The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-08 00:00:00

THE SCIBN2IFIC BALLOON ASCENT.

MR. ULAISHER'S OBSERVATIONS.
The exact time of the descent was 20 minutes
past 3 o'clock, at a spot about 72 milee from Lud-
low, in Shropshire. The descent was accomplished
without any accident to either the aeronauts or the
instruments. When the voyagers reached the
clouds they found a dense mass of moisture which
was 2,000 feet in thickness. These clouds contained
as much moisture as they could possibly hold. Hav-
ing shot through this they found above them a
beautiful clear blue sky with the mass of clouds
floating below. This was at about an elevation of
a mile and three-quarters, after which no clouds
were perceptible. At this height the air possessed
such expanding powers that the balloon, which at
the time of the ascent contained not much more
than two-thirds of its fv:Al complement, was now
quite filled, and conseqv.ently shot up very rapidly.
When still higher Mr. Glaisher attempted to take
photographs of the scene below which that gentleman
describes as being very beautiful, but the great ve-
locity of the ascent rendered the taking of a photo-
graph impossible. At an elevation of three miles
the first of six pigeons which were taken up in the
balloon was thrown out. It could not fly and
dropped as heavily as a stone. A second was then
thrown out with the same result. A third attempted
to fly but failed, and shared the fate of the previ-
ous two. At a height of four miles a fourth pigeon
was thrown out. This one was more fortunate
than its predecessors, and succeeded in effecting
a lodgment on the top of the balloon,
but it was not known what ultimately became of
it. The two remaining pigeons were brought down
when one was found to be dead and the other nearly
so. This last when liberated flew in a short circle,
and then alighted on Mr. Glaisher's hand. Even-
tually, however, it flew in the direction of Wolver-
hampton. At five miles high symptoms of blind-
ness were felt by Mr. Glaisher, whose last entry of
thermometer was minus five, or .37 below the
freezing point. He subsequently saw, but was un-
able to register the barometer at 10in., which would
indicate a height of 51-, miles. This gentleman then
gradually became unconscious, and the last thing
remembered by him was the dim outline of Mr.
Coxwell's figure in the balloon. Mr. Coxwell,
however, remained quite conscious, and the balloon
ascended with great rapidity for 10 minutes longer,
and according to Mr. Coxwell's reading, afterwards
calculated by Mr. Glaisher, the aneroid barometer
indicated that they had attained a height of six
miles. At this juncture great risk was encountered,
for Mr. Coxwell began to feel faint, and on attempt-
ing to effect a discharge of gas by pulling the valve
string, he found that his hands had become power-
less. The greatness of the danger at this height
may be imagined when it is remembered that their
.safety depended entirely upon the little remaining
consciousness of Mr. Coxwell, for Mr. Glaisher still
remained in a state of unconsciousness. Having at
length effected a discharge of gas the balloon be-
gan to descend, when Mr. Glaisher gradually re-
covered and resumed the reading of the instru-
ments. The descent was now very rapid but suc-
cessful. During the voyage ozone was found in the
atmosphere. Terrestrial sounds were heard by Mr.
Glaisher at a height of a mile and a half, and by
Mr. Coxwell at three miles. After penetrating, as
described, the mass of clouds, which were two thou-
sand feet in thickness, the atmosphere became
gradually dryer, and at a height of five miles none
of the instruments indicated the slightest moisture.
A self-registering thermometer which had. been
taken up indicated that a temperature of minus 20
had been reached, which would be 62 degrees be-
low freezing point. In proof, of the coldness ex-
perienced, it may be stated that a bottle of water
was with difficulty kept from freezing ),)3, continual
shaking ; but, on Mr. Coxwell's losing the use of
his hands, it immediately froze, and remained in
that condition for more than an hour after reach-
ing terra firma. Mr. Glaisher had wisely provided
himself with gloves, but Mr. Coxwell, who had
not taken that precaution, suffered the penalty of
having his hands turned quite black, in which coal-
dition they remained until the earth was reached.
The height attained during this ascent is quite
unprecedented, and it has been attended with no
ordinary danger.

