It would be tedious to recount the aerial expeditions that were 'reformed in various parts of our own country, as well as on tire continent, in the whole course of the vear 1785: more especially as they have aflbrded us no expenment or disco very- of any peculiar importance. The most persevering aerial navigator has been Sir. Blanchard. In August, 1788, be ascended at Brunswick for the thirty second time. Within two years from the first disco% ery of this art of navigating the atmosphere, more than forty different persons performed the experiment with out any material injury; and it may be justly questioned, says Mr. Cavallo, whe ther the first/ forty persons who trusted themselves to the sea in boats escaped so safely. The catastrophe that befel Rozier, and the unpleasant circinnstances that have happened to some of the aeronauts in our own country, have been owing, not so much to the principle of the art, as to want of judgment, or imprudent manage ment in the conduct of it.
Omitting the various uninteresting, though not very numerous, aerial voyages undertaken in various parts of the world, during the 17 years subsequent to the above-mentioned dreadful accident of Pi latre de Rozier and Mr. Rornain, we shall only add the account of two aerostatic ex periments lately performed in England by Mr. Garnerin, a French aeronaut. The first of these is remarkable for the very great velocity of its motion ; the second for the exhibition of a mode of leaving the balloon, and of descending with safe ty to the ground. On the 30th of June, 1802, the wind being strong, though not impetuous, Mr. Garnerin and another gentleman ascended with an inflammable air, or hydrogen gas, balloon, from Rane lagh gardens, on the south-west of Lon don, between four and five o'clock in the afternoon ; and in exactly three quarters of an hour they descended near the sea, at the distance of four miles from Col chester. The distance of that place from Ranelagh is.60 miles; therefore they tra velled at the astonishing rate of 80 miles per hour. it seems that the balloon had power enough to keep them up four or five hours longer, in which time they might have gone safely to the continent; but prudence induced them to descend when they discovered the sea not far off. The. singular experiment of ascending into the atmosphere with a balloon, and of descending with a machine called a parachute, was performed by Mr. Garne rin on the 21st of September, 1802. He ascended from St. George's parade, North Audley street, and descended safe into a field near the small-pox hospital, at Pancras. The balloon was of the usual sort, viz. of oiled silk, with a net, from which ropes proceeded, which terminated in, or were joined to a single rope at a few feet below the balloon. To this rope the parachute was fastened in the following manner. The reader may easily form to himself an idea of this parachute, by ima gining a large umbrella of canvas, about 30 feet in diameter, but destitute of the ribs and handle. Several ropes of about 30
feet in length, which proceeded from the edge of the parachute, terminated in a common joining, from which shorter ropes proceeded, to the extremities of which a circular basket was fastened., and in this basket Mr. Garnerin placed him self. The single rope passed through a hole in the centre of the parachute, also through certain tin tubes, which were placed one after the other, inthe place of the handle or stick of an umbrella, and was lastly fastened to the basket; so that, when the balloon was in the air, by cut ting the end of the rope next to the bas ket, the parachute with the basket would be separated from the balloon, and in falling downwards would be naturally openedby the resistance of the air: The use of the tin tubes was, to let the rope slip off with greater certainty, and to pre vent its being entangled with any of the other ropes, as also to keep the parachute at a distance from the basket. The bal loon began to be filled about two o'clock. There were 36 casks filled with iron filings, and diluted sulphuric acid, for the pro duction of the hydrogen gas. These communicated with three other casks, or general receivers, to each of which was fixed a tube, that emptied itself into the main tube attached to the balloon. At six, the balloon being quite full of gas, and the parachute, &c. being attached to it, Mr. Garnerin placed himself in the basket, and ascended majestically, amidst the acclamations of innumerable specta tors. The weather was the clearest and pleasantest imaginable; the wind was gentle, and about west by south ; in con sequence of which Mr. Garnerin went in the direction of nearly east by north. In about eight minutes the balloon and para chute had ascended to an immense height, and Mr. Garnerin, in the basket, could scarcely be perceived. While every spectator was contemplating the grand sight before them, Mr. Garnerin cut the rope, aid in an instant he was separated from the balloon, trusting his safety to the parachute. At first, viz. before the parachute opened, he fell with great ve locity; but as soon as the parachute was expanded, which took place a few mo ments after, the descent became very gentle and gradual. A remarkable cir cumstance was observed; namely, that the parachute, with the appendage of cords and basket, soon began to vibrate like the pendulum of a clock, and the vi brations were so great, that more than once the parachute, and the basket with Mr. Garnerin, seemed to be on the same level, or quite horizontal : however, the extent of the vibrations diminished as he descended. On coming to the earth, Mr. Garnerin experienced some pretty strong shocks ; but he soon recovered his spirits, and remained without any material hurt.