398 SCIENTIFIC RECORD FOR 1883. 



The conclusion above given receives additional confirmation from 

 the report of M. Palisa, which has since been published. In fact the 

 identification named is due to M. Palisa alone, and it was made in an 

 ingenious manner. 



THE EARTH. 



The Geodetic Congress. — The most generally interesting part of the 

 proceedings of the geodetic conference which met at Rome in 1883 is 

 that connected with the selection of a common first meridian. « 



The report of the permanent committee of the International Geodetic 

 Association recommends to the conference the general acceptance of the 

 meridian of Greenwich ; it was referred to a special committee composed 

 of one representative for each of the following : England, the United 

 States, Germany, Italy, France, and Hamburg. The report concludes 

 thus: 



"We terminate our report by proposing to the assembly the follow- 

 ing resolutions: 



" The seventh general conference of the International Geodetic As- 

 sociation, held at Eome, and in which representatives of Great Brit- 

 ain, together with directors of the principal astronomical and nautical 

 almanacs, and a delegate from the Coast and Geodetic Survey of the 

 United States, have taken part, after having discussed the questions of 

 unification of longitude by the adoption of an initial meridian, and the 

 unification of time by the adoption of a universal hour, have come to 

 the following conclusions: 



" Firstly, that the unification of longitudes and hours is equally de- 

 sirable in the interests of science as in those of navigation, commerce, 

 and international communication. The scientific and practical utility 

 of this reform considerably outweighs the sacrifices and the trouble of 

 arrangement to which it will put the minority of civilized nations. It 

 should, therefore, be recommended to the governments of all the states 

 interested, that it may be arranged and confirmed by an international 

 convention, so that henceforth one and the same system of longitudes 

 may be employed in all the astronomical and nautical almanacs in all 

 the geodetic and topographical bureaus and institutes, and in all geo- 

 graphical and hydrographical charts. 



" Secondly, that the conference propose to the Governments to choose 

 for the initial meridian that of Greenwich, inasmuch as that meridian 

 fulfills, as a point of departure of longitudes, all the conditions required 

 by science ; and that being already actually and most extensively used 

 of all, it presents the greater probability of being generally accepted. 



" Thirdly, that the longitudes should be reckoned from the meridian 

 of Greenwich in the sole direction of from east to west and from zero 

 to 360°, or from zero to 24 hours. The meridians on the charts and 

 the longitudes iu the registers should be indicated everywhere in hours 

 and minutes of time, with liberty of adding the indication of the cor- 

 responding degrees. 



