PROCEEDINGS- APPEND IX A A-S 



(3.) Second Eeport of the Joint ( 'ommiltee of the ( 'unadian Institute 

 and the Astronomical and LMiysicai Society of Toronto (Ma>' lOth, 18!I4). 



(4.) Third Report of the Joint Committee of the (,'anadian Institute 

 and the Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto (Sept. 2lst, 1895). 



(5.) Paper, submitting- the opinion of British and foreign shi]»mas- 

 ters in respect to the proposed reform in time-reckoning at sea (April, 

 1896). 



(6.) Letter to the Governor-denei-al from the Canadian Institute and 

 the Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto, submitting additional 

 list of shipmasters in favour of unification (April "Jord, 1896). 



(7.) Summary of shipmasters heard from, np to July 25th, 1896. who 

 have expressed their opinions on the unification of time at sea. 



The facts to be gathered from these several documents are : 



(a.) That the unification of time at sea has long been advocated— 

 that the illustrious astronomer, Sir John Herschell, strongl}^ favoured it ; 

 that at the Washington International Conference of 1884, it was intro- 

 duced and supported by all the representatives of the United States, 

 comprising Rear-Admiral Rodgers, U. S.N., the distinguished astronomer 

 Rutherford, and likewise by the head of the United States T^aval Obser- 

 vatory, Commodore Franklin ; that at the same conference it was sup- 

 ported by all the representatives of (ireat Britain, comprising the chief 

 hydrographer of the Admiralty, Sir Frederick Evans, the illustrious 

 astronomer, Professor Adams, of Cambridge, General Strachey, of the 

 Council of India, and the delegate from Canada ; further, that it received 

 the unanimous approval of the i-epresentatives of the twenty-five nations 

 constituting the conference. 



(6.) That astronomers as a class ai'e in favour of the sixth resolution 

 of the Washington Conference, provided a determination be reached suffi- 

 cientl}^ early to give effect to the proposal on the first day of the 20th 

 century. 



(c.) That representative shipmasters in the British and foreign 

 merchant marine are practically unanimous in favour of the unification 

 of time at sea. 



(d) That the Lords Commissioners of the British Admiralty otï'er no 

 objection to the principle of unification of time-reckoning at sea, and are 

 wilUng to adapt the Nautical Almanac to the proposed change, beginning 

 with the first year of the new centurj^, provided all nations publishing 

 ephemerides are prepared to take the same course. 



(e.) That the nations i^ublishing ephemerides are (including Great 

 Britain) nine in number— that these nations have been applied to for an 

 expression of their views, and that the majority of them have been heard 

 from. The British Admirahy, however, hesitates to adopt the change 

 unless and until complete unanimity on the part of the nine nations has 

 been obtained. (Admiralty letters of Julj' 9th, 1896, and December 12th, 

 1895.) 



