16 REPORT OF THE 



The result of the changes in the laws which were made 

 at the last annual meeting, and of some new regulations 

 adopted by the Council has been upon the whole very satis- 

 factory. The return to the original plan of receiving written 

 orders of admission at the gate has met with general appro- 

 bation, and has removed some causes of complaint which 

 formerly existed. By the system of filing the orders it has been 

 found easy to check any infringement of the rule which limits 

 the admissions of each member to one hundred persons. The 

 extension of the hours during which the Museum and Hospitium 

 are kept open through the Summer months, has not only been 

 acceptable to the members of the Society, but has proved a great 

 accommodation to strangers, making a short stay in York. 



By far the most important of these changes, however, is that 

 which was adopted at a special general meeting, and which 

 allows the entrance money to be spread over three years, 

 instead of being added to the first year's subscription. To this 

 change, and to the zealous exertions of Mr. Charlesworth, it 

 has been chiefly owing that the accession of new members since 

 the last annual meeting has exceeded the experience of any 

 year, since the first establishment of the Society. Besides 

 Associates and Lady Subscribers, thirty-six new Subscribers 

 (including those elected this day) have been admitted. It is 

 unfortunately true that this increase is in some measure 

 balanced by an unusual number of deaths, resignations and 

 removals during the year 1855 ; but the true mode of estima- 

 ting its importance is to consider what the state of the Society's 

 finances would have been, if this decrease had taken place 

 without any countervailing accession. The total number of 

 members at the commencement of 1855 was 311 ; it is now 328. 

 These accessions have been derived chiefly from residents in 

 York, and the attention of the Council has been anxiously 

 directed to the means of arresting the rapid diminution of 

 county members. For this purpose it was determined to 

 submit to a special general meeting, a proposition that no 

 admission fee should in future be required from candidates 

 residing seven miles from York. This meeting was held on 

 Oct. 3rd, Lord Londesborough in the chair ; and the measure 



