SUPPLEMENTARY PAPERS. 85 



ness with regard to the Meridian of the hist named Observatory, 

 which already at that time was the most generally in use. 



His Imperial Highness the Grand Dtdce Oonstantine Nicolaje witch, 

 also acted, in the same enlightened and liberal spirit, when in his 

 position as High Admiral of the Kussian Fleet, which, until 18.53, 

 had made use of a Nautical Almanack specially prepared for Russia, 

 he cancelled its use, and in its place introduced into the Russian Navy 

 the English Nautical Almanack, well known as based on the Green- 

 wich Meridian, from which the Morski Aliesiatsesloh (Naval Almanac) 

 was essentially a stunted re -production. A far more important step 

 was taken, that since that period upon his order, the Lines of Longi- 

 tude according to the Meridian of Greenwich are drawn on all Sea 

 Charts produced by the Hydrographical Department, and only on the 

 margin of the Map their relation to Pultowa is marked. In spite of 

 this precedent, we have in the meantime remained not entirely free 

 from the influence of the unwise feeling of nationality which has ad- 

 vanced the claim of Pultowa to be the First Meridian at least for 

 Russia. It is owing to such national feeling that the fact must be 

 explained that upon several Ma])s issued by the Head Quarter Staff, 

 in contradiction to the views of the Pultowa astronomers, even in 

 instances where the Ma])S have not simply a local interest, the Lines 

 of Longitude are referred to Pultowa, and on the margin only the 

 relation which that Meridian bears to Greenwich is shewn. 



As already mentioned, this matter took a new phase through the 

 Antwerp programme, and the interest we felt in the proceed- 

 ings, became accordingly the more marked. Especially, the aim 

 of the Unification of Longitude found a zealous representative 

 in the person of the then President of the Imperial Academy 

 of Sciences, Admiral (>ount Lutke. Among other matters he 

 induced the present Director of the Pultowa Observatory publicly 

 to set forth his views upon this question, and in accordance 

 with this desire, the latter prepared a paper which he read at a 

 general meeting of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, held 

 on the 4th February, 1870. In this jiaper, the conclusions of which 

 the meeting approved, among other points discussed, the arguments 

 which may be adduced in advocacy of the Meridian of Greenwich 

 for universal acceptance as Fii-st Meridian, were sufficiently set forth. 

 The argument suggested that should the immediate acceptance of 

 this Meridian, on account of mistaken national feeling, obtain not 

 only a merely apparent support, but on the other hand experience 

 serious opposition from the circumstance, that it serves to determine 

 longitude, as well for Great Britain as for France, conditionally on a 

 change of notation, so might it be an acceptable arrangement that the 

 First Meridian to be named should be drawn from that of Green- 

 wich, at a given number of hours, without any addition of minutes 

 and seconds. The reader of the paper under such circumstances took 



