International Conference Held at Washington for the Purpose of Fixing a Prime Meridian and a Universal Day. October, 1884. Protocols of the Proceedings

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I.

SESSION OF OCTOBER 1, 1884.

The Delegates to the International Meridian Conference, who assembled in Washington upon invitation addressed by the Government of the United States to all nations holding diplomatic relations with it, "for the purpose of fixing upon a meridian proper to be employed as a common zero of longitude and standard of time-reckoning throughout the globe," held their first conference to-day, October 1, 1884, in the Diplomatic Hall of the Department of State.

The following delegates were present:

On behalf of Austria-Hungary—

Baron Ignatz von Schæffer,

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.

On behalf of Brazil—

Dr. Luiz Cruls,

Director of the Imperial Observatory of Rio Janeiro.

On behalf of Colombia—

Commodore S. R. Franklin, U. S. Navy,

Superintendent U. S. Naval Observatory.

On behalf of Costa Rica—

Mr. Juan Francisco Echeverria,

Civil Engineer.

On behalf of France—

Mr. A. Lefaivre,

Minister Plenipotentiary and Consul-General.

Mr. Janssen, of the Institute,

Director of the Physical Observatory of Paris.

On behalf of Germany—

Baron H. Von Alvensleben,

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.

On behalf of Great Britain—

Captain Sir F. J. O. Evans,

Royal Navy.

Prof. J. C. Adams,

Director of the Cambridge Observatory.

Lieut.-General Strachey,

Member of the Council of India.

Mr. Sandford Fleming,

Representing the Dominion of Canada.

On behalf of Guatemala—

M. Miles Rock,

President of the Boundary Commission.

On behalf of Hawaii—

Hon. W. D. Alexander,

Surveyor-General.

Hon. Luther Aholo,

Privy Counsellor.

On behalf of Italy—

Count Albert de Foresta,

First Secretary of Legation.

On behalf of Japan—

Professor Kikuchi,

Dean of the Scientific Dep't of the University of Tokio.

On behalf of Mexico—

Mr. Leandro Fernandez,

Civil Engineer.

Mr. Angel Anguiano,

Director of the National Observatory of Mexico.

On behalf of Paraguay—

Captain John Stewart,

Consul-General.

On behalf of Russia—

Mr. C. de Struve,

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.

Major-General Stebnitzki,

Imperial Russian Staff.

Mr. J. de Kologrivoff,

Conseiller d'État actuel.

On behalf of San Domingo—

Mr. M. de J. Galvan,

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.

On behalf of Salvador—

Mr. Antonio Batres,

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.

On behalf of Spain,

Mr. Juan Valera,

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.

Mr. Emilio Ruiz del Arbol,

Naval Attaché to the Spanish Legation.

Mr. Juan Pastorin,

Officer of the Navy.

On behalf of Sweden—

Count Carl Lewenhaupt,

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.

On behalf of Switzerland—

Colonel Emile Frey,

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.

On behalf of the United States—

Rear-Admiral C. R. P. Rodgers,

U. S. Navy.

Mr. Lewis M. Rutherfurd.

Mr. W. F. Allen,

Secretary Railway Time Conventions.

Commander W. T. Sampson,

U. S. Navy.

Professor Cleveland Abbe,

U. S. Signal Office.

On behalf of Venezuela—

Señor Dr. A. M. Soteldo,

Chargé d'Affaires.

The following delegates were not present:

On behalf of Chili—

Mr. Francisco Vidal Gormas,

Director of the Hydrographic Office.

Mr. Alvaro Bianchi Tupper,

Assistant Director.

On behalf of Denmark—

Mr. Carl Steen Andersen de Bille,

Minister Resident and Consul-General.

On behalf of Germany—

Mr. Hinckeldeyn,

Attaché of the German Legation.

On behalf of Liberia—

Mr. William Coppinger,

Consul-General.

On behalf of the Netherlands—

Mr. G. de Weckherlin,

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.

On behalf of Turkey—

Rustem Effendi,

Secretary of Legation.

The delegates were formally presented to the Secretary of State of the United States, the Honorable Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, in his office at 12 o'clock. Upon assembling in the Diplomatic Hall, he called the Conference to order, and spoke as follows:

Gentlemen: It gives me pleasure, in the name of the President of the United States, to welcome you to this Congress, where most of the nations of the earth are represented....