generally between 27 inches and 27,03 ; ris- 
ing and tailing according as part of the ballast 
was thrown out, or some gas escaped from the 
balloon. The thermometer stood generally 
between 53 and 57 degrees. ' » 
Soon after their ascent they remained sta- 
tionary for a short time ; they then went ho- 
rizontally, in the direction of N. N. W. They 
crossed "the Seine, and passed over several 
towns and villages, to the great astonishment 
of the inhabitants, who did not expect to see 
such a spectacle, and who had perhaps never 
heard of this new sort of experiment. This 
delicious aerial voyage lasted one hour and 
three quarters. At last they descended in a 
field near Nesle, a small town, about 27 miles 
distant from Paris ; so that they had gone at 
the rate of about 15 miles per hour, without 
feeling the least inconvenience ; and the bal- 
loon underwent no other alteration than \yhat 
was occasioned by the dilatation and contrac- 
tion of the gas, according to the vicissitudes 
of heat and cold. 
The success of the experiments, which 
have been already described, spread a uni- 
versal enthusiasm throughout Europe ; and 
the. aerostatic experiments, both in the dimi- 
nutive and in the large way, were soon under- 
taken in different countries. The first expe- 
riment of this kind was exhibited in London on 
the*25th of November, 1783, when an inflam- 
mable air balloon, 10 feet in diameter, was sent 
up by count Zambeccari, an Italian gentleman. 
"1 he first aerial voyage undertaken in Eng- 
land, with an inflammable air balloon of 33 
feet in diameter, made of oil silk, was per- 
formed by Mr. Lunardi, another Italian, on 
the 15th of September, 1784. 
The abbe Bertholoa seems to have been 
the first person who made use of small bal- 
loons for exploring the electricity of the at- 
mosphere, which must be a very'useful me- 
thod, particularly in calm weather, when 
electrical kites cannot be raised. He raised 
several air balloons, to which long and slen- 
der wires were attached, the lower extremity 
of the wire being fastened to a glass stick or 
other insulated stand, whereby lie obtained 
from such wires electricity enough to shew its 
kind, and even sparks. 
On the 13th of January, 1784, an aerosta- 
tic machine, of about 37 feet in height, and 
20 in diameter, was launched from the castle 
I)e Pisancon, near Romans, in Dauphiny. 
It rose with surprising velocity, and as the 
wind was north, it went southward : but when 
the machine had ascended to the height of 
about 1300 feet, it went back towards the 
north, and in less than five minutes time it 
ascended to the height of above 6000 feet. 
In less than ten minutes it fell at the distance 
of nearly four miles. 
This experiment, and indeed the similar 
success of many others, shews that there fre- 
quently are in the atmosphere currents of air 
in different, and sometimes quite opposite, di- 
rections ; this, however, is far from being al- 
ways the case. If different currents could 
always be met with at different heights above 
the surface of the earth, the method of guid- 
ing balloons would be extremely easy ; for 
the aerial traveller would have nothing more 
to do than to place himself in the favourable 
current, which he might do by throwing out 
either some ballast or some inflammable 
gas, according as he wished to go higher or 
lower. 
AIR BALLOON. 
The largest aerostatic machine ever made, 
and filled with rarefied air, was launched at 
Lyons on the lQtli of January 1784, with not 
less than seven persons in its gallery, amongst 
whom were Joseph Montgolfier, and Pilatre 
de Itozier. The height ot this machine was 
about 131 feet, and its horizontal diameter 
about 104. Its weight, when it ascended, 
including passengers, gallery, &.C. was about 
1600 pounds. 
This machine, having suffered considerably 
in consequence of previous trials, was by no 
means in a perfect state when it ascended ; 
nevertheless, when the action of the fire had 
inflated it, the seven persons, who in spite of 
every remonstrance had placed themselves in 
the gallery, refusing to relinquish their places, 
the machine was released from the ropes 
which confined it, and ascended majestically 
into the atmosphere. At. a certain height, 
the wind turned it towards the west; but it 
afterwards proceeded east-south-east, ascend- 
ing, at the same time, until it was at least 
1000 yards high. 
The effect which was produced on the spec- 
tators by this spectacle is described as the 
most extraordinary that was ever occasioned 
by any production of human invention. It 
was a mixture of the strangest nature imagin- 
able. Vociferations of joy, shrieks of tear, 
expressions of applause, the sound of martial 
instruments, and the discharge of mortars, 
produced an effect more easily imagined than 
described. Some of the spectators fell on 
their knees, and others elevated their sup- 
pliant hands to the heavens; some women 
fainted, and many wept ; but the confident 
travellers, without shewing the least appear- 
ance of fear, were continually waving their 
hats out of the gallery. 
