126 
WA TORE 
[Fune 10, 1886 
The Society of Telegraph-Engineers and Electricians 
cordially approve of the first six resolutions of the 
Washington Conference, but they reserve their opinion 
as to the seventh (the one referring to the application 
of the decimal system to space and time). 
The Royal Astronomical Society forwards the following 
resolution :-— 
“The Council of the Royal Astronomical Society 
desire to express their concurrence in the resolutions of 
the Washington Conference, and consider it desirable that 
the reckoning of astronomical time from mean midnight 
be adopted in the Nautical Almanac for 1890, the earliest 
practicable date, and that it be thenceforward adopted by 
astronomers.” 
The India Office writes that “the Government of India 
will be perfectly prepared to accept whatever conclusicns 
may be arrived at by Great Britain after the discus- 
sions which will doubtless precede any final decision 
modifying the practice of astronomers, navigators, or 
others in this country in the reckoning of longitude or 
time.” 
The Board of Trade thinks that the resolutions are 
such as commend themselves for adoption. 
The Royal Society forwards a report drawn up by a 
specially appointed committee, which the Council of the 
Society adopted :— 
“The committee recommend the Council to approve of 
resolutions 1 to 6. 
“With regard to resolution 6, if the change of time- 
reckoning be generally adopted, and can without incon- 
venience to mariners be made in the nautical almanacs of | 
all nations for 1890, the committee recommend that year 
for the change to be made. 
““With regard to the seventh resolution the committee 
would remark that, for astronomical reasons, the division 
of angular space is bound up with the division of time, 
and that a decimal division of the day would be opposed 
to the practice of, we may say, all nations, from very 
early times to the present day. 
“Such a change the committee conceive ought not to 
be made without the gravest consideration. The com- 
mittee observe, however, that the resolution does not 
appear to go beyond the expression of a hope that the 
subject may be further studied, to which of course there 
can be no objection.” 
The Eastern and South African Telegraph Company 
give the same reply as that given by the two Eastern | 
Companies to which we have already referred. 
The Submarine Telegraph Company does not adopt 
the twenty-four-hour system. 
The Office of Works has no observations to make. 
The Colonial Office has no objections to offer. 
The views of the Admiralty were thus stated in a letter 
dated July 1885 :— 
“ My Lords desire me to inform you that this question 
has engaged their attention since the receipt of the com- 
munication from the Science and Art Department of the 
29th May, but that, seeing how many and varied are the 
interests involved in a proposal to make any alteration in 
methods of reckoning time which have for so many 
hundreds of years prevailed, they have thought it desirable, 
before offering any opinion, to obtain full information on 
the results which would follow, and the effect which it 
might have both on seamen and astronomers, more 
especially as the main responsibility of action would 
finally rest on their Lordships, as controlling the produc- 
tion of the Nautical Almanac. 
“When their Lordships have received the report of 
the Board of Visitors to the Royal Observatory, Green- 
wich, who, as eminent astronomers, have been consulted, 
they will be in a position to give an opinion ; but as they 
have been advised that that body cannot conveniently 
meet, without undue haste, until the autumn, their Lord- 
ships regret that, for the present, they cannot furnish any 
definite reply to the question asked by the Lords of the 
Committee of Council on Education.” 
The General Post Office letter states that there wall be 
no objection to the adoption of a legally authorised system 
of counting time from zero to twenty-four hours, and that 
for some purposes it seems to possess advantages over 
the present system. The Postmaster-General is inclined 
to think, however, that, in the case of his Department in 
particular, the introduction of the system should depend 
upon popular feeling. 
The Elder Brethren of the Trinity House see no 
objection to the immediate adoption of the sixth resolu- 
tion, that as soon as may be practicable the astronomical 
and nautical days will be arranged everywhere to begin 
at mean midnight. 
The above letters are given in the order in which they 
were received by the Science and Art Department. 
In January of the present year, the Admiralty sent a 
second letter, which we give 27 extenso -— 
CSIR Admiralty, 5th January, 1886 
“TY am commanded by my Lords Commissioners 
of the Admiralty to inform you that they have had under 
their careful consideration your letter of the 29th May 
last, inclosing a copy of the resolutions passed by the 
International Conference for fixing a Prime Meridian and 
Universal Day, held at Washington in October 1884, and 
asking their Lordships’ opinion thereon. 
“9. The first five of these resolutions, causing as they 
do a minimum of change in the customs of this country, 
cannot but meet with their Lordships’ unqualified approval, 
but do not appear to call for any action on their part. 
“3. My Lords do not consider that the seventh resolu- 
tion demands any remark from them. 
“4, With regard, however, to the sixth resolution, 
which proposes a fundamental change in the mode of 
reckoning astronomical time, my Lords are deeply 
interested, not only so far as it may affect Her Majesty’s 
Navy, but in consequence of the responsibility for the 
publication of the Nautical Almanac being vested by 
Act of Parliament solely in them. 
“5. My Lords are of opinion that the sixth resolution 
may be regarded in two different lights :— 
“rst. It may be considered as the natural corollary of 
| the adoption of a universal time, such time being a civil 
day at the Prime Meridian; because, should universal 
time be adopted (for scientific and certain other purposes) 
the disagreement between civil and astronomical time, 
if retained, would to a great degree render nugatory the 
endeavour to introduce uniformity. In this aspect the 
change would seem to depend upon the adopt’on of 
universal time. 
“ond. This proposed change may also, however, be 
looked upon as intrinsically desirable in itself, besides as 
in a measure facilitating the adoption of universal time ; 
and in this light action may be taken before any inter- 
national consensus is arrived at with regard to universal 
time as recommended by the Washington Conference. 
“6. Befcre, however, coming to any final conclusion on 
the advisability of sanctioning such changes in the 
ephemeris as would be necessary to give effect to this 
resolution, my Lords have felt bound to consult, both as 
to the principle and in respect of details, those other 
classes who habitually use the Nautical Almanac, viz., 
the mercantile marine and astronomers, as represented 
respectively by the Board of Trade and by the Board of 
Visitors to Greenwich Observatory, the latter being the 
most representative body of astronomers to whom my 
Lords could appeal. 
“7. My Lords find that, while there is a general agree- 
ment in the desirability of putting an end to the present 
dual system of reckoning time, the urgency of the change 
is differently regarded by seamen and astronomers. 
