8i UNIVERSAL OR COSMIC TME. 



THE RESOLUTION'S OF THE WASHINGTON MERIDIAN 



CONFERENCE. 



BY OTTO STRDVE, 



Director of the Imperial Astronomical Orservatoey, Pultowa, Russia. 



[Translated from the German, ■published in St. Petersburg, 1885.] 



It has been felt as a positive evil, for a long time, throiigliout the 

 civilized world, and especially with geographers and navigators, that in 

 different countries the degrees of geographical longitude are referred 

 to different initial meridians. This multiplication of initial meridians 

 to which, as they are in prominence, these lines of longitude are 

 adapted, and which in each particular country correspond to the 

 most impoi-tant observatories, not only causes great complications 

 by the contemporary use in different countries of the several pub- 

 lished geographical maps, but is likewise for navigators a source of 

 error which can easily lead to mischievous results, and indeed has so 

 led to them. Therefore, for centuries the desire has been veiy widely 

 entertained for the common acceptance by all nations of one and the 

 same Meridian as the starting point for the enumeration of the lines 

 of Longitude, by which means this evil would be removed. In the 

 programme of the first Geographical Congress, proposed to be held at 

 Antwerp, in the summer of 1870, public attention was specially 

 directed to this question, as the most important subject for considera- 

 tion ; indeed to a certain extent as the chief object to be submitted to 

 the Congress. On account of the German-French war, unfortunately 

 the Congress called for that year was not held ; and although since 

 that date the same question has been the subject of preparatory dis- 

 cussion in later Congresses and Public Conferences, nevertheless the 

 first decided advance in the matter was through the Congress of 

 Delegates of almost every civilized country in the world, called to- 

 gether in October of last year, in Washington, by the Government of 

 the United States of North America. The most important of the 

 Resolutions adopted at this Intei'national Conference we design here 

 somewhat closely to discuss. 



It is proper to remark, that for a long period with us in Russia 

 preparatory measures have been taken in the same direction as that 

 which at the Washington Conference was suggested to be followed 

 by the whole world. As a proof, it may be said that Mr. Struve, 

 shortly after the successful establishment of the Chief Observatory 

 in Pultowa, in the most positive manner pronounced against the 

 establishment of a special First Meridian in Russian Cartography. 

 In accordance with this view, in 1843-44 he organized the great 

 Chronometer Expedition, by which the difference of Iiongitude be- 

 tween Pultowa and Greenwich was established with the utmost pre- 

 cision, so that in Russia we were in a position to lay down all lines 

 of Longitude, determined or to be determined, with perfect correct- 



