428 REPORT—1863. 
Mr. Coxwell said he could see Ipswich. Looking South, Brighton was visible, 
the sea beyond, and all up to Dover; the North was obscured by clouds and 
mist. The West was not as clear as the East, but the sun shone on the 
Thames at Windsor, giving it the appearance of burnished gold. 
At Putney the rippling of the water at its edges was like molten silver, 
and all the country within these limits was map-like, every field being distinct 
in the suburbs of London, gradually diminishing in size as the distance from 
London increased. Greenwich Park was visible, the Observatory apparently 
a grey speck. We touched the ground at 6" 30™ in a field belonging to Mr. 
G. Brown, Gaysthorn Hall, Barking Side, Essex. 
Ascent from the Crystal Palace, April 18.—The balloon was partially filled 
during the evening of April 17, with the view of starting early the following 
morning. The atmosphere was at this time thick and misty; the wind on 
the earth was N.E., but pilot balloons, on attaining a moderate elevation, 
fell into a north current ; the wind was moying at an estimated velocity of 
40 miles an hour, and the ascent was delayed hour after hour in hopes that 
the upper current would change to N.E. 
At 1" p.m., when the sky was nearly covered with clouds and there were oc- 
sional gleams of sunshine, the ascent was decided upon, although it was 
evident it could not be one of long duration, unless the wind should change 
its direction, or we crossed the Channel; Mr. Coxwell did not, however, think 
it prudent to attempt the latter without other and special arrangements : whilst 
discussing this, the rope, our only connecting-link with the earth, broke, and 
at 1" 17™ we started very unceremoniously, the balloon taking a lurch: Mr. 
Coxwell was partly jerked over the side of the car, and I was thrown among 
my instruments, and unfortunately both Daniell’s and Regnault’s hygrometers 
were broken. Within 3 minutes we were more than 3000 feet high ; at 4000 
feet cumulus clouds were on our level, and a thick mist rested everywhere on 
the earth. At 1" 26™ we were 7000 fect high, in a thick mist which almost 
amounted to a fog ; the temperature of the air continued at 32° nearly, whilst 
that of the dew-point increased several degrees ; on passing out of the cloud 
these two temperatures very suddenly separated, the latter decreasing rapidly ; 
the sky was of a deep blue, without a cloud on its surface. 
At 1" 30™ we were 10,000 feet high ; directly under us was a sea of clouds ; 
the towers of the Crystal Palace were visible, and by them we found we were 
moving South. The temperature before starting was 61°; it decreased to 
32° on reaching the cloud, and continued at this reading whilst in it, then sud- 
denly fell to 231° on leaving the cloud, and was either less or the same at 
every successive reading till we reached the height of 20,000 feet, when the 
lowest temperature was noticed. 
On passing above 4 miles the temperature increased to 141°, and then 
declined to 121° at the highest point, viz. 24,000 feet, in 1 hour and 13 mi- 
nutes after starting. When we were just 4 miles high, on descending, Mr. 
Coxwell began to reflect that possibly we might have been moving more 
quickly than we expected, and that it was necessary to descend till we could 
see the earth ; he opened the valve rather freely at 2" 34™, and we descended 
a mile in 3 minutes ; we descended quickly but less rapidly through the next 
mile, and reached the clouds at 12,000 feet from the earth at 2" 42™; on 
breaking through them at 2® 44™, still 10,000 feet from the earth, I was 
busy with my instruments, when I heard Mr. Coxwell exclaim, ‘* What’s 
that ?” he had caught sight of Beachey Head. I looked over the car and the sea 
seemed to be under us. Mr. Coxwell again exclaimed, “ There is not a moment 
to spare, we must save the land at all risks; leave the instruments.” Mr. 
