12 UNIVERSAL OR COSMIC TIME. 



warded to the leading men in railway direction, either as general 

 managers, superintendents or engineers, and to men of scientific attain- 

 ments throughout the United States and Canada. The papers thus 

 ■ circulated contained eleven questions,' and categoi-ical replies were 

 invited to them. 



Replies were received and reported on at a Convention of the 

 Society, held in Washington on the 17th May, 1882. The scheme 

 submitted was generally and cordially approved. 



An emphatic and unanimous opinion was expressed, that there 

 should be established as early as possible a comprehensive system of 

 Standard Time for North America. 



Of those who replied to the queries, ninety-five per cent, favoured 

 the idea that there should be a common agreement between the 

 Standards of Time in all countries. That while we must primarily 

 look to our own convenience on this continent, it is proper to aim 

 at eventually attaining general uniformity among all nations. 



Seventy -six per cent, were in favour of reducing the Standards in 

 North America so that they would differ only by intervals of one 

 hour, a,nd ninety-two per cent, were in favour of a notation of the 

 hours of the day in a single series from 1 to 24, instead of in two 

 divisions, each of twelve hours. 



The character of the replies received indicated that a remarkable 

 unanimity of opinion prevailed in every section of the continent 

 heard from. The Convention accordingly resolved that an attempt 

 should be made to obtain European concurrence to the selection of a 

 Prime Meridian on which a Time-system could be definitely based. 

 But, failing to obtain this recognition, the people of the Western 

 Continent should determine a Zero-meridian for their own use and 

 guidance. 



It was thereupon resolved to petition the Congress of the United 

 States to take the matter into consideration. The Amei'ican Metro- 

 ological Society about the same time adopted a similar proceeding. 

 The consequences were that a Joint-resolution of the House of Re- 

 presentatives and the Senate was passed, authoi'izing the President 

 of the United States to call an International Conference to fix on 

 and recommend for universal adoption a common Prime Meridian 

 to be used in the reckoning of Longitude and in the regulation of 

 Time throughout the world. 



On the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement 



