , ZOOPHYTA ) Comparative Anatomy . . Thomas Allis. Botany .. .. Oswald Allen Moore. Antiquities .. .. Rev. C. Wellbeloved. Library and MSS. Laboratory .. .. T. H. Barker. Observatory .. .. W. L. Newman, F.R.Asl.S. Meteorological Instrum. John Ford. SUB-CURATOR OF THE MUSEUM: Henry Baines. * Those departments for which no Curators are specially named, are considered to be under the direction of the Secretary and the Curator. YOKKSHIRE PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. REPORT OF THE COUNCIL TO THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY, ON THE 6th OF FEBRUARY, 1844. The Council, acting under the direction of the last Annual Meeting, repeated the invitation from the Yorkshire Philosophical Society to the British Association for the Advancement of Science, when assembled at Cork, to hold its next Meeting in this City ; and they have great pleasure in announcing that the invitation was accepted, and that the Society will, in September next, again have the honour of witnessing, within the City of York, the assembling of that learned body. This event, so earnestly desired by the Council, must necessarily have a most beneficial influence on this Society, by stimulating its members to renewed exertion, and thus raising it to a still more elevated position in the scale of science and utility. To render the Museum as attractive as possible, and interesting to the numerous scientific visitors who may be expected to attend the meeting, the Council have considered it highly important to complete, as far as possible, the arrangement of the different Collections previous to the month of September. For this purpose, several alterations in the interior of the Museum have become necessary, more particularly the re-opening the communication between the Library and the late Mineralogical Room, and the completing the side cases in that Room, for the reception of the splendid Collection of Comparative Osteology, which is at present so imperfectly exhibited. It has also been determined to place drawers underneath the new centre cases in the Geological Room, for the arrangement of the Foreign and British Rock Specimens, which will thus be easily referred to ; and to fit up the spare Room 8 REPORT OF THE in the upper part of the building, for displaying to more advantage the numerous Roman Antiquities connected with the ancient history of the City of York, These alterations, however, could not be undertaken without incurring considerable expense, but the Council did not hesitate to enter upon them. The most rigid economy having been exercised for the last few years, a great reduction has taken place in the amount of the Society’s debt, and there is now a considerable surplus in the ordinary annual receipts over the expenditure, which may be applied to the purpose of these improvements. It will likewise be advisable for the Council to purchase a certain number of Specimens, in order to complete some of the most in¬ teresting groups, and supply several vacancies, which it is not probable the Society can otherwise fill up. It could not be expected that, with the limited funds at its disposal, the Society could undertake to defray the heavy expenses which will be incurred in receiving the British Association. The Council, therefore, prepared a circular letter, which they addressed to the principal gentlemen in the county, soliciting contributions for that purpose ; and they are happy to state that the amount already received renders it certain that no loss will be sustained by the Society. The appeal which the Council has made to the County of York, has indeed been every where most favourably received, and they cannot allow this opportunity to pass without returning their thanks to their numerous friends, who have so generously come forward to their support, at a time when so many calls of a more pressing nature are being made upon them. An Act was passed during the last Session of Parliament, to exempt Scientific Societies from the payment of all local rates. This Act came into operation in October last, and the Council lost no time in taking the necessary steps to enable the Society to avail itself of this exemption. The Society will therefore in future be relieved from the payment of a tax which has pressed very heavily upon it, amounting to a sum little short of £30. per annum, or nearly 5 per cent, upon its ordinary annual income. In presenting a statement of the accounts of the Society for the past year, the Council have little to remark. The receipts are almost entirely confined to the usual sources of income, and the COUNCIL FOR 1843. 9 ordinary expenditure has been somewhat increased by certain repairs which it has been found necessary to effect. Seventy-five pounds have been expended in extra works ; and a donation of £10* has been made towards presenting a testimonial to Mr. A. Ryland, of Bir¬ mingham, for his services in obtaining the Act of Parliament before mentioned. Notwithstanding this extra expense, the balance against the Society at its bankers has been further reduced to a small extent, and now amounts to the sum of £1064. 