70 UNIVERSAL OR COSMIC TIME, 



If the Meridian of Greenwich were established it would possess 

 simply the character which its selection by the Conference would give 

 it. It would become the Prime Meridian of the whole world — its 

 national character would disappear. The words " Greenwich Meri- 

 dian " would really have no place upon charts. The proper terms to 

 be used by all hydrographers and navigators would be " Prime Meri- 

 dian "or " Zero." 



The vote for the Meri&an of Greenwich was nearly unanimous, 

 only one nation, San Domingo, voting against it. But before the 

 vote was arrived at I deemed it proper, in order to meet the objec- 

 tions that had been raised, to submit a proposition leaving it an 

 open qtiestion, to be settled by a subsequent vote, whether the choice 

 should fall on the Meridian or anti-Meridian of Greenwich. 



This proposition did not receive support. The majority felt the 

 question was best decided by the direct motion establishing the Meri- 

 dian of Greenwich as the Prime Meridian. 



It will be seen by the third resolution that the mode of reckoning 

 longitude remains unchanged — it is to be counted in two directions 

 from the Prime Meridian up to 180 degrees, east longitude plus and 

 west longitude minus. 



Looking to the ulterior proceedings of the Conference, I felt it my 

 duty to point out that a new nomenclature of longitude could be 

 advantageously introduced ; that although inconveniences would at 

 first be felt in effecting a change in a custom so long followed, these 

 would be far outweighed by the general benefits to be derived in 

 future years. My own feeling was in favour of extreme simplicity of 

 system, of a notation in complete harmony with the scheme of Uni- 

 versal Time. I held that it would be best to abandon counting longi- 

 tude in two directions ; that it should be reckoned in one direction 

 only ; that the Meridians should be numbered continuously from 

 zero towards the west, avoiding the expressions plus and minus to 

 denote east and west longitude. 



Various authorities may be cited in support of these views. Ac- 

 cording to the distinguished astronomer, Sir John Herschel, longitude 

 may be expressed in hours equally as well as in degrees, and " it 

 would add greatly to systematic regularity, and tend much to avoid 

 confusion and ambiguity in computations, were this mode of expression 

 (longitude East and West) abandoned and longitudes reckoned invari- 

 ably "westward from their origin, around the whole circle." 



In view of the adoption of Universal Time, it seemed to me obvious 

 that great benefits would result if longitudes were reckoned on the 

 same principle and known by the same terms as those which would 

 be used in the new system of Time. I venture to draw attention to 

 the remarks which I felt called upon to submit on the point (pp. 116, 



