WILLIAM SIEMENS, F.R.S. 42! 



a:i'l (!i;i! l>"iiii; already actually the most extensively used of all, it 

 presents the greater probability of being generally accepted." 

 Tin- third resolution is a corollary of this, and runs thus : 

 " That the longitudes should be reckoned from the meridian of 

 i \vich, in the sole direction of from east to west, and from 

 zero to 860", or from zero to 24 hours ; the meridians on the 

 charts, and the longitudes in the registers, should be indicated 

 everywhere in hours and minutes of time, with liberty of adding 

 the indication of the corresponding degrees," and this country 

 has every reason to be satisfied with the international delibera- 

 tion. 



Another resolution was passed, however, " expressing a hope 

 that England will take another step towards the unification of 

 weights and measures, by contributing to the labours of the 

 Metrical Convention." This international convention is, as is 

 \vll known, established at Sevres, and constitutes a laboratory on 

 a large scale, for the development not only of accurate measures of 

 length, wt-ight, and bulk, but at the same time an interesting 

 school for the cultivation of the art of measurement, and although 

 England is not at the present time represented upon that com- 

 mission, it so happens that, at the present time, it is employed 

 chiefly upon the verification of standards for use in Great Britain. 

 It may, therefore, be confidently expected that the desire formally 

 expressed by the Geodetic Conference may soon be fulfilled, the 

 more so as joining the Metrical Convention does not imply an 

 absolute intention to adopt metrical measurement for commercial 

 purposes, for the adoption of which, I fear, we shall have to look 

 forward to a future time. 



