SUPPLEMENTARY PAPERS. 85 
ness with regard to the Meridian of the last named Observatory, 
which already at that time was the most generally in use. 
His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Constantine Nicolajewitch, 
also acted, in the same enlightened and liberal spirit, when in his 
position as High Admiral of the Russian Fleet, which, until 1853, 
had made use of a Nautical Almanack specially prepared for Russia, 
he cancelled its use, and in its place introduced into the Russian Navy 
the English Nautical Almanack, well known as based on the Green- 
wich Meridian, from which the Morski Miesiatseslob (Naval Almanac) 
was essentially a stunted re-production. A far more important step 
was taken, that since that period upon his order, the Lines of Longi- 
tude according to the Meridian of Greenwich are drawn on all Sea 
Charts produced by the Hydrographical Department, and only on the 
margin of the Map their relation to Pultowa is marked. Jn spite of 
this precedent, we have in the meantime remained not entirely free 
from the influence of the unwise feeling of nationality which has ad- 
vanced the claim of Pultowa to be the First Meridian at least for 
Russia. It is owing to such national feeling that the fact must be 
explained that upon several Maps issued by the Head Quarter Staff, 
in contradiction to the views of the Pultowa astronomers, even in 
instances where the Maps have not simply a locahinterest, the Lines 
of Longitude are referred to Pultowa, and on the margin only the 
relation which that Meridian bears to Greenwich is shewn. 
As already mentioned, this matter took a new phase through the 
Antwerp programme, and the interest we felt in the proceed- 
ings, became accordingly the more marked. Especially, the aim 
of the Unification of Longitude found a zealous representative 
in the person of the then President of the Imperial Academy 
of Sciences, Admiral Count Liitke. Among other matters he 
induced the present Director of the Pultowa Observatory publicly 
to set forth his views upon this question, and in accordance 
with this desire, the latter prepared a paper which he read at a 
general meeting of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, heid 
on the 4th February, 1870. In this paper, the conclusions of which 
the meeting approved, among other points discussed, the arguments 
which may be adduced in advocacy of the Meridian of Greenwich 
for universal acceptance as First Mcridian, were sutticiently set forth. 
The argument suggested that should the immediate acceptance of 
this Meridian, on account of mistaken national feeling, obtain not 
only a merely apparent support, but on the other hand experience 
serious opposition from the circumstance, that it serves to determine 
longitude, as well for Great Britain as for France, conditionally on a 
change of notation, so might it be an acceptable arrangement that the 
First Meridian to be named should be drawn from that of Green- 
wich, at a given number of hours, without any addition of minutes 
and seconds. ‘The reader of the paper under such circumstances tool 
