From Mr. Richard Spruce, three Papers on Botanical Sub- 

 jects, published in Sir Wm. Hooker's London Journal of 

 Botany. 



By Purchase. 



The Head of an Ichthyosaurus, from the Lias at Staithes, 

 valuable for displaying in a beautiful manner the form of the 

 cranium, and the sclerotic plates of the eye. 



A remarkably fine Starfish (Asterias) in sandstone (of the 

 Coralline Oolitic Formation ?) from the neighbourhood of 

 Pickering. 



A specimen of the recent genus Cleidothaerus (CI. chamaoides, 

 Stutchbury), from the Swan River. 



Some observations were made by Mr. Charlesworth upon 

 the Geological specimens, and Mr. Meynell offered some 

 remarks upon the interesting shell, the Cleidothserus, of which 

 genus the Society's collection previously contained no example. 



The following Paper was then read, 

 " On the Statistics of York, in the 13M and \^th Centuries." 

 By Robert Davies, Esq., F. S. A. 



Although some municipalities claim a higher antiquity, there 

 is little doubt that King John was the first English monarch 

 who converted his demesne towns into free burghs, and thus 

 prepared the way for their gradual improvement. Before his 

 reign, the King's collectors made arbitrary levies on the in- 

 habitants of towns, of various talliages and customs for the 

 public service ; but the cities and burghs to which King John 

 granted charters of incorporation, were fireed from these oppres- 

 sive imposts, and intrusted with the government and taxation 

 of their respective communities, subject only to the payment 

 of a specific rent, called the Fee-Farm, which was accounted 

 for annually into the royal exchequer. A permanent revenue 



