94 UNIVERSAL OR COSMIC TIME. 
consideration of the conditions necessary to satisfy a neutral Meri- 
dian. For to be of importance as a Firsc Meridian among others, and 
in order to admit of no ambiguity it must contain in itself a depar- 
ture from the principle of neutrality by the determination of its 
position of Longitude through an observatory in the neighbourhood 
to be designated authoritativ ely. 
The idea of selection on grounds of neutrality was therefore set 
aside by a great majority. The remark of M. Janssen, on the occa- 
sion of the discussion of this subject must be recognized as most just. 
Namely, that the Meridian of Ferro, introduced at the commence- 
ment of the lsth century, through De L’'Isle, and subsequently 
brought into common use, lying 20° to the west of that of Paris, by 
that fact furnished a marked objection to its selection as the common 
First Meridian, for from this circumstance it had become purely 
French Meridian, and thus, to the great disadvantage of all geography, 
the Meridian of Ferro had lost its international or neutral character. 
After the theory of a neutral Meridian was set aside, the grounds 
on which Greenwich as the starting point of longitude was advocated, 
came into prominence with their fullest force, and the choice of it as 
the initial Meridian, followed almost with unanimity, France and 
Brazil as advocates of the neutrality principle, abstained from voting, 
and only the representative of San Domingo, M. de Galvan, voted 
positively against Greenwich. The latter, however, added that his 
negative vote must only be taken as an expression of his sympathy 
with the principle of neutrality. 
The three succeeding Resolutions, the numbering of Longitudes 
with different signs, East and West from Greenwich ; the acceptance 
of an Universal Day tor special purposes; and the accord of this 
Universal Day with the Time Reckoning of civil life under the 
First Meridian, were in their essence internally connected one with 
the other. The discussion in the Conference accordingly was directed 
at the same time equally to the three Resolutions, although the vote 
upon them was given on each proposition separately. It is a matter 
worthy of attention, that the second, which set forth the main 
principle, was the only one which obtained an almost unanimous vote, 
while for the two others many countries abstained from voting, some 
of the smaller territories even voting negatively. An explanation of this 
manifestation is found in the fact that a great number of the Delegates 
were not provided with special instructions in regard to particular 
questions, but had only received as a rule of conduct that they should 
hold to the Resolutions of the Congress at Rome, which in these two 
particular points had decided in the opposite direction. These Dele- 
gates evidently did not feel themselves at liberty to depart from what 
had been Jaid down at Rome, even when their own personal views 
in the course of the discussions at Washington rather inclined them 
to the prevailing direction of the Resolutions there brought forward, 
