[lumsden] unification OF TIME 89 



a source of error, he wrges that putting off the reform, which must come 

 some day, will only tend to aggravate this condition, inasmuch as observ- 

 ations, noted in astronomical time, will continue to accumulate without 

 cessation. As for confusion, there is already plenty of incongruity in 

 the various official publications, portions of which are given in astronomi- 

 cal and other portions in civil time. All this confusion would be removed 

 at one stroke of the official pen, wei^e the astronomical and nautical days 

 made to commence at the instant when the civil day begins. Still better 

 would it be if time were counted in daily periods of 24, rather than in 

 two periods of 12, hours. At present, we have the following anomalous 

 state of time reckoning. There is the Civil Day which begins at mid- . 

 night and ends at the midnight ensuing. There is the Astronomical Day 

 which begins at noon and continues until the following noon. There is 

 the Nautical Day which concludes at noon of the Civil Day, having com- 

 menced at the preceding noon. From this, it is obvious that any given 

 date extends over, or into, three different days. For an example (citing 

 a previous publication on this subject) take "Wednesday, June 13th, ISD-t. 

 By Astronomical and Nautical reckonings, only half of this date, in each 

 case, is on Wednesday; the first half of June 13th, according to Nautical 

 reckoning, is on Tuesday, June 12th, while the second half of the same 

 date (June 13th) according to Astronomical reckoning, is on Thu.rsday, 

 June 14th, Civil Time. In writing upon this subject, Sir John Herschell 

 says : " This usage has its advantages and disadvantages, but the latter 

 seem to preponderate ; and it would be well if, in consequence, it could 

 be broken through, and the civil reckoning substituted. Uniformity in 

 nomenclature and modes of reckoning in all matters relating to time, place, 

 weight, measure, etc., is of such vast and ^^aramount importOMce in every 

 relation of life as to outweigh every consideration of technical convenience 

 and custom." The italics are Sir John's. 



Taking everything into consideration, it is now sometimes a question 

 with the Astronomical and Physical Society whether it would not have 

 been wise to have ascertained the opinion of navigators rather than the 

 opinion of astronomers as to the necessity of bringing about the reform 

 to which it has addressed itself. So far as is known, the reform has the 

 sympathy of all seamen, and it was for them, as has been pointed out, 

 that national observatories and annual nautical publications were created 

 and still exist. In the course of a twenty thousand mile voyage, in 1893, 

 Dr. Fleming, who consulted them, did not meet with one captain or other 

 navigating officer who was not ready to accept unified time. And it has 

 recently come to the knowledge of the society, that, a year or so ago, 

 when Captain W. Nelson Greenwood, the compiler and jiublisher of cer- 

 tain Kludonometric or Tide Tables, issued at Manchester, England, pro- 

 posed to discontinue the use of uniform time, which had been in use ten 

 years, as it appeared to be injuring the local sale of his work, he was met 

 by protests from navigators so emphatic that he abandoned his intention. 



Sec. III., 1896. 7. 



