there entered a cloud, but foon appeared again, afcending to a much greater height; and at last it was loft among other clouds.

Our author justly cenfures the conduct of this experiment; obferving, that too much infim mable air, and that even fome common air had been introduced into the globe, which being clofed on all fides, left no room for the expanfion of this elaftic fluid when it should arrive to a more rarefied medium. We find, in fact, that it must have burit in confequence of this this expanfion; fince, after having floated about three quarters of an hour, it fell in a field near Goneffe, a vil lage about five leagues (15 miles) N. N. W. of the Champ de Mars. It must be allowed, that the mere evaporation of the air could not well have been the caufe of its defcending fo foon. Many periodical papers have already entertained the public with ludicrous accounts of the astonishment of the peafans who found it, and of the rough treatment it received at their hands.

III. It may eafily be imagined, that thefe brilliant fuccefles animated the zeal of all the curious in the metropolis; and that many effays were made to repeat the fame experiments upon à fmaller fcale. Our author, accordingly, in a third chapter, mentions a number of thefe fecondary attempts; upon which we fhall dwell no longer than only to obferve, that they fucceeded with globes made of gold-beater's fkin, and only 12 inches in diameter, which being thought the least that could be made to afcend, condering that the proportionate

weight of the materials increase as the bulk is diminished, were called minimums.

IV. M. Montgolfier junior, having arrived at Paris a few days before the experiment at the Champ de Mars, was defired by the Royal Academy of Science to repeat the experiment of Ar nonay. He accordingly conftruc ted, in a garden, in the Fauxbourg St. Germain, a balloon of an elliptical form, 70 feet high, and 40 feet in diameter. It was lined, both infide and ou fide, with paper. Its power of afcen fion was found, upon calculation, to be about 1250 lb. It was filled in ten minutes by the burning of 50 lb. of ftraw and 10lb. of chop ped wool. It was loaded with a weight of 500lb. and afcended, faftened to ropes, on the 12th of September, in the prefence of the deputies of the Royal Academy. But it proving a very rainy day, the whole apparatus was fo effentially damaged, that it was not thought proper to fet it loose.

V. We come now to the expe riment made on the 10th of September, in the prefence of the king and queen, the court, and all the Parifians who could procure a conveyance to Verfailles. This balloon was 57 feet high and 41 in diameter. Its power of afcen. fion, allowing for a wicker cage, containing a fheep, a cock, and a duck, which was fufpended to i, was equal to 696 ib. As only four days had been allowed for the making this machine, it could not, therefore, be lined with pa per, M. M. had predicted, that it would remain in the air about 20 minutes; and, with a mode. rate wind, might float to a dif

tance

tance of about 2000 toifes. But, befide fome imperfection in the conftruction, owing to the great hurry in which it had been made, a fudden gust of wind, while it was inflating, made two rents feven feet long near the top, which could not but in fome meafure prevent the promised effet. It fwelled however in 11 minutes fufficiently to raise it about 240 toifes; it floated to the diftance of nearly 1700 toifes, and, after having been in the air about eight minutes, it fubfided gradually in the wood of Vucreffon.- The animals in the cage were faf ly landed. The theep was found feeding; the

cock had received fome hurt on one

of his wings, probably from a kick of the theep: the duck was perfeally well.

VI. M. Montgolfier determined now to repeat the experiment under more favourable circumstances, and more at his leifure. He therefore made a new balloon, in a garden, in the Fauxbourg St. Antoine, which meafured 70 feet in height, and 46 feet in diameter. A gallery of wicker was contrived round the aperture at the bottom; under which an iron grate or brazier was fufpended, and portholes opened on the infide of

gallery, towards the aperture, through which any perfon cui robur et es triplex circa pectus fuerit, who might venture to afcend, might feed the fire on the grate, and thus keep up the vapour, smoke, or as we rather apprehend, the dilation of the air, in this vaft cavity.