THE CONTEST A 7 S 7 OKE-UPDX-TBENT.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SU',
Mr. Beresford Hope presents his compliments to
the Editor of the Sun, and requests the favour of
the insertion of the accompanying correspondence
with Mr. H. R. Grenfell in reference to the contest
at Stoke-upon-Trent.
Sept. 6, 1862.

Railway Hotel, Stoke-upon-Trent, Sept. 6.
Dear Sir,—My attention has been directed to the
following passage in your speech delivered at Han-
ley, on Wednesday last, as reported in the Birming-
ham Daily Post of yesterday, and in substantially
the same terms in the Staffordshire Sentinel of to-
day :—" The fact was, Sergeant Shee had no chance
whatever in that election, and he (Mr. Grenfell)
had received several communications from London
which assured him he (Sergeant Shee) was down
there holding a brief for Mr. Hope. He did not
believe this then, but since Sergeant Shee's speech
the previous night, he had no doubt that he was
holding that brief."

The Stqffordehire Advertiser quotes you as say-
ing, " capable of holding such a brief." The phrase
may not involve, as the other report does, a direct
hagainst myself, but leads to the inference
thatcagrle ara capable of giving such a brief to Sergeant
Shee.

Iu
the one case you will have stated in public,
without proof or investigation; that I had com-
mitted an act which, it it were true, would cover
me with disgrace : in the other, you will have left
the inference open that I was capable of committing
it. If, therefore, you cannot state that both reports
are incorrect, I have to request, on my assurance,
that I did not, and that I am incapable of commit-
ting such an act, that you will state your convic-
tion that I did not give, and that I am incapable of
giving, such a brief to an opposing candidate; and
that you will express your regret at having used
language calculated to injure the character of a
gentleman, in reference to a rumour, which, if you
had communicated with him, he would have perem-
torily denied.

I, of course, reserve to myself the power of giving
publicity to this correspond%nce, and I have the
honour to remain, dear sir, yours very faithfully.
A. J. B. BERESFORD HOPE.
R. Grenfell, Esq.

Railway Hotel, Stoke, Sept. 6.
Dear Sir,—l beg to acknowledge the receipt of
your letter of this day,
Perhaps I have not the same experience in elec-
tions which you have had, but I am at a loss to con-
ceive how it could cover you with disgrace to effect
a division in the liberal party-by every means in
your power.
And if Sergeant Shee be willing to be your in.
strument in that course, I do not think it would be
more disgraceful to resort to his assistance than to
make use of any other means of corruption,--I re-
main, dear sir, yours faithfully,
H. B. GRENFELL.I".

A. J. Beresford Hope, Esq.

Railway Hotel, Stoke-upon-Trent, Sept. 6.
Dear Sir,—l have the honour to acknowledge
your reply to my note of this morning. It is not
the answer which I expected ; nevertheless I do not
desire to protract the correspondence.
I cannot pretend to argue with a gentleman Who
has had an experience in official life which I have
never had the advantage of enjoying, as to the com-
parative "disgrace" of the various methods of " ef-
fecting a division" in the opposite camp, and of any
other " means of corruption."
For my own part I
willingly resign to you the
undisturbed use of all the " means of corruption,"
which you so candidly vindicate.
A t t tele,
ereitstkh
noefe. fraelrl,inl amgin your estimation as a suc-
cessful resolved to fight the bat-
tle with perfectly pure weapons, and to abstain from
wthheelne
I shall avail myself of that power of publicity
which I reserved in my first note.—l have the
honour to remain, dear sir, yours faithfully,
whatever.
avment
l of
any
" means of corruption"
at
A. J. B. BERESPORD HOPE.
a B: Grenfell, Esq.