At about fifteen minutes after the ascent, 
the wind shifted again ; but it was so feeble 
that the machine stood almost stationary for 
about four minutes. Unfortunately about 
this time a rent was made in the machine, 
which occasioned its descent ; and when it 
came within 600 feet of the ground, its velo- 
city was considerably accelerated. It is said 
that no less than 60,000 persons, besides the 
Marechaussee, ran to the spot, with the great- 
est apprehension for the lives of the adventu- 
rous aerial travellers. They were immedi- 
ately helped out of the gallery, and luckily 
no person had received any hurt, except Mr. 
Montgolfier an insignificant scratch. The 
machine was torn in several places, besides 
a vertical rent of upwards of 50 feet in length, 
which clearly shews bow little danger is to 
be apprehended from the use of those ma- 
chines, especially when they are properly 
constructed and judiciously managed. 
On the 5th of April 1784, Messrs, de 
Morveau and Bertrand, at Dijon, ascended 
with an inflammable air-balloon, which, ac- 
cording to their barometrical observations, 
seems to have reached the extraordinary 
height of 13,000 feet, when the cold was so 
great that the thermometer stood at 25°. 
On the 15th of July, the duke de Chartres, 
the two brothers Roberts, and another per- 
son, ascended with an inflammable air-bal- 
loon, from the park of St. Cloud, at 52 mi- 
nutes past seven in the morning. This bal- 
loon was of an oblong form, its dimensions 
being 55 feet by 34. It ascended with its 
greatest extension nearly horizontal; and 
after remaining in the atmosphere about 45 
3 7 
minutes, it descended at a small distance 
from its place of ascension. But the inci- 
dents that occurred during this aerial excur- 
sion deserve particular notice, as nothing like 
it had happened before to any of the aerial 
travellers. This machine contained an into- 
rior small balloon, filled with common air; 
by which means it was supposed that they 
might regulate the ascent and the descent 
of the machine, without ain loss of the hy- 
drogen gas, or of ballast. The boat was fur- 
nished with a helm and oars, that were in- 
tended to guide the mac hine, but which were 
in this, as well as in every other similar at- 
tempt, found to be quite useless. 
On the level of the sea, the mercury in the 
barometer stood at 30,25 inches, and at tiie. 
place of ascension it stood at 30,12. 't hree 
minutes after its ascension, the balloon was 
lost in the clouds, and the aerial voyagers 
lost sight of the earth, being involved in a 
dense vapour. Here an unusual agitation of 
the air, somewhat like a whirlwind, in a mo- 
ment turned the machine three times from 
the right to the left. The violent shocks 
which the adventurers suffered, prevented 
their using any of the means prepared for 
the direction of the machine ; and they even 
tore away the silk stuff of which the helm 
was made. Never, said they, a more dreadful 
situation presented itself to any eye, than that 
in which they were involved. An unbounded 
ocean of shapeless clouds rolled beneath, and 
seemed to forbid their return to the earth, 
which w r as still invisible. The agitation of 
the balloon became greater every moment. 
They cut the cords which held the interior 
balloon, which consequently fell on the bot- 
tom of the external balloon, just upon the 
aperture of the tube that went down to the 
boat, and stopped that communication. At 
this time the thermometer was a little above 
44°. A gust of wind from below drove the 
balloon upwards, to the extremity of the va- 
pour, where the appearance of the sun shew- 
ed them the existence of nature ; but now 
both the heat of the sun, and the diminished 
density of the atmosphere, occasioned such a 
dilatation of the gas, that the bursting of the 
balloon was apprehended ; to avoid which, 
they introduced a stick through the tube, and 
endeavoured to remove' the inner balloon, 
which stopped its aperture within the ex- 
ternal balloon ; but the dilatation of the gas 
pressed the inner balloon so forcibly against 
that aperture, as to render every attempt in- 
effectual. During this time, they continually 
ascended, until the mercury in the barometer 
stood not higher than 24,36 inches, which 
shewed their height above the surface of the 
earth to be about 5100 feet. In these dread- 
ful circumstances they thought it necessary 
to make a hole in the balloon, in order to 
give exit to the gas ; and accordingly the 
duke himself, with one of the spears of the 
banners, made two holes in the balloon, which 
opened a rent of about seven or eight feet. 
In consequence of this, they then descended 
rapidly, seeing at first no object either oil 
earth or in the heavens ; but a moment after, 
they discovered the fields, and that they were 
descending straight into a lake, wherein they 
would inevitably have fallen, had they not 
quickly thrown over about 60 pounds weight 
or ballast, which occasioned their coming 
down at about 30 feet beyond the edge of the 
lake. Notwithstanding this rapid descent. 
