Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-02
PRIME MERIDIAN PRINCES
SOME OF THE CONFERENCES
MOST PROMINENT MEN.

| The Proceedings Conducted in French
The Reasons why the Greenwich Me-
ridian was ChOsen-DOubts Whether
France will Abide by the Conclusions
Reached.
! Correspondence Of the Morning Nesos.
/ WASHINGTON, Oct. 31.-The Prime
Meridian Congress, which began its SEES.
| sion a month ago at the State Department.
having as it's members representatives of
| tWentv-siX countries, has just finished its
work, and adjourned sine die. 1t has
been, in a marked degree, ''deliberative
body" having been one full month on this
single subject, holding an average of but
two sessions a week, of about three hours
each. Its last session was purely a
formal one for the purpose of confirming
the protocols"
''Were the proceedings really in
French?'' was asked of one of the men,
bers.
sWell," he laughed, they were in two
languages. / imagine there were more
people there who understood English than
French, but the meeting voted that the
French language should be the one used,
and so it was. But in point of fact there
were numbers who did not understand it,
and everything important that was sub
mitted in French had to be translated into
English. The majority understood it bet
ter in English"
"Rather farce making the French the
language to be used then, wasn't it, es-
pecially since the Congress met in an Eng
disappearing cOuntryW
'tWelI," he smiled, ''that is matter of
opinion, perhaps. There are some people
who thought it rather ridiculous. 1t was
a compliment to the Frenchmen, which, l
am afraid, however, did not have much
effect, for they did not assent to the con-
illusions of the Congress as to the prime
meridian"
"Will they do so, do you think, or will
their c0untryW
THAT can only be guessed. They ex-
nibited good deal Of feeling in the mat
ter; that is to say, they were very earnest
in their advocacy of the adoption of some
entirely neutral point, which should not
honor any one nation more than another.
l presume they were instructed to vote
for Paris, or perhaps to at least refuse to
vote tor any meridian giving one of the
other great nations of Europe special
prominence. At least they did not vote
for Greenwich, although a majority was
overwhelmingly in it's favor. They finally
refused to vote at all.'
''And what will be the result, do you
think? VIII their government ignore the
work Of the congress and 90 on making
its reckonings from Paris, as heretofore p
"That is pretty hard to say. The con-
gress does not bind the governments at
all. Its members merely agreed to rec
Ommend the adoption, by the several gov
ernments represented, of the Greenwich
meridian. / presume the French Govern
ment will not take any action recognizing
this meridian, though l imagine that the
meridian agreed upon will by-and-5y be-
come universal, and will be adopted by
the French IN time"
"YOu think most of the other countries
VIII adopt it at once then?
eyes, think there is little doubt of it,;
some by common consent, and many by
legislative or official action"
''And has the work OF the congress been
satisfactory then?"
"Quite so. 1t accomplished all that
was expected, except the refusal Of the
French delegates to assent to its cOnclu-
,.