100 UNIVERSAL OR COSMIC TIME, 
has been established, so are they ready to follow the example ; and 
this fact leads us the more to expect that also this course will be 
adopted by the Washington Naval Observatory, as in the American 
Marine the Date-notation from midnight has been already accepted. 
It is only in the matter of the period, when the Date-notation, 
- according to Universal Time, should be introduced into the publica- 
tions of the observatories, that we feel inclined to recommend, that 
there should be delay until in this respect the most perfect possible 
understanding be attained by all astronomers, in order to avoid the 
much more critical disturbance in astronomical chronology which 
would arise, if the transition to the new Date-notation was not equally 
followed on all sides. We are desirous, accordingly, of suggesting a 
suitable time-point for the commencement of the year, for which the 
Nautical Almanac would inaugurate the changes corresponding to 
the requirements named. The latter has before been said could come 
to pass in the year 1890. We would, however, ourselves prefer the 
change to take place, in the first instance, with the change of the 
century. Until that date, it would probably be the simultaneous 
proceeding of all astronomers, with general consent to look forward to 
this period of transition, and it would more easily stamp itself on the 
memory of all who hereafter would be busied in investigations, in 
which exact chronology plays a part. 
In conclusion, a circumstance may be mentioned which will be of 
interest to a wider circle of the public. In the Washington Confer- 
ence it is true every resolution was avoided which could directly be 
considered as an influence on ordinary Time reckoning. But neverthe- 
less an opportunity was offered to the Russian delegates to submit the 
principle and to recommend it for consideration that it certainly was 
desirable to introduce into ordinary Time-notation, as it is it would 
be also acceptable for Universal Time, to set aside the exceedingly em- 
barrassing division of the day in two halves of 12 similarly-named 
hours, and in their place again introduce a continuous notation to 24 
as has for some time already taken place in different countries. This 
idea has visibly fallen on ground well prepared to receive it, and al- 
ready there is every prospect that the fruit will ripen. The instruc- 
tions of the Astronomer Royal, which bear close relations to Uni- 
versal Time, through the exhibition of the great clock of Greenwich 
Observatory divided into 24 hours in order to accustom the public of 
that country to the continuous hour notation for the entire day, has 
been greeted in the intelligent circles of England as it appears with en- 
thusiasm as the simpler means of avoiding the so frequent matter of 
uncertainty whether forenoon or afternoon be meant. It is, perhaps, 
not quite easy to explain with any correctness, from what date and 
upon what grounds the present division of the day at noon into two 
equal parts is followed : especially as the ancient practice (for exam- 
ple with the Hebrews in antiquity) teaches us that the numbering the 
hours in one series practically offers no difficulty, At all events a 
