14 
REPORT OF THE 
The Provincial Medical Association of England met ao-ain 
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in York in August last^ and on this occasion, as on that of 
their previous meeting in 1841, the Council gladly acceded 
to their request to be allowed to hold their sittings in the 
Library and Theatre of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society. 
The members of the Association inspected with much in¬ 
terest the Roman sui’gical instruments which are preserved 
in the Society’s Museum, and which they had an oppor¬ 
tunity of comparing with the engravings of similar in¬ 
struments discovered in Herculaneum, and Pompei, and 
figured in the dissertation of the Cavaliere Vulpes.* With 
that friendly feeling which they ^vill always entertain towards 
every Society which has for its object either the discovery 
of truth or the diffusion of knowledge, the Council opened 
its collections to the members of the Yorkshire Union of 
Institutes, which met here in the month of May under the 
presidency of Lord Goderich. By an arrangement with the 
York Horticultural Society, a Flower Show was held in the 
grounds of the Museum, on the 3rd and 4th of July. The 
display of flowers was very brilliant, the weather was auspicious, 
and nearly 4000 persons were present. The Treasurer’s 
accomits will show that the result was in a small deorree bene- 
O 
ficial to the finances of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society. 
From the register kept at the gates it appears that nearly 4000 
persons annually pay for admission: 7000 more are admitted 
by written orders. The strangers introduced personally by 
members, though their numbers cannot be accurately ascer¬ 
tained, probably exceed those who pay for admission ; and if to 
these be added the multitudes who throng the Musemn and 
Gardens on the days of free admission at Whitsimtide, it will 
be seen how largely our Institution ministers to the instruction 
and gratification of the public. 
MTien the new arrangement, sanctioned by the last Amiual 
Meeting, was made with Mr. Charlesworth, he undertook to 
give some lectures, bearing on those facts in Natural History 
which could be illustrated by specimens in the Museum. He 
* Illustrazione di tutti gli stnimenti chirui’gici scavati in Ercolano e in Pompei, 
Napoli 1847. 
