M. Roberts having alighted, and much of the inflammable gas still remaining, M. Charles de termined on taking another voyage. No soon er therefore was the balloon thus lightened of 130 pounds of its weight, than it arose with immense velocity, and in 20 minutes was 9000 feet above the earth, and out of sight of all ter restrial objects. The globe, which had become flaccid, now began to swell, and when M. Charles drew the valve, to prevent the balloon from bursting, the inflammable gas, which was much warmer than the external air, for a time diffused a warmth around, but afterwards, a considerable change was observable in the tem perature. His fingers were benumbed with cold, which also occasioned a pain in his right ear and jaw, but the beauty of the prospect compensated for these inconveniences. The sun, which had been set on his ascent, became again visible for a short time, in consequence of the height which he had reached. He saw for a few seconds vapours rising from the val leys and rivers. The clouds seemed to rise from the earth, and collect one upon the other ; only their colour was gray and obscure from the dimness of the light. By the light of the anoon he perceived that the machine was turn ing round with him, and that there were COn• trary currents which brought him back again : he also observed with surprise, that the 'wind caused his banners to point upwards, although he was neither rising nor descending, but mov ing horizontally. On alighting in a field about 3 miles distant from the place where beset out, he calculated that he had ascended, at this time, not less than 10,500 feet. Hitherto all experi ments of this kind had been unattended with any evil consequences ; but an attempt which was made to putasmallaerostaticmachinewithrare fled air under an inflammable air balloon, proved fatal to the adventurers, M. Pilatre de Rozier and H. Romaine. Their inflammable airballoon was about 37 feet in diameter, and the power of the rarefied air one was equivalent to about 60 pounds. They were not long in the air when the inflammable air balloon was seen to swell considerably, and the aeronauts were observed, by means of telescopes, to be very anxious to descend, and busied in pulling the valve and giving every possible facility of escape to the in flammable air, but, in spite of all their endea vours, the balloon took fire without any explo sion, and the unfortunate gentlemen were pre cipitated to the earth, at the height of about three quarters of a mile. M. Pilatre seemed to have been dead before he came to the ground; but M. Romaine was found to be alive, although he expired immediately after. The ill success of this experiment, which had been made for the purpose ofdiminishing the expense of inflat Mg the machine with gas, did not interrupt the progressof aerostation. Aerial voyages continu ed to be made on the old scheme. The first trial in England was made by Vincent Lunardi, an Italian, on the 15th of September, 1784. His
balloon, the diameter of which was 33 feet, was made of oiled silk, painted in alternate stripes of blue and red. From a net, which wont over about two thirds of the balloon, de scended 45 cords to a hoop hanging below it, and to which the gallery was attached. Instead of a valve, the aperture at the neck of the bal. 'loon, which was in the shape of a pear, served for admitting or letting out the inflammable air. The air for filling the balloon was produ ced from zinc, by means of diluted vitriolic acid. AI. Lunardi ascended from the Artillery Ground, at two o'clock, having with him a dog, a cat, and a pigeon. He was obliged to threw out some of has ballast in order to clear the houses, when he rose to a considerable height, proceeding first N. W. by W. and then nearly N. About half after three he descended very near the earth, and landed the cat, which was half dead with the cold; he then reascended by throwing out some more of his ballast, and ten minutes past four he alighted in a meadow near Ware in Hertfordshire. His thermome ter stood in the course of his voyage as low as 29°. and he observed that the drops of water collected round the balloon were frozen. The second aerial voyage in England was perform ed by Mr. Blanchard, on the 16th of Ortobar, in the samey in which he was accompanied by Mr. ear of anatomy at the Royal Academy, the that ad. Teamed in such an excursion. They ascend ed a kw minutes peat 12 o'clock, and idler pro eseding about 14 inams beyond Chelsea, Mr. Blanchard landed Mr. Sheldon, recompiled acne, and finally landed near Ramsey, is Hampshire, about 75 miles from London, which was at the rate of about 20 miles an hew Mr. Blanchard ascended an MO that be fish a ffifficuky in breathing' and a pigmy', which Sew from the boat, laboured for sane time to sustain itdelC but was at length cam pelted to morn and rest an the bon.
Aerial Toyama now became frequent in Eng. land and elsewhere, and afforded welling wor. thy of notice before the ascent of AC Garnerin, in 1101, who undertook the singular and des Aerate experiment of &seem:fang by meatus of a parachute. (See Pastamirrr-) In this de send it was creerved that the parachute, with the append sire °fonds and thehasket in which M. liarnerin had seated himself vibrated hie the pendulum of a clock, and at times the ri bratisns were an violent, that more than once the parachute and the boket seemed to be en the same level, or quite horizontal, which pre. vented a terrific spectacle of danger to the spec tator. They diminished, however, as M. Gar nerin approached the earth, and he was landed in safety, though strongly affected with the violent shocks that his frame had experienced Various excursions have since been made by Mr. Sadder, Mr. Gam, and others.