The Express.
London, England, 1862-08-27 00:00:00

SCIENTIMC BALLOON ASCENTS.

The following are Mr. Glaisher's observations on
his recent Scientific Balloon Ascents, from the
Crystal Palace and Mill-hill, Hendon, on the 20th
and 21at August :
Oa Wednesday, August 20, Mr. Colwell'', large balloon
left the Crystal Palace at it. 26 a, with nine gentlemen in
the car, and three in the ring above the car, ray instruments
. _

being fixed outside the es:, beyond the influence of its
occupants, the temperatturs of the sir it the time being
66deg., the wet bulb thermometer reaebing 51 deg. lower.
At 131 s. Men. we were half-a-wile hies, the temperature wee

—.—
&Meg. ; at 37m. we were three-qua;tMeel a mile high, aed
still over the Palace. At 611. 43m., at the height ef warty

one mils, we weed through • thin cloud, the; meth being
just visible ; the temperature at this time was 50 deg, the wet
bulb reading 48 deg. We continued at this elevation and
temperature some little time, sad then fa 200 or 300 feet ;
at 6h. 55422. the Palace wee seen, Ned wu barely
visible through mist at 6b. 57m.: we kept at
this elevation till Th. 2m., when Yeanington-oval
_ _

was in sight ; at 7h. 9m. St. liark's Church,
Kennington, was immediately underneath. We were now
about one mile in height, with temperature et !fides.; the
hum of London was heard. We then desoemied gradually.
At 7h. lsn. AMY *TA— being lighted over London. the
hum of London greatly increasing in depth. At 7h. 22m.
the half of Hennington-oval was lighted. At Th. 19m.

shouting was heard of people below who saw the balloon.
At this time we were within 1,500 feet of the earth. sad
oontinued between 1,500 and 2,500 feet till 7h. 40m., the
temperature varying but little from b 7 deg., the wet bulb
reeding about 3 deg. less. The appearance of London
lighted up at this time was fine, and associated as He sp•
pearance was with the deep sound, or rather roar, of the
traffic of the metropolis, constituted a truly remarkable

