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 Cosmopolitan Time and a Prime Meridian 
 
 COMMON TO ALL NATIONS. 
 
 MEMORANDUM. 
 
 Although the subject discussed in the uccompaiiying papers 
 has not hitherto attracted genei-al attention, it has to some 
 extent met with consideration in various quarters, and it is 
 probable that at no distant day public interest will be awakened 
 to itj importance. 
 
 Uniform time has long been employed for scientific purposes; it 
 has been used in recording simultaneous magnetic observations, 
 in geographical and astronomical calculations, in observing the 
 movement of tides, the track of meteors, the Wffves of earth - 
 ([uakes, and in systematically recording meteorological pheno- 
 mena. 
 
 It is only of late years that the rapidity of coinmunications by 
 Railway, and the facilities afforded by the Telegraph, have 
 created new conditions which suggest and seem to demand some 
 general system of uniformii^^ in reckoning time in the ordinary 
 occupations of life. 
 
 Those whose avocations bring them in contact with the 
 inconveniences and complications w'lich arise from our present 
 notation, feel that the necessity of some improvement will 
 before long become absolute. 
 
 The question is recognized to be cosmopolitan in its character ; 
 and although every where the difficulty may in some degree be 
 felt, it is on the American Continent, in Canada and the United 
 States, that it is rapidly gaining marked prominence. 
 

 A large amount of capital lias been expended by the T)oininion 
 of Canada in the establishment of railways and telegraph lines, 
 and the (rovernment is now approj)riating one hundi-ed millions 
 of dollars towartls their construction to the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 In a few years the railways proposed will be completed, and 
 they will extend over 75 degrees of longitude. The various 
 clocks in the intervening distances, by which the lines will bo 
 operated, atul the ordinary business of daily life carried on, will, 
 under the present system of reckoning time, ditferfVom point to 
 point, until the maximum ditference of about five hours is reached. 
 Accordingly the geographical extent of territorj*. and the 
 general advancement of the Dominion of Canada, point to the 
 necessity, at no remote pei'iod, of seeking for some change in 
 the present system of reckoning time. 
 
 The territory of the United States of America extends fron\ 
 Eastport in Maine to the western contines of Alaska, localities 
 diifering in longitude KM) degrees; in time, G hours and 40 
 minutes. Between Maine and the Pacific States of Washington, 
 Oregon and California, the difference in time is nearly 4 hours. 
 The railway system is developing in a marvellous manner in the 
 United States; the po])ulation is ten times tl)at of Canada. If. 
 therefore, the question of time-reckoning claims attention in the 
 Dominion, ;]ie necessity of its earnest consideration in the Unit- 
 ed States is still more manifest. 
 
 The American Metrological Society has had the subject under 
 coasideration. A careful report has been prejiared setting forth 
 the necessity for change, and atlvocating uniformity and 
 accuracy in the system of time-reckoning. From this report 
 it appears that there are no less than seventy-tive distinct 
 local time standards used bj' the Railways of the country, ill 1 
 differing the one from the other, the greatest difference reaching 
 3 hours and 58 minutes. The most prominent Railway mana 
 gers have been consulted, and, with the exception of a small 
 minority, they have placed on record the opinion that " a uni- 
 form time "would not only be a great convenience to the public 
 and to the Railway employees, but would materially lessen the 
 risk of accidents. It is accordingly strongly recommended that 
 
I 
 
3 
 
 ' j 
 
 
 some nioauH l>e taken to cstiildisli an absolute uniformity of 
 time ilironi«'liout Ts^orth Ainoi'ica. 
 
 Ml'. Sandfoi'd Fleniini!:, I>y wisoin t'lc Fntoi'colonial Railway of 
 Canada was construcled, and who is now Kn_i^inoor-in-Cliief of 
 the railway in ])roce^'s of construction to the Pacitic, has had 
 his attention directed to the inconveniences, confusion, and com- 
 plications in time-reckonini(, which are threatened by the rapid 
 extension ot the railway woi'ks under his chariie, and he has 
 jsugijfested a practical solution of the difficulties which he fore- 
 
 bees 
 rr 
 
 The question is likewise of i^'eneral sciontitic interest ; and its 
 .solution is of value far beyond Canada, for it invoives a (piestion in 
 which all civilized ]ioo]»le are concerned. If uniformity be 
 <lesirablo in Canada and the United States, may it not be equally 
 iujportant to employ it throughout the whole world? Does it 
 not thei'cfore become desirable to seek the co-operation of men 
 of science in other countries, and if possible gain general 
 ooncui-rence in any scheme which may be jtroposed? 
 
 At the instance of His Mxcellenc}', the (Jovei-nor-Cleneral of 
 Canada, the subject was brought under the notice of the lloyal 
 ►Societ}', of England. That distinguished scientific body has re- 
 cently forwarded a communication to His Excellency, of whieli 
 the following is an extract : — 
 
 "The President and Council of the Eoyal Society, have taken 
 " into consideration the j)roposals of Mr. Sandford Fleming, re- 
 *' lative to time-reckoning and to the establishment of a Prime 
 " Meridian, which were forwarded by the Council of the Cana- 
 " dian Institute, with a memorial to His Excellency, the Grover- 
 " nor-General of Canada." 
 
