On theprefent State of Aefojlathn, 345 



fpeedy defcent and recovery of the latter. In afcending with 

 a parachute according to the prcfcnt conftrudion (the aero- 

 naut beinrr out of the reach of the neck of the balloon), it vvdl 

 be advifable to leave the neck open about a foot or more: 

 previous to the afcent procure a cord whofe length muft equal 

 half the perpendicular circumference of the balloon when at 

 its full diftcnQon ; attach one end of the cord to the zenith 

 of the balloon externally, or to the netting immediately over 

 it, and (ieavina: it detached throughout the whole of its re- 

 maining length) to the other end fallen a weight of about 

 20 pounds. I fay, when the feparation between the para- 

 chute and balloon is made, the latter, being dcftitute of any 

 Other poife, will gradually yield to this above-mentioned 

 weitrht, and by its means the open neck of the balloon will 

 prosreffively be made to afccnd ; while the zenith will be 

 drawn downwards, the machine thereby inverted, and the 

 preflure of the external atmofpheric air will in a Ihort time 

 force out the inflammable gas, and the whole bag quickly 

 defcend *. 



It would appear, from the above fliort review of the ftate 

 of aeroftation, that we have as yet made no further progrefs 

 than the attainment of the means of rifing into the atmo- 

 fphere, ofafcending and defcending a very limited number 

 of times, and of departing from the machine in fafety m cafe 

 of any immediate wi{h on the part of the traveller when his 

 (lay therewith ajipears hazardous. As thefe are matters fuf- 

 ficient to difpel apprehenfion from the minds of thofe who 

 may be inclined to attend to this branch of philofophy, it 

 may not be amifs to fubjoin thofe rcquifitcs and precautions, 

 an attention 10 which will not fail to enable the amateur to 

 purine this modern difcovery with expedience and economy. 



The llufl" uniformly madc'ufeof in the conilruftion of bal- 

 loons to be railed by inflammable air is filk lultring, {tafictas 

 hijir'e,) which is a'fubflance extremely well calculated for the 

 purpofe, as pofllfling the valuable properties of clofenefs of 

 texture and uncommon flrcngth, yet of little weightf: but 



the 



• Mndini; Mr Girnerin, notwithftnndina; repeated applications, averfc 

 to my ncTOiircanvuij him in the nnnrici I pn,,urcd, 1 iidvilcd htm to rikc 

 .-idvHtita^e of \w c ly method of feciinn^ his mstchin- ; DUt^hc c 'o e 

 ra'lier to follow liis own uncertain ptojcrt of fifU-ninu rlic nctiko. the b.il- 

 ioon, i.i ordei- x\\v, as it afierwiirds continued to afceiiH m a m»re rare at- 

 moTj-hcrc.tlic force of the cxpan^h-t-j; iMrtamm^hie air (thur pVtvcnicU tfom 

 Cfc-'ping) mi-.ht overcome the rtfirtttiKC of the filk, .in.l cuifc a rupture 

 rrffictcnt to let COT thcyas: but iu out fn i-ll i«and th.-mch. it might 

 hnvc IjMti irrccoTcrahly \d(t in the oc«an before ihefi- crtt«s ha^i taKftv 



^ Th-iloon!, to be raifcd by hmtetl air are con/lru^td of lincu fcik^d 



y 4 '" 



