18 H.J Journal of an Aerial Voyage. 291 



teems that the parachute thus formed in ascending is merely the 

 effect of the eddy caused hy the rapid displacement of the air. 



I paid particular attention to this, because it struck me as some- 

 thing curious, which i had not heard mentioned by former voyagers; 

 and 1 found that, in cases wherein the balloon was nearly station- 

 ary in point of vertical change of position, the lower side of the 

 balloon hung down just as would be the case under usual circum- 

 stances. 



In this voyage we experienced the inconvenience which so often 

 occurs in aerostatic trips in insular situations ; the wind being gene- 

 rally in such a situation, with regard to the position of London, as 

 to carry the balloon towards the sea, and not inland. The balloon 

 too that was used on this occasion was only 35 feet in diameter, and 

 had been repeatedly used, and appeared to have not only suffered in 

 the texture, but also to have gained much additional weight, from 

 repeated varnishings. 



That it was not at all calculated for the purposes of experiment 

 seemed sufficiently proved by the exceedingly unpleasant smell of 

 hydrogen gas which accompanied us throughout the voyage, and 

 which it was concluded arose from its escape through the little 

 cracks and orifices in the silk and varnish. There is no duubt that 

 any voyage undertaken for the purpose of making experiments 

 should be in a balloon of much greater power than that used on the 

 29th of August. The utmost elevation attained on this day was 

 very little more than a mile, which is a difference of altitude not 

 capable of exhibiting any variation from general laws sufficient to 

 make it worth while to incur the expense of a journey. That ex- 

 periments should be made correctly, if they be made at all, no one 

 will be prepared to deny; and therefore it should he considered as 

 a point icttled, that not less than two persons should ascend to- 

 gether. The management of the balloon is quite sufficient to en- 

 gage the attention of one person ; and if any thing would tend to 

 •hake one's confidence in the extraordinary reports of some aerial 

 travellers, it would be the very fact of their having been alone, 

 and therefore, it is inferred, not by any means so much at their ease, 

 or their undivided attention so much at command, as would have 

 been requisite to read off, for example, the barometrical heights to 

 the nicety they have pretended. It is unnecessary 1 to point out the 

 particular poind in which we found that our observations differed or 

 confirmed the reports of others, as most of the excursions under- 

 taken cither for amusement or information are pretty generally 

 known. It does not appear, however, that the vertical rotation ex- 

 perienced in the course of this voyage, when the balloon encoun- 

 ! the storm and current of air, has been mentioned by any 

 former traveller-, with the exception of Count Zambeccari, who 

 made an accent with Admiral Sir Edward Vernon, at London, 

 l'.5d March, 1785. 



T 2 



