±66 Aeronautic Ascent. 



orange colour ; fields of corn, as if ruled with lines of vivid 

 green ; the hedges looked thicker and darker. 



On rising above the clouds, which had not been by any 

 means dark, one vast expanse, like a sea of frozen snow, with 

 masses of every shape and form rising into mountains, extended 

 before the eye to the horizon. The sun, which shone from a 

 clear blue sky above, gilding every pinnacle and summit in the 

 most beautiful manner. 



This sight was truly magnificent. A few very thin vapours 

 were still seen far above our heads ; and where the clouds be- 

 neath us were broken, we caught delightful glimpses of the 

 country. 



At 20 min. past 6, bar. 21*6 in. or 7872 feet, we heard the re- 

 port of a cannon, but no roll or reverberation after it. The bal- 

 loon now revolved, getting into another current of air ; the 

 aeronauts felt a disagreeable sensation of singing in their ears, 

 which had come on when they were passing through the 

 clouds, and continued during the whole voyage : the applica- 

 tion of cotton was found useless, and therefore discarded. 



At 26 min. past 6, bar. 20'2. or 9216 feet, another report of 

 a gun was heard. — The clouds being now far below, rolled 

 over each other into every fantastic shape, with fissures be- 

 tween ; and their silvery points were tinged by the sun into 

 all the varieties of light and shade. Mr. Graham recom- 

 mended his companion to let loose a pigeon*, which at 31 min. 

 past 6, bar. 19 in. 5 tenths, or 9888 feet; ther. 32; hyg. 25 

 dry, flew from the car with the greatest ease and rapidity, 

 making two or three circles, and then darting through one of 

 the openings in the clouds towards the earth. 



The balloon had now attained an elevation that Mr. Gra- 

 ham judged could not be exceeded without throwing out bal- 

 last, which he said was always attended with the inconvenience 

 of making the descent and landing more difficult ; and as it 

 was evident no new scenes could strike the eye, by rising 

 higher into the blue expanse, at 20 min. to 7, bar. 19 in. 

 2-tenths, or 10,171 feet; ther. 32; hyg. 31 dry, he opened 

 the valve for a moment, and the balloon began to fall very 

 gently. 



At this great height — only 384 feet short of two miles — the 

 report of a gun was heard. To this time the metropolis had 

 always been in view, except when clouds intervened ; and the 

 balloon had not appeared to the voyagers to make much pro- 

 gress except in ascending ; but it now floated rapidly to the 



* The first pigeon leached White Conduit House at nine o'clock the 

 same evening. 



southward, 



