The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1784-11-29 00:00:00, page 1

I drew a paper from my pocket which had been
thrown into my vessel at our departure. We thought
it was a song, and endeavoured by turns to find a tune
for it, but we soon difeovered it to be some excellent
verses. Having read them over, we conceived it was
time to determine our course. I allied M. Boby to
which quarter he wished to turn? He replied to the
North. I immediately agitated one wing only, by
veering it round pretty nearly to the 45th degree, and
we turned Northward. My companion expressing a
desire to be transported to the clouds, I a&ed forci
bly with my four wings, and we ascended. The ba
rometer fell to twenty inches, and the thermometer
to nine degrees ; it was now fifty, fix minutes past five.
Just at this time a contrary breeze sprang up, and I
was obliged to abandon my Northern course; accor
ding to the compass, we took a North-East track, and
this part of our voyage we ran through with great ve
locity. M. Boby imagined we were stationary all this
time, and, conceiving that his strength would expe
dite our progress, he offered to quit his barometer
and a&ft me in rowing. I detired him, however, to
An exafl Narrative of M. Blanchard's Observa
tions during bis third fErial Voyage, on the 18tb
°f 3"'» 178, Extrafled from a Pamphlet
translated from the French of Mr. Blanchard.
I TOOK my departure, from the old barracks of
Rouen, with M. Boby, a quarter past five in the
evening, having, besides our own weight, about
two hundred and ten pounds of ballast. While
we were ascending vertically in a majeftick manner, we
continually saluted the fpe&ators with our flags. The
barometer fell four inches and fix lines in seven mi
nutes, the thermometer eighteen degrees in the fame
space of time. The compass convinced us that we
were in the North-East quarter. We felt at this
time a little frefh breeze, which would have carried
us forward, without affecting our intention of making
fomc evolutions over the city, and of rising and de
scending at pleasure, as I had engaged to do; and,
which would, in fine, have prevented me from grati
fying my native province, over which I was then ho
vering, and which was attentively examining my ma
neeuvres. I therefore struggled against the wind, in
presenting to it the convexity cf my wings, which I
agitated with great force. This enabled me to turn
to the Weft, after which I fhifted my wings inversely,
and found with pleasure that we had escaped this cur
rent, which would soon have driven us from the light
of our fpe&ators, whose plaudits and ejaculations we
could still hear very dUtindly. The force of afeenfi
on was constantly taking place, but on striking the air
to resist that power, we became, fob an instant, stati
onary. During this period, I enquired of M. Boby,
who was contemplating the earth with admiration, whe
ther he could distinguish the mountain of St. Catha
rine? He looked for it without effeft, and he con
feffed ingenuously that he was out of his latitude, the
furface of the earth having no other appearance to
him than a superb plain. Having conversed together,
for a short time, on the grandeur of the feene, I en
deavoured to defeend, and succeeded so well, that the
people imagined we were falling. The barometer rose
considerably. As we fancied we heard exclamations
of terror, we determined not to fuffer the fpedators
to be under any further apprehension for our fate :—-
We re-afeended very quickly, by throwing out some
ballast, and working with the wings. If it had not
been my intention to mount very high, we could have
re-afeended without either of those expedients, lince
we had effected our descent by the aid of our wings
alone. We ascended very considerably, for the ba
rometer, at thirty-two minutes past five, had fallen
to 21 inches. We now found ourselves becalmed, and
for four minutes used no means of extrication. Hav
ing attentively surveyed the vast cxpanfe, and con
templated the beauty of the clouds, which rolled over
each other like a tempestuous sea, we congratulated
ourselves on the occasion, and expressed an ardent de
sire to traverse their extent, which we could only ef
fe& by agitating our wings, it being prudent to re
serve our ballast till we had got out of this calm, where
we experienced sensations, delightful beyond descrip
tion.
NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
[Vol. VIL]
TRENTON: Printed by ISAAC COLLIN S, Printer to the State.
MONDA Y, November 29, 1784.
We travelled at this height for fix minutes, and in
this last elevation we turned to the N. N. W. After
passing through a very light cloud, I perceived the sea
before me at a distance; the rays of the fun rendered
it as bnNiant as glass: I could difcerra a little black
take care of his instruments, and to assure himfelf
that we were going at a great rate; as there was no
fixed point in the immense void in which we then
were, it was not possible to convince him of the cele
rity of our couife, but that he fliould presently be sen
sible of it. I then turned back my wings, and struck
the air in a contrary direction ; the power of afeenfion
yielded to this effort, and we defeended considerably.
It was now fix minutes after fix; the barometer rose
to twenty-five inches and two lines. At this height
we could easily distinguish the country. My compa
nion, who had till then been doubtful of our progress,
was delighted to fee the earth fly, as it were, 'from
under our feet.
We were then near to the town of Saint Saen, and
although this was not exactly our route, we agreed to
hover over it, as we heard the inhabitants calling us
towards them. We were in one minute near enough
to fee houses very plainly, but not to distinguish the
people. We saluted them with our flags, and throw
ing out a portion of ballast, ascended considerably, and
pursued our route Northeastward.
In re-ascending, we thought we discerned a town
at a distance, and indeed we were not mistaken. M.
Boby was better acquainted with this part of the
country, and from the state of the compass, which I
desired him to observe, he supposed it to be Neufcha
tel. “ I have, said he, some friends in that town,
and should be very happy to pay my compliments to
them en paffant, if it is agreeable to you." I told
him it was quite as practicable as what we had just
been doing, and would not interrupt our course, as
we must have passed over it, but that we would at
present afeend as high as we were able. I had a par
ticular reason for this, which I was desirous, for a
moment, to conceal from my companion. It was my
wilh, indeed, to endeavour to get a fight at the sea.
