The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-05-08 00:00:00

LONDONDERRY AS A PORT OF CALL
FOR AMERICA.

The Hon. Sydney Smith, postmaster-general of
Canada, Mr. Allen, chairman of the Canadian and
Liverpool Line of Steamers, and several other gentle-
denten interested in the shipping interest, have just
returned from an inspection of Lough Foyle, and have,
it is announced, decided upon the latter as a port of
call for America, in preference to Queenstown. The
first sailing outwards is fixed for the 24th instant.

AERIAL NAVIOATION.--BALLOONING TO EUROPE.—
The experienced aeronaut, Mr. Wise, is making prepa-
rations to try a voyage to Europe in a monster balloon,
with a view to solve the question whether the air is
navigable. Such a project has been thought of for a
long time, and if anyone can accomplish it we think
Wise is the man ; for he has a large experience, having
made some 250 flights. and devoted almost as much
time and attention to the theory of the air currents as
Maury has to the tides and winds in connection with
ocean navigation. Wise is an enthusiast, but his
enthusiasm seems to have taken a practical direc-
tion. He has perfect confidence in the result of
his experiments—not the least of which was his
remarkable aerial voyage from St. Louis to Watertown,
New York, in company with La Mountain—and is
willing to venture on a transatlantic expedition, relying
upon the correctness of his theory, that at certain alti-
tudes the currents of the air run in certain directions
ith linen iug accuracy, and that thus the globe may be
circumnavigated by a balloon with as much ease as by a
ship. This, of course, is a question the issue el which
must be merely the solution of a scientific and geogra-
phical problem, like the Arctic expedition now in
contemplation by Dr. Hayes to settle the location
of the North Pole, and determine the existence of an
open polar sea. The decision of either question may
have no practical result; but if they are worth solving
at all—and we conceive that they are—these expedi-
tions should be sustained by the wealthy portion of the
community, to whom a liberal contribution is a
small matter compared with the satisfaction of seeing
these interesting scientific subjects fairly tested.
Mr. Wise is at present engaged in making ex-
perimental trips and delivering lectures upon aerial
navigation, for the purpose of raising funds to carry out
his expedition to Europe—some six or seven thousand
dollars being required for that purpose—and we hope
that he will be furnished with means to make the
attempt. The Smithsonian Institution will probably
supply hin; with necessary instruments to make his
observations and experiments in upper air, or, if it
does not, he will doubtless procure them by some
means, and we may anticipate some very interesting
additions to our knowledge of atmospheric phenomena
and the rules which govern the air-currents. Should
Mr. Wise succeed in travelling to Europe in two or
three days, as he confidently expects to do, and should
Dr. Hayes discover the open polar sea, about which
he entertains no doubt, it will be a subject of much pride
that these two scientific and geographical problems
shall have been solved by Americans, and such
results would be well worth the thirty or forty thousand
dollars expended on the expeditions. They will both
start probably about the same time, under the direction

of men thoroughly experienced iu the kind of work
they are undertaking. Wise, as we have said, has
devoted almost a lifetime to the mysteries of aerial
navigation ; Dr. Hayes was the companion of
Kane in the last Grinnell expedition, and knows
exactly the dangers to be encountered and
the course to be pursued in the accomplishment of
his object. They a4e both prepared to start on their
different expeditions full of pluck and confidence; and
wken we find men bold enough to run such risks for the

sake of science and discovery, it is but right that they
should be provided with the pecuniary means necessary
to carry out their enterprises. Their success will,
undoubtedly, redound greatly to the honour of the
country.—American paper,.

Yiportiug 3ntelligenct,

LATEST BETTING.
TATTERSALLs.

DONCASTRIt Hi/11)1C Art—zes tl) 4 apt Weatherbound ; 6to 1
agst Birmingham, taken; 6 to 1 agst First Lord, taken.
DERBY.-3, tc. 1 apt Wizard, offered ;sto 1 apt St.
Albans, taken; 8 to 1 agst Umpire, taken; 10 to 1 apt
Thormanby, taken ; 10 to 1 apt Buccaneer, taken ; 100 to 7 apt
Mainstone, taken ; 16 to 1 apt High Treason, taken ; 16 to I
apt Nutbourne, taken ; 25 to 1 agst The Drone, offered.