The longest and the most interesting voyage, which was performed about this time, was that of Messrs. Roberts ancl M. Collin. IluIlin, at Paris, on the 19tIt of September. Their aerostat was filled with inflammable air. Its diameter was 274 feet, and its length 461 feet, and it was made to float with its longest part pa rallel to the horizon, with a boat nearly 17 feet long, attached to a net that went over it as far as its middle. To the boat were annexed wings, or oars, in the form of an umbrella. At 12 o'clock they as cended with 450 pounds of ballast, and, after various manceuvres, descended at 40 minutes past six o'clock near Arras, in Artois, having still 200 pounds of their ballast remaining in the boat Havingrisen about 1400 feet, they perceived stormy clouds, which they endeavoured to avoid ; but the current of air was uniform front the height of 600 to 4200 feet. The ba rometer on the coast of the sea was 29.61 inches, and sunk to 23.94 inches. They found that, by working with their oars, they accelerated their course. In the prosecution of their voyage, which was 150 miles, they heard two claps of' thunder ; and the cold occasioned by- the approach of stormy clouds made the thermometer fall from 77° to 59°, and condensed the inflammable air in the bal loon, so as to make it descend very low From some experiments they concluded, that they were able by the use of two oars to deviate from the direction of the wind about 22°. But this experiment re quires repetition, in order to ascertain with accuracy the effect here ascribed to oars. The second aerial voyage in Eng land was performed by Mr. Blanchard and Mr. Sheldon, professor of anatomy to the Royal Academy, the first Engiish man who ascended with an aerostatic ma chine. This experiment was performed at Chelsea, on the 16th of October. The wings used on this occasion seemed to have produced. no deviation in the ma chine's track fraud the direction of the wind. Mr. Blanthard, having landed his friend about the distance of 14 miles from Chelsea, proceeded alone, with different currents, and ascended so high as to expe rience great difficulty of breathing; a pi geon, also, which flew away from the boat, laboured some time with its wings. in order to sustain itself in the rarified air, and after wandering for a good while.
returned, and rested on one side of the boat. Sir. Blanchard, perceiving the sea before him, descended near Rumsey, about 75 miles from London, having tra velled at the rate of nearly 20 miles an hour.
On the l'2th of October, Mr. Sadler, of Oxford, made a voyage of 14 miles from that place in 17 minutes, with an inflam mable air balloon of Iris own contrivance and construction. The fate of SI. P. de Rozier, the first aerial navigator, and of Iris companion, M. Romain, hasbeen much lamented. They ascended at Boulogne on the 15th of June, with an intention of crossing the channel to England. Their machine consisted of a spherical balloon, 37 feet in diameter, filled with inflam mable air, and under this balloon was sus pended a small Montgolfier, or fire bal loon, ten feet in diameter. This Mont golfier was designed for rarefying the atmospheric air, and thus diminishing the specific gravity of the s hole apparatus.
1-`or the first twenty thinutes they seemed to pursue their proper course ; but the balloon seemed much inflated, and the aeronauts appeared anxious to desend. Soon, however, when they were at the height of about three quarters of a mile, the whole apparatus was in flames, and the unfortunate adventurers fell to the ground, and were killed on the spot On the 19th of July, Sir. Crosbie as cended at Dublin, sith a view of crossing the channel to England_ To a wicker basket of a circular form, which he had substituted for the boat, he had laced a number of bladders for the purpose of rendering his gallery buoyant, in case of a disaster at sea. The height to which he ascended at one time %vas such, that by the intense cold his ink was frozen, and the mercury' sunk into the hall of the thermometer. He himself was sick, and lie felt a strong impression on the tympa num of his ears. At his utmost eleva tion he thought himself stationary ; but on discharging some gas, he descended to a very rough current of air blowing to the north. He then entered a dense cloud, and experienced strong blasts of winds, with thunder and lightning, which brought him with rapidity toward.s the surfirce of the water. The water soon entered his car ; the force of the wind plunged him into the ocean, and it WAS sith difficulty that he put on his cork jacket. The bladders which he had pre pared were now found of great use. The water, added to his own weight, served as ballast ; and the balloon, maintaining its poise, answered the purpose of a sail, by means of which, arid a snatch-block to his car, he moved before the N% ind as re gularly as a sailing-boat. He was at length overtaken by some vessels that were crowding sail after him, and con veyed to Dunleary with the balloon On the 22d of July, Major Money, who as cended et Norwich, was driven out to sea, and after being blown about for aboi it two hours, he dropped into the water. Af ter much exertion for preserving his life, and when he was almost despairing of re lief, he was taken up by- a revenue cutter, in a state of extreme weakness; having been struggling to keep himself abate water for about seven hourt The longest voyag-e, that had been hi therto made, was performed by Mr. Blanchard, towards the entl of August. He ascended at Lisle, accompanied by the Chevalier de L'Epinard, andtraversed a distance of 300 miles before he descend ed. On this, as well as on other occa sions, Mr. BlImehard made trial of a pa rachute, in the form of a large umbrella, which he contrived for breaking his fall, in case of any accident. With this ma chine he let down a dog, which came to the ground gently, and unhurt. On the 8th of September, Mr. Baldwin ascended from the city of Chester, and performed an aerial voyage of 25 miles in ts o hours and a quarter. His greatest elevation WAS about a mile and a half, and he supposes that the velocity of his motion was some times at the rate of 20 miles an hour. Ile has published a circumstantial account of his voyage, described the appearances of the clouds as lie passed througir them, and annexed a variety of observations re lating to aerostation.