of universal time should
bear the name of any observatory or place in Spain, although that
nation discovered the New World in which this Congress is holding its
sessions, and although it may be said of that nation that it
discovered those very meridians concerning which we are now speaking,
inasmuch as terrestial meridians were indefinite and unknown lines,
and were even without form until one was given them by Sebastian
Elcano. I therefore hope that if you do not honor my proposition by
accepting it, you will at least do justice to my intentions.

Prof. ADAMS, Delegate of Great Britain. Mr. President, I shall be very
short in any remarks which I may make upon the proposition before us.

As far as I understand it, it is that, although we have adopted the
meridian of Greenwich as a prime meridian from which to count
longitudes, we should begin to count our time according to the
meridian at Rome. I cannot consent to that proposition. It appears to
me to be wanting in every element of simplicity, which should be our
chief aim in this Conference. To count longitude from one meridian and
time from another, is something that will never be adopted. I do not
understand that that was at all the proposition recommended by the
Roman Conference. On the contrary, I think that it was quite a
different one.

Mr. RUIZ DEL ARBOL, Delegate of Spain. Mr. President, I do not in
reality propose to adopt the meridian or anti-meridian of Rome. What I
have been contending for is that we should abstain at present from
adopting any meridian as a point of departure for the calculation of
time; otherwise, we introduce a new element of confusion for the
future. We should change the chronological reckoning which is now in
vogue, and I contend that we have no right, scientific or historical,
to make that change now. According to my views, the meridian of
longitude is relatively an unimportant affair. It is a practical one;
it cannot be changed in twenty years, probably, and it will take that
time to correct all existing charts. But if you adopt a meridian for
time, it will be very difficult to alter it in the future. I cannot
now clearly see what the difficulties will be, but I apprehend that
the application of this new principle to the various details of
scientific and civil matters will necessarily be attended with great
inconvenience, and may result in proving to be quite impracticable. I
understand it very well that it is proposed to confin