UNIVERSAL OR COSMIC TIMK. 15' 



of Science in Montreal, in July, 1882, the subject was brought for- 

 ward, and all the documents were submitted and discussed. It was 

 agreed that the Association should co-operate with other bodies in 

 furtherance of the movement. 



On two occasions the Royal Society of Canada has had its atten- 

 tion directed to the matter, and this body has assisted in furthering 

 the determination of the problem by its co-operation and by cor- 

 respondence with the G-overnment. 



While some delay took place in summoning the International Con- 

 ference by (he President, in consequence of diplomatic correspondence 

 on the subject, the question was ripening on both sides of the Atlantic 

 for concerte;] action. Indeed, a decision with respect to the regula- 

 tion of local Time was anticipated by the Railway authorities in 

 North Americji, who adopted the system of li our-standards which' 

 had Iman prominently brought forward as described. 



On ISTovember L'^th of last year (1883) the new system of regulat- 

 ing railway Time on this continent came into operation. There had 

 been several preliminary meetings of railway managers ; the last 

 meeting was a Convention held in Chicago the previous October, 

 and it was then determined immediately to carry out the change. 



Mr. W. F.' Allen, the secretary of this Convention, who also took a 

 prominent part in effecting the adoption of the change, has given a 

 history of the events leading to it. Upon this gentleman mainly 

 fell the laboiir of arranging details, and he executed the difficult 

 duties assigned to him with consummate ability. In the words of 

 the histoi'ian, the transition from the old to the new system " was 

 put into effect without any appreciable jar, and without a single 

 accident occurring." x4.ccording to this authoi'ity the tiret newspaper 

 to advocate some change was the Railroad Gazette for April 2, 1870, 

 and it is claimed that as early as 1869 Prof. Charles F. Dowd, 

 Principal of Temple Grove Ladies' Seminary, Saratoga Springs, pro- 

 posed a system of meridians based on the meridian of Washington at 

 intervals of one hour, by which railwaj's should be operated, and 

 that an expression of his views was placed in the hands of the Presi- 

 dent of the New York and Canada Railroad. The proposition ap- 

 pears to have atti-acted attention in the Travellers' Official Guide of 

 1872, In 1873 it was brought before the Railway Association of 

 America, not now in existence. A committee was appointed to ex- 

 amine into its merits ; they failed to recognize its necessity, and 



