erence may be taken,
whether he may not be invited to express his opinion on the point now
under consideration.

The PRESIDENT. With the concurrence of the Conference, the Chair will
be most happy to ask Professor Hilgard to do us the favor to give us
his opinion upon the question now before the Conference.

No objection was made to the proposition of the President.

Professor HILGARD arose and said. I thank you and the Conference very
much for this invitation, and General STRACHEY for having proposed it
to the Conference, but my opinion has been squarely expressed both in
French and English in the report of a certain committee, that I am in
favor of midnight at Greenwich as the beginning of the universal day,
and of longitude being calculated both ways from Greenwich. I really
cannot add anything to what has been said in the arguments already
presented by Professor ADAMS, and I do not think that I ought to
detain this Conference a moment by repeating the opinion he has
expressed to all the experts in this matter.

I beg you will excuse me for not further ventilating my views. Absence
from the city, I regret, has prevented me from availing myself of the
invitation earlier.

Sir FREDERICK EVANS, Delegate of Great Britain. I have the honor to
address the Conference once more upon the practical aspect of the
subject before us as affecting the large body of navigators. I wish to
say upon this point that there appears to me, in the address of my
colleague, Professor ADAMS, somewhat of a mixing together of two
subjects.

The question immediately before us, as I understand it, is whether the
commencement of the universal day shall be midnight or noon of the
initial meridian. That is what we practically have to decide. Now, I
gather from Professor ADAMS' remarks that upon this question the
ephemerides which we now employ have some important bearing. I do not
think that that should influence us, for this reason, that the next
resolution which will come before the Conference "expresses the hope
that as soon as may be practicable the astronomical and nautical days
will be arranged everywhere to begin at midnight."

This resolution, so far as I understand it, will be the warning to
astronomers to begin to make the changes growing out of this
resolution which may be necessary for seamen. Therefore, I consider
that we may at once proceed to vote upon the question whether the day
is to commence at midnight or noon, without an