26G 
PROCEEDINGS 1849 — 1858. 
Mr. Thomas Lister, of Barnsley, gave a sketch of that town, 
inchiding its mineral and manufacturing products, and natural 
history. 
In the district there were fourteen workable beds of coal. The 
Barnsley Nine Feet Seam was worked at twenty-four pits, and the 
Silkstone Coal at twelve pits. The greater part of the paper is taken 
up with an enumeration of the birds found in the neighbourhood, 
those resident being 102, and visitant 81, a total of 183 in number. 
At a subsequent meeting at Huddersfield, on November oth, 
1857, a paper was read from Mr. W. H. Bartholomew, C.E., on 
improvement in pressure gauges adapted for indicating the pressure 
of steam in boilers. Mr. J. Brackenridge again introduced the subject 
of the best mode of working and ventilating coal mines. 
The annual meeting held at Leeds on January •28th, 1858, met 
at 12 o'clock at noon. The chair was occupied by Mr. Thomas 
"Wilson, a Vice-president. On opening the proceedings the chairman 
remarked that "he was sure that those present that day would all 
join with, him in deeply regretting the loss the Society had sustained 
by the death of their first and only President, Earl Fitzwilliam. 
That nobleman took an active part in the business of the Society 
throughout its existence. Not only was lie most liberal when the 
Society applied to him, offering as he did the sum of £500 towards 
establishing a Museum if it could be carried out, but he attended the 
meetings and did everything to further the interests of the Society." 
The meeting was a small one, and it w^as proposed that the next one 
should be held at Leeds, during the visit of the British Association, 
which was to meet at Leeds that year. It was stated that there 
would probably be a large gathering of members, and by that means 
would be brought about something like a revival in the activity and 
resources of the Society. There is no record however of such a 
meeting having taken place, and, indeed, it was not until December 
8th that the next meeting was held, and it was at Bradford ; the 
statement of receipts and expenditure was read by the honoraiy 
secretary, from which it appears that the total income was £96 4s. Od., 
which had all been paid away, and liabilities remained amounting 
to £55. 
