1884.] Treasurers Address. 435 



rather than a decimal system, is not better adapted for the convenience 

 of daily life, is one that by many is regarded as fairly open to discussion. 

 Another event of both scientific and national importance has been 

 the meeting of an International Conference on the subject of a 

 Prime Meridian of Longitude. The desirability of a common 

 starting-point from which to reckon degrees of longitude has long 

 been felt among all civilised nations, especially those of a maritime 

 character, and was discussed at some length during the Congress of 

 the International Geodetic Association at Rome in October, 1883. It 

 was not, however, until the end of last year that invitations were 

 issued by the United States Government for different countries to 

 send representatives to an International Conference to be held in the 

 city of Washington, for the purpose of discussing and, if possible, fixing 

 upon a meridian proper to be employed as a common zero of longi- 

 tude and standard of time-reckoning throughout the globe. The 

 letter of invitation addressed to this country was referred to the 

 President and Council of this Society with a request to advise the 

 Government whether it was desirable in the interests of science to 

 accept the invitation. In reply an opinion was expressed as to the 

 high importance both for the interests of science in general, and of 

 our own country in particular, that our Government should be repre- 

 sented at the Conference, and the Treasury at once sanctioned the 

 expense of sending two delegates to Washington. These were Sir 

 Frederick Evans, the late Hydrographer to the Admiralty, and 

 Professor J. . C. Adams. General Strachey, the Chairman of the 

 Meteorological Committee, was also nominated to represent India, and 

 Mr. Fleming to represent the Dominion of Canada. The delegates 

 assembled at Washington in the month of October last, and proceeded 

 to discuss the questions whether a single prime meridian for all 

 ' countries could be adopted, and if so, through what point on the 

 earth's surface should that meridian be drawn. After long discussion 

 it was eventually resolved that the meridian of Greenwich should be 

 generally adopted, twenty-two* of the nations voting in favour of 

 this measure, and only one, San Domingo, against it. The repre- 

 sentatives of France and Brazil abstained from voting. The proposal 

 for the adoption of Greenwich was made by one of the representatives 

 of the United States of America, and was fully discussed. Our own 

 representatives ably supported the proposal, and another of our most 

 distinguished Fellows, Sir William Thomson, who happened to be in 

 America at the time, was courteously invited to attend the meetings 

 of the Conference, and on the request of the President to express 



* The following nations voted in favour of Greenwich : Austria, Chili, Colombia, 

 Costa Kica, Great Britain, Guatemala, Hawaii, Italy, Japan, Liberia, Mexico, 

 Netherlands, Paraguay, Eussia, Salvador, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, 

 United States, and Venezuela. 



