1(>4 PNEUMATICS. 



in the year 173'2, proceeded no farther than 

 blowing up soap-bubbles with inflammable air, 

 which ascended rapidly to the ceiling, and broke 

 against it. 



But while the discovery of the art of aerostation 

 seemed thus on the point of being made in Britain, 

 it was all at once announced in France, and that 

 from a quarter whence nothing of the kind was to 

 have been expected. Two brothers, Stephen and 

 John Montgolfier, natives of Annonay, and pro- 

 prietors of a considerable paper manufactory there, 

 had turned their thoughts towards this project, as 

 early as the middle of the year 1782. The idea 

 was first suggested by the natural ascent of the 

 smoke and clouds in the atmosphere, and their de- 

 sign w T as to form an artificial cloud, by inclosing 

 the smoke in a bag, and making it carry up the 

 covering along with it. 



Towards the middle of November that year, the 

 experiment was made at Avignon, with a fine silk 

 bag. By applying burning paper to an aperture 

 at the bottom of it, the air was rarefied, and the 

 bag swelled, and ascended to the ceiling. On 

 repeating the experiment in the open air, it rose to 

 the height of about seventy feet. 



Soon after this, one of the brothers arrived at 

 Paris, where he was invited by the Academy of 

 Sciences to repeat his experiments at their expence. 

 In consequence of this invitation, he constructed, 

 in a garden in the Fauxbourg Saint Germain, a 

 large balloon of an elliptical form. In a preliminary 

 experiment, this machine lifted up from the ground 

 eight persons who held it, and would have carried 

 them all off, if more had not quickly gone to their 

 assistance. Next day the experiment was repeated 

 in the presence of the members of the academy ; 



