, 1862-06-27
THE DEPARTURE OF LORD LYONS.
{Ftum the Richmond Dispatch. June 16. I
The Sight from q Balloon.

[FIom The Fair Oaks Cor. Philadelphia Prcss1
Col. loves balloon yesterday was stationed
near Gaines Mills, on the right centre Of tue
ttde'a1 line and within six miles Of Richmond.
Il was in the sir during the whole day, and in
tie lew hours it asceudcd some thirty or forty
army officers observed the position Of the en-
ela3's troops from the elevated point Of view
it afforded. The balloon is held to the ground
By q strong cord 600 feet in length, and of
course ascends to that distance above the
earth. 4 pulley and tackle arrangement,
worked By men below, is the power used TO
pull it down, and, being strongly fastened to
the tarth, there is but very little danger OF the
machines escape. The colonel and his as
sistapts very seldom ascend, officers and
otht r., with authority for the ascension, belug
sent up by Two and threcs at time, aud, after
few minutes stay, hauled down.
When the balloon has ascendcd at this point
to tue eId q its tether. grand view Of both
armies is uAfoIdcd- Within = circle Of two
miles in radius the sight is very perfect; be-
yond that the angle of vision becomes so nearly
horizontal that woods, houses and hills ma
terial1y interfere with the view. The landscape
has three marked objects upon it, which are
the first to strike the eye. The Chickahominy,
almost beneath ones feet. bordertd by Its
dark green swamps, runs like thread from
"hert it rises On the horizon, away of to tue
northwest, to where 1t blends with woods and
hills il the southeast The James River in
front, though Distant, runs in deep, crooked
valley. and bears on its bosom hundreds Of
craft that, in the distance, looks like white
.pecke upon tho blue waters. Richmond,
reripg large porttoD of the western hori-
zon, is, however, the principal sight, 1t ap-
eaEn to The ha1loonist as confused medley
Of rcd, white and hlack, and heavy brown for
tications stretching from the right to the left
with thick walls and p'entifu'ly sprinkled with
cannon, surround it on all sides. The capitol
fquare can scarcely be discerned, being too
tbiek1y surrounded by buildings. The white
capitol, however, is quite conspicuous, and Of
course, the st:rs and bars float over the roof.
Three church spires, seemingly ell in one
spot, are the brightest part Of the town, and
catch the eye almost before the observer is
awere he is looking at Richmond. But little
else, however, can be distinguished, although
for general view Of the town, nothing could
be better than that from the balloon. The
space between the Chickahomiay and the for
ti6cations around Richmond is almost filed
with rebel camps. 1,oU0 cavalry horses werc
pieketed in one 1eld, and Others were plenti-
fully sprinkled all about. Wedge tents,
used by the officers, and little dog tents BY
the men, ehone in every direction as the syn' !
rays struck them. Entertainments and rifle
pits lincd the front Of their position, though
very few guns were mounted. Several guns
of heavy calibre are sprink1ed along these
ealthworks. Rebel camps, however, are the
most prominent Of all the sights. They show
in every dircctien, and the southern and
western horizon eeems TO be their only bonn.
| dairy.
Of our OWL position, as seen from the bal
! loon, must be silent. One thing, however
| in the whole vitw is most remarkable. Righi
| through the centre Of the picture runs curvee
/ belt Of dark green aud yellow about mile
wide Not man, gun, tent or wagon appears
upon It. It is the line between the two ar
mics. Over it cannon balls are thrown, ant
! on lis surface scouts and pickets hide from
each other. but no military sign is to be seer
| upon 1t. Everywhere disc, stretchinga as far s.
| the eye can reach, are the Thousand and ON
things inciden. to war; but this broad, quit
deserted btlt Of land, so lonely, SO soGn5re
varying only IS it is swamp. or field or stream
| lies shere 50 still that it almost inspires th'
beholder. 5upitor's rings Or saturn's belt
lard on which nothing like tent or gun sp
! pears. j. G.