ON THE UiNIKICATION OF TIME. 49 



Report of the Committee, consistinrj of Mr. Glaisher, Mr. W. H. M. 

 Christie, Sir K. S. Ball, and Dr. Longstaff, appointed to con- 

 sider the proposals of M. TondIxNI de Quakexgiii relative to the 

 Unification of Time, and the adoption of a Universal Prime 

 Meridian, luhich have been brought before the Committee by a 

 letter from the Academy of Sciences of Bologna. 



Mu. Christie and Dr. Longstaff (neither of whom was present at the 

 mooting at Bath) declined to serve on the Committee. The remaining 

 two members of the Committee are of opinion that the question of a 

 universal prime meridian is one that cannot usefully be considered by a 

 Committee of the British Association at the present time. 



Fifth Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor W. Gtrtlls 

 Adams (Secretary), Mr. W. Lant Carpenter, Mr. C. H. Carpmael, 

 Mr. W. H. M. Christie, Professor Gr. Cheystal, Captain Creak, 

 Professor Gr. H. Darwin, Mr. William Ellis, Sir J. H. Lefrot, 

 Professor S. J. Perry, Professor Schuster, Professor Sir AV. 

 Thomson, and Mr. Gr. M. Whipple, appointed for the pur- 

 pose of considering the best means of Comparing and 

 Reducing Magnetic Observations. 



The Committee are able to report the establishment of regular magnetic 

 observatories, where continuous photographic records of the magnetic 

 elements are taken, at the United States Naval Observatory at Washing. 

 ton, and also at Los Angelos in Califoi-nia. The instruments used are of 

 the Kew pattern, with the same time-scale, and the scale-coefScicnts for 

 horizontal and vertical force instruments at Washington are very nearly 

 those recommended by the Committee in their Third Report (1887), and 

 which are in very near agreement with those at Vienna, St. Petersburo-, 

 and some other observatories. 



The Committee report, further, that the plan proposed by them in their 

 Third Repoi-t for the Comparison and Reduction of Magnetic Observa- 

 tions, has been adopted at the United States Naval Observatory at 

 Washington, which is now prepared to take part in the general scheme of 

 co-operation proposed by the Committee. Copies of the photographic 

 registers of the three elements for April 21-30, May 1-31, and ibr June 

 1-30 have been forwarded to the Committee from Washington, with 

 tables of scale and temperature coefficients. There are also forwarded 

 two prints showing the reduction of the declination for the year 1888, by 

 means of a graphic composite curve, made by tracing over one another 

 with a pantograph the daily curves of the month, and then drawing a 

 curve througli them to show the monthly means. 



There are also forwarded from Washington a set of prints showiu"'. 

 the comparison of the disturbances of declination and horizontal force at 

 Washington for ninety-nine days of 1888, and another set of prints show- 

 ing the comparison of disturbances of declination on certain selected 

 1889. B 



