EIGHTH ORDINARY MEETING. 63 
European Societies, and the special attention of their members was 
directed to the documents themselves : 
een c a lnstitab: der Brancery. -)vpsieie tela s cieletele telciorects/ sisi 6\« Paris. 
pemociere de Geooraphic® ....h.000« since cicweciecece race = Paris: 
ousociete Belge de Geographic. . ..........002--..s000% Brussels. 
4, Koniglich Preussische Akademie der Wissenschaften .. Berlin. 
pemGeselischatt tur Hrdkunde. -.... 126-06 +0 elec oan Berlin. 
6. Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften............ Vienna. 
7. K. K. Geographische Gesellschaft..........-..... «. Vienna. 
8. Nicolaevskaia Glavnaia Observatoria ................ Pulkova. 
9. Imper. Rousskae Geograficheskoe Obschestov ........ St. Petersburg. 
meme, Akademia Nauk ......./c1c.2 asl cece cto, cles 500s St. Petersburg. 
Mipssociete de Geographic. 00. 0.25. sc. secs cece esse seeas Geneva. 
By this means attention was obtained for the subject in Europe, 
and when I submit evidence of the fact, I think you will agree with © 
me, that no little of the success which has attended the movement 
is owing to our late Governor-General. We must all acknowledge 
how much we are indebted to him for the great personal interest he 
has always shown on the subject. We are certainly warranted in © 
forming the opinion, that the dissemination of these papers, under 
‘such distinguished auspices, awakened attention to the arguments 
they contain, and prepared the way for the subsequent action taken 
_ at the International Geographical Congress at Venice, at the Geo- 
dedic Congress at Rome, and more recently at the Conference at 
Washington. 
Mr. Wilhelm Forster, director of the Berlin Observatory, enters 
into the subject at length in a paper “Zur Beurtheilung’ Hiniger 
Zeitfragen, insbefondene gegen die Einfuhrung einer deutschen Nor- 
malzeit.” [A Review of some considerations on Time, especially 
against the introduction of German National Uniform Time]. 
Mr. Forster proceeds to say: The British Government is now 
transmitting, through its representatives, although at the same time it 
declares itself neutral, a proposition which has been published by a 
society of scientific men in Canada, which aims at the establishment 
of a cosmopolitan normal datum (Prime Meridian) and of Universal 
Time, and also the establishment of 24 meridians of an hour apart, 
by which local time will be absorbed. The first proposal, Mr. Forster 
describes as an important sign of the times and evidentlyjfavours it. 
He strongly protests against the establishment of a national Ger- 
man time; but for railway business, and for such matters of commu- 