soon For a long time Kennington-oval and Mill.
beak Penitentiary were in sight, end it seemed es
though we could not get away from them. At
711. 40m. Mr. Cozwell determined to amend
above the clouds. We were then about 2,500 lest
high, and the temperature was 53 deg. At 711. 42m. we
were 3,500 feet high, the temperature being 51 deg. At
7h. 47m. we were a mile high, and the temperature was
46 deg. It was very dark looking downward; but then
or a clear sky above, and a beautiful gleam of light ap-
peared. We still ascended till the clouds were below us,
tinged and coloured with a rich red ; the temperature had
now fallen to 43 deg., and we were enveloped in a fog spin.
At 7h. 52m. the striking of a clock and tolling of a bell were
audible. It was quite dark below. At Bh. sm. we were
above the clouds, and it became light again. The hum of
London gradually died away. By this time the temperature
had increased to 55 deg., the barometer reading about 231 n•
After this we descended, and it became too dark to read any
instruments. London again was seen, very different indeed
in its appearance to when we could pick out
every square, street, bridge, Re., by ate lights.
Now u seen through the mist it had the appearance of a
large conflagration of enormous extent, and the sky Was Lit
up for miles round. This spectacle was eerteinly very
greed, and it was with reluctance we again ascended. After
a time the lowing of cattle was heard, and we seemed to
have left London, therefore Mr. Coxwell determined to
paas through the clouds and examine the country beneath.
We passed from the comparative light above to the dark-
ness beneath, momentarily increasing, and found ourselves
some little distance from London. It is in the management
of a descent under such circumstances that the skill of the
aeronaut is taxed to the utmost. The darkness precluded
the use of the grapnel on this occasion, and also the possi-
bility of observing the Nature of the ground, until skirting
the tops of trees. Mr. Coxwell proved himself perfectly
competent, the balloon amending or descending at his will,
and shortly touched the ground, so gently that we were
scarcely aware of the contact, in the centre of a field at
Mill-hill, about one mile end a half from Hendon. It was
resolved to anchor the balloon for the night, and I ea-
gaged it for the morning for the nntan Am*.
cation observations. Mr. Coxwell enured me that be
could attain an elevation of fully three miles, a height as
high as the barometer I had with me was adapted to work.
On the morning of August 21, by half-past 4, my instru-
' toots were replaced outside the car, and we again left the
earth. The morning was warm but dull, the sky overcast
with cirroetratus cloud. The temperature was nearly
1 61 deg., and the wet bulb read 59 deg.
There were in the car, besides Mr. Coxwell and myself
Captain Percival, of the Connaught Rangers ; Mr. Ingelow:
and my son—Mr. Ingelow taking charge of the barometer,
as he had done the evening before. We at first rose slowly.
By 46. 38m. we were 1,030 feet high, and the temperature
was 58 deg. At this tans Mr. Co:weirs poise was 95, Mr.
Ingelow's 80, Captain Percivars 90, and mine 80. At
4h. 41m. there was a break of clouds is the east, and a beau-
tiful line of light was seen,with gold and salver tints; here and
there morning mist was sweeping over the land. At 4h. 51m.
the temperature was 50 deg., the wet bulb read 47 deg. ;
scud was below as, and the night cloud was in a transition
state, forming into cumuli at the same level as we were—
viz., about 3,500 feet ; black clouds were above, and mist
was creeping along the ground. At 4h. 53m. we were
above a mile high, the temperature was 43 deg., and the
wet bulb only 1 degree lower ; we were just entering donde,
At 4h. 57m. we were in clouds surrounded on every side by
white mist, the temperature of the air and dew-point were
alike, as both the dry and wet bulb read 39i deg. The
light rapidly increased, and gradually we emerged from the
dense cloud into a deep basin surrounded with ins-
manse mountains of oloud rising far above us. and
shortly afterwards we were looking into deep ravines
bounded with beautiful curved lines. The sky imme-
diately overhead was blue dotted with cirrus and cirro-
cumulus clouds. As we ascended, the top of the mountain-
like cloud' became silvery and golden. At sh. lm. we
were on their level, and the sun appeared flooding with
golden light all the space we could see for many degrees
both right and left, tinting with orange and silver all the
remaining space round ua It was a glorious sight indeed.
At this time we were about 8,000 feet high, and the tem-
perattue had increased from 314 deg. in the cloud to 41 deg.
We still ascended rather more quickly as the sun's rays fell
upon the halloo; each instant opening up to us ravines of
wonderful extent, and presenting to our view a mighty sea
of clouds. Here arose shining masses of silvery heaps,
there large masses of cloud in mountain chains rising per-
pendicularly from the plain, dark on one side and silvery
and bright on the other, with summits of dazzling
whiteness ; some there were of a pyramidal form,
and a large portion of a wavy form, in some places subsiding
into hollows, and in one plies having every appear's°, of
a huge lake. Nor sou the ease wanting in light and shade ;
each large mass of aloud cast behind it ate shadow, and this
circumstance, added to the very many tints, formed a scene
at once most beautiful and sublime.
At sh. Bm. we were nearly two miles high, the tempera-
ture was 37 deg. and the wet bulb read 5 deg. lower, the
air was, therefore, dry. At sh. 18m. we were above 2 miles
in height, the temperature was 31 deg., sad here it was
found that Mr. Coxwell's pulse was 90, Captain
Peraival's 88, Mr. Ingelow's 100, and mine 88.
The pulse of Captain Percival was so weak be
could scarcely feel it. Mr. Cozwell, on the other band,
thought his somewhat stronger. By 511. 31m. we were
about three miles high, the temperature was 23 deg., and it
decreased to 19 deg. by sh. 34m., the wet bulb being from
5 deg. to 6 deg. lower, showing that the temperature of the
dew-point was some degrees below cero. We then con-
tinned at a little above three miles for half-an-hour, during
which time the temperature at the same height increased
5 deg. or 6 deg., as the sun roe, and at this time the number
of pulsations in a minute ware taken :—Mr. Coxwell's, 94 ;
Mr. Ingelow's, 112 ; mine, 98; and Captain Percival's, 78;
but the lot-named gentleman could scarcely feel any palma-
tion at all.

Shortly after 6 o'clock it was determined to demand; ws
weretheu above three mass from the earth, the tempers.
tuna, which had been as high as 27 deg., bad fallen to
23 deg. At 6b. 13m., at the height of two and a quarter
miles, we beard a train. At 6k. 20m. we were two miles
high, and the temperature bad lammed to 39 deg. ; and at
this time I noticed the loud ticking of a watch. Captain
Percival said he could not hear it ; he was seated and I was
standing, and some experiments were made, when it was
found that when the ear was at the same level as the watch
no sound was heard, but it was remarkably distinct ma the
ist tat* situated elm tt.

At the height of two miles the barking of a dog was
beard, the temperature at this time, 6h. 24m., was 43 deg.,
the wet bulb reading no less than 10 deg. lower. The
shadow of the balloon with the encircling oval of prismatic
colours was here very remarkable, and it increased in dimen-
sions and vividness of colour, till we entered a cloud at
6b. 29m. ; the increase of temperature which had been in
progress during the descent was immediately checked, and
on emerging from the cloud at 6h. 33m., the temperature
was 41 deg., and the wet bulb 40 deg. The earth was now
is sight, without a ray of sin-light falling upon it ; the
temperature gradually increased to 56 deg. at 1,000 feet
high, sad 62 deg. on reaching the ground, as gently as on
the preceding evening. a little after seven o'clock, at
bunion Lodge, near Biggleswade, on the estate of Lord
Zrowslow, where we received every attention and assistance
beta his agent, Mr. Paulsen. A little time after this, my
poise was 77, Mr. Cox well's 77, and Caplais. Naives 83.
JAMES GLAIBKEIL

THE NILLOWNERS AND THE DISTRESSED
OPERATIVES.

