CHRONICLE. 



69 



give to all ranks anrl orders, a grate- 

 ful occasion to indulge in that full 

 participation of happiness to which 

 their perseverance, in a most san- 

 guine and trying contest, crowned 

 with unprecedented success, has so 

 richly entitled them." 



The appointed day, which began 

 with a lowering sky, turned out 

 perfectly fine, and nothing occur- 

 red to prevent the enjoyment of 

 the whole circle of entertainment 

 provided for the public. After a 

 morning and noon spent by the 

 crowds of every rank which throng- 

 ed the parks, in wandering from 

 place to place, the exhibitions be- 

 gan with the ascent of Mr. Sadler, 

 jun. in a balloon from the Green- 

 park about six in the evening. He 

 rose almost perpendicularly till 

 nearly out of view, when the ma- 

 chine gently moved in the direc- 

 tion of Kent. About eight, the 

 naval action on the Serpentine river 

 commenced ; and b}^ a judicious 

 variety of action, and the grand 

 display of a ship on fire, this spec- 

 tacle afforded moie pleasure than 

 might have been supposed from 

 the ridicule attached to it. But 

 the great object of general expec- 

 tation was the fire-works, of which 

 the centre was the magnificent edi- 

 fice in the Grwn-park This erec- 

 tion at first exhibited the appear- 

 ance of a fortified castle, from th^j 

 battlements of which the most 

 brilliant showers of rockets were 

 thrown, whilst the walls disclosed 

 every curious and complicated con- 

 trivance of the pyrotecnnic art. 

 After every eye had been astonish- 

 ed and deliyhted for two hours with 

 these displays, the metamorphosis 

 took place of the castle into the 

 Temple of Concord, richly illumi- 

 nated with a profusion of diffe- 



rently coloured lamps, and deco- 

 rated with suitable emblems and 

 tievices. The mechanical skill exer- 

 cised in pvodutuig this change, the 

 grandeur of the effect, and the 

 whole of this part of the exhibition, 

 seem to have excited universal ad- 

 miration. The illumination of the 

 Chinese bridge in St. James's Park, 

 with its Pagoda and other appen- 

 dages, was extremely brilliant ; but 

 the close of it was rendered some- 

 what tragical by the accidental con- 

 flagration of the Pagoda itself, at- 

 tended with mischief to some of 

 the attendants, and even the even- 

 tual loss of one or two lives. This 

 was the only disaster accompany- 

 ing the whole of the day's amuse- 

 ments, notwithstanding gloomy 

 predictions of the pressure and un- 

 governable violence of the popu- 

 lace. On the contrary, all was 

 quiet and harmony, and the incon- 

 veniences of a crowd were less felt 

 than in any common cause of as- 

 semblage in the streets of London. 

 On the whole, though the amuse- 

 ments were protracted to a tedious 

 length, and the want of a decided 

 object of festivity deadened every 

 feeling but that of curiosity, the 

 day will live in the remembrance 

 of those who witnessed its splen- 

 dors, and will not be unrecorded 

 by future historians of the British 

 metropolis. 



The Queen gave a grand enter- 

 tainment at her palace to a large 

 party of members of the royal 

 family and other distinguished per- 

 sons, who came to view the diffe- 

 rent exhibitions in the parks. 



Notwithstanding the favourable 

 weather in which IVIr. Sadler, jun- 

 ascended from St. James's Park, 

 he encountered more danger than 

 any recent aerial Iraveller. Whea 



