Broad as is the area of the United States, covering a
hundred degrees of longitude, extending from 66° 52' west
from Greenwich to 166° 13' at our extreme limit in Alaska,
not including the Aleutian Islands; traversed, as it is, by
railway and telegraph lines, and dotted with observatories;
long as is its sea coast, of more than twelve thousand
miles; vast as must be its foreign and domestic commerce,
its delegation to this Congress has no desire to urge that a
prime meridian shall be found within its confines.

In my own profession, that of a seaman, the embarrassment
arising from the many prime meridians now in use is very
conspicuous, and in the valuable interchange of longitudes
by passing ships at sea, often difficult and hurried,
sometimes only possible by figures written on a black-board,
much confusion arises, and at times grave danger. In the use
of charts, too, this trouble is also annoying, and to us who
live upon the sea a common prime meridian will be a great
advantage.

Within the last two years we have been given reason to hope
that this great desideratum may be obtained, and within a
year a learned Conference, in which many nations were
represented, expressed opinions upon it with singular
unanimity, and in a very broad and catholic spirit.

I need not trespass further upon your attention, except to
lay before you the subject we are invited to discuss: the
choice of "a meridian to be employed as a common zero of