 "The proposal consists of two parts. (1) The establishment 
 " of a system of Cosmopolitan time, with plans for the ready 
 " passage from this to approximate local time. (2) The choice 
 " of a Prime Meridian which should be common to all nations." 
 
 " The convenience of a system of time- reckoning, which should 
 " be common to all the earth, is easily seen, while at the same 
 ** time it is obvious that if such a reckoning be at all generally 
 " used, there must be means of readily passing from it to local 
 " time, which is intimately bound up with the daily business of 
 
" lite. Tlio means recorntncnded liy the author, arc simple uinl 
 "seem well devised. The diHii-ulty in of course, to imluco the 
 " dirt'ei'ent civilized nations of the world to concur in thin, or 
 " any similai' Hcheme. 
 
 " With royai'd to tlie second point, the estahlishnient of a 
 "Prime Meri<lian, common to all nations, the Author has jui- 
 " duced htronuf i-easons, foiMided on convenience, why a Mori- 
 " dian ])assin<; thi'oug-h Hchrinu; Strait, oi* nearly so, should he 
 '• chosen. It ha))pens that a Meridian 180 ^ from that of (ireen- 
 " wich, fulfils this condition, and if this wore adopted the 
 "change in existing maps, etc., which refer to the Meridian of 
 " (Trcenwich, as the Prime Meridian, would not he verj' seri- 
 
 " 0U8 
 
 "The choice, however, of a Prime Meridian, oven to the e.\- 
 " tent of adopting one exactly IHO ^ tVoni a Meridian at present 
 " in use, as a prime ^Feridian, is one upon wliich the suscopti- 
 " hilities of individual nations might make it more ditHcult to 
 " ohtain concurrence, than npon the mei-e a<loption (^f a common 
 "system of tJosmopoIitan time-reckoning in the ahslract. 
 
 " While disposed to look favorahly on the ])ropoaed scheme, 
 " the President and Council feel that no scheme of the kind 
 " Avould have much chance of success, unless there were a gen- 
 " oral readiness on the part of civilized nations seriously to 
 " entertain the question." 
 
 Thus the report of the Royal Society recognizes the advantages 
 derivable from a system of cosmopolitan time as an abstract 
 proposition. The Metrological Society (Washington) points 
 out the positive urgency c^' reform in the United States, advo- 
 cates that the use of local time be discontinued, and strongly 
 recommends the adoption of a uniform standard throughout the 
 country. In Canada, as in the United States the question has 
 become one of practical econom}'. Even now the necessity for 
 some more convenient system of reckoning time is experieinced, 
 and on the completion of the railway to the Pacific Coast, the 
 necessity will become absolute, ft is, therefore, not only in the 
 interest of North America, but as a question involving 
 practical results of value to every civilised nation, that savants 
 
■' «•' - '" ''7:^: ;;:::;;::,;:;:;;'. ;'.>..... •... ..» ,.,>.... ..,• ,„. 
 
 ;,„a an oltort Ik. „..u1o U. asccUuu hou la, 
 „l„aiu general c.nou.Tom.c. i„v..lvoH (ho |a-i">i"'y 
 
 Tho ostablUlHucn, ..1 '■";;'-l" "" " ^^„,„ ,,,, ,„„n,,atinK 
 ,,,„,.,„ina,ionor,u,Mn.,a ...".- ,^ ,,, , „y „„„. 
 
 estaWishinonti^ really '''";''> ''•L,it,„i his view, IVoo from 
 orumver.ala,,,iicaU.,». "";";"';" l,aon of an initial 
 .„ local l-ias .nd l,»s a.mc ^J^^^^^^,,,,^ „„ „atio„al 
 .neridian an.l iin.o/.cro «''"';'.,„.,„,,,„ t., all .•ivili/.ed 
 ,a,eeplil.iliiieK would be gonerallj aucpta 
 
 V"«'l''"- , , ,„i ,l,.,t, tl.is aUcmpt to deal willi an 
 
 H is earnestly hoped In In ;„.„,^,i„„„, .eientitic 
 
 acknowledsc.1 i""l«'""'"". ,. ;'„ ;,„ai,.g relations .,t trade and 
 operations, and to the rap llj 0. end, fe ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ 
 
 eo,u,„erce, will be -n-lere ,. ^a ^,^^.^^^ ,^ ^„„^„,. .„ „ 
 
 eivili.ed nat.ons n,a> l> „fhringing into use so.ne 
 
 proposal wl„ch "" ';; ;;,^ ,i,„, ,„eh as the age seems to 
 seientilic system ol recUoninfe 
 
 demand. 
 
 DANIEL WILSON, L.L.D.,F. Kb.!... 
 
 Pr6S!(?t'nf, C«na(i/an Insftfu^e. 
 
 Toronto, April 5th., IH«0.