TIME-RECKONING. Tt 
adjustable for each separate hour, and may thus be set for any one of 
the twenty-four fixed meridians referred to. The adjustment would 
be effected without in the least disturbing the machinery of the in- 
strument, or interfering with the index hands. 
Church clocks and other stationary time-pieces would have the 
local time disc permanently secured in the proper position. Only in 
the case of persons travelling beyond any particular local time section 
would the local time disc of their watch require to be changed. Its 
adjustment under such circumstances would be simple ; it would only 
be necessary to move the dise round until 12 o’clock noon coincided 
with the meridional letter of the new locality. Suppose, for example, 
the letter G represented the longitude of the new position of the 
watch : 12 noon placed in conjunction with G would complete the 
adjustment of the instrument. For every other new position the 
same operation would be repeated. Notwithstanding every change 
that may be made for local time, the machinery of the watch need not 
be interfered with, and the hands would continue to indicate correct 
cosmopolitan time. The distinction between cosmopolitan time and 
local time would always be perfect ; the former would invariably be 
known by letters ; the latter, as at present, by the Roman numerals. 
As in the diagrams, it is proposed to denote that portion of the 
day which includes the hours of darkness by a black or dark ground, 
in order that the night hours could never be mistaken for the hours 
in the middle of the day, which have the same numerals. The 
several “‘ watches” into which the day is divided on shipboard might 
be distinguished. The local time dise exhibits a light portion be- 
tween 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.; this includes and represents the forenoon 
and afternoon watches, noon being the dividing point. The dark 
portion, extending four hours before and four hours after midnight, 
embraces the two night watches; while the shaded portions, from 
4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m., represent the dog watches 
and the morning watch. This arrangement would perhaps prove 
useful, in view of the hundreds of thousands who navigate the ocean, 
and the yearly increasing number of ships that adopt and constantly 
use this division of the day into ‘‘ watches,” finding it, as they appear 
to do, the most convenient scheme of division for daily routine at sea. 
Other modes of carrying into execution the principles of construc- 
tion proposed will readily suggest themselves to practical men. (Vide 
Appendix No. 2.) It seems only here necessary to allude to one 
point. It may be objected that the change of system would render 
