LONGITUDE AND TIME-RECKONING. 143 
It thus appears that of the total commerce of the world which in 
a greater or less degree bases its system of navigation on eleven 
different first meridians for the reckoning of longitude, 65 per cent. 
of the number of ships, and 72 per cent. of the total tonnage, compute 
their longitude east and west of Greenwich. 
The United States of America at one time used the meridian of 
Washington. But the importance of having a common zero of 
measurement has been felt to be so great, that practical effect has 
been given to the idea, on the part of the United States, by all sea- 
going ships of the Republic, giving up Washington, and adopting 
the meridian of Greenwich. Russia, Norway, Holland, Belgium and 
Japan have taken the same course, and Germany, Sweden, Austria 
and Denmark have partially done so. 
It is accordingly clear that of the six places mentioned, the nether 
meridians of which are convenient to Behring’s Strait, Greenwich 
takes the first position with respect to the number and tonnage of 
ships navigating by it. The six several places, as far as known, seem 
to stand in the following order, viz. : 
SHIPS. TONNAGE. 
ASTECMWLCIL 5.) erticfolepaieya:sa\a\ave’s. «so ov «/ afajeiaternerene 37,663 14,600,972 
IEPATUR Sey atel rales Tete y tease ce13/0/0)¥\2,\0.0.0 0,0 ose 5,914 1,735,083 
BV APMCM Aa a ola. sTi a TEES ss eed e sc oo oo  wietneleny 2,263 715,448 
RO VISGIAMLIA ter spetefarctare ciel sivscievaie « « «00:0 ¢ SPtaeeeee 2,128 695,988 
PILOCRGHNG eae eel aayys c\ccereig + c's! os + » » suse eRe fly 154,180 
TION, Cotte cE alas eb laws, v0 ss «o's Sem 435 81,888 
The meridian drawn 180° east and west of Greenwich crosses a 
small angle of Kamtschatka, immediately on the western side of 
Behring’s Strait; with this exception, it passes over no land between 
the Arctic and Antarctic cireles. The foregoing shows clearly that 
it is, of all the meridians, the one which would best accommodate 
the greatest number and tonnage of the world’s shipping. By the 
adoption of this as a common prime meridian, there would be no 
disarrangement in the charts, the nautical tables, or the descriptive 
nomenclature of nearly three-fourths of the ships navigating the 
high seas. The same lines of longitude would be traced on the maps, 
although differently notated. The necessity would simply arise of 
falling back on the familiar phrases of ‘new style’ and ‘old style,’ 
first applied in connection with chronological dates in England in 
