Mr. VALERA, Delegate of Spain.  I ask permission to speak, in order to explain my vote.  The Government which I represent here has told me to accept the Greenwich meridian as the international meridian for longitudes, but I think it my duty to say that, though the question does not arise in this debate, that Spain accepts this in the hope that England and the United States will accept on their part the metric system as she has done herself.  I only wish to state this, and I have no intention of making it a subject of discussion.  I shall only add that I believe Italy is similarly situated with Spain in this matter.

The PRESIDENT.  The Chair would say with great deference to the distinguished Delegate from Spain that the question of weights and measures is beyond the scope of this Conference.  The invitation given by the Government of the United States to the nations here represented was for a distinct and specific purpose, the selection of a prime meridian, a zero of longitude throughout the world and a standard of time-reckoning.  So far as the Chair is informed, it would not be in order at this Conference to discuss a question of metric system.

Mr. JUAN VALERA, Delegate of Spain.  My only intention in making these remarks was to verify a fact.  I know very well that we have not to discuss that question.  Besides, the Government which I represent expresses only a hope, and I know we do not insert any hopes in our protocols; but I thought it my duty to make this declaration.

Mr. LEFAIVRE, Delegate of France.  I desire to make some remarks on the question when it is put to a vote; for the time being I shall only say a few words on the remarks of my honorable colleague, the Delegate of Spain, Mr. Valera.  I believe that though the question of weights and measures is not before the Conference, it is allowable for a member to state, in the name of his Government, the conditions to which his vote has been subordinated.  Even though the question is not under discussion, it may appear from such an explanation that the vote is conditional, instead of being a simple affirmation.  If my honorable colleague has received from his Government instructions to subordinate his vote to such or such a condition, even when the question to which it is subordinated is not submitted to the Conference, it follows from it, according to me, and everybody will admit it, that the consequences of that vote are at least conditional.

Mr. VALERA, Delegate of Spain.  My Government has charged me to express here its hopes and desires, but the vote which I have given is not, in my opinion, conditional; for I have received instructions to pronounce in favor of the Greenwich meridian to measure the degrees of longitude.  However, it was necessary for me to say at the same time that it was with the hope that England and the United States would adopt the French weights and measure.