510 M. Lunar dis AJcent. [Book Vi 



kept the machine afloat during four hours and twenty- 

 five minutes by repeatedly throwing ftraw and wool 

 upon the fire. It tjien defccnded to the ground, and 

 the intrepid adventurer allured the fpectators, that he 

 had not received the leail inconvenience during this 

 aerial excurfion. 



The firft balloon was exhibited in England on the 

 25th of November, 1783, in the Artillery-ground, 

 London, by Count Zambeccari, an ingenious Italian. 

 It was launched from that place at one o'clock in the 

 afternoon, and at half paft three was taken up near 

 Petworth, in Suflex, forty-eight miles from London. 

 It therefore went nearly at the rate of twenty miles an 

 hour, and its defcent was occafioned by a rent fup- 

 poled to be the effect of the rarefaction of the inflam- 

 mable air, when the balloon afcended to the rarer 

 parts of the atmofphere. 



The firft aerial navigator, however, who amufed 

 the intelligent, and aftonifhed the uninformed of this 

 country, was Vincent Lunardi, a native of Italy , his 

 balloon was about thirty-five feet diameter; the air 

 for filling it was produced from zinc, by means of a 

 diluted vitriolic acid. He afcended from the Artil- 

 lery-ground at two o'clock, on the ifth of September, 

 1784. His balloon firft took the direction of north 

 weft by weft, but it foon fell into a current of air which 

 carried it nearly north. At ten minutes paft four he 

 defcended on a meadow near Ware, in Hertfordfhire : 

 during the courfe of his voyage the thermometer was 

 as low as 29% and the drops of water which adhered 

 to the balloon were frozen. 



I was myfelf a fpectator of the flight of M. Lunardi, 

 and I muft confefs I never was prefent at a fight fo 

 interefting and fublime. The beauty of the gradual 

 afcent, united with a fentiment of terror on account 



of 



