284 Journal of an Aerial Voyage. [Oct. 



themselves totally unconscious of any motion whatever. They feel 

 themselves floating in a most delightful aeriform fluid, and seeming 

 to convey a most exquisite idea of unlimited elasticity. The extreme 

 elasticity, indeed, was found on this occasion to be materially 

 ■gainst the accuracy required in all barometrical observations. 

 The slighest motion on the part of either of us causing a vibration 

 of the quicksilver, in the tube, of an inch, a half, and two inches, 

 which required to he steadied with the hand to bring it to any thing 

 like a stationary point. Finding this to be the case, I noticed each 

 time the two extreme divisions of vibration, and took the mean as 

 the sum to be placed in the barometer column. In no one instance 

 was the barometer stationary ; for even when we were both of us 

 perfectly still, the barometer ebbed and flowed with great rapidity, 

 though not to such an extent as in the case already mentioned. 



In looking over the country, it gave the idea of an immense map, 

 executed with uncommon neatness; the fields presenting a much 

 livelier and brighter green than the trees. The colours of objects 

 were not in the least changed or affected in any instance that came 

 under observation. In passing over Epping Forest, I was particu- 

 larly struck with its appearance ; it seeemed to consist of a vast 

 number of clumps of something of a very dark green, certainly 

 conveying an accurate idea of what it really was — a forest ; but so 

 much fore-shortened as to preclude any idea of comparative eleva- 

 tion. It occurred to me at the very moment of my noticing it, 

 that although Captain Snowdon had been much joked for having 

 described Epping Forrest as looking like a gooseberry bush, the 

 error really existed by no means in the point of fact, but in the un- 

 fortunate selection of words in which he had chosen to express him- 

 self; for had he said that Epping Forest looked exactly like a large 

 plantation of gooseberry trees of a gigantic size and width, he 

 would have conveyed a very accurate idea of the fact. I particu- 

 larly noticed that the forest presented to the eye a tract of dark 

 green detached patches; where the turf (as I supposed) was visible, 

 there seemed to be an edging of varied extent of courses of a green 

 of a much brighter colour. All objects, of whatever kind, ceased 

 to give any idea of comparative height, unless when seen at a con- 

 siderable angle, before the balloon became in a vertical situation. 

 I observed that white objects, as Chigwell and Ongar Church, 

 Wanstead House, and the .Town Hall at Chelmsford, conveyed a 

 much better idea of our elevation above the surface of the earth 

 than any otlier objects I observed. The small rill of water that 

 runs through the main street of Chelmsford sparkled with peculiar 

 brilliancy; much more so indeed than either the Thames or any 

 other water that caught the eve in the course of the voyage. Such 

 of the roads as took the attention seemed all of one uniform colour, 

 and that an orange-yellow ; and, at i!;e elevation at which the bal- 

 loon was at the time, conveyed the idea of fine gravel walks. In 

 one instance, in which a flock of sheep were passing in a direction 

 from London, the dust they left behind them was very distinguish- 



