Home Department. 
EXTRAORDINARY BALLOON ASCENT. 
Great interest was excited in Paris on Sunday, by the an¬ 
nouncement that M. Poitevin, an aeronaut, would ascend 
on horseback with a balloon on that day. Upwards of 
10,000 persons paid for admission to the Champ de Mars, 
to witness the ascent, and outside, on the heights of Chaillot, 
&c., more than 150,000 individuals were collected. The Pre¬ 
sident of the Republic was present, and was received with 
great enthusiasm. The balloon was fifteen metres in diameter, 
forty-seven in circumference, and twenty high, though it only 
weighed 150 kilogrammes.* It was a matter of considerable 
difficulty to fill the balloon with gas, owing to the violent 
wind which prevailed; and when it was filled, it was beaten 
to and fro by the wind so strongly that several of the spec¬ 
tators had to assist in holding it. At a little before six o’clock, 
the horse, a handsome dapple grey, was brought out; a stout 
cloth was placed round the body of the horse, and several 
straps, passed over the shoulders and loins, were united in 
rings, and by these rings the animal was attached by cords 
to the net-work of the balloon. A platform of basket-work, 
seven or eight feet above the horse, contained the ballast, and 
to this platform the aeronaut had access by means of a rope- 
ladder. A cord passing through an opening in the platform, 
enabled him to open the valve of the balloon. The aeronaut 
was dressed as a jockey, and had with him several bottles of 
wine and some bread. Some confusion was caused by the 
crowd attempting to force their way into the reserved place, 
but they were kept off by the soldiers. At length, at ten 
minutes past six, the horse was duly attached to the balloon, 
and M. Poitevin having mounted its back, the signal to rise 
was given. The horse plunged a little as it lost its footing, 
but when fairly lifted from the earth it dropped its legs, as is 
the case when horses are slung for embarkation on ship¬ 
board. The balloon rose majestically over the Ecole Mili- 
taire; but at times the wind was so violent as to drive it in 
such a position, that it appeared on a level with the aeronaut. 
The emotion of the spectators was very great, and one lady 
fainted. M. Poitevin displayed extraordinary sang froid, and 
saluted with his cap and whip. After a while, he was seen 
* Little more than 328 lbs. avoirdupois. 
