Part 21 (1/2)

II. The cosmic day consists of twenty-four hours, and commences at midnight of the prime meridian.

III. The earth is divided from the initial meridian into twenty-four hour-s.p.a.ces, counted in a direction contrary to the movement of the earth from _0h._ to _24h_.

We shall, then, have the following formula: T = t + R, where R represents the difference reckoned from _0h._ to _24h_. between the local time of the prime meridian and the local time of each point of the globe; T the Cosmic Time and t the local time.

The PRESIDENT. The Chair would ask the Delegate of Spain, Mr.

PASTORIN, whether he offers his resolution as an amendment to that offered by his colleague, Mr. RUIZ DEL ARBOL.

Mr. RUIZ DEL ARBOL, Delegate of Spain. Mr. Chairman, the amendment last offered is not intended to interfere with my proposition.

The PRESIDENT then put the question to the Conference upon the amendment offered by the Delegate of Spain, Mr. RUIZ DEL ARBOL.

Upon a vote being taken, the amendment was lost.

The PRESIDENT. The question now recurs upon the amendment offered by the Delegate of Spain, Mr. PASTORIN. That amendment runs as follows:

”I. We agree to choose as the prime meridian for cosmic time that meridian near which the civil day of the world commences, namely, the anti-meridian of Greenwich or Havre.

”II. The cosmic day consists of twenty-four hours, and commences at midnight of the prime meridian.

”III. The earth is divided from the initial meridian into twenty-four hour s.p.a.ces, counted in a direction contrary to the movement of the earth.

”We shall, then, have the following formula: F = A + R where R represents the difference reckoned from 0h. to 24h.

between the local time of the prime meridian and the local time of each point of the globe; F the cosmic time, and A the local time.”

The PRESIDENT. In order that this amendment may be presented more clearly to the Conference, I would propose a recess for a few minutes.

If there be no objection, a recess will be taken.

No objection being made, the Conference took a recess.

The PRESIDENT having called the Conference to order stated that, unless further remarks were presented, the vote would be taken upon the resolution offered by the Delegate of Spain, Mr. PASTORIN.

No objection being made, the vote was then taken upon the amendment, and it was lost.

The PRESIDENT. The question now recurs upon the resolution offered by the Delegate of Sweden, Count LEWENHAUPT, which will again be read.

The resolution is as follows:

”The Conference recommends as initial point for the universal hour and the cosmic day the mean mid-day of Greenwich, coinciding with the moment of midnight or the beginning of the civil day at the meridian 12 hours or 180 from Greenwich. The universal hours are to be counted from 0 up to 24 hours.”

Professor ADAMS, Delegate of Great Britain. Mr. President, I intended to speak on the resolution offered by the Delegate of the United States, Mr. RUTHERFURD, but the remarks which I have put together apply equally well to the amendment to that resolution now offered by the Delegate of Sweden, which is identical with one of the recommendations of the Conference at Rome, because, in fact, in my remarks I discuss these propositions alternatively. Therefore, with your permission, I will lay before you the observations which I wish to make.

I beg leave to express my entire approval of the resolution which has been laid before the Conference by Mr. RUTHERFURD. There is only one point involved in the resolution which seems to call for or even to admit of any discussion.

It appears evident that the universal day and date should coincide with the day and date of the initial meridian. The only question, therefore, which we have now to decide is, when shall this day of the initial meridian be considered to commence? And the proper answer to be given to this question does not appear to me in any degree doubtful.

In modern times it is the universal practice to reckon dates by _days_ and not by _nights_. The word ”day” is used in two different significations, being sometimes applied to the period of daylight and sometimes to the period of 24 hours, including both day and night; but in whichever of these senses the word _day_ is employed, the term mid-day has one and the same signification, viz., the instant of noon or of the sun's pa.s.sage over the meridian. In the present case, where we are concerned with mean time, mid-day means the instant of mean noon, or of the pa.s.sage of the mean sun over the meridian.

Accordingly, the civil day, by which all the ordinary affairs of life are regulated, begins and ends at midnight, and has its middle or mid-day at noon.