From the portico, the entrance into the building is by spacious folding doors, with a light over them resembling that over the door of the pantheon at Rome.
The internal arrangements were principally founded on a design made by Mr. Sharpe, in 1825, and subsequently much enlarged and improved. The hall is 29 feet 6 inches, by 18 feet 6 inches. The floor is formed of Scagliola plaster, by Mr. Ellison, in imitation of porphyry. The walls re semble stone, and the ceiling being divided into bold pannels, gives the whole a very massive and suitable effect. On the right of the hall is the li brary, 31 feet 9 inches, by 18 feet 6 inches. Here the books and miscellaneous antiquities belonging to the society are deposited. A door on the left of the library leads to the stair-case and council-room. Directly opposite the front door, corresponding folding doors lead into the theatre or lecture-room, 33 feet by 44 feet. This beautiful room is orna mented by six Corinthian columns, and four pilas ters supporting beams, enriched by guilloche or naments, dividing the ceiling into four principal compartments, in each of which are two rows of deep caissons; those of the two middle divisions are filled with ground glass, through which the room is lighted. By a simple, but ingenious con trivance, these lights can be instantly obscured by shutters, at the command of the lecturer, when ever any experiments require to be performed in the (lark. The seats of the spectators, which are equally handsome and commodious, gradually descend from the level of the entrance-hall towards the table of the lecturer, situated opposite the en trance, and nearly on a level with the basement floor. The lower part of the lecture-room is rus ticated, and the whole of the walls and part of the floor are in imitation of stone. On the right and left of the lecture-room, and communicating with it, are spacious apartments, 61 feet 6 inches long, by 18 feet 6 inches wide, for the collections in geo logy and mineralogy; the former containing a suite of nearly 10,000 specimens of British rocks and fossils, arranged in the order of their position in the earth; the latter exhibiting above 2000 miner als, classed according to their chemical relations. At the back of the lecture-room, and connecting the two lateral rooms, is the museum for zoology, 44 feet by 22 feet, in which the Foreign and British quadrupeds, birds, reptiles, fishes, shells, insects, and corallines, which the society possesses, are systematically displayed. These three rooms are lighted by plate-glass skylights, and are admirably suited to their purpose.
The front building has an upper story, contain ing three spacious rooms, one of which is allotted to the keeper of the museum, and another to the valuable collection of comparative anatomy, the property of the curator of that department, James Atkinson, Esq. The whole of the building, ex
cept the basement, is heated by stoves erected by Mr. Haden, of Trowbridge, and Alr. Pickersgill, of York. Preparations are made for lighting the whole with gas. A considerable part of the inter nal finishings have been executed under the gratui tous direction of Mr. Pritchett.
The basement story contains a laboratory accom modation for the lecturer, immediately communi cating with the lecture-room; a dwelling-house for the sub-curator; and a long gallery containing the architectural fragments of the Abbey, discovered in the late excavations. A curious old fire-place, belonging to the Abbey, is preserved in its original position, in one of the basement rooms, and forms a very interesting object to the antiquary. The room being under the ball, is necessarily nearly dark, a gas-light is fixed to throw a feeble light upon this relic, and adds not a little to the interest it excites.
The museum was opened on the 2d February 1830.
Beside these buildings, York contains two well managed lunatic asylums, one of which is the Re treat, founded by a body of men, the quakers, who are ever doing good, and the other erected in 1769; a county hospital, a city dispensary; national schools for children of both sexes; charity schools for the blue coat boys and grey coat girls; a city jail; a bridew ell; a subscription library, founded in 1794, and various other net ling houses for Ro man catholics, quakers, methodists, piesbyterians and independents.
The philosophical society of York was founded a few years ago, and from the knowledge and sci ence of the gentlemen by whom it is patronised and conducted, we have no doubt that while it advances the general interests of science, it will pursue with ardour and success, those local inquiries which are necessary for exploring the natural history and meteorology of the rich and extensive district of which York is the centre.
York carries on a considerable river trade by means of the Ouse, which is navigable as far as the bridge for vessels of 120 tons. Some business is carried on in linens, glass, liNery lace, gloNes, and drugs.
The race ground has the form of a horse shoe, and is well fitted for its purpose.
The vicinity of York contains many country seats of great beauty and grandeur. About three miles from York stands Bishop Thorpe, the mag nificent palace of the archbishop.
The population of the city in 1821 was 3206 houses, 4412 families, 288 engaged in agriculture, 3333 engaged in trade, 9574 males, 11,240 females, and the total number of inhabitants 20,787.