340 Oii the prefent State of Aerojlat'mi. 



really philofophical men ; and, except Mr. Baldwin, rton* 

 have conlributed aught to the fcience. His trcatife *, com- 

 piled from the memoranda of a fingle voyage, is without its 

 equal, and under fuch a philofopher ihe art muft foon have 

 attained all the perfection it could be capable of; while its 

 prefent low Itate can be attributed only to the irnpoflibility of 

 finding his rival. The treatife of Mr. Cavallof is an excel- 

 lent book for prathlical purpofes ; and in thefe two volumes 

 we find all the yet alcertained fafts relating to aeroilation % J 

 the pamphlets compiled by others being of no value, as con- 

 taining for the molt part a repetition merely of trifling occur- 

 rences of no avail to future balloonifts. 



Subfequent to the experiment of MelTrs. Charles and Ro- 

 berts, many voyages were undertaken, both in France and 

 this country, during the years 1784 and 1785 : and after the 

 public curiofity was in fome meafure abated, the purfuit itfelf 

 funk in the general opinion, and recei\'ed attention only from 

 a Mr. Blanchard, a French gentleman, who for years before 

 had been devifing various methods to fly by mechanical 

 means. This amateur (who has made near fifty aerial voy- 

 ages, and who, in his feveral attempts to improve the art, 

 has met with fome unfortunate accidents) is the original in- 

 ventor ot the parachute ; but his effay therewith was not at- 

 tended with fuccefs to himfelf §, although the animals he at 

 times had committed to it for defcent never experienced the 

 flighteft (hock. Excepting then Mr. Blanchard, we find the 

 art making no further progrefs; and even the attempts of this 

 gentleman for the purpofe proved abortive. 



The fecond aera of aeroltation may be faid to cominence 

 with the eftabliOmient of the aeroftatic fchool at Meudon, in 

 (he vicinity of Paris || ; and the firft immediate fervicc of a 

 balloon appears to have been derived in the battle of Fleurus, 

 in the Auftrian Netherlands, where from an elevated ftation 

 the French aeronaut beheld the movements of the enemy ; 

 and by indicating the fame by a telegraph purpofely attached 

 to the car, the battle is reported to have been gained by the 

 French, principally from this contrivance to overlook the ope- 



* Aiiropaidia, or Narrative of a Balloon Excurfion from Cheftcr ; by 

 T. Baldwin, A.M. 1786. 



t Hiftory and I'laflice of Acioftation ; by Tiberius Cavallo, F. R. S. 

 London ivii^. 



X In the French language we have Ddfcriplion cles Expeneixes A'irojla- 

 tiip/eSfpar M. Fjujas Si, Fond, z toni. 



§ In an experiment at Bale, in venturing to dLfcin;! by hisparachute, 

 he unfortunately broke his leg. 



;[ Sec the accouiu of tiie f itnch aeroftatic inftnute in tie fi.xtli volume 

 of tiic Alontiiiy Magazine. 



rations 



