PROCEEDINGS— APPENDIX A A -9 



APPENDIX II. 



Communication to His Excellency the Governor-General, from the 



Canadian Institute and tiie Astronomical and Physical 



Society of Toronto. 



Toronto, April 9th, 1896. 



To the Secretary of Mis Excellency the Governor-General of Canada. 



Sir, — AVe have the honour, on behalf of the Canadian Institute 

 and the Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto, to refer to 

 30ur letter of January 6th, 1896, inclosing a despatch from the Right 

 Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies, on the subject of 

 the Unification of Astronomical, Civil and Nautical Time. 



Since we had the honour of addressing you on September 21st of 

 last year, information has come to the knowledge of the societies we 

 represent which we beg leave to communicate to His Excellency, with 

 the respectful request that it may be forwarded to the Home Author- 

 ities, in the hope that the subject of the Unification of Time may be 

 reconsidered. 



The information we here desire to submit is. in part embraced in 

 a communication recently received from Mr. W. Nelson Greenwood, 

 of Lancaster, England, an extract from which is appended hereto. 

 This communication will be found to throw additional light on a subject 

 to which we attach increasing importance, concerning as it does, all 

 maritime nations for all future time. 



That Canada is especially interested in the subject, as an important 

 maritime division of the Empire, will be obvious, from the following 

 narrative of facts which we respectfully desire to submit. 



The movement to effect a reform in the time-reckoning of all 

 nations took its origin in Canada twent}^ years ago (1876). 



The Canadian Institute was, probably, the first scientific society in 

 any part of the nvorld to give the subject earnest consideration. At the 

 meetings of this society held in February, 1879, the reckoning of time 

 and the establishment of a prime meridian as a general time-zero, to be 

 common to all nations was fully discussed. In May and July of the 

 same year, and again in May, 1880, the Governor-General of ("anada 

 brought the views promulgated by the Canadian Institute to the notice 

 of the Imperial Government, and, through the Imperial Gevernment, 

 the attention of Foi'eign Powers and scientific societies in all parts of 

 Europe was directed to them. 



