ing again the resolution which was withdrawn by me to give
place to the resolution offered by our colleagues from France, having
taken the advice from several members of the Conference with whom I
consulted, it was thought best to offer a system of resolutions which
should be responsive to the mandate under which we act. With the view
of bringing the subject to the notice of all the members of the
Conference, I caused copies of the resolutions which I hold in my hand
to be sent to them.

I have since heard that is has been held that these resolutions had
been irregularly so communicated; that is, that the communication was
made in a semi-official manner. I beg to express an entire disclaimer
of anything of that sort. It was merely my individual action, and I
desired to give notice of certain resolutions, with the sole view of
having them fully understood before we met and to save time. I hope,
therefore, that this excuse and explanation will be understood and
accepted.

These resolutions are founded, as far as may be, upon those adopted at
Rome. They differ from them only in two points. In the counting of
longitude the Conference at Rome proposed that it should take place
around the globe in one direction. This counting was to be in the
direction from west to east.

Very singularly, I find in the report of the proceedings of the Roman
Conference no discussion on that subject. No questions were asked, nor
were any reasons given, why it should be so counted, and yet it was an
entire divergence from the usage of the world at that time. The
wording of the resolution of the Conference at Rome is substantially
this: That the counting of longitude should take place from the
meridian of Greenwich in the single direction of west to east.

It being my desire to avail myself, as far as possible, of the work of
the Conference at Rome, I consulted with my colleagues here, and found
that there was a great diversity of opinion. In the first place, some
said we have always counted longitude both ways, east to west and west
to east. Shall we cease to do that? Those who claimed that it was a
more scientific way to count all around the globe immediately differed
on the direction in which the longitude should be counted. Without
going into any argument as to which of these methods would be the best
or most convenient, I propose, by the second resolution, that we
should go on in the old way, and count longitude from the initial
meridia