The Express.
London, England, 1863-10-05 00:00:00

ASCENT OF M. NADAR'S MONSTER

BALLOON.

(nom oca OW! CORRZSPONDENT.)
PARIS, SONDAT EVINDIG.

M. Nadar's balloon, the "Giant," went up from
the Champ de Mars at 5 o'clock—en hour after the
advertised time—and, as there were some 150,000
people on the ground and no Marshal Magnan
to get them off, all the streets leading from
the Champ de Mare were so blocked up that I bad
the greatest difficulty in extricating myself from
the crowd in time to save this post.
M. Nader, as you are aware, professes to have
discovered the principle of a new sort of aerial ma-
chine (for be discards the word balloon) which it
will be possible to guide, and be has the consider-
able authority of M. Babinet in favour of the
practicability of his invention. The object of the
ascent to-day was to raise money for the pur-
pose of building an aerial machine on the new
system. M. Nader consents for the last time, as
he says, to make use of a balloon, but he claims to
have made the largest one ever known. The
" Giant" is said to contain 20,000 yards of silk. I
rather think the impression of the public to-day
was that the dimensions of the balloon did not
quite come up to the swelling proportions of the
advertisement. Judging merely by the eye—an
unsafe criterion—l should fancy that I had seen
balloons nearly as large. This observation, how-
ever, does not apply to the car, which is certainly
the ne plus ultra of aoy construction in that kind
hitherto achieved. The public bad the fullest
opportunity of seeing it, for it was placed
upon a truck drawn by four horses, and
drawn round the outer circle of the arena
several times. It is built of wicker work, and
is as near as possible of the height and size of a
second class railway carriage, carrying 16 persona.
The ground floor (so to speak) is divided into coin-
, partmenta, neatly lined with bed ticking, and where
it would be quite possible to sleep. There is a dres-
sing-room, with a cistern, and, I presume, a kitchen.
At all events, provisions for the aerial voyage were
ostentatiously displayed, and the larder formed a
very material element of amusement to the spec-
tators. I saw hung up on hooks outside tho car a
tempting but small leg of mutton, two fowls
in their feathers,, two bundles of radishes, and
one stick of celery. I should hope that this was
only a sample of the provisions, and that
there must be well•stored hampers inside.
For what would this provision be among
thirteen—the number of the passengers ?
Madame Nader was the only lady of the party. A
bouquet hung near the leg of mutton is probably
intended for her solace on the journey. Among the
grappling irons, axes, and ropes, arranged in ship-
shape order outside the car, were observed two
, rifle revolvers, which are supposed to be carried
as a precautionary measure in case the balloon
should alight on some savage portion of the globe,
where it might be necessary to overawe the native-.
A harp speaking trumpet was also conspicuous
among these appliances. When the ropes were cut
M. Nader mounted into what may be called the
rigging of the balloon, struck an attitude
4 la T. P. Cooke, and saluted the crowd,
who responded by cheers and hearty good
wishes. The balloon was beautiful and exceedingly
symmetrical, but unusually slow. It was observed
from the Champs de Mars that as it gradually
went off in a northerly direction it was very near
the ground. There was scarcely any wind—sky
cloudy and atmosphere extremely heavy and op-
pressive. I hear that as the balloon went over the
Porte Bt. Denis it seemed to be almost touching
the houses. The general prognestie is that the
voyage, instead of lasting several days as was cal-
culated, will come to an untimely and somewhat
ignominious end.