6 JOHNSON: PEESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 



discussed iu Montreal again, at the meeting of the American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science iu August, 1882. The Eoyal Society of Canada, as we know, has, on two 

 occasions, co-operated by memorials in furthering a solution of the problem. 



Meanwhile, before the International Conference could be assembled, the leading rail- 

 w^ays took action in the matter to suit the public convenience, so far as they were con- 

 cerned, and in November 18th, 1883, the new system of regulating railway time on this 

 continent came into operation. Nearly a year afterwards, namely, last October (1884), the 

 International Conference already referred to, was held. The delegates appointed by the 

 Imperial Government to represent Grreat Britain were : Professor J. Couch Adams and Sir 

 Frederick Evans, the late Hydrographer to the Admiralty ; G-eneral Strachey, Chairman of 

 the Meteorological Committee, to represent India ; and Mr. Sandford Fleming to represent 

 .Canada. The meeting of the British Association in Montreal, in August and September 

 last, had made the attendance of these gentlemen an easy matter. To the same cause was 

 due the presence of Sir Wm. Thomson, who was iuA'ited to be present and take part in the 

 discussion. The result has already been stated. 



It is a satisfactory coincidence, that at the same meeting of our Society, at which we 

 are able to record this general adoption of Grreenwich as the one Prime Meridian from 

 which to reckon longitude, we should have a paper before us, giving an account of obser- 

 vations and calculations for determining more accurately than ever before, the longitude 

 reckoned from Grreenwich, of one station in Canada, viz., Montreal, from which, probably 

 hereafter, all Canadian longitudes, will be determined ; a beginning of which process is 

 offered to us in the redetermination of the longitude of Toronto, and the determination ot 

 that of Cobourg. The origin of this redetermination of the longitude of Montreal, is to be 

 assigned to the late Transit of Yenus, reports of observations on which have already 

 appeared in the Transactions of the Society ; and it is due to the courtesy and liberality of 

 Professor Pickering, the Director of the Harvard Observatory (the longitude of which from 

 Grreenwich has been determined with special care), that Professor W. A. Rogers, of that 

 Observatory, has been enabled at the expenditure of a great deal of time and labour, acting 

 in concert with Professor McLeod of McGill College, to carry out the work. 



It may be remarked, too, as an instance of co-operation in Science produced by the 

 meeting of the British Association, that three of the five delegates representing the British 

 Empire at the Conference of Washington were connected, in one way or another, with 

 this Society. One was a memt)er, and two others. Professor J. Couch Adams and Sir Wm. 

 Thomson, were and are members of a Committee for promoting tidal observations in 

 Canada, in favour of which the Council of this Society has petitioned Parliament, and in 

 promoting which members of this Section have taken an active part. 