16s. 2d. Whilst on the subject of finance, the Council cannot refrain from adverting to the splendid bequest which has been made to the Society by their late esteemed Vice-President, Dr. Beckwith. This Princely Legacy, which in conjunction with his other liberal bequests will render the name of Dr. Beckwith revered as the greatest benefactor to the charities and public institutions of the City of York, will go far towards relieving the Society from those difficulties under which it has laboured ever since its first formation ; although in accordance with a stipulation in the will, the legacy is not to be applied to the payment of any part of the heavy debt of the Society. At the special request of Dr, Beckwith, the income arising from this legacy is, in the first place, to be expended in building a house upon the Society’s property, as a residence for the Sub- Curator. This outlay is very desirable, as the rooms at present occupied by him are from their situation extremely damp and unhealthy ; and the Council have only been deterred from undertaking it hitherto, by the expense which a suitable building would entail. It will be hereafter the duty of the Council, in the appropriation of this increase of income, to render the Museum and Gardens as interesting as possible to the members and the public. The money received for tickets of admission to the Gardens and Museum during the past twelve months, has not been quite equal to the amount of the previous year ; but the small deficiency is less than might have been expected, considering the unprecedented depression under which the trade of the country has of late laboured. On Whit-Monday and Tuesday, the Gardens and Museum were as usual, thrown open to the Public, and visited by a large concourse of persons. The Officers and Privates of the Yorkshire Hussars were likewise permitted to have free access to the Museum, during the period of their service in York. c 10 REPORT OF THE Much inconvenience has at times been experienced by the Council from not having the power to admit persons during their temporary residence in the City, to the Garden and Museum, on the payment of a reasonable sum for the privilege thus granted. The Council have therefore agreed to submit a resolution to the meeting, to authorize them to admit such residents as temporary subscribers. The Horticultural Fete was held on the 26th of August, on which occasion the display of Fruit and Flowers was superior to that of anv former exhibition. The Council have deemed it expedient to add to the Gardens the ground lying immediately below the Observatory ; and they hope that thus a suitable situation may be found for a scientific arrangement of Plants, which has long been wanted. In the Geological department, the Collections have been increased by a few purchases, and some interesting donations ; but the attention of the Council has been called by Professor Phillips, to the advantage which would arise from enlarging this part of the Museum, by the addition of one complete series of all the species of Invertebral Fossil remains, yet discovered in Yorkshire. For the purpose of this new arrangement, the long table-case in which the Minerals have recently been placed, has been surmounted by stages under glass. To furnish any great proportion of the large number of select specimens proper for the systematic arrangement of the In¬ vertebral Fossils, the present Collections are inadequate, as they contain but few choice duplicates ; but by application to several friends of the Society, resident on the coast, and by purchases to a moderate extent, upon a regular plan, the Council hope to make good progress in this undertaking, previous to the meeting of the British Association. The Collection of Minerals has been entirely re-arranged in the new cases in the Geological Room, and enriched *by a splendid donation from the late Dr. Beckwith, including not only many specimens not previously possessed by the Society, but also a Col¬ lection of Gems, of such intrinsic value, as has seldom been received at one time by any similar public Institution. To the Collection of Vertebrated Animals, fifty-three birds from Trinidad, in beautiful condition, have been added by Wm. Hatfeild, Esq.; and Mr. James Backhouse has presented several Lizards and COUNCIL FOR 1843. 