The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-09 00:00:00

rHE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 9, ISEt.

This law was established years ago for the purpose
of encouraging owners of property to plant timber
for the purposes of the Royal navy, and when the
reasons for that encouragement ceased the exemp-
tions which were derived from it should have ceased
also. (Hear.) Ido not think that it would be
right to value the woodland property at the same
rate as the lands adjoining. The land has been
brought up to its present state of value by skill and
capital. The land thatis under wood should be -valued
according to its natural value if converted into land
for agricultural purposes. (Hear, hear.) It has
been argued that it would be by no means desirable
to alter a law so as to encourage the destruction of
our wooded districts. The love of sport and the de-
sirable appreciation of ornament that exists in all
Englishmen's breasts is such that in my opinion
there would be no danger of any material decrease
of the woodland districts of this county. (Hear,

hear.) The difference that would be made in the
rate would be comparatively inappreciable ; but it
would remove an act of injustice, and it would pre-
vent feelings of discontent which I can quite under-
stand exists in the breasts of many of those who are
the owners of this description of property.

Sir WILLOUGHBY JONES and other gentlemen also
addressed the meeting.

Balloon Ascent•

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sir,—Some of the experiments which have been
made about sunset not showing any decline of tem-
perature up to 2,000 feet, it seemed probable that
the laws holding good by day might be very diffe-

rent, or even reversed, by night.
At the recent meeting of the British Association
at Birmingham the balloon committee was re-ap-

pointed, and one of its principal duties was, if pos-
sible, to carry out a series of night experiments by

balloons up to a moderate elevation.
The balloon at present at my command is that be-
longing to Mr. Orton, of Blackwall, and it was with
this balloon, under his management, this ascent was

made. To read the instruments I took a Davy's

lamp, made very carefully by Mr. Watson, of New-
castle, careful experiments having frequently been
made to satisfy the committee of its safety.
The sun had set for nearly three-quarters of an
hour, and the night had fairly closed in. The moon
was shining, and the wind was passing from E.S.E.

We left Woolwich Arsenal about 6.20, and within
three or four minutes a height of 900 ft. was reached;
and here the scene which suddenly burst upon me,

having been previously occupied in adjusting the
instruments, far exceeds description. Almost im-

mediately under us, but a little to the S.E., was
Woolwich, north was Blackwall, south Greenwich

and Deptford, and west, as far and farther than the
eye could reach, was London, the whole forming a
starry spectacle of such brilliancy as far to exceed

anything I ever saw.
When I have been at this elevation, in the even-
ing, at a distance from London, it has had the
appearance of a vast conflagration ; but now the air

was so clear and free from mist that each and every

light was distinct, and apparently all but touching
_ _ _

each other. The whole of Woolwich, Blackwall,

Deptford, and Greenwich could be traced, as a per-
fect model, by the boundary lines of light of their
streets, squares, &c. In nine minutes we were oppo-
site Brunswick Pier, Blackwall, crossing the Thames,

then passed across the Isle of Dogs, Greenwich
Reach, and so up the River Thames. As we ad-

vaneed towards London the mass of illumination

increased in intensity. At 6.42 the South-Eastern
Railway Terminus at London-bridge was directly
under us. Looking southwards at this time we saw
the Borough stretching far away, and the many
streets shooting from it, particularly Southwark-

street, with its graceful curve of lamps. In one
minute afterwards we were at Southwark-bridge ;

passed Blackfriars-bridge at 6.45, and Charing-cross
at 6.47. On leaving Charing-cross I looked back
over London, the whole model of which could be
seen and traced—its squares by their lights ; the
river, which looked dark and dull, by the double row
of curved lights on every bridge spanning it. Look-

ing round, two of the illuminated dials of West-
minster clock were like two dull moons. Again,
looking eastward the whole lines of the Commercial
and Whitechapel roads, with their continuation
through Ilolborn to Oxford-street, were visible,
and most brilliant and remarkable. We were at such
a distance from these roads that they appeared
like lines of brilliant fire, assuming a more imposing
appearance when the line separated into two,
and most imposing just under us in Oxford-
street. Here the two thickly studded rows of
brilliant lights were seen on either side of the street,
and a dark space between them, but which dark
space was bounded, as it were, on both sides by a
bright fringe of frosted silver. lat first could not
account for this, but presently at one point more
brilliant than the rest persons were seen passing to
and fro with their shadows on the pavements, and at
once it was evident this rich effect was caused by the
bright illumination of the shoplights on the pave-
ments. All the principal streets assumed this ap-
pearance. _

I feel it impossible to convey any adequate idea o:
the brilliant effect of London viewed at an eleva•
tion of 1000 feet, on a clear night, with the air free
from mist. It seemed to me to realise a wish I have
often felt, when looking through a telescope directed
to the Milky Way, when the whole field of view ap-
peared covered with gold dust, to be possessed of
power to see many spots of light, as brilliant stars,
for certainly the intense brilliancy of London this
night would have rivalled the brilliancy of such a
telescopic view of brilliant clusters of stars.
We were over the Marble Arch at 6.51, about 11
miles in a straight line from Woolwich, which dis-
tance had been passed in half an hour. We there-
fore were travelling at more than 20 miles per hour.
On passing onwards we left the Edgware-road on
our right and the Great Western Railway on our
left, and passed nearly down the Harrow-road. In
six or seven minutes we left the suburbs of London,
passing over Middlesex in the direction of Uxbridge.
There the contrast was great indeed; not a single
object could anywhere be seen, not a sound reached
the ear, the roar of London was lost. The moon
was shining, but seemed to give no light, and the
earth seemed a black obscurity. After a time the
moon seemed to shine with increased brightness, and
the fields gradually came into view; then theshadow
of the balloon was seen distinctly pointing out our
path, in reference to the Pole Star dud the moon.
After this occasional masses of lights appeared
as we passed over towns and villages, from
all of which cries came up, urging us to
come down. At 7.18, whilst passing over a
town, we came down to inquire where we were, but
our voices were drowned by the beating of drums.
Thus we passed out of Middlesex over part of Buck-
inghamshire and Berkshire to High Moor, in Ox-
fordshire, where we descended on the farm of Mr.
Reeves at 8.20, distant about 45 miles from Wool-
wich. The horizontal movement of the air at
Greenwich during this time was 16 miles.
The temperature of the air at Woolwich, at 5.25,
was 61.2 degs., and 56 degs, at 6.20 ; it immediately
rose above 56 degs. on leaving, and when about9oo
feet high was 57 deg. fully. The difficulty I expe-
rienced in reading was so great that several minutes
were lost in vain attempts to do so. At 1,100 feet
the temperature was 58.2 degs., and it increased
with increase of elevation till at the height of about
2,000 feet it was about 60 degs., or about 4 degs.
higher than when the earth was left. On descending
the temperature declined, and when about 600 feet
was about 57 degs. Two or three times the balloon
rose and fell through the space of from 600 to 500
feet, and on every occasion the highest reading was
met with at the highest point, and the lowest read-
ing at the lowest point.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the tem-
perature of the air was 59.9 degs. at 6.20, and de-
creased gradually to 551 degs. by 8.30. From this
it would seem that at 6.20 the air was no less than
3.9 degs. warmer at Greenwich than at Wcolwich,
and if the readings in the balloon be compared with
those at Greenwich, the increase with elevation is
lessened in amount.
Two self-registering minimum thermometers were
tied down, the one with its bulk resting on cotton
wool, fully exposed to the sky, and the other with
its bulb projecting beyond the supporting frame ;
their indexes were at the end of their column of