This is our mission. It is a great one, and has a lofty international
bearing. We must, however, realize its extent from the very outset,
and not go beyond its limits.

An appeal has been made to the decisions of the Conference held at
Rome. But, gentlemen, I beg leave to remark that that Conference was
composed entirely of specialists, and that it did not meet for the
purpose of examining the question in an international point of view.
This Conference is composed of various elements, among which are
scientists of the highest standing, but also functionaries of high
rank, who are not familiar with scientific subjects, and who are
charged with an examination of this question from a political
stand-point. It is, moreover, our privilege to be philosophers and
cosmopolitans, and to contemplate the interests of mankind not only
for the present, but for the most distant future.

You see, gentlemen, that we enjoy absolute freedom, and that we are in
nowise bound by the decisions of the Conference held at Rome. It is
even desirable that those precedents should be appealed to as little
as possible, inasmuch as we have scientists among us who are regarded
as authorities in both the Old and the New World, and who are
perfectly capable of directing us in technical matters, and of
furnishing all the information that we can desire. I will say even
more than this: The results of the Conference held at Rome are by no
means regarded as possessing official authority by the Governments
that have accredited us; for if those results had been taken as a
starting point, there would be no occasion for our Conference, and our
Governments would simply have to decide with regard to the acceptance
or rejection of the resolutions adopted by the Geodetic Congress at