11 Snakes, from Australia. A competent person has been employed to set up the numerous skins of Foreign Birds in the possession of the Society, previous to a complete new arrangement of the whole. The additions to the collection of Comparative Osteology consist of twenty-nine skeletons of Foreign Mammalia, presented by Mr. Allis, the Curator ; which, added to the valuable series previously in the possession of the Society, will make this collection, under the new arrangement, one of the most interesting in the Museum. The Curator of British Botany has completed the Classification of the Herbarium, commenced by his precedessor, the Rev. W. Hincks, so far as regards the flowering Plants, and is proceeding with the Ferns. This collection is now in admirable order, and from the mode of its arrangement may be at any time convenientlv referred to. In return for some assistance in his enquiries relating to the Saxon Coinage, obtained from the cabinet of the Society by Mr. D. H. Haigh, of Leeds, that gentleman has presented to the Society upwards of one hundred and twenty Silver Coins, com¬ prising several of the Visigoth Kings, some of the Saxon period, and many belonging to the English Series. More than one hundred and fifty English Coins, chiefly modern, in Gold, Silver, and Copper, were likewise presented by the late Dr. Beckwith, not long before his death ; and some beautiful impressions of Foreign Seals have been received from Edward Hailstone, Esq., of Bradford. Mr. R. Ready, of Leeds, having been allowed the use of the Matrices of the Ancient Seals in the possession of the Society, has in return presented a considerable number of casts of other Seals, principally connected with religious and other institutions of Yorkshire. The Northumbrian Stycas mentioned in the last Report as part of a hoard recently discovered in York, have been purchased, partly by the proceeds of three Lectures on the state of York under the Anglo-Saxons, delivered by the Curator of Antiquities in the Theatre of the Museum, and partly by voluntary Subscriptions ; and they now form an interesting and very instructive portion of the Cabinet of Coins belonging to the Society. The Roman and other Antiquities have been for the most part removed to the room now appropriated for them, and are at present under arrangement by the Curator. c 2 1 IS REPORT OF THE Among the Donations to the Library, the Council have to notice with peculiar satisfaction, a valuable work, by the Society’s highly respected Treasurer, Robert Davies, Esq., whose Extracts from the Municipal Records of the City of Yorkf to which his official con¬ nection with the Corporation afforded him a ready access, accom¬ panied with many curious “ illustrative and explanatory notes f have thrown much light on the history of York during that portion of the 1 5th Century which comprised the reigns of the three last kings of the Plantagenet race. The valuable Transactions of the various Scientific Societies continue to be received as usual. The Council hope that, by some changes which they propose to make during the present year, the Library will be rendered more available to the purposes for which it was intended. The Laboratory continues in the same active service as usual. The regular course of Lectures to the Pupils of the York School of Medicine is in course of delivery ; and the Laboratory is well stocked with the reqiiisites for general purposes. Some slight alterations will however be necessaiy previous to the meeting of the British Association. Though the usual Astronomical Observations have been continued at the Observatory, the great want of proper instruments has pre¬ vented the Curator from remarking many interesting celestial phenomena, which have occurred during the past year. He has recently commenced a course of Lectures on Astronomy, by the proceeds of which he hopes, in part, to supply this deficiency ; and the Council trust, ere long, to be able to make a grant for the same, object. The Curator of Meteorological Instruments has continued the Horary Observations at the Equinoxes and Solstices, which were commenced in 1 842 ; and they have been regularly forwarded to the zealous and indefatigable M. Quetelet, of the Roy^ Academy of Brussels, and acknowledged by him. The following are the results of these observations for the past year. Vernal Equinox, Mean of 24 Obs, 49^ occurring bet. 8 and 9 a.m. and 7 &. 8 p.m. Summer Solstice . 24 ... . 56.8° . 7 and 8 a.m. and 7 &, 8 p.m. Autumnal Equinox .... 24 ... . 57.9° . 7 and 8 a.m. and 7 & 8 p.m. Winter Solstice . 24 ... . 42.8° . 10 and 1 1 a.m. and 3 & 4p.m. COUNCIL FOR 1843 13 Period of Maximum and Minimum Mercurial Column. Vernal Equinox . maximum 11 a.m . . . . minimum 3 p.m. Summer Solstice . . . 6 a.m . . . . 4 p.m. Autumnal Equinox . . . steadily ascending through the 24 hours. Winter Solstice . . 8 p.m . . 6 a.m. The Register of Meteorological Phenomena at York is given in the subjoined Table. CO 00 O I Pi H m >— ( O W c o o o o o Westerly. Northerly. Southerly and Easterly. Southerly. Easterly. N. Easterly, Westerly. South and West. Various. N. and Westerly. S. and Westerly. South Westerly. ’ _ 365 ssa]^jo ajoui‘A\ous JO U|Uy JO SifU(J ICOOOOOF-Ht^ 169 >s. s.w 72 A\opq sjqStf^ *OQ02COrHOOOOOC^QO 00 M ^ W 05 O o s o a s -a r •jsaAmq 0(N*o^(N^'-H>^G5cociao Oi — (?< CO Ttf Tf CO (0) (N Q •jsaqSiH COO>0*OTt<*OO 0';Doq(MQOooooTr»o— ‘COC0''ti*O fo o 05 r- 00 05 05 ;V ^ - • -. f • : . . •> .<, / . 4 mmi 'mmm mmM ill mm, immi ftt£t;s:%'l!i-Y iffnnlUHi s-irtii ■f/Alil mmm^m i ilPi'S tiiliT ■ttM, mmmma Vti:, m^: k&W/m J ‘I’ (I* * t i T * ^ J.-; -• fcVJr mmm