SCIENCE. 



FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1884. 



COMMENT AND CRITICISM. 

 The ancient geographers drew their prime 

 meridian through the Island of Ferro. They 

 have been followed by the geographers of Ger- 

 many and eastern Europe ; while the French 

 reckon their time from the meridian of Paris, 

 and use that meridian in their maps ; and the 

 English, Americans, and Dutch recognize the 

 meridian of Greenwich as that of zero longi- 

 tude. With all these prime meridians, and 

 others not so much used, there naturally arises 

 considerable confusion in comparing maps 

 made on the different systems ; and especially 

 is this the case in navigation, where the reduc- 

 tion from one system of meridians to another 

 has to be made by men who little enjoy extra 

 figuring.. The idea of a universal prime meridi- 

 an belongs to France ; and as long ago as 1632, 

 at the suggestion of Eichelieu, Louis XIII. 

 issued a decree recognizing that of Ferro. 

 But later, to gratify the pride of Louis XIV., 

 France returned to the meridian of Paris. 

 That some meridian may be universally recog- 

 nized as the zero meridian, an international 

 conference on a common prime meridian was 

 invited to meet in Washington. 



The serious business of the conference was 

 commenced last week Thursday by the dis- 

 cussion of a resolution presented by Mr. 

 Rutherford, that the meridian of Greenwich 

 should be recommended for the common use 

 of all nations. So far as the views of the con- 

 ferees were developed in the debate, it does 

 not seem that serious opposition will be made 

 to this proposal on the part of an}' nation but 

 France. The French conferees have made a 

 vigorous opposition to a decision in favor of 

 any particular meridian, evidently desiring to 

 keep the question open as long as possible. 

 It is reported that they take this ground in 

 pursuance of positive instructions from their 



No. 88. — 1884. 



government not to agree to the meridian of 

 Greenwich. The conference adjourned on 

 Thursday until Monday of this week, when 

 the discussion was resumed. Commander 

 Sampson of the U. S. naval observatory, Pro- 

 fessor Rutherford, the author of the resolution, 

 Professor Abbe of the U. S. signal-service, 

 Professor Adams, and Lieut. -Gen. Strache\ T of 

 Great Britain, favored the resolution, and Mr. 

 Janssen of France opposed it. Mr. Janssen 

 argued in favor of the adoption of what he 

 called ' a neutral meridian.' He suggested that 

 the international prime meridian should run 

 either through Bering Strait or one of the 

 Azores. Without action, the conference ad- 

 journed, subject to the call of the chairman. 

 We can hardly share the view, which has 

 found expression in the public prints, that the 

 failure of France to accede to the decision will 

 render the results of the conference nugatory. 

 If all other nations adopt a common meridian, 

 France will suffer much more by having one 

 for her own exclusive use than any other na- 

 tions will suffer by her action. The use of 

 French maps, charts, books, etc., will be ren- 

 dered inconvenient to others, and their circu- 

 lation will thus be interfered with. 



Sm William Thomson's course of lectures 

 at Johns Hopkins universit} 7 has opened with 

 every prospect of being a brilliant success. 

 It would be difficult to find a case in which a 

 lecturer on so abstruse a subject was greeted 

 with so large and appreciative an audience as 

 was collected in Baltimore to hear our distin- 

 guished visitor. It comprised not only the 

 advanced students at the university, but pro- 

 fessors from various parts of the country, 

 including even the far north-west, who had 

 left their stations to hear the latest thoughts 

 of mathematical science on the subjects of 

 the constitution of matter and the ethereal 

 medium. The subject of the first part of the 

 course is the undulatorj- theory of light, the 



