Balloon Ascensions 179 



useless to us; the candle in our lantern could not burn in an air so 

 rarefied, its light grew dimmer and dimmer, and finally went out. 

 (Vol. IV, p. 301-303.) 



They then fell into the sea; then having thrown out everything 

 in their basket, they rose again: 



With such rapidity, to such a prodigious height, that we could 

 hardly hear each other even when we shouted; I was sick and vomited 

 considerably. Grasetti had the nose-bleed; we both had short respira- 

 tion and an oppression in our chests. As we were wet to the 

 bone when the balloon took us into the higher strata, the cold seized 

 us rapidly and we were covered in an instant with a layer of ice. I 

 cannot explain why the moon, which was in its last quarter, was in 

 a line parallel with us, and seemed red as blood. After rushing 

 through these immense regions for a half-hour and being carried to 

 an immeasurable height, the balloon began to descend slowly, and we 

 fell once more into the sea; it was about four o'clock in the morning. 

 (Vol. IV, p. 305.) 



The unfortunate aeronauts fell into the Adriatic and remained 

 there, the playthings of the winds and the waves, until 8 o'clock, 

 when a bark picked them up, not without great difficulties. Their 

 feet and hands were frozen, and Zambeccari had to have three 

 fingers amputated. 



The following year on June 30, Robertson 15 made a new ascent, 

 accompanied by the Russian physicist Sacharoff; but their barom- 

 eter went to only 22 inches and they had no special experiences. 



This same year of 1804, two young physicists, Biot and Gay- 

 Lussac, 111 were given by the Institut de France a scientific mission 

 in the air. They were particularly to investigate variations of 

 magnetic power, which de Saussure thought he had observed on 

 the col du Geant. 



The two scientists left on the 6th of Fructidor, at ten o'clock 

 in the morning, from the garden of the Conservatoire des Arts. 

 As they did not rise above 4000 meters in a temperature of +10°, 

 they felt no serious physiological disturbances. So they said only a 

 few words on this subject: 



We observed the animals which we had taken along; they did 

 not seem to suffer from the rarity of the air; however the barometer 

 stood at 20 inches 8 lines, which gives a height of 2622 meters. A 

 violet bee, which we freed, took flight very quickly and buzzing left 

 us ... . 



Our pulses were very fast; that of Gay-Lussac, which is ordi- 

 narily 62 per minute, was 80; mine, which is usually 89, was 111. This 

 acceleration then was felt by us both in about the same proportion. 



