452 



Proceedings. 



hours. 



min. 



sec. 



11 



30 



5-2 



11 



30 



34-7 



11 



32 



56-9 



The difference from Greenwicli mean time of each, of the above average 

 meridians, is — 



1. Mean longitude 



2. Longitude of mean area 



3. Average longitude of ports 

 The object being to establish one time for the whole colony, the ado|)tion 



of which will cause the least inconvenience, the author recommended that 

 the meridian of 172° 30' east be taken, for the following reasons : — 



1st. It is a close approximation to the average longitude for the colony. 



2nd. The absolute longitude of any place in the colony has not yet been 

 determined ; and it is therefore better for a statute to adopt a meridian as 

 basis, than an approximate longitude for a place which might hereafter 

 require rectification. 



3rd. Longitude 172° 30' east is llh. 30m. east of Grreenwich ; and being 

 an even number, will be most suitable for the purpose of enabling mariners 

 to compare the errors of their chronometers on mean Grreenwich time ; while 

 the adoption of the mean time of place for any town or port in the colony 

 will have no practical advantages. 



The following table shows the correction required to reduce the time for 

 meridian 172° 30' to the mean time at the various ports ; and the correction 

 for any other place can at once be found by adding or subtracting four 

 seconds for every minute of longitude the place lies east or west of 172° 30'. 



CoEKECTiONS to be applied to New Zealand Telegraph or Mean Time to find 

 Local Mean Time at the following places :* — 



Auckland 



Napier 



New Plymouth 



Wellington 



Nelson 



Picton 



Lyttelton , . . 



"Westport . . . 



Port Chalmers 



Bluff 



add 



subtract 



9 



16-7 



17 



40-7 



6 



19-9 



9 



11-5 



3 



7-9 



7 



10-0 







57-1 



3 



0-0 



7 



23-3 



16 



32-3 



The time could, as at present, be determined at Wellington by the 

 meridian transit, as it will be most convenient that the time-balls at the 

 different ports should be dropped at 1 p.m. of the adopted statute time, 

 which for "Wellington would be at 1 h. 9 m. 11 '5 sec. mean time of place. 

 By providing the telegraph office clocks with two minute hands, indicating 



* This Table is substituted for that given in the First Edition^ in -which several copyist's 

 errors occur. 



