W. LE CONTE STEVENS. 39 
in the air about forty-five minutes, and was carried away 
fifteen miles by the wind, reachinga height of rather 
more than half a mile. In the experiment at Annonay, 
by the Montgolfiers, the inflation was accomplished in a 
few minutes, and the balloon remained in the air only 
fifteen or twenty minutes, the length of its voyage being 
limited by the rate of cooling of the contained hot air. 
On account of its quickness of action, the Montgolfier, 
or fire-balloon, was for some time more popular than the 
~ Charliére, or hydrogen balloon. 
A few weeks after the experiment at the Champ de 
Mars, Stephen Montgolfier sent up a large flre-balloon at 
Versailles, in the presence of the king and nobility. A 
cage was attached to it, containing a sheep, a cock, and 
aduck. These, the first aeronauts, were carried to a dis- 
tance of two miles, and reached the ground without 
special injury. The first ascent by a human being into 
the air, was made in a fire-balloon by Pilatre de Rozier, 
a young French naturalist, who succeeded in partially 
controlling the ascent or descent of the balloon, by vary- 
ing the amount of fuel with which the fire was kept sup- 
plied. He lost his life in 1785 by the explosion ofa 
hydrogen balloon to which a fire-balloon was attached, 
his intention having been to secure steadiness by the use 
of hydrogen, and to vary the height by controlling the 
supply of fuel. 
Having demonstrated the availability of hydrogen by 
his experiment on the twenty-seventh of August, 
Charles undertook the equipment of a new balloon, 
much larger than the first, for the purpose of ascend- 
ing with instruments to examine the condition of 
the atmosphere at a great height. His balloon was 
provided with a safety-valve, and covered with a net- 
ting attached to a ring below, from which was sus- 
pended a car of wicker work. Ballast was provided, so 
that the weight to be lifted could be diminished at will 
