1805.] 
to pay ftrict attention to the temperature, 
from which it was feen, that it followed an 
exceedingly decreafing progreffion. 
At the height of 3353 toifes, the aéro- 
naut opened one of his glafs balloons, and 
at 3405 toifes he opened his fecond ; the 
air rufhed into both with a hiffing noife. 
Soon after he found himfelf at the height 
af 3600 toiles above the level of the fea, 
when the thermometer was below the 
freezing- point . he then began to defcend. 
His own feelings he thus defcribes : 
“< Though well clothed, I began to 
feel cold, efpecially in the hands, which I 
was obliged to keep expofed to the air.— 
My refpiration was fenfibly confined, but I 
wasfar from experiencing any very difagree- 
able uneafinefs, My pulfe and refpiration 
were very much accelerated: breathing, 
therefore, very frequently in very dry air, 
my throat was fo dry ag to caule painful 
fenfations in the act of fwallowing bread. 
Before I fet out I had a flight head-ache, 
arifing from fatigue on the preceding day, 
and it continued during the whole of my 
voyage without its appearing to increafe. 
Thetfe are all the inconveniences which J 
experienced. 
¢¢ A phenomenon which ftruck me at 
this height, was, to fee clouds above me, 
and at a diftance, which appeared to be 
confiderable. In our firft afcent, the 
clouds were not fuftained at a greater 
height than about 600 toifes, and above, 
the heavens were-exceedingly pure. The 
colour of them in the zenith was even fo 
intenfe, that it might be compared to 
Pruffian-blue ; but, in a fecond voyage, I 
could fee no clouds below me. The fky 
was much filled with vapours, and its co- 
Jour dull. The wind, on the firft afcent, 
was N.N.E. and, on the laft, it was S.W. 
‘© As foon as I perceived that I began 
to defcend, I thought only of moderating 
the defcent of the balloon, and rendering 
it exceedingly flow. It was three quar- 
ters of an hour in coming to the earth. 
The inhabitants of a fmall village foon 
ran to me; and while fome took pleafure 
yn drawing towards them the balloon, by 
Aeroftatic Voyage from Peterfburg to Paris. 
451 
pulling the rope to which the anchor was 
fixed, others waited with impatience till 
they could reach it with their hands, in 
order to depofit it on the earth. My 
defcent took place without the leaft thock 
or accident. The village is called Saint- 
Gourgon, fix leagues N.W. from Rouen.” 
The following ftatement exhibits the 
comparative analyfis of the two airs, viz. 
that brought down in the glafs balloons, 
with that found on the furface of the 
earth, 
Analyfis of the Atmofpheric Air. 
Exp. I. Meafurese 
Atmofpheric air, « «© « + 3 
Hydrogen gas, . « «© «© oe 2 
Refiduum after combuftion, - 3.04 
Exp. II. 
Atmofpheric air, 2» »« © » 3 
Hydrogen gasy . 2 2© «© » 2 
Refiduum, . . aD Ae ag 
Analjfis of Air collected at the Height of 
about 3300 Toifese 
Exp. I. Meafures. 
Air, i e e ® ° e 6 ® 3 
Hydrogen gas, . . »« » « 2 
Refiduum, . . 2 © ¢ © 3:0§ 
Exp. UH. 
Air, ® ° 4 e@ e ® e 3 
Hydrogen Sas, © oN we! wh oe 
Refiduum, ae de whe) tint gp Ome 
A meafure of very pure oxygen gas re- 
quired 2.04 meafures of hydrogen gas 3 
and as this refult differed only o.o1 from 
that found by experiments on a large 
{cale, and with great care, on the compo- 
fition of water, it fhould feem that a cone 
fiderable degree of confidence may be ree 
pofed in it. It proves, that the atmo- 
fpheric air, and air taken at the height of 
3300 toifes above the earth, are exaétly 
the fame, and that they contain 0.2163 of 
oxygen. 
ferred, that the conftitution of the atmos 
fphere is the fame from the furface of the 
earth to the greateft height to which it is 
poflible to attend. 
4M2 
Hence, perhaps, it may be ins 
