136 HISTORY OF THE BALLOON. 



the machine, which I thought came from the breaking of a cord ; 1 

 looked in and saw that the southern part was full of round holes, several of 

 them large. I said " we mustget down." " Why." "Look," said I; at 

 the same time I took my sponge and easily extinguished the fire, which 

 was enlarging such of the holes as I could reach ; but, on trying 

 if the balloon was fast to the lower circle, I found that it easily came off; 

 I repeated to my companion, " We must descend." He looked round 

 and said, " We are over Paris." Having looked to the safety of the 

 cords, I said " We can cross Paris." We were now coming near the 

 roofs; we raised the fire and rose again with great ease; I looked under 

 me and saw the Missions Etrangers, and it seemed as if we were going 

 towards the towers of St. Sulpice, which I could see. Raising ourselves, 

 a current turned us south. I saw on my left a wood, which I thought 

 was the Luxembourg. We passed the Boulevard, and I said, * Pied a 

 terre." We stopped the fire ; but the brave Pilatre, who did not Jose 

 his self-possession, thought we were coming upon mills, and warned me. 

 We alighted at the Butte aux Cailles, between the mill Des Merveilles 

 and the Moulin Vieux. The moment we touched landi I held by the 

 car with my two hands; I felt the balloon press my head lightly, I 

 pushed it off and leaped out. Turning towards the balloon, which I 

 expected to find full, to my great astonishment it was perfectly empty 

 and flattened." 



The second voyage was that of M. M. Charles and Robert, just t 

 sunset, December the 1st, 1783, from the Tuileries, in a hydrogen 

 balloon of twenty-six feet diameter. After coming down, M. Charles re- 

 ascended alone, and was soon one thousand five hundred toises high, or 

 nearly two miles. He saw the sun rise again, and, as he says, " I was 

 the only illuminated object, all the rest of nature being plunged in 

 shadow." A small balloon, launched by Montgolfier just before the 

 ascent, was found to have run a totally different course ; which first gave 

 rise to the suspicion of different directions in the currents of the air at 

 different heights. 



The third voyage from Lyons, January 19th, 1784, was made in the 

 largest Montgolfier yet constructed (one thousand one hundred and two feet 

 in diameter, one hundred and twenty-six feet high), by seven persons, 

 among whom were J. Montgolfier and M. de Rozier. It had been in- 

 tended for six only, and these were found too many; but no persuasion 

 could induce any one to abandon his place. The instant after the rope 

 had been cut, a seventh person jumped in. A rent in the balloon caused 

 it to descend with great velocity, but no one was hurt. 



