288 Journal of an Aerial Voyage* [Oct. 



periment repeatedly of looking towards the earth, and shouting as 

 loudly as possible to ascertain whether the sound would he returned 

 by echo or reflection from below: but no such effect followed. 

 Got into a clear atmosphere, the white clouds remaining us before 

 beneath ; but on looking upwards, there was a mixture of blue and 

 white clouds, though with a great preponderance of blue, just as is 

 usual in a moderately clear day below. 



Ots. 12. — The blue sky seemed to be of a dark and clearer blue 

 than I had generally seen. Mr. Sadler now proposed descending 

 into a clearer atmosphere, for the sake of getting a view of the 

 earth, it being still concealed from the view by the dense white 

 clouds below. This was in consequence of our noticing that 

 22 minutes before 4 the wind had reverted to the old point, and 

 Mr. Sadler's experience led him to conclude tbat the balloon could 

 not be now far distant from the sea ; judging from the rate at 

 which we had traveled over the country, as long as objects were 

 distinguishable. Turned oft* a pigeon, No. -4, and it would not 

 leave the car, but continued to look about as if frightened, and 

 then turned its head inward, without attempting to escape. When 

 pushed off the side of the car, it fluttered, and used the most violent 

 exertions to regain the car; but as notwithstanding all its exertions 

 it continued to sink rapidly below the car, it at length extended its 

 wings, keeping them apparently immoveable, and darted towards 

 the earth, at an angle considerably inclined, with the rapidity of a 

 hawk making his swoop. It was very remarkable that almost at the 

 same moment a common house fly, apparently much benumbed, and 

 scarcely competent to common exertion, crawled from beneath my 

 seat, and without any difficulty flew with facility upwards, and 

 settled on the lower part of the net of the balloon, a good deal 

 above our heads. It appears curious that so small an insect, and 

 that too partly incapacitated, should be able to fly up to the balloon 

 with the same rapidity as usual, when a far more powerful animal 

 should have sunk from the car almost like a piece of wood thrown 

 overboard. Mr. Sadler now pulled the string of the valve : the gas 

 rushed out with somewhat less noise and violence than before, but 

 the balloon was evidently rapidly sinking: it was a sinking perfectly 

 sensible to the feelings, even had we not been informed by con- 

 stant reference to the barometer. In ascending, there is a sensation 

 of lifting, or more properly of pressure on the soles of the feet and 

 the under side of the thighs; whereas, in sinking, this sensation dis- 

 appears. On opening the valve there was a copious discharge of 

 water through the balloon, as before ; but it did not appear of so 

 glutinous a nature as that before spoken of: it was probably merely 

 the rain which had lodged on the upper side of the valve. 



Ol>s. 13. — At this time 1 felt a trifling pressure in the ear, and 

 some little deafness; but this most probably was the effect of the 

 damp atmosphere, and being without a hat; which is by the bye a 

 great inconvenience in such situations, on account of the ropes. 



As soon as the balloon descended into a region from wMcb 

 4 



