46 UNIVERSAL OR COSMIC TIME. 



thorities of different countries a response to the two following ques- 

 tions : — 



1st. Does the Time zero, or Prime Meridian, proposed in the me- 

 moir, appear suitable and of a nature to be adopted by all 

 civilized nations 1 



2nd. If the Prime Meridian proposed give rise to serious objec- 

 tions, would there be any other Meridian better qualitied, 

 and which would have more chance of being adopted by ail 

 the world '? 



Particular circumstances have singularly enabled the writer of this- 

 report to offer an answer to the first of these questions. Nearly ten 

 years ago, at the desire of our illustrious President, the question of a 

 Prime Meridian was made my special study ; the results of which 

 were given in a discourse, delivered on the 4th February, 1 870, at 

 the Geographical Society of Russia. On this occasion I discussed 

 the question solely from a geographical point of view, specially con- 

 sidering the interests of hydrography and navigation. 



On this point the simplest solution seemed to me to adopt as Prime- 

 Meridian that of Greenwich, which in this case wovild unite the ma- 

 jority of voices. The preference given to this Meridian was based, 

 on one side, on the historical right of the Royal Observatory of Eng- 

 land, acquired by eminent services i-endered by this establishment 

 during the course of two centuries to mathematical geography and 

 navigation, on the other hand, considering that the great majority of 

 charts now in use upon all the seas are made according to this Meri- 

 dian, and about 90 per cent, of the navigators of long-standing are 

 accustomed to take their longitudes from this Meridian. However, 

 an objection against this proposition is that the Meridian of Green- 

 wich passes through two countries of Europe, and thus the longitudes 

 would be reckoned by different signs in different portions of our own 

 continent, and also of Africa. Moreover, the close proximity of the- 

 Meridian of Paris, to which, perhaps, some French geographers and 

 navigators of other nations would still hold, from custom, from a 

 spirit of contradiction or from national rivalry, and which might 

 easily cause sad disasters. To obviate these inconveniences I have- 

 proposed to choose as Prime Meridian another Meridian situated at 

 an integral number of hours east or west of Greenwich, and among 

 the Meridians meeting this condition I have indicated in the first, 

 place the Meridian proposed to-day by scientific Americans as that 

 which would combine the most favourable conditions for its adoption. 



Thus the Meridian, situated 180° from Greenwich, presents the- 

 following advantages : — 



1. It does not cross any continent but the eastern extremity of" 

 the North of Asia, inhabited by people very few in num- 

 ber, and little civilized, called Tschouktschies. 



