ON EIGHT BALLOON ASCENTS IN 1862. 385 
by sleep, and said to Mr. Coxwell, “I have been insensible;” he said, 
“You have; and I, too, very nearly.” I then drew up my legs, which had 
been extended before me, and took a pencil in my hand to begin observations, 
Mr. Coxwell told me that he had lost the use of his hands, which were black, 
and I poured brandy over them. 
I resumed my observations at 2" 7", recording the barometer reading at 
11-53 inches and temperature — 2°. I suppose that three or four minutes 
were occupied from the time of my hearing the words “ temperature” and 
* observation ”’ till I began to observe; if so, then returning consciousness 
came at 2" 4™, and this gives seven minutes for total insensibility. I found 
the water in the vessel supplying the wet-bulb thermometer, which I had by 
frequent disturbances kept from freezing, was one solid mass of ice; and it 
did not all melt until after we had been on the ground some time. 
Mr. Coxwell told me that whilst in the ring he felt it piercingly cold ; that 
hoar-frost was all round the neck of the balloon; on attempting to leave 
the ring, he found his hands frozen, and he had to place his arms on the ring 
and drop down; that he thought for a moment I had laid back to rest myself ; 
that he spoke to me without eliciting a reply; that he then noticed my legs 
projected and my arms hung down by my side; that my countenance was 
serene and placid, without the earnestness and anxiety he had noticed before 
going into the ring, and then it struck him I was insensible. He wished 
to approach me, but could not, and he felt insensibility coming over him- 
self; that he became anxious to open the valve, but in consequence of having 
lost the use of his hands he could not, and ultimately did so by seizing the 
cord with his teeth and dipping his head two or three times until the balloon 
took a decided turn downwards. This act is quite characteristic of Mr. Cox- 
well. I have never yet seen him without a ready means of meeting every 
difficulty as it has arisen, with a cool self-possession that has always left my 
mind perfectly easy, and given me eyery confidence in his judgment in the 
management of so large a balloon. 
No inconvenience followed this insensibility, and when we dropped it was 
in a country where no conveyance of any kind could be obtained, so that I 
had to walk between seven and eight miles. 
The descent was at first veryrapid; we passed downwards three miles in nine 
minutes ; the balloon’s career was then checked, and finally descended in the 
centre of a large grass field belonging to Mr. Kersall, at Cold Weston, seven 
and a half miles from Ludlow. 
I have already said that my last observation was made at a height of 
29,000 feet; at this time (1" 54™) we were ascending at the rate of 1000 feet 
per minute, and when I resumed observations we were descending at the rate 
of 2000 feet per minute; these two positions must be connected, taking into 
account the interval of time between, viz. 13 minutes, and on these con- 
siderations the balloon must have attained the altitude of 36,000 or 37,000 
feet. Again, a very delicate minimum thermometer read —12°, and this 
would give a height of 37,000 feet; Mr. Coxwell on coming from the ring 
noticed that the centre of the aneroid barometer, its blue hand, and a rope 
attached to the car, were all in the same straight line, and this gave a reading 
of 7 inches, and leads to the same result. Therefore these independent means 
all lead to about the same elevation, viz. fully 7 miles. 
In this ascent six pigeons were taken up. One was thrown out at the 
height of three miles, when it extended its wings and dropped as a piece of 
paper ; a second, at four miles, flew vigorously round and round, apparently 
taking a dip each time ; a third was thrown out between four and five miles, 
