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h.is hecn commonly cnllfd Montgol Tier's pas, as balloons ot 

 this kind have l)een dcnominattJ Montni,lJ),,-s. 



As foon as the news of this cxpcriminL reached Paris, 

 the philofophers of the city, conceiving- that a new fort ot 

 gas, half as heavy as common air, had been difcovered by 

 MeflVs. Montgoliicr, and knowinc; that tiie weight of in- 

 flammable air was not more than the eighth or tenth part 

 of the weight ot common air, juftly concluded that in- 

 flammable air would anfwer the purpofe of this experiment 

 better than the gas of Montgollkr, and refolvcd to make 

 trial of it. A fubfcription was opened by M. Fuujas de 

 St. Fond towards defraying the expence of the experiment. 

 A fufhcient fum of money having been foon railed, Melfrs. 

 Roberts were appointed to conltrucl the machine ; and M. 

 Charles, profeflor of experimental pliilofophy, to fuperin- 

 tend the work. After furmounting many difficulties in 

 obtaining a fufficient quantity of inflammable air, and lind- 

 ing a fubftance hght enough for the covering, they at length 

 - conilrufted a globe of luteilring, which was rendered imper- 

 vious to the mcloled air by a varnifh of elailic ginn or 

 CAOUTCHOUC, dilTolved in tome kind of Ipirit or clfential 

 oil. The diameter of this globe, which from its fhape was 

 denominated a balloon, was about thirteen feet, and it had 

 only one aperture, like a bladder, to which a flop-cock was 

 adapted : its weight, when empty, together with that of 

 the ftop-cock, was 25 pounds. On the 23d of Auguft, 

 1783, they began to hll the globe with inflammable air; 

 but this, being their firll attempt, was attended with many 

 hindrances and difappointments. At lall, how'cver, it was 

 prepared for exhibition ; and on the 27th it was carried to 

 the Champ de Mars, where, being difengaged from the 

 cords that held it down, it rofe before a prodigious con- 

 cowrfe of people, in lefs tlian two minutes, to the height of 

 3123 feet. It then entered a cloud, but foon appeared 

 again ; and at lafl: it was loft: among other clouds. Tliis 

 balloon, after having floated about three quarters of an hour, 

 fell in a field about tifteen miles dillant from the place of 

 afctnt ; where, as we may naturally imagine, it occalioned 

 much aftonilhment to the pealants. Its fall was owing to a 

 rent, occafioned by the expanfion of the inflammable air in 

 that rare part of the atmofphere to which it afcended. 

 When the balloon went up, its fpecitic gravity was 3^ 

 pounds lefs than that of common air. 



In confequence of this brilliant experiment, many bal- 

 loons were made on a fmall fcale ; gold-beaters fkin was ufed 

 for the covering ; and their fize was from 9 to 18 inches 

 in diameter. 



Mr. Montgolfier repeated an experiment with a machine 

 of his confl;ruftion before the commiffaries of the Academy 

 of Sciences on the lith and 12th of September. This 

 machine was 74 feet high, and abont 43. feet in diameter. 

 When diltended, it appeared fpheroidical. It was made of 

 canvas, covered wltl\ paper, both within and without ; and 

 it weighed looo pounds. 



The operation oi iiUing it with rarefied air, produced by 

 means of the combullion of 50 pounds of dry ilraw, and 

 12 pounds of chopped wool, was performed in about nine 

 mhiutes ; and its force of aicenfion, when inflated, was fo 

 great that it railed eight men who held it fome feet from the 

 ground. This machine was fo much damaged by the rain, 

 that it was found necefiary to prepare another for exhibition 

 before the king and royal family on the I9tl-u This new 

 machine confilted of cloth, made of linen and cotton thread, 

 and was painted with water-colours both within and with- 

 out. Its height was near 60 feet, and its diameter about 

 43 feet. Having made the necefTar)- jrepardtious for in- 



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flating It, tlic operation was begun about one o'clock on 

 the lyth ot September, befoie tlie king and quccu, the 

 court, ajid all tile Fariiians who could procure a conveyance 

 to Wrfailles. In eleven minutes it was fufTieiently dJllend- 

 cd, and the ropes being cut, it afcended, bearing up with 

 it a wicker cage, in which were a fhecp, a cock, and a 

 duck. Its power of afcenfion, or the weight by which it 

 was lighter than an equal bulk of common air, allowing for 

 the cage and animals, was fiyd pounds. 



This balloon rofe to the lieight of about 1440 feet ; and 

 being driven by the wind, it defccnded gradually and fell 

 gently into a wood, at the diftance of 10,200 feet from 

 Vcrfailles. After remaining in the atmofphere eight mi- 

 nutes, the animals in the cage were fafely landed. The 

 fliccp was found feeding ; the cock had received fome liurt 

 on one of his wings, probably from a kick of the fnecp ; 

 the duck was perfectly well. 



The fuccefs of this experiment induced M. Pilatre de 

 Rozier, with a philofophical intrepidity which will be re- 

 corded with applaufe in the hiftory of acroiiation, to offer 

 himfelf as the iirll adventurer in this aerial navigation. Mr. 

 Montgollier conilrucf ed a new machine for this purpofe in 

 a garden in the Fauxbourg St. Antoine. Its fliape was 

 oval ; its diameter being aljout 48 feet, and its height about 

 74 feet. To the aperture at the bottom \\'as annexed a 

 wicker gallery about three feet broad, with a ballufbade 

 about three feet high. From the middle of the aperture 

 was fufpended by chains, which came down from the fides 

 of the machine, an iron grate or brazier, in which a lire 

 was lighted for inflating the machine ; and port-holes were 

 opened in the gallery, towards the aperture, through which 

 any perfon, who might venture to afcend, might feed the 

 fire on the grate with fuel, and regulate the dilatation of the 

 inclofed air of the machine at pleafure. The weight of this 

 aeroflat was upwards of 1600 pounds. On the 15th of 

 Oftober, the fire being lighted and the machine inflated, 

 M. P. de Rozier placed himfelf in the gallerv-, and afcended, 

 to the aftonilhment of a multitude of fpeftators, to the 

 height of 84 feet from the ground, and there kept the 

 machine afloat during 4' 25", by repeatedly throwing ftraw 

 and wool upon the fire : the machine then defcended gra- 

 dually and gently, through a medium of iucreafing denfity,. 

 to the ground ; and the intrepid adventurer afiurcd the 

 fpetlators that he had not experienced the leaft incon- 

 venience in this aerial excurlion. This experiment was re- 

 peated on the 17th, and on the 19th, when M. P. de 

 Rozier, in his defcent, and in order to avoid danger by 

 reafcending, evinced to a multitude of obfervers, that the 

 machine may be made to afcend and defcend at the pleafure 

 of the aeronaut, by merely increafing or diminilhing the fire 

 in the grate. The balloon having Iseen hauled down, M. 

 Giraud de Villette placed himfelf in the gallery oppofite to 

 M. Rozier ; and being fuffered to afcend, it hovered for 

 about nine minutes over Paris in the fight of all its inha- 

 bitants at the height of about 330 feet. In another ex- 

 periment the marquis of Arlandes afcended with M. Rozier 

 much in the fame manner. In confequence of the report of 

 the preceding experiment, figncd by the commiflaries of the 

 Academy of Sciences, it Vv-as ordered that the annual prize 

 of 600 livres fliould be given to Mcfhs. Montgolfier for the 

 year 1783. In the experiments above recited the machine 

 was fecured by ropes : but they were foon fucrecded by un- 

 confined aerial n<avigation. Accordingly the balloon of 74 

 feet in height, above mentioned, was removed to La 

 Muctte, a royal palace in the Bois de Boulogne : and all 

 things being ready, ob the 2 ill of November M. P. dc. 



Rozier- 



