82 M. TONDINI on the 



give advice which may equally result either in diminishing 

 or increasing the opposition to Greenwich.* 



It is alleged that the Greenwich meridian is now used 

 almost everywhere even for geographical purposes, and 

 that, consequently, the best course to be taken is to let 

 things go their own way, until France, who opposed the 

 adoption of the Greenwich meridian, be morally compelled 

 in the interest both of science and humanity to give in. 

 As for the assertion that the Greenwich meridian is now 

 used almost everywhere, even for geographical purposes, it 

 should be carefully verified. At any rate exceptions are 

 to be found almost everywhere. This said, I venture to 

 advance that, paradoxical as it may appear, no Power is 

 more anxious that, with regard to the international initial 

 meridians now in use, no change be made, and that things 

 should be allowed to "go their own way" than France herself. 

 What is in fact, now-a-days, the general practice concern- 

 ing international meridians? That every nation is at liberty 

 to choose for their marine the meridian they like best, and 

 to make use either of the Nautical Almanac or of the 

 Connaissance des Temps, or of any other ephemerides, just 

 as they choose. Now, what was the respective attitude 

 of France, on the one side, and of the Powers dissenting 

 from her on the other, at the Washington Conference? 

 While France advocated for navigation and astronomy 

 the maintenance of the status quo, urging the application 

 of a neutral international meridian to matters to which 

 an international meridian had not been applied yet, the 

 Powers advocated the exclusive use for the marine of all 

 nations, of the Greenwich meridian and the Nautical Almanac 

 of Greenwich. On which side was the proposal of a change ? 



*The following are the names of the twenty-six States represented at 

 Washington in 1884 : Austria-Hungary, Brazil, Chili, Columbia, Costa Rica, 

 Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Guatemala, Hawais, Italy, Japan, 

 Liberia, Mexico, Netherlands, Paraguay, Russia, San Domingo, Salvador, 

 Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United States, Venezuela. 



