86 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



will continue to be adopted in the Austrian Ephenierides, Tlie example 

 .set by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in the Nautical Almanac 

 would therefore be followed as regards the EphemeiMdes." For Spain, 

 the Minister of Marine replied that " without, for his part, proposing or 

 desiring the said change, he is quite prepared, for his Government, to 

 accept the change in 1901, if, before 1806, it is shown that the majority 

 of the Ephemerides offices, which regularly issue nautical almanacs, are 

 in favour of it."' For Mexico, the Minister of War and Marine stated 

 " that as far as this department is concerned, no objection exists to the 

 approval of the proposal for the said unification in the terms suggested, 

 already approved by the majority of astronomers of the various nations 

 of the world to take effect on the first day of the coming centurj-." For 

 Brazil, the Minister of Foreign Affairs replied " that the Brazilian Gov- 

 ernment have decided to adhere to the proposed arrangement, which they 

 will adopt in all publications of a scientific or technical nature from the 

 1st of .Tanuar}', 1901." From the other four countries no official reply 

 has been received, but it would appear that Le Bui'eau des Longitudes, 

 to which the subject was referred on the l9th of October, by the Minister 

 of Public Instruction for France, has, after discussion, reported the fol- 

 lowing resolution : " Le Bui"eau des Longitudes est favorable, en principe, 

 à hi réforme proposée par flnstitut Canadien pour le changement dorigine 

 du jour astronomique. Le Bureau estime que cette réforme, comme l'ont 

 fait observer les Lords de l'Amirauté, ne peut avoir d'efficacité que si une 

 entente a lieu entre les gouvernements publiant les principales éphémé- 

 rides. Enfin, considérant que l'unification ne sera vraiment complète que 

 lorsque l'heure civile, à l'exemple de ce qui se fait en Italie, sera comptée 

 de à 24 heures, le Bureau émet le v(eu que cette dernière réforme 

 soit réalisée le plus tôt possible." In other words, the Bureau has com- 

 mitted itself to the principle involved and is favourable to its adoption 

 in practice provided the countries issuing the more pretentious ephemerides 

 take concerted action, a reservation made also in the cases of Great Britain 

 and Spain. But the Bureau goes further in a very important matter. It 

 officially expresses to the Minister of Public Instruction the decided 

 opinion that to the reform in counting civil time in one series of twenty- 

 four hours, commencing at midnight, as in Italy, effect should be given at 

 the earliest possible moment, a reform which, by-the-way, has recently 

 been legalized in the province of Ontario, where hereaftei-, unless other- 

 wise specifically stated, the time refei'red to in any l)y-law. deed, or other 

 legal instrument shall be held to be standard time, and where "the hours 

 of the day may in any locality be numljered in one series up to twenty- 

 four accoi-ding to the '24-hour notation' so-called.' ' which shall Ite 

 equally valid with the old system oi' reckoning. 



i laving reference to the unification of time, the ])osition of this 

 important movement now appears to be practically this. The adoj)tior. 



