to
the attention of the Government to which you are accredited and to
inform it that the President deemed it advisable to abstain from the
issuance of the formal invitation contemplated, until through
preliminary consultation the views of the leading governments of the
world as to the desirability of holding such an International
Conference could be ascertained.

In the year that has since elapsed this Government has received from
most of those in diplomatic relations with the United States the
approval of the project, while many have in terms signified their
acceptance and even named their delegates.

Besides this generally favorable reception of the suggestion so put
forth, interest in the proposed reform has been shown by the
Geographical Conference held at Rome in October last, which very
decisively expressed its opinion in favor of the adoption of the
meridian of Greenwich as the common zero of time longitude, and
adjourned, leaving the discussion and final adoption of this or other
equivalent unit, and the framing of practical rules for such adoption,
to the International Conference to be held at Washington.

The President therefore thinks the time has come to call the
Convention referred to in my instruction of October 23, 1882. I am
accordingly directed by the President to instruct you to tender to the
Government of ----, through its Minister for Foreign Affairs, an
invitation to be represented by one or more delegates (not exceeding
three) to meet delegates from the United States and other nations in
an international Conference to be held in the city of Washington on
the first day of October next, 1884, for the purpose of discussing
and, if possible, fixing upon a meridian proper to be employed as a
common zero of longitude and standard of time-reckoning throughout the
globe.

You will seek the earliest convenient occasion to bring this invitation
to the attention of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of ---- by handing
him a copy hereof and requesting that the answer of his Government may
be made known to you.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

FRED'K T. FRELINGHUYSEN.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of International Conference Held at
Washington for the Purpose of Fixing a Prime Meridian and a Universal Day. October, 1884., by Various

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ***

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