When we had attained a height in which the baro
meter marked twenty inches and fix lines, we felt a
supportable degree of cold. As condensation was now
taking place, the balloon collapsed a little, and in pro
portion as the barometer rose again we threw out a
proportionable quantity of ballast. We puffed on at
nearly the fame height about fix minutes.
Ihe ratified air gave M. Boby an appetite. He ate,
and I followed his example. He allied for something
to drink, but he did not relish the firft bottle I gave
him. He chose another, and we drank to the health
of the city of Rouen, the earth in general, and his
friends at Ncufchatel in particular, among whom we
were about to defeend.
It was now 12 minutes past fix; the barometer had
risen to twenty-two inches and four lines; the ther
mometer to twelve degrees. I took the rejected bot
tle, and threw it away uncorked: We followed it
with our eyes as far as we were able, and observed it
falling with such violence, that the liquor escaped like
a copious smoke from the funnel of a chimney. The
wine appeared in ebullition, and exhaling in the form
of vapour, at length it dilappeared. We continued to
mount, and the barometer fell to twenty-one inches
and fix lines. We were still going Northeastward,
when I imagined we were approaching the town. I
employed myfelf in our intended descent, and solicited
my adventurous companion to lay aside his instruments
that he might assist me to defeend by means of our
wings. He took his station on the left fide, and we
both rowed forcibly for three minutes. We defeended
with facility near the town of Ncufchatel, and by a
quick and successive motion of the wings, we attained
a power of hovering over it. We saluted the inhabi
tants, who made the air resound with my name. It
was now about fifteen minutes past fix. Having paid
this visit, we again railed ourselves by means of the
wings; our departure seemed to throw the fpedators
into an alarm, and we could diftinctiy hear their voices,
which seemed to recall us. We then ascended to a
great height, the barometer fell to twenty inches, and
the thermometer to nine degrees; it was now twenty
minutes past fix.
THE
point upon it, but took no notice to my fellow travel
ler, and rowed powerfully to accelerate our course.
The little point increased to my fight, and 1 was fa
tisfied it was a vessel. My companion, who was en
gaged in examining the beauty of the different clouds,
told me he heard the murmuring of a tempest. "Can
it," said he, “ be a contest between the clouds, or
some effect within the globe." “It is nothing," said
I. A moment after, as I proceeded to lower the ma
chine, he observed that the noise increased, and rc
fembled the waves of the sea. “ You are not mis
taken," replied I, " look back, and you will fee the
fineft profpedt imaginable." He was enchanted at the
bght, and could plainly diftingudlithe vessel.
I observed to him that it was now time to confider
whether we should undertake the passage;“ lam per
fectly agreeable," answered he, with the greatest firm
nefs. lam at your command; you fee throughout
the voyage, how much confidence I have placed in
your manoeuvres. I resign myfelf entirely to your
will; youi decision fliall be mine." His fortitude
greatly strengthened my resolution. We were but
two leagues distant from the sea, yet before I would
determine whether we should pass it, I made those
observations which prudence suggested to me. The
barometer convinced me of our considerable elevation,
the compass promised a happy passage, but the time'
of the day made me fearful that it would be a rash
undertaking. I weighed every circumstance, and con
fiderißg the matter thoroughly, thought it would be
best to defeend. M. Boby expressed himfelf entirely
conformable to my will.
It was now, for the firft time, that I opened the
valve, in order to defeend; it produced all the ex
pected effed. M. Boby, who was examining the ba
rometer, observed to me, that we were defeending ra
pidly. I told him, it was necessary that we fhould#
as we were too near the sea to hazard a descent in an
oblique line, which might perhaps bring us upon it.
I requeued him to be very attentive to the barometer,
and to inform me when it flood at twenty-fix inches.
He gave me notice of it, and I threw out as much
ballast as I thought necessary to bring us in equili
brio. This succeeded so well, that for two minutes we
ran over the plains at the fame height. We could
liter voices from all parts, and perceive a number of
the country people running from different quarters.
I immediately pointed out to my fellow traveller the
plain on which I should chufe to defeend, and in ef
fed I rowed with such fucceis as 10 alight upon it. I
cautioned M. Boby to be careful of his barometer,
and to hold it in equipoise, left it should break. Ihe
machine fettled gently on a piece of trefoil, and what
was the astonishment of my companion, when he per
ceived himfelf resting lightly on the tops of the leaves !
his barometer had nearly fallen from his hands, and
looking at me, he exclaimed with rapture, Ah! what
a majeftick descent ! Observing a great number of
peasants running towards us, he expressed a delire to
re-afeend, as it was impoflible to know their intenti
on. We again took our flight, and ascended to near
twelve hundred feet. My wings alone produced this
effed, and with great ease, since we were in an equi
librium with the atmosphere. The weather was to
lerably calm, and a very flight motion enabled us to
afeend or defeend at pleasure.
T he outcries of the peasants invited our return - I
manoeuvred in consequence, and we accosted them at
the height of about one hundred feet. Some were
clafpiog their hands together, others kneeling, and the
greater part of them were running away terrified. <
I he most courageous contemplated us, and exclaimed,
“ Are you men, or gods? What are you? Make
yourselves known." We replied, we are men, like
you, and here is a proof of it. We took off our coats,
and threw them down; they seized on them eagerly,
and began to divide them in pieces. This feene af
forded us infinite amusement. We then re-afeended.
At length, when we supposed they were convinced
that we were fellow-creatures (by their acclamations,
and the offers of service which they tendered us) ,we
resolved to defeend. They stretched out their arms
towards us, joy was depicted in the countenance of
some, while others shed tears of rapture. We came
lightly down on a piece of corn, the ears cf which -
[NuMb. 342,