100 UNIVERSAL OR COSMIC TIME. 



Las been established, so are tbey ready to follow the example ; and 

 this fact leads ns the more to expect that also this course will be 

 adopted by the "Washington Naval Observatory, as in th^ American 

 Marine the Date-notation from midnight has been already accepted. 

 It is only in the matter of the period, when the Date-notation, • 

 according to Universal Time, should be introduced into the publica- 

 tions of the observatories, that we feel inclined to recommend, that 

 there should be delay until in this respect the most perfect possible 

 understanding be attained by all astronomers, in order to avoid the 

 much more critical disturbance in astronomical chronology which 

 would arise, if the transition to the new Date-notation was not equally 

 followed on all sides. We are desirous, accordingly, of suggesting a 

 suitable time-point for the commencement of the year, for which the 

 Nautical Almanac would inaugurate the changes corresponding to 

 the requirements named. The latter has before been said could come 

 to pass in the year 1890. We would, however, ourselves prefer the 

 change to take place, in the first instance, with the change of the 

 century. Until that date, it would probably be the simultaneous 

 proceeding of all astronomers, with general consent to look forward to 

 this pei'lod of transition, and it would more easily stamp itself on the 

 memory of all who hereafter would be busied in investigations, in 

 which exact chronology plays a part. 



In conclusion, a circumstance may be mentioned which will be of 

 interest to a wider circle of the public. In the Washington Confer- 

 ence it is true every resolution was avoided which could directly be 

 considered as an influence on ordinary Time reckoning. But neverthe- 

 less an opportunity was offered to the Russian delegates to submit the 

 principle and to recommend it for consideration that it certainly was 

 desirable to introduce into ordinary Time-notation, as it is it would 

 be also acceptable for Universal Time, to set aside the exceedingly em- 

 barrassing division of the day in two halves of 12 similarly-named 

 hours, and in their place again introduce a continuous notation to 24 

 as has for some time already taken place in different countries. This 

 idea has visibly fallen on ground well ];)repared to receive it, and al- 

 ready there is every pros[)ect that the fruit will ripen. The instruc- 

 tions of the Astronomer Royal, which bear close relations to Uni- 

 versal Time, through the exhibition of the great clock of Greenwich 

 Observatory divided into 24 hours in order to accustom the public of 

 that country to the continuous hour notation for the entire day, has 

 been greeted in the intelligent circles of England as it appears with en- 

 thusiasm as the simpler means of avoiding the so frequent matter of 

 uncertainty whether forenoon or afternoon be meant. It is, perhaps, 

 not quite easy to explain with any correctness, from what date and 

 upon what grounds the present division of the day at noon into two 

 equal parts is followed : especially as the ancient practice (for exam- 

 ple with the Hebrews in antiquity) teaches us that the numbering the 

 hours in one series practically offers no difiicult)^ At all events a 