On the 15th of October, M. Pilatre de Rozier, no doubt the moft intrepid philofopher of the age, placed himself in the gallery, afcended about 80 feet from

the ground, and there kept the balloon afloat for fome time, by repeatedly throwing ftraw and wool upon the fire. In this experiment it was found, that the defcent of a globe (provided no extraordinary accident happened to it) muft neceffarily be gradual; and that it will always light foftly upon the ground, fince, in fact, in every part of its defcent it enters a denfer medium; whence its velocity in falling will rather be reOn the tarded than accelerated. 19th of October, M. P. de R. afcended a fecond time, about

feet. After continuing ftati onary about eight minutes, guft of wind carried the boon among fome trees, where it entangled it felf fo as to endanger its being torn to pieces. But, on M. R. throwing fome fresh ftraw upon the fire, it immediately reafcended, amid the loud acclamations of a vaft multitude of people, who lit. tle expected to fee fo fudden a recovery. The balloon was then haulded down, and M. Giron de Villette placed himself in the gallery oppofite to M. R. They were once more let up; and, for fome time, hovered over Paris, in the fight of all its inhabitants, at the height of 324 feet."

The foregoing Experiments were foon Succeeded by two most extraordinary arial Voyages; the firft undertaken by M. Pilatre de Rozier, and the Marquis D'Arlandes, on the 21st of November; and the fecond by Meff. Charles and Robert, on the ft of December, 1783-For an Account of which we refer onr Readers to the following Authorities.

Tranflation of a Copy of the Certificate dated at the Chateau-de-la Muette, near Paris, the 21ft of November, 1783, relative to the Excurfion of the Marquis D'Arlandes, and M. Pilatre.

THIS

HIS day, at the king's palace, the Chateau-de-la Muette, an experiment has been made of the aeroftatique machine of M. Montgolfiers, The fky was cloudy in fome places, clear in others, the wind N. W. Eight minutes after twelve at noon, a fignal was given to announce that they began to fill the machine; in eight minutes time it was perfectly developed on all fides, and ready to ftart. The Marquis D'Arlandes and M. Pilatre de Rozier were placed in the gallery.

It was intended at first to let the machine rife, and then to withhold it with ropes, in order to put it to trial, to compute the exact weight it might carry, and alfo to fee whether every part was properly completed for the important expetiment which was going to be made. But the machine being driven by the wind, instead of raifing itfelf vertically, went in a direction on one of the walks in the garden, and the ropes which held it acting with too much force, feveral rents were occafioned thereby, one of which was fix feet in length. The machine having been replaced on the alcove, was paired in less than two hours. Having been filled again, it went off at 54 minutes after one, carrying the fame gentlemen; it rofe in a majestic a anner, and when it had afcended the height of above 250 feet, the intrepid travellers waving their hats, faluted the fpec

re.

tators: it was impoffible not to feel then a fenfe intermixed with fear and admiration.

The aerial travellers were foon out of fight, but the machine hovering on the horizon, and appearing in the most beautiful form, afcended gradually 3000 feet, fome fay 3000 feet in height, where it ftill remained vifible; it crolled the Seine below the Bar of Contenance, and paffing thence between the Military School and the Hotel of the Invalids, it was vifible by all Paris.

The travellers being fatisfied with this experiment, and not being willing to extend their excur fion, concerted means to defcend, but perceiving that the wind carried them over the house in the Rue Seve, fuburb St. Germaine, and fill maintaining their cool intrepidity, fang froid, they let fly a flush of gaz, and thereby raifing themfelves again, they continued their airy route until they had paffed over Paris. They then af fcended in an eafy manner in the fields beyond the New Boulevards, oppofite the mill of Croulebarbe, without having experienced the leaft inconveniency, having fill left in their gallery above twothirds of their provifional flores; they might, therefore, if they had chofen it, have gone over a space of treble the extent; their route was from four to five thousand toifes or fathoms, and performed in from twenty to twenty-five mi

nutes.

The machine was seventy feet in height, forty-fix in diameter, its infide 60,000 cubical feet, and the weight it bore up was from fixteen to feventeen hundred pounds.