The Assistant Secretary of State proposes that we shall meet here at a quarter before 12, and go to the White House from this hall.
The President. If the Delegate of Spain will withdraw his motion to adjourn for one moment, the Delegate of Sweden desires to offer a resolution.
Count Lewenhaupt, Delegate of Sweden, then read the following proposal:
Hereafter the reports of the speeches, whether in English or French, will be sent as soon as possible to the Delegates who made them, and the proofs should be corrected and returned by them without delay to the Secretary. No correction will be allowed afterward, except such as are considered necessary by the Secretaries, who will meet as soon as possible after the first corrections shall have been printed to prepare the protocols for the approval of the Conference.
The motion being put to a vote by the President, was unanimously carried.
The President. The Chair would very informally state that he has received to-day a letter from Sir William Thomson, the distinguished scientist who addressed the Conference yesterday, expressing his regret that he did not then say something which he had in his mind and which he wished to say, namely, that the meridian of Greenwich passes directly through the great commercial port of Havre.
Mr. Janssen, Delegate of France. Since the Chairman refers to this subject, I may state to my colleagues that I have received a telegram from Sir William Thomson, in which he makes certain propositions of the nature described.
Yet it is not possible to make out precisely, by this telegram, what are Sir William Thomson's ideas. All that I can say is, that whatever proceeds from such an eminent man should be treated with great consideration, and that is a reason for asking Sir W. Thomson to be good enough to explain to me his ideas more fully. If we could adjourn to Monday, I think that it would be better. The preparation of the protocols is very much behind-hand, and it is desirable that the members of the Conference be kept fully acquainted with all the discussions. I would, therefore, suggest that we adjourn till Monday.
The President. There are several propositions to adjourn to different days. The Chair will take them up in order and will first put the question upon the motion to adjourn until Monday.
The motion was carried, and at four o'clock the Conference adjourned until Monday, the 20th instant, at one o'clock p. m.