Aerostallon. 75 



On Friday, July lo, Mr. Sadler and his son ascended in a 

 balloon from Burlington Gardens, Piccadilly. The following is 

 the account drawn up by Mr. Sadler of hi.s aerial excursion : 



" After clearing the east wing of Burlington House, the ascent 

 was slow, and it was only evidenced to me and my son by the 

 apparent receding of the objects, for it was not we who seemed 

 to rise, but every thing beneath us to retire. In a few minutes 

 we were perpcidicular with Leicester-square, and our prospect 

 was grand ; the whole of London, and its magnificent buildings, 

 lay below us, with its surrounding fields, canals, and parks ; the 

 beautiful serpentine form of the river, with its rich shipping, 

 docks, and bridges. We enjoyed this scenery for about tifteen 

 minutes, and at a ciuarter before four o'clock entered a dense 

 cloud, which completely shut us out from all sight of the earth. 

 At this time w^e could sensibly perceive the balloon to be rising. 

 When we had soared through this cloud, mv son observed to me, 

 that from the variegated colours reflected from the multitudinous 

 congregation of vapours around us, and the effulgence of dif- 

 ferent lights, he could scarcely see to any great distance, nor 

 make any distinct observations on the numberless forms around 

 u*!, although, from the splendour of the balloon, I could easily 

 discover that we had altered our course towards the south-east. 

 From the intense cold, and a most violent pain in my ears, 

 which I never experienced before, our height could not be less, 

 in my calculation, than live miles. The late Right Honourable 

 W. Windham, when he ascended with me 30 years ago, experi- 

 enced a similar attack in his eyes, though we had not then 

 ascended above two miles and a half; but from my best obser- 

 vations, calculated upon former experiments, we must have been 

 about that height. My son soon afterwards found the same ef- 

 fect, though in a much slighter degree. By the various currents 

 of air, and the renewed motion of the machine, 1 judged we were 

 approaching the sea 3 and requesting my son to open the valve, 

 we perceived ourselves rapidly descending. The clouds were so 

 near the earth, that after lowering for a quarter of an hour, we 

 heard the lov/ing of cattle, but could not discover terra Jinna. 

 Shortly after, the clouds opened beneath us, and displayed the 

 variegated fields and the Thames, which informed us that we 

 had altered our direction again, and were returning from the 

 south-east to the north-west, over East Tilbury, &c. Wc had a 

 distinct view of the mouth of the River, Margate, Ramsgate, 

 &:c. with their coasts and ship])ing ; but the clouds collecting, 

 and rolling over each other, again inclosed us. After once more 

 descending below the clouds, we saw an inviting hay-field at a 

 considerable distance, and opening tiie valve again, a sulficient 

 quantity of gas escaped for us to reach t!ie proposed spot ; and 



after 



