Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1852-11-04

tlnctly was the f1asn OF the gun, and instanta-
neously there appeared multitude of upturued
faces in the Gardens below, the greater part
with their mouths wide open, and chevear de
frise of hands extending above them, all sig
nalizing farewell to US. Then, as we swept
rapidly above the trees, ] could see the road
way Immediately outside the Gardens, stuck
all over with rows of tiny people, looking like
so many black pins on cushion, and the hub
bub of the voices below was like the sound of
a distant school let loose.
And here began that peculiar panoramic ef-
feet which is the Distinguishing feature of a
view from balloon, ar5, which arises from
the utter absence of all sense of motion in the
machine itself. The earth appeared literally
to consist of long series of scenes, which
were being continually drawn along under you
as if it were diorama beheld fiat upon the
ground, and gave you almost the notion that
the world was an endless landscape stretched
upon rollers, which some invisible sp.ites
were revolving for your especial enjoyment.
Then, as we struck towards the fields of
Surrey, and looked over the edge of the car
in which was standing, holding on tight to
the thick rope descending from the hoop above,
and with the rim of the wicker work reaching
up to my breast, the sight was the most ex-
quisite delight ever experienced. The hous-
es below looked like the tiny wooden things
out of a child's box of toys. and the streets
like ruts. To peer straight down gave you an
awful sense of the height 10 which the balloon
had already risen, and yet there was no idea
of danger, for the mind was too much occupied
with the grandeur and novelty of the scene all
around to feel the least alarm. As the balloon
kept on ascending, the lines of buildings grew
smaller and smaller, till in a few minutes the
projections seemed very much like the prom-
nences on the little colored plaster models of
countries. Then we could see the gas lights
along the different lines of road start into light
one after another all over the earth, and pres
emily the ground seemed to be covered with
little miniature illumination lamps, such as
may be seen resting on the grass at the edge
of the gravel walks in suburban gardens of
amusement. The river we could see winding
far away, undulating, as it streamed along.
like man-of-war pennant, and gitterng here
and there in the duck like grey steel. All
round the horizon were thick slate-colored
clouds, edged with the orange-red of the de-
parted sun; and with the tops of these we
seemed to be on level. So deep was the
dusk in the distance, that it was difficult to tell
where the earth ended and the sky began and
| IN trying 10 make out the objects afar off, it
seemed to be as if you were looking through
so much Grape. The roads below were now
like narrow light-brown ribbons, and the
bridges across the Thames almost like panks :;
while the tiny black barges, as they foated up
the river, appeared no bigger than insects
The large green fields had dwinded down to
about the size of kettle-holders, and the hedges
were like strips of chenille.
When we were about a mile above the
ground, some of US threw pieces of paper into
the gray air, and that, as we rose and left
them below, futtered about like butterflies as
they fell. Then some of the more noisy of the
crew struck song; while heard dyspep-
tic gentleman Immediately behind me, as
was kneeling down (or there was but one
seat,) and stretching my head over the side of
below, confess TO feeling little nervous, say
ing that he was man of natural moral cour-
age, but his body overcame it, as he was sub
ject 10 fits of indigestion, and as preventive
to extreme nervousness had taken nothing
but vegetables for dinner that day. And
must confess myself that, poised up high in
the air, as we were, with but few slender
cords to support US, could not help thinking
of the awful havoc there would be if the twigs
of the wicker car were to break and the bottom
to give way.
On what sharp church steeple, thought l,
should be spitted, and as l looked down the
beauty of the scene once more took all sense of
fear from my mind, for the earth now appeared
concave with the height, and seemed like a
huge black bowl-as if it were the sky Of the
neither regions. The lights of the villages
scattered over the scene, were like clusters of
glow-worms, from the midst of which you
could here and there distinguish the crimson
speck of some railway lamp.
There, I've thrown over a letter, directed
to my house, said one of the passengers, tell
ing 'em we're all safe up here'-an as
stretched over the car, saw the little white
futtering thing 60 Engaging down the air,
while we still mounted the sky.
Then some of the passengers who had sup
piled themselves with an extraordinary stock
of courage previous TO starting, by means of
sundry bottles of sparkling champagne,
which had the effect Of making them more
noisy than agreeable in such situation, must
needs begin quarreling with an elegant Cap
tain in the hoop, as to whether they belonged
to the Snobocracy or the Nobocracy, and at
one time their words were literally SO high ,ha,
could the pair have got to close quarters, the
dispute would have assumed more serious
) character, for jammed tight together as we
! were in the car, the least attempt at violence
: would certainly have ended in discharging the
: whole human cargo into the railway station
below. But as it was it certainly did appear
) most ludicrous that two rational beings musl