138 HISTORY OF THE BALLOON. 



into the water, in which the traveller remained six hours before he was 

 rescued. 



In 1802 (September the 21st), M. Garnerin descended successfully 

 from a balloon by means of a parachute, near the Small Pox Hospital, 

 St. Pancras, London. The height from which he descended was so 

 great, that he could scarcely be distinguished. At first (before the 

 parachute opened) he descended with great velocity, but as soon as it 

 opened, the descent became very gentle and gradual. 



In 1807, M. Garnerin ascended again from Paris, and landed at, or 

 rather was dashed against Mont Tonnerre, three hundred miles from 

 that city, after running great risks. 



Three voyages have been undertaken since the beginning of the present 

 century, for purposes professedly scientific. In 1804 M. M. Gay 

 Lussac and Biot ascended in Paris to a height of thirteen thousand feet, 

 and the same year M. Gay Lussac ascended alone, to the height of 

 twenty-three thousand feet ; but neither voyage offers any remarkable 

 circumstance, or produced any scientific result worth naming. In 1806 

 Carlo Briochi, A. R. , of Naples, made an ascent with Signer Andreani 

 (who had previously been the first Italian aeronaut). Trying to rise 

 higher than M. Gay Lussac had done, they got into an atmosphere so 

 rarefied as to burst the balloon. Its remnants checked the velocity of 

 the descent, and this, with their falling on an open space, saved their 

 lives. 



Two other fatal accidents have occurred ; one on the 25th of May, 

 1824, to a Mr. Harris, who ascended with a female named Stocks, when, 

 from some mismanagement they both fell out, and the former was killed ; 

 and in 1837 Mr. Cocking was killed in attempting a descent from Mr. 

 Green's balloon, in a parachute. 



In November, 1836, Mr. Green (who has made his two hundredth 

 ascent), accompanied by Messrs. Monk Mason, and Captain Hollond, 

 started from Vauxhall Gardens in an immense balloon, and after being 

 in the air all the night made a safe descent at Nassau, in Germany. 



Mrs. Graham has also ascended in her balloon many times, and upon 

 one occasion, when accompanied by the Duke of Brunswick, both fell out, 

 the lady was much injured. 



Mr. Hampton during the year 1839 made one or two successful 

 descents in his parachute. ^P 



Attempts innumerable have been made to guide the balloon, but all 

 have been unsuccessful ; indeed, it has now become a toy, and for any 



