The Express.
London, England, 1864-09-02 00:00:00

TO TEI ITDITOR OP THI SCPRZEOL

Sta,—ldr. Cozwell's balloon, in which I made
all the experiments for the British Association up to
April 6, became unfit to continue the high sweets in safety
to ourselves ; Mr. Coxwell, therefore, built a new one,whieh
he named the Britannia, capable of containing 10,010 mere
cubic feet than the preceding balloon, wit► the view of
Wring • second observer, if need be, to the height of five
miles, and in which I had made three trial tripe ►t mode.
rate elevatioes. Its destructimi at Leicester, just as it was
being brought into a condition for high elevations, ►bruptly
stopped all the arranged experiments.
A longstanding agreement between Mr. Coxwell and the
Crystal Palace Company to ascend on the Foresters' day,
cimpelled him to use the old balloon, which was made as
sound es possible, end furnished with new netting, car,
valve, hoop, he., especially for the occasion, es the whole of
these appointments had been destroyed with the balloon.
The horizon was misty, so that very distant objects were
not visible. The Isle of Sheppy was, however seen. Graves
end and Rochester were distinct.

Above the mist for half of the circle was a range of
beautiful cumuli ; other cumuli were like patches of wool
rioting on the ground ; then passing the eye to placer 30
'mi 40 miles distant, observing the gradual diminutioa of
the field' till they wen all lost together, forming a large sua
of verdure.

I cannot oonceive • finer prospect than being thus be-
calmed io the car of • balloon, and viewing such • saes,
with a declining son. To be fully appreciated, however, it
must be seen.

Situated at an elevation of 2; miles without the ordinary
motion of the balloon, the air being for the most part clear
the whole of London in view, except kers and there
obscured by its own smoke, together with Deptford,
Greenwich, the River Thames, Woolwich, the docks•
all without motion, and all apparently near to
u—every street, known building, and pathway
connecting them seen distinctly ; Greenwich-park
looking like a small garden, with its well-known paths, like
narrow lines ; the Observatory as a grey spook, Blackheath
very small and very bare, all on the same level ; every
high building, every eminence dwarfed down, every valley
raised up, all apparently on a level surfer* sod that pleas
the River Thames. No sound heard excepting sow and
then the railway whistle, no moving thing sees except the
tiny steamboat and diminutive train.

The balloon left the earth at six minutes after four ; it
mashed one mHe high in fourteen minutes ; the second mile
was passed at 4.34, and the highest point reached, nearly
14,000 feet, at 4.50. Here there was no wind, and we one-
tinted between 13,000 and 14,000 feet high for more than a
quarter of aa hour at 5 o'clock we began to descend, end
were on the ground at 5.31.

When at the height of 5,000 feet we experienced very
little wind, and for some time looked down upon the same
field, the balloon, however, revolving in three or foam
minutes it the direction of S., E., N., end W. When at this
height of 8,000 feet we felt the wind pram against oar
facezatid we began to move quickly from the west; at 12,00
feet the air was nearly calm, and quite so at 13,000 feet, and
we were bee free from any progressing or revolving motion
whatever, enabling me to take several sets of vibrations
of a horizontal magnet as satisfactorily as on the earth,
the result being undoubtedly that the time of vibes•
Una was lengthened. Oa beginning the descent the balloon
began to revolve, but in the opposite direction, viz., is the
direction of 5.,W., N., E., as observed by Mr. W. C. Nash
from the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, in 511 minutes, and
afterwards in five minutes, these being the intervals of
time in which he saw me, suooeai►ely in the telescope, end
this revolving motion continued till we reached the earth.
On leaving the earth the temperature of the air was
73 deg. ; it declined to 28i deg., bat not continuously, and it
was 69 deg. on reaching the earth or descending. The tem-
, perature of the dew point was 45 deg. on the ground ;
above 13,000 feet high it was below zero, and wee 48 deg.
on reaching the ground. The air was most humid at 5,000
feet high, both in ascending and descending.
At the highest elevation the numbers of pulsations per
minute were as follows s—Mr. Coxwell, 102 ; Mr. Norris.
118 ; Mr. Cranston, 118 ; my own, 99 ; sod reepiintiess
were s—Mr. Coxwell, ; Mr. Cranston, ;my own, 18.
We were accompanied by two gentlemen only, Mr.
Norris and Mr. Cranston. On descending the grapnel find
missed, sand was thrown out, and we rose instantly and
passed over trees, then the grapnel caught in a tree, but
broke through, breaking off large branches, mid finally we
came down in the centre of a field, having experienced one
sharp bump, but no inetrumeats were broken. The place
of descent was Whybridge, mar Relabel's, in Essex, on the
property of T. Mashiter, Esq.—l em, ire..
Blackheath, Sept. L JAMES GLAISHER.

BIAN-Drxo IN THE Ansrir.—We understand, upon
good authority, that his Royal Highness the Yield-Marshal
Commanding-re-Chief has seen fit to issue a circular from
the Horn Ona.xls, by which the present very objectionable
plan of brooding soldiers is removed. When the necessity
for marking a soldier occurs, the operation is to be per-
formed by the drum or trumpet-major, at the orderly-room,
in the presence of the adjutant, sod under the immediate
supervision:of a rezimenta or staff medical officer. This is as
it should be, and we 000grstolste the profession that a
medical officer no longer occupies a derogatory and false posi.
tioo, and the Duke of Cambridge that be has had the good
setae to concede an alteration which was very urgently
reTred.—Afrifienl Times.
ri VA INDIAN BISHOPRICS.—A scheme ls said to
have been submitted to the Secretary of State for India in
Council for the eubdivisiou of the existing Indian dioceses.
The plea comprises the ereetioe of three new sees--one at
Agra. for the North-West Provinces ; one at Labore for
the Penjaub, and one at Palmetto for the missionary
province of Tinos/rely.

THE ALLEGED WIFE MtRDZit IN SHORFDITCH.•—
Yesterdsv evening an investigation wu held by Mr. Hum-
phreys, Middlesex coroner, at the Royal Oak Tavern, Mar-
garetareet. Revelator's, into the circurostanose of the
alleged murder of • married woman named Maly Ann
Birch, aged 53 years, who van found dad wider the as-
pieireni circumstances already reported. Several witaeme
having been examined the coroner said that there did sot
appear so be sufficient evidence to inculpate any one. Tim
prooredipp were adjourned for the production of the pet.
NOOK.

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