for thousands of years past will, perhaps, be overturned.  It may happen that when the day begins at Greenwich it will be 23 hours later at Berlin.  The east will be confounded with the west, and the west with the east.  If we made the day begin at the anti-meridian these questions would be avoided, and we should at one be with the rest of the human race.  I believe that it would be better to adjourn till to-morrow to give us time to reflect; in this way we shall not risk by our devotion to science drawing upon ourselves popular criticism.

I propose, therefore, that the vote on this question be put off till to-morrow.

M. LEFAIVRE, Delegate of France.  Not to-morrow.

Count LEWENHAUPT, Delegate of Sweden.  I beg to propose as an amendment the sixth resolution adopted by the Conference at Rome, which is as follows: 

The Conference recommends as initial point for the universal hour and the cosmic day the mean midday of Greenwich, coinciding with the moment of midnight or the beginning of the civic day at the meridian 12 hours or 180 deg. from Greenwich.

The universal hours are to be counted from 0 up to 24 hours.

The PRESIDENT.  The Chair quite concurs with the Delegate of Spain in thinking that it would be very proper for us to take some time to consider this matter.

A motion to adjourn would be in order, but before that motion is made, the Chair would like to read a communication which he has just received from the Assistant Secretary of State.  It is this: 

     “The President of the United States will receive the members
     of the Conference on Thursday, the 16th instant, at 12
     o’clock, at the White House.”

The Assistant Secretary of State proposes that we shall meet here at a quarter before 12, and go to the White House from this hall.

The PRESIDENT.  If the Delegate of Spain will withdraw his motion to adjourn for one moment, the Delegate of Sweden desires to offer a resolution.

Count LEWENHAUPT, Delegate of Sweden, then read the following proposal: 

Hereafter the reports of the speeches, whether in English or French, will be sent as soon as possible to the Delegates who made them, and the proofs should be corrected and returned by them without delay to the Secretary.  No correction will be allowed afterward, except such as are considered necessary by the Secretaries, who will meet as soon as possible after the first corrections shall have been printed to prepare the protocols for the approval of the Conference.

The motion being put to a vote by the President, was unanimously carried.

The PRESIDENT.  The Chair would very informally state that he has received to-day a letter from Sir William Thomson, the distinguished scientist who addressed the Conference yesterday, expressing his regret that he did not then say something which he had in his mind and which he wished to say, namely, that the meridian of Greenwich passes directly through the great commercial port of Havre.