THE HIBERNIAN MAGAZINE: O R, Compendium of Entertaining Knowledge, For JANUARY, 1784. A Correfpondent from Paris having obliged us by the laft Mail with an accurate Drawing of Mers. Charles and Robert's celebrated Aeroftatic Globe, we present our Readers with an elegant Engraving of that wonderful Machine, and the annexed Account of it from the Paris Journal, with a correct Tranflation. Reprefentation du Globe Aéroffatique qui s'eft ETTE machine merveilleufe montée Car M. M. Charles et Robert, le jeune, s'etant elevée majefteufement, à une banteur confidérable, a pris fa direction à nord oucft parcouri une hard ouca apres avoir parcouri une efpace d'environ 9 lieues, dans l'intervalle de 2 heures 5 min. elle eft defcendue à terre dans la plaine de Nelle, auprès de l'ifle Adam, au Vex-en-François, fans aucun accident, en préfence de M. le Duc de Chartres, de M. le Duc de Fitz- James, et de plufieurs perfonnes notables du pais, qui ont figné le procefs-verbal dressé dans le char aéroftatique. A quatre heures et demie, M. Charles etant reparti feul dans la même machine en préfence des mêmes temoins, s'eft elevé en to min. à la hauteur de 1524 toifes. Après avoir plané dans les airs à cette hauteur l'efpace de 35 min. il eft redefcendu de meme à terre très heureusement, dans les friches du bois de La Tour-du-lay, à une lieue et demie du point de fon départ, fans avoir eprouvé d'autre fenfation que celle d'un froid très fec. Extrait du Journal de Paris, des 2 et 3 Dec. 1783. Ce globe de 26 pieds de diamètre, rem. pid' air inflammable, eft compofé de taf fetas, enduit de gomme elaftique, il eft veloppé dans fa partie fuperieure d'un let, portant un cercle, auquel font at chées les cordes qui fupportent le char, fiége des voyageurs aériens. Ce Char decoré avec goût eft conftruit en ozier. Hib. Mag. Jan. 1784. TRANSLATIO N. Reprefentation of the Aeroftatic Globe which rose from one of the Bafons of the Royal Garden of the Tuilleries theft of December, 1783, at 40 Minutes past ove O'Clock in the Afternoon, as feen from the Pont Royal. THIS wonderful machine conftructed by M. Charles, and Mr. Robert, the younger, rofe majestically to a confiderable height, taking a north westerly direction, after a course of about nine leagues in the space of two hours and five minutes, grounded in the plain of Nefle, near l'ifle Adam, without any accident, in the prefence of the duke De Chartres, the duke Fitz-Jimes, and many other perfons of diftinction, who have tigned a verbal procefs thereof in the aeroftatic chariot. At half paft four, M. Charles set off again by himself, in prefence of the fame witnesses, and in ten minutes ascended to the height of 1524 toifes (fathoms) where fufpending himself for thirty-five minutes, he happily defcended in the waftes of the wood of La Tour-du-lay; a league and an half distant from the place of his departure, without having experienced any other fenfation than a very dry cold. Extract from the Journal de Paris of the 2d and 3d of December, 1783. This globe was 26 feet diameter, full of inflammable air, compofed of taffety, payed with claftic gum, and enveloped on the upper part with a net fixed to a hoop, to which was fafter ed the cords that fupported the chariot or at of the aerial travellers. The chariot Vozier and decorated with tafte. A of of deep diving machines entirely FR engroffed the public attention, and firft rates were expected to be fished up with as much facility as mackarel. Our ingeni ous neighbours on the continent, who ufually lead the ton all over Europe, have now obligingly changed the subj. &t of our attention, and have directed our excurfions to another element. The public prints abound with accounts of the aerial voyage of meffrs Charles and Robert, M. Montgolfier, &c. &c. Aerial chariots air bulloons, acofiatic globes, Spheres, &c. &c. now are the only faftionable topics, and even polities are for a moment fufpended by this paffion for aerostatic travelling. On Wednesday February 4, at half past two in the afternoon, a Mr. Riddick Junched a balloon from the Rotundagardens, in prefence of a very confidera, ble number of fpectators of the firft diftinction. Unluckily a very smart gale of wind from the S. W. proved very unfavourable to the exhibition, and prevented that complete gratification of public curility which might have been expected on a day of greater ferenity. The balloon was of a spheriodical form about fix feet in length and four diameter, and had a finall bag affixed to it, containing a writ ten requifition, that the finder, thould it land on terra firma, would for public fatisfaction tranfmit fome account of its progrefs. On its difcharge the afcent was in an oblique direction about two hundred feet, till borne on the wings of the wind it took its courfe with furprising velocity at the rate of almoft fifty miles an hour towards the N. E. and at a mile distance it rose to a prodigious height. This first aerial exhibition in this metropolis, has not entirely fatisfied the curiofity of our literati, as the fmall fize of Mr. Riddick's balloon, did not enable them to take an excurfion a·la mode de Paris, in an appendant triumphal car. However, to remedy this disappointment, we are informed an ingenious gentleman intends fhortly to form a machine (by fubfcription) of a magnitude equal to the talk of conveying a select number of fubfcribers, with all neceffary apparatus, &c. to any propofed height or diftance, and to remedy the inconvenience of contrary winds, has alfo contrived a method of nducting his machine in any direction, ROM Terra Nuova I went to Oppido. This city is fituated on a mountain of a ferrugineous fort of gritty stone, unlike the clay foil of its neighbourhood, and is furrounded by two rivers in a ravine deeper and broader than that of Terra Nuova. Instead of the mountain on which Oppido was fituated having split in two, and by its fall on the rives topped their courfe, and formed great lakes, as we are told; it was (as at Terra Nuova) huge pieces of the plain on the edge of the ravine, that had been detached into it, nearly filled it up, and stopped the courfe of the rivers, the waters of which are now forming two great lakes. It is true, that part of the rock on which Oppido flood was detached with feveral houfes into the ravine; but that is a trifling circumstance in comparifon of the very great tracts of land, with large plantations of vines and olive-trees, which have been detached from one fide of the ravine clear over to the other, though the distance is more than half a mile. It is well attested, that a country. man, who was ploughing his field in this neighbourhood with a pair of oxen, was tranfported, with his field and team, clear from one fide of a ravine to the other, and that neither he nor his oxen were hurt. After what I have feen, I verily believe this may have happened. A targe volume might be composed of the curious ficts and accidents of this kind produced by the earthquakes in the valley; and, I fuppofe, many will be recorded in the accout of the late formidable earthquakes, which the academy of Naples intend to publish, the President having already fent into Calabria fifteen Members with draughtfien in proportion, to collect the facts, and make drawings for the fole purpose of giving fatisfactory and ample account of the late calamity to the public; but unless they attend, as I did, to the nature of the foil of the place where thofe accidents happened, their reports will generally meet with little credit except from those who are profeffed dilettanti of miracles, and many fuch do certainly exift in this country. I met with a remarkable inftance here of the degree of immediate diftrefs to which the unfortunate inhabitants of the deftroyed towns were reduced. Don Marcillo Grillo, a gentleman |