SUPPLEMENTARY PAPERS. 61 



with synchronous obsei'vations in all parts of the world, and for 

 scientific purposes generally. 



11. Local days to commence twelve hours before, and end 

 twelve hours after the (mean) sun's passage over each of the 

 standard Meridians. The local days to be distinguished by the 

 letters of the twenty-four Meridians which determine them. 



12. Local days will be reduced to twenty-four in number 

 within the period of each diurnal revolution of tl)e eai-th. They 

 are to be regarded in the same light in all ordinary affairs as 

 local days under the present system. 



13. The hours of the Cosmopolitan Day to be known by the 

 letters of the alphabet in their order from A to Z (omitting J 

 and V), corresponding with the twenty-four Hour-meridians. 

 When the (mean) sun passes Meridians G or IST, it will be.G 

 time or N time of the Cosmopolitan Day. 



14. It is proposed to abandon the divisions of the local day 

 into two sets of hours, each numbei'ed from one to twelve, and 

 to employ a single seiies numbered from one to tAventy-four 

 without interruption; or as an alternative plan, to number the 

 twelve hours from midnight to noon, as at present, and to letter 

 the hours from noon to midnight. The afternoon letters being 

 in agreement with the proper Cosmopolitan Time letters. 



15. The time determined directly from the Prime Meridian, 

 as in the Cosmopolitan Day, to be known by the general term 

 Cosmopolitan Time. 



16. Local time to be known by the particular standard Meri- 

 dian to which it is referred. If it be determined by Meridian 

 B it will be designated Standard B Time. 



17. It is proposed to have standard time determined and dis- 

 seminated under Governmental authority. 



18. Each city and town of importance to have a public time- 

 signal station electrically connected with a central observatory 

 for the purpose of receiving and disseminating standard time 

 with precision. 



19. Each time signal station to be pi-ovided with automatical 

 apparatus for dropping time-balls, or otherwise denoting the 

 standard time hourly, or as often as circumstances may require. 



20. All railway and local public clocks to be controlled elec- 

 trically from the public time-signal stations. 



The foregoing is a general outline of the proposition. It must be 

 evident that the system of Cosmopolitan time would be a ready means 

 of meetins: the difficulties to which I have i-eferred. It would ren- 

 der it practicable to secure uniformity, great simplicity, perfect 

 iicoarac}^ and complete harmony. The times of places widely differ- 



