course of two centuries, to mathematical geography and navigation; on
the other side, considering that the great majority of charts now in
use upon all the seas are made according to this meridian, and about
90 per cent. of the navigators of long standing are accustomed to take
their longitude from this meridian. However, an objection against this
proposition is, that the meridian of Greenwich passes through two
countries of Europe, and thus the longitude would be reckoned by
different signs in different portions of our own continent and also of
Africa.

"Moreover, the close proximity of the meridian of Paris, to which,
perhaps, some French geographers and navigators of other nations would
still hold to, from custom, from a spirit of contradiction or from
national rivalry, might easily cause sad disaster. To obviate these
inconveniences, I have proposed to choose as prime meridian another
meridian, situated at an integral number of hours east or west of
Greenwich, and among the meridians meeting this condition, I have
indicated, in the first place, the meridian proposed to-day by
scientific Americans, as that which would combine the most favorable
conditions for its adoption. Thus the meridian situated 180° from
Greenwich presents the following advantages:--

"1. It does not cross any continent but the eastern extremity of the
North of Asia, inhabited by people very few in number and little
civilized, called Tschouktschis.

"2. It coincides exactly with that line where, after the custom
introduced by a historical succession of maritime discoveries, the
navigator makes a change of one unit in the date, a difference which
is made near a number of small islands in the Pacific Ocean,