The National Register.
London, England, 1821-07-29 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

MR. GREEN'S ACCOUNT
OF HIS AERIAL. VOYAGE, IN HONOUR OF HIS
MAJESTY'S CORONATION.

The balloon with which I ascended was 31 feet in diameter. as
near the size as possible of the one with which Lunardi first
made an ascension in England. It was inflated with about 1.400
cubic feet of carbonated hydrogen gas. supplied from the main
pipes of the original chartered Gas Company, and I am much
indebted to the gentlemen of the Committee for their kind assist-
ance riming the operation of flUing. I had no doubt of being
able to ascend with the gas, having, since the period when I first
conceived the idea that common gas would answer the purposes of
serostation. made frequent experiments, all of which completely
ateeeededt nor was my ardour damped when I knew that. even
within an hour of ruy ascension, persons of great experience in
aerostation expiewed their opinion that 1 should not be able to
ascend.
About five minutes before one o'clock the ropes were divided.
and having taken my seat in the car. the ball° .n rose in a most
majestic manner, nearly perpendicularly. The almost deafening
shouts of the populace, and the roar of cannon that took place
when I had ascended a considerable distance from the earth
agitated the balloon. I felt the eflict of it most senably. The
moment the discharge of cannon took place, I knew it was the
signal to be given when the crown was set upon die head of my
moat gracious Sovereisn and I drew the cork of a bottle of
brandy, and having loured out a full Ours, I drank " Health.
long life, and a glorious reign to his Majesty." The effect of the
air upon the brandy is worthy of notice: when I drew the cork,
a report took place, which I attributed to the ratification of the
air, similar to that produced by drawing a cork out of a bottle of
soda water. When the balloon travelled at its greatest rapidity, 1
felt pot the least motion ; it appeared as if the car in which I sat
was stationary, and that the earth was receding from me. The
balloon took a north east direction at first, and on my looking
down upon the vast assemblage of persons in Westminster, the
delight I felt is out of my power to describe. The view presented
one entire living mass of more than a million of human beings.
....Having ascended as high as I could without throwing out
ballast, I determined. as the weather was so fine, to keep in sight
as long as possible. I threw out two bags of sand of ten pounds
weight each, and immediately the balloon rose with astonishing
rapidity almost perpendicularly, according to my. wish. When
the balloon arrived at its utmost altitude, which. in my opinion,
could not be certain, in consequence of the oscillation of the '1
quicksilver in the burometerswas about 11,000 feet from the (mirth,
f found that I had entered a current of air, conveying me directly
eastward, towards the Noce. The cold was extreme. I put on
cloak, which I nook up with me, and on looking at my glass I
found it was beow So. two degrees below the freezing point. a
was fearful of being carried to sea, and immediately opened the
valve t the gas laurel in considerable quantities, and I found, by
the increase of the sine of objects below sue to my optics,that I was
descending very rapidly. The largest fields, which a kw minutes
before appeared to be not more than six inches square, increased
in size greatly 4 and I very soon saw the sea, and a number of
vessels most distinctly. The balloon had a rotatory motion, and
turned about four times in a minute.

Still fearing that I should full into the sea, I opened the valve
to its utmost cammity; and having deseend,xl so as to be able to
recognize small objects distinctly on the earth, with great delight
1 found that tiv balloon had entered another current of air,
which was conveying me from the sea; I was then travelling
north west. lad down and ate some sandwiches with a good
al.petite, and saw the clouds rolling beneath me, appatent/y on
the ground. About 20 tninutesiefore two eitiock I descended
in a held belonging to a fanner named Lamkins, which is situate
about four miles beyond Barnet, in the parish of South Minis.
I was not aware that I had descended so rapidly ' • before I had
time :o draw myself up to the hoop, the car struck the earth with
great lice, and I was thrown out of it on my back ; I was nearly
maned from the effects of a blow which I received.
I still held the hoop of the balloon ; and the grappling iron,
which 1 burl thrown out when about; a quarter of a mile hour the
earth, not taking firm hold, I was dragged on my hack along the
ground a considerable distance. The balloon was eventually
secured, with the assistance of a aentltnian n.med Waugh, and
conveyed to a place of safety in his Park, and I was afterwards
most hospitably Entertained at his mansion: to him my gratitude
is due, and, but for his kind exertions, I have no doubt tie bal-
loon would have suffered considerable injury from the great crowd
of }reasons that assembled on try descent. I believe, front the
best calculation I car. make, that I travelled altogether, in various
dizectiuns, upwards of fifty miles.
CHARLES GREEN.
49, Gontell Strrd, ',irk 20, lag!.
Mr. Green will ascina in a few days from Islington, with the
same balloon.