The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-19 00:00:00

BALLOON ASCENT IN PARIS.

M. Juhn Lemoine, one of the editors of the Journal
des Debats, has just published
,in that journal a
pleasing account of his ascension on Saturday in the
balloon of Lieut. Gale, the Royal Cremorne. He
says : _ _

" I have not always bwrthe ambition of being a
representative of the people, hut I cont;-se that the
desire laid hold of me on the 10th, when I saw our
lagislators fl; ing away like a cletel or swellows. I
;etal to myseif, • ere they net happy in having nothiio
to d • but to make laws and provide for the Wellere of
the people? Are they not happy in being able to re-
pose on their laurels, and to go and respire the odour
of the new mown hay, and the newly reaped corn.
paticularly if the hay and corn belong to them, and
they unite tee sensation of the floneur to the no less
egreeahle sensation of the proprieteire f 0 forte,
notes nimluez, and the more so as they eppr,ciate
their good fortune ! But for us, soldiers of th- press,
who are on guard every day, we have neither rest
nor truce. We persuade ourselves that the public
cannot dispen'e with us, and our fatal grandeur ties
us to our posts. The uttnest that we can do is to
take a pleasure train, and then our ticket of depar-
ture loses its charms by being accompanied by a
ticket of return.' I SAW with inute fl,splir all my
friends departing, some for their estates, others for
the sea side, fur the hanks of the Rhine, for Rely,
Holland, Englund, and even Poland, whilst no means
of motion seemed opera to me, when I learned with a
satisfaction which it is impossible for me to describe
that I had one issue, that of the air, and that I had a
place reserved for me in the balloon of Mr. Gale,
.which was that day to ascend from the Hippodrome.
I took my cane and my hat, and proceeded to the
Hippodrome. I had also taken a cloak, hut Mr.
Gale assured me that the seeether would he fide, and
that. it would be useless. I therefore left it on the
earth. I give these details solely for the edification
of amateurs who may be desirous of making the
voyage, and who would, without doubt, do so as come
modiously and agreeably as I did. There are
,no
trunks to be packed or will to make. I would merely
advise those who go up to dine beforehand, for the
pure air above gives an edge to the appetite, and it is
not quite certain where they may happen to come
down. Mr. Gale is a lieutenant of the Royal British
navy, and wears the undress uniform. He has the bold
decided air of the sailor. He tekes the same care of his
balloon as one man would take of a racehorse, or an-
other of a fine vessel. Peecieely at five o'd';ck we
left, waving tee flags, namely, the French flag, thst
of the moment, and the Union Jack. We were four
in number. —Mr. Gale, Mr. CliAon (a young Eng-
lishman, who had already made three usceneions), M.
Leon Tripier, and myself. The ascent at first, as
everybedy might perceive, was very rapid. It is at
this moment alone that novices, at least I speak fur
myself, experience a certain giddiness ; hut aft-r a
few moments this disappears. There is a peculiarity-
in the balloon of Mr. Gale, and in the ascension with
him : I speak of the incrediiile tour de force that he
performs in descending by a rope ladder to his low,r
car. The upper and larger car may be compared to
a large round basket. We were ranged round it,
with one arm in the cordage, not to keep us from
falling out, but from falling in.• The smaller end
lower car is suspended at a distance (4' 35 feet from
the upper. In order to go down to it, Mr. Gale raises
a sort of lid or trap at the bottom of the upper car,
and then there is an opening barely sufficient for the
passage of his body. It is through this opening that
he descends by a rope ladder to let off his firewteks,
which are attach,-d to the lower car. It is impossible
to conceive anything more terrible than this man sus-
pended in space by a cord at the height of half a
mile from the earth, and descending with admirable
sang froid to his lower car. It was a most harrow-
iog sight fir us to look at him through the opening
at our feet, for the distance, on account of the sm'dl-
ness of the opening, appeared double. The effect of
such a sight would, if continued long, probably be
inaupportable. On reaching the lower ear Mr. Gele
set dire to his bombs, which lam told produced with
the persons on terra. firma the effect of discharges of
cannon. Some perdu/is thought it was a salute in
honour of the prorogation of the Assembly. • With
us above the effect was very dill:-rent. At first there
cwat
,:s.,:lps,ii.t.atwthilsfhtnhat,:hpaiarst,fit dhrsoundiienit.m:l:Ti:lltmine:dtlnLhdt:et
(c):(3.,
itrli4tl snapping;continued
iux mdpl
ob of firo
thunder.ot a:
f,ppi --tarrBc:u„.
reisims,
Parisians,
o,sn:riii
lhWaed%(;l:r.
fwereoAr
fitith(e,etr
purposet
h thisi' i b' go
ou
t(cfrueetit(h),ienmil:glrl.l.u..3.7l,eslerot up their
snut'rnoeidn hi
be-
low this is friehtful, and sren froth above it is bv no
means tranquillising. Ita sailor perched on a yard-falls
into the sea, a cry is raised of ' a man overboard ;' but
what cry would we raise if our seaman had Felten into
the atmosphere? But here he is ! We see returning
through the trap his brow, covered with perspiration,
then his arms, and finally we lay hold of him. ware
were anxious for his return for two reasons; first, for
himself, and then a little for ourselves F:ir only'
imaeine this devilicf a man to have missed hie hold
on his descent or his ascent with his cord, or to have
set fire to himself with his fireworks, and I will ask
. , . .