The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1784-08-30 00:00:00, page 1

Foreign Intelligence.
R O U E N, June 12.
A Few days since it was advertised here, that
M. Blanchard, who had made the experi
ment with his batteaux volant (flying boat)
at Paris, proposed to repeat it the Sunday
following in this city ; the experiments of filling the
balloon, and launching the batteau, were to be made
in the court of the new barracks. Yesterday being
the day appointed, the noblesse, and all the principal
inhabitants of the city, and its neighbourhood, were
early in the day assembled in the court, and made a
most brilliant appearance ; the towers, spires, house
tops, and hil's, were all coveted, all waiting atten
tively for the coup de cannon ; which was to be the
signal of the departure of the batteaux volant. I was
in the court, and very near the spot, and diftindly
saw the operation of filling the balloon, and attaching
the boat; it was performed by at least ten or twelve
casks, all communicated to one large one, by tin tubes;
from the large one was a flexible tube of oiled or
painted silk, which was connected to the bottom of
the balloon, by which means the gaz was forced up
with the hand into it. The balloon was in diameter
about 30 English feet, and about 36 in height, made
of silk ; the upper hemisphere was green, the lower
white; the upper one was covered with a strong silk
net, at the bottom of which was a zone of cord, which
served to strengthen the balloon, and to which were
attached the small cords for the supporters of the bat
teau beneath. The batteau in some measure resembled
a bird, having a fine pair of green silken wings, which
Mr. Blanchard worked much in the fame manner that
a waterman works a pair of sculls ; the rudder was at
the head of the batteau, and went foremoft, and some
thing resembled the head of a bird; and he, when
fixed in his boat, worked the rudder with his feet,
and rowed, or rather fled, with his face foremoft, fea
thering his wings like rars with amazing dexterity;
after having filled the balloon, ' attached the batteau,
and adjusted properly the ballast, it being near seven
o'clock in the evenin •, he embraced, and took leave
of several of his friends, who invoked Heaven for a
happy voyage to the auventurous traveller, who with
a determined courage commanded the cannon to be
fired, and the cords unloosed ; with what pleating
astonishment every one beheld him in his god-like
equipage, mounting on the wings of the wind, with
all the majeftick sublimity attributed to the celestial
powers! he ascended, nearly in a perpendicular line,
till he was full three times as high as the grand spire
of Notre Dame, which is equal to St. Paul's at least,
and crossed over the Seine, and the ships lying there,
by the vanes of which, and on the towers and spires,
we saw diftin&ly that he made a course very near to
windward, not farther than fix points, and continued
to fly in a direct line over the middle of the city, gra
dually increasing in height, and out-topped the high
hills on the north tide of it by nearly two miles; I
had an acromatick telescope of two feet with me,
with which I could diftindly fee him use the wings
like an eagle all the way, till he to all appearance
nearly touched the horizon, and to the naked eye did
not appear larger than a cricket ball. After about 35
minutes, loft fight of him, I should suppose at nearly
the distance of eight miles; when over the city he
let loose too pidgeons, who seemed so embarrassed,
that I thought they would have fallen to the ground,
but they recovered themselves, and they pursued their
different routes, with billets attached to their legs by
long strings.
We have just now heard how far he continued his
serial voyage; he made five leagues in an hour and a
quarter, and in a field of wheat, he defeended near
the ground, and feeing a shepherd he threw out his
cord, and entreated him to lay hold of it, but the poor
fellow was almost terrified to death, and durst not ap
proach ; but he told him he was only a man like him
felf, and he need not be afraid ; the shepherd at last
was prevailed on to assist him to alight, and he has
brought his balloon and batteau to town to-day in a
waggon, without their having received any damage.
The place where he defeended is called Ratterville,
NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
[Vol. Vfl.]
TRENTON: Printed by ISAAC COLLIN S, Printer to the State.
MON DA Y, August 30, 1784.
and he was entertained with a supper by the Curate of
the parish.
L OND O N, June io.
There is no branch of the European commerce
that has made so rapid a progress as that to the East-
Indies. The whole number of ships sent to Asia by
all the maritime powers of Europe at the beginning of
the present century, did not amount to 50 fail; of
which England sent fourteen, France five, the Dutch
eleven, the Venetians and Genoefe together, nine,
the Spaniards three, and all the rest of Europe only
fix: Neither the Ruffians or Imperialists at that pe
riod sent any. In the year 1744, the English in
creased the number of their ships to 27, the Venetians
and Genoefe sent only four, and the rest of Europe
about nine. At this time near three hundred fail of
European ships, belonging to the several powers, are
employed in the East-India traffick, of which England
alone fends sixty-eight, being the whole of the East-
India Company's shipping. The French last year em
ployed nine, the Portuguese thirteen, the Ruffians,
the Spaniards, &c. make up the remainder; but nei
ther the Venetians or Genoefe now fend one single
fliip to the Indies.
The following is the calculation of the trade of
barter with England, proposed by the comte de Ver
gennes, and which has since been transmitted to our
court by the duke of Dorfet:
Sterling.
Value of Bourdeaux wines, which )
would be exported to England, inf f
case the duty was no higher thanf °° 335'°°°
on Portugal wines, )
do. of Burgundy, - - 87,500
do. of Champaigne, ^ - 46,000
do. of other French wines, - 15,000
£- 4^3's°°
RETUR N.
Sterling.
Plated goods of Sheffield and Birming-), <
ha m , &c. j£.i06,000
Cutlery, - - . 98,000
Wolverhampton goods, - - 40,000
Hearth furniture, ... 26,000
Locks, keys,&c. - - 46,000
Queens-ware, (Wedgwood) - - 30,000
English broadcloths, - - 40,000
Yorkshire narrows, - - 32,000
Manchester goods, - - 65,500
£•483,500
The following is a very exa& account of the ex
penditure of the Empress of Russia, on an average of
several years :
Sterling.
Establishment of the palace, kitchen,) , _
chambers, &c. $ £° 260,000
Wardrobe and expenses of the person, 300,000
Presents, - - - 256,500
New furniture, - - 130,000
Buildings, - - - 270,000
Libraries, academies, &c. - - 67,000
Pensions to men of letters, - 22,000
Stables and journies, - - 84,000
Allowance to the grand duke and dutchefs, 250,000
do. to their children, - 67,000
£. 1,706,500
In the new establishment formed at Czarfcozelo, by
the Empress of Russia, there are many departments
for the encouragement of every fort of ufeful indus
try, with profeffors, and considerable revenues for
making all kinds of experiments: The divisions ap
pointed are,
I. Agriculture, with an office, college, farm, with
fix profeffors, besides travelling ones and eleves.
2. Inland navigation, with the superintendence of
a&ual canals, now cutting.
3. Mechanicks, with all kinds of workshops and
engines, for pra&ical performances.
4. Botany, with a great botanical garden, and
twelve travelling profeffors.
THE
5. Mineralogy, with the superintendence of the
mines, and travelling profeffors.
6. Ufeful architecture for husbandry, manufactures,
and commerce. The whole expense of the establish
ment will be 150,000 roubles a year. .
Miracles of the present Day.
I r is a miracle that lords and commoners can live
without money, be eternally embarrassed, and yet al
ways appear to be easy.
It is a miracle that some paupers are trusted with
a qualification to parliament, who are not worth a
guinea in the world.,
It is a miracle that men who are thousands in debt,
and have no incomes, can take houses of enormous
rents, keep carriages, drink Champaign, and yet never
get pilloried for impostors.
It is a miracle if the Dutchefs has escaped the
grossest insults in the course of her Westminster can
vass.
It is a miracle if all Mr. Fox's taylor's bills have
got receipts at the bottom of them.
It is a miracle that so many citizens, who keep
gigs and country houses, in case of failure, can some
times pay fix-pence in the pound.
It is a miracle that lady Archer's complexion is as
blooming and brilliant as it was twenty years ago.
It is a miracle that Tower-Hill and Temple-Bar
have been so long neglected.
It is a miracle that the India Company escaped per
dition, considering the profligacy of the minister who
undertook to manage their affairs.
It is a miracle that some fafhionable females, not
quite loft to character, fliould be insensible to the ab
lurdity of their late conduct.
It is a miracle how half Mr. Fox's friends get cre
dit for small beer.
It is a miracle that a thousand voters fliould have
polled for a certain candidate, who never lived within
three miles of the city of Westminster;
It is a miracle to hear the prince argue against
cuckoldom and fornication.
It is a miracle that lord North has escaped both
the axe and the halter.
July 8. Letters from Boston mention, that a new
nation of white people has been discovered about 2000
miles beyond the Apalachian mountains. They are
said to be acquainted with the principles of the chrif
tian religion, and to be exceedingly courteous and ci
vilized. This account was brought by the Indians
to Boston, and concurs with others which were re
ported by two French missionaries at Montreal last
year.
The publick have been told that Dr. Franklin is
in England ; so far from being able to come to Eng
land, he cannot even venture so far as Paris from his
house at Paffay. He is afflicted with the gravel, and
cannot even go out in his carriage.
The following lines conclude the mandate of his
grace the archbishop of Paris, ordering the Te Deuni
to be sung in all the churches of his diocese, in thanks
giving for there-establishment of peace: “ 0 ! that
the happy peace which we now celebrate may never
hereafter be disturbed ! 0 ! that it may extinguish for
all eternity that fatal rivalry which in every age has
cost so many tears, and so much blood-Hied, to two
nations which entertain a mutual regard for each
other! O! that it may be succeeded by a noble emu
lation between too nations so capable of bringing arts
and sciences to perfection, and of extending the boun
daries of human knowledge, if they would but banish
from their minds that falfe science, and that proud
philosophy, which, instead of enlightening mankind,
obfeures all truths, and reveries every principle ! O!
that France and England could be forever united, for
the glory of Europe, and for the good of the universe."
Extras from the Hibernia Journal of June 21.
" We hear that a number of vessels from Dieppe,
Havre de Grace, Morlaix, St. Valery, and other
French ports in the channel, are busy on the mack
rell fifhery, at the diflance of about fix or seven leagues
from the south coast of this kingdom ; they frequent
ly fall in with the Irish fifhers, and give them brandy
and tobacco, telling them that there need be no cause
[Numb. 329.]