Dear Sir,
I did myself the honour of writing to you the Beginning of last Week,
and I sent you by the Courier, M. Faujas's Book upon the Balloons,
which I hope you have receiv'd. I did hope to have given you to day
an Account of Mr. Charles's grand Balloon, which was to have gone up
yesterday; but the filling it with inflammable Air having taken more
time than had been calculated, it is deferr'd till to-morrow. I send
you herewith a Paper in which you will see what was proposed by Mess^rs
Robert who constructed the Machine; and some other Papers relative
to the same Subject, the last of which is curious, as containing the
Journal of the first Aerial Voyage performed by Man.--I purpose being
present to-morrow at the Experiment, and shall give you an Acc^t of it
by the Wednesday's Post. With sincere & great Esteem, I have the honour
to be,
Sir, Your most obed^t humble Serv^t
B. FRANKLIN
Sir JOS. BANKS, Bar^t.
(THE SECOND AERIAL VOYAGE BY MAN.)
PASSY, Dec. 1, 1783.
Dear Sir,
In mine of yesterday, I promis'd to give you an Account of Mess^rs.
Charles & Robert's Experiment, which was to have been made at this Day,
and at which I intended to be present. Being a little indispos'd, & the
Air cool, and the Ground damp, I declin'd going into the Garden of the
Tuilleries where the Balloon was plac'd, not knowing how long I might
be oblig'd to wait there before it was ready to depart; and chose to
stay in my Carriage near the Statue of Louis XV. from whence I could
well see it rise, & have an extensive View of the Region of Air thro'
which, as the Wind sat, it was likely to pass. The Morning was foggy,
but about one aClock, the Air became tolerably clear, to the great
Satisfaction of the Spectators, who were infinite, Notice having been
given of the intended Experiment several Days before in the Papers,
so that all Paris was out, either about the Tuilleries, on the Quays
& Bridges, in the Fields, the Streets, at the Windows, or on the Tops
of Houses, besides the Inhabitants of all the Towns & Villages of the
Environs. Never before was a philosophical Experiment so magnificently
attended. Some Guns were fired to give Notice, that the Departure
of the great Balloon was near, and a small one was discharg'd which
went to an amazing Height, there being but little Wind to make it
deviate from its perpendicular Course, and at length the Sight of it
was lost. Means were used, I am told, to prevent the great Balloon's
rising so high as might indanger its Bursting. Several Bags of Sand
were taken on board before the Cord that held it down was cut, and
the whole Weight being then too much to be lifted, such a Quantity was
discharg'd as to permit its Rising slowly. Thus it would sooner arrive
at that Region where it would be in Equilibrio with the surrounding
Air, and by discharging more Sand afterwards, it might go higher if
desired. Between One & Two aClock, all Eyes were gratified with seeing
it rise majestically from among the Trees, and ascend gradually above
the Buildings, a most beautiful Spectacle! When it was about 200 feet
high, the brave Adventurers held out and wav'd a little white Pennant,
on both Sides their Car, to salute the Spectators, who return'd loud
Claps of Applause. The Wind was very little, so that the Object,
tho' moving to the Northward, continued long in View; and it was a
great while before the admiring People began to disperse. The Persons
embark'