Iu a letter to the Times, from Preston, we read
A very Natural quake to Nit is, What see the mill-
ennia hem eking i thisessiergirserf How on they eland-
*by the men whose beads and bands have helped them
to such INNIMICISI gains? The is bat one answer to the
question bare, " Very shabbily ;" and, looking through the
list of eatecriplares, I believe that, se a role—though the:,
are some hotiourable 'nuptials—this summary verdict
seems to be a true one ; 10,8661. is the total amount
contributed to the feed. Of this 4,9661. comes from persons
entirely disconnected with Preston, 32/11. from the immediate
neighbourhood, 3541. from the non-resident proprietors, end
6,1201. from the inhabitants of Prestos itself. There are
71 mills in Preston, and the proprietors of these have given
exactly—in two subscriptions-1,8421. 15e. for the relief of
the people who ere bearing the burden of their impsovi-
donee—that is to say, the whole body of milliampere hero
have given rather leas than was contributed by • single
home in Liverpool. I suppose it would be only a moderate
estimate to sin that the millowsen of this town ars worth
nearer 5,000,0001. than 4,000,0001., and 1,8421. is the ma
at which they themselves area this vest amount of pro-
perty to the charitable rate in aid. Theirs is indeed • amity
which does not even begin at home. True, they have to
pay poor-rates ; but so have the doctors, the lawyers,
and the tradespeople, who, though they live by eaten
spinning, don't make such fortunes es it is notorious have
been made in the cotton trade in the three years pressiiig
the famine. The list is headed by a gentleman who puha-
bly for any other purpose than this would maids it an
impertinent disparagement to value him at hafe-million.
He has beets beard to say at one time that Id. per lb. in cot-
ton would put 40,0001. into his pocket —he hes five mills, and
employs 3,200 bands. He figures for 3001. about a ample
of shillings a heed on all his people. They, themselves, while
they were yet working full time, collected 2001. for the re-
lief of their less fortunate fellows. The next dem on
the list, it is believed, would be a good bargain at • quar-
ter of a million. They have given two nines of 1001. each.
The next in the list rather shame them, for, with • repu-
tation for much less wealth-100,0001. say—the fine has
contributed 1501. Then there is • =Men drop, and we
come to an old, loateetablished, well-known firm, which
has three large establishments, and whose stake in Preston
cannot be lea than—to say nothing of realised
property-150,0001. ; they have given two sums at 501. ;
and, as if it had beep • matter of previous anangsseent,
the same sums are put down for another large einseern
which has at least an equal interest in the town. A gentle-
man who is said to have made 100,0001. by cotton specula-
tions within the list two years figures for • 201 and • 501.
Another, whom the Bank of England, it is said, • few
years ago were reedy to back for 400,0001., has the magni-
ficent sum of 251. opposite to hie name. A third, who owns
One of the finest mills in the town, which cost 80,0001., is
content to appear for 101., and the same sum exhausts
the benevolence neighbour who owes another five
mill worth at least 30,0001. Still another gentleman, who
has ftwo large mills, gives two 10L Lower down
aisnpZ
lime am/ =mow ei gwobia.man
and large pins within the twelvemtam.onth; who
not very bog
_is reported to have sent away from his
mill, at 3 o'clock in the mornift, four heavy loads of
cake ; 251. appears to be the share is this profitable timas-
action which be allots to his workpeople in compensation
for the wages they have lost by it. Immediately after we
come to the name of another young gentleman, a dilettante
kind of cottonepioner, apparently, who has oonsiderably
increased a lags inherited fortune, sad who when the first
cloud darkened the horizon shut up his mill Rod betook
himself to Norway fishing, where his sensitive soul
could neither be excited by the fluctuations of the
cotton-market nor disturbed by the distress of his
hands. Two sums of 251. represent hie interest in their
fate. I saw two of his operatives yesterday in • sad date
of distrem ; they had been out of work just 13 months. It
would be tedious to run through the list of 10/., and even
51., contributed by other millowons, some of them men a
few yeses ego mainly unconnected with the cotton
bead..
grocers, drapers, farmera, maltaters, and publicans,
who, having scraped together • little capital, came into the
pathless at a leaky moment, end by the labour of these
poor people amused large fortunes in those few years of
marvellous prosperity when a cotton mill was an El Donde.
It is the same continued illustration of Sidney Smith's
canoe of benevolence. There are still 11 firms in the town
who have never subscribed a farthing, and some of them
among the largest !