A E R 



A E R 



that there were two ciuTC-iits of air at difTcrent heights above 

 the earth, 



111 the month of December of this year, fcveral experi- 

 ments with balloons were made at I'liiladelpliia, in America, 

 by McRi.;. Rittenhoufc and Hopkins. They contrived to 

 conneft leveral fmall balloons together, and thvs they en- 

 abled a man to afcend to the height of loc feet, and to float 

 to a confiderable dillance. But fear induced him to cut 

 open the balloons, and thus to dcfcend. Small balloons 

 were at thi3 time very common, both in France and Eng- 

 land. 



In January 1 784, Mr. J. Montgolfier, accompanied by 

 fix other ^erlons, aicended at Lyons, with a large rarefied 

 air-balloon, 131 feet high, and 104 feet diameter, to the 

 height 01 about icoo yards. This was the largeft machine 

 that had hitherto been made. It was formed of a double 

 covering of hnen, with three layers of paper between, and 

 ftrengthened witli llrings and ribbons. It contained about 

 540,000 cubic feet of igneous gas ; and its weight, includ- 

 ing the gallery and pallengers, was 1600 pounds. After 

 remaining in the air about fifteen minutes, a rent in the 

 machine occafioned its fall : and when it came within about 

 600 feet of the ground, it dcfcended with a degree of ce- 

 lerity which very much alarmed the ipectators ; but they all 

 landed without injury. 



On the 2 2d of February an inflammable air-balloon about 

 five feet in diameter, was launched from Sandwich in Kent, 

 which, travelling at the rate of about 30 miles an hour, 

 croITcd the Englilh Channel, and defcended in a field about 

 nine miles from Lidc, in French Flanders. 



The firil perfon in Italy, who was at the expence of con- 

 ftruAing an aerollatic machine for making an aerial voyage, 

 was the chevalier Paul Andreani of Milan : his machine 

 ■was fpherieal, about 63 feet in diameter, and formed upon 

 the principle of tlioie of Montgolfier. The clievalier, and 

 two brothers of the name of Gerli, who had afiifted in the 

 conitruftion of it, afcended, on the 25th of February, to 

 the height of about 1200 feet; and they remained in the 

 atmofphere about twenty minutes. 



From the calculations made refpefting the capacity 

 of this machine, it appears, that the included air was not 

 rarefied above one-third, or that the included warm air 

 ■was not ^efs than two thirds of that which would have 

 filled the machine, when of the fame temperature with 

 the external air ; and this is the utmoll degree of rare- 

 faftion that can be reafonably expcfted in b:'.lloons of this 

 kind. 



The next aerial voyage was perfornied by M. Jean Pierre 

 Blanchard, who had for fevcral years been employed, 

 though without fuccefs, in attempts of flying b^r mechani- 

 cal contrivances. This voyage was performed in March 

 J 7 84, with a balloon 27 feet in diameter, to which a boat 

 was fufpended, with two wings aid a rudder annexed to the 

 boat, and a large umbrella or paiachute ipread horizontally 

 between the boat and the ballooi!, defigned to check the 

 fall provided that the balloon fliould burft. The greateft 

 altitude to which Mr, Blanchard aicended from the Champ 

 de Mars at Paris, is fuppofed to be 9591 feet; and it ap- 

 pears from his own acknowledgment that the wings and 

 rudder of his boat had little, if any, power in guiding the 

 balloon from the diretlion of the wii.d. He was in the air 

 an hour and a quarter, and dcfcended at Billancourt, near 

 Seve, after having experinced heat, cold, hunger, and an 

 exceflive drowfincfs. 



Aerollatic experiments and aerial voyages became fo fre- 

 quent in the courfe of the year 1784, tliat the limits of this 

 article will not allow our particularly recording them. We 



fliaU, therefor^, merely mention thofe which were attended 

 with any peculiar circumllances. Mcflrs. de Morvcau and 

 Bertrind afcended from Dijon in April, to the height of 

 about 13000 feet, with an mflammable air balloon; the ther- 

 mometer was obfcrved to fland at 25 degrees. They were 

 in the air during one hour and 25: minutes, and went to the 

 didance of about 18 miles. Their cars were affeftcd in 

 the manner deleribed by Mr. diaries. The clouds floated 

 beneath them, and fecluded them from the eartli : and they 

 jointly repeated the motto infcribed on their aerollat : — 

 " Surgit nunc gallus ad a-theni." 



In May, lour ladies and two gentlemen afcended with a 

 Montgolfier at Paris above the highelt buildings ; the ma- 

 chine was confined by ropes. It was 74 feet high, and 73 

 in diameter. 



In a fecond voyage performed by Mr. Blanchard from 

 Rouen, in May, it was ohferved, that his wings and oai-s 

 could not cany him in any other diredion than that of the 

 wind. The mercury in the barometer defcended as low as 

 20,57 inches ; but on the earth, before he afcended, it (lood 

 at 30,16 iiichei'. 



At Lyons, on the 4th of June, M. Flcurant and Ma- 

 dame Thible, the firft lady that made an aerial voyage, 

 afcended in the prefence of Guftavus king of Sweden to the 

 height of 8500 feet, and floated to the difl;ance of about 

 two miles in 45 miiuitcs. 



A balloon, 32I feet in diameter, filled with inflammable 

 air, extracted from zinc, was raifed at Nantes on the 14th 

 of June with two perfons, via. M. Couilard de Maffi and 

 M. Mouchet ; which afcended to a great height, and in 

 58 minutes travelled to the dillance of 27 miles. 



On the 23d of June a large aeroflat, on the principle of 

 rarefied air, 91 J feet high aud 79 feet in diameter, was 

 elevated by Montgolfier at Verfaillcs, in the prcfence of 

 the royal family and the king of Sweden. M. Pilatre de 

 Rozier and M. Proull, afcended with it, and continued for 

 28 minutes at the height of 11732 feet and obferved the 

 clouds below them, that reflec'ted to the region which 

 they occupied the rays of the fun ; the temperature of the - 

 air being 5'' below the freezing point ; and in three quar- 

 ters of an hour they travelled to the dillance of 36 miles. . 

 In confequencc of this experiment the king granted to • 

 M. Rozier a penlion of 2000 livres. 



On the 15th of July the duke of Chartres, the two bro- 

 thers Roberts, and another perfon, aicended witli an in- 

 flammable air-balloon of an oblong form, ^^^ feet long and" 

 34 feet in diameter, from the Park of St. Cloud : the ma- 

 chine remained in the atmofphere about 4J minutes. This 

 machine contained an ir.terior fmall balloon, . filled with 

 common air, by which means it was propofed to make it 

 afcend or defcend without any lofs of inflammable air or 

 ballall. The boat was furnifhed with a helm and oars, in- 

 tended for guiding it. At the place of departure the ba- 

 rometer flood at 30, I 2 inches. Three minutes after afcend- 

 ing, the balloon was loft in the clouds and involved in a 

 dcnfe vapour. An agitation of the air, refembling a whirl- 

 wind, alarmed the aerial voyagers, and occafioned fevcral 

 fliocks, which prevented their ufing any of the inflrnments 

 and contrivances prepared for the direftion of the balloon. 

 Other circumllances concurred to increafe their danger ; 

 and W'hen the mercury, Handing in the barometer at 24,35 

 inches, indicated their jieight to be about 5100 feet, they 

 found it neceffary to ntake holes in the bottom for dif- 

 charging the inflammable air : and having made a rent of 

 between feven and eight feet, they defcended very rapidly, 

 and at laft came fafely to the ground. 



On the 18th of July M, Blanchard, accompanied by a 



Mn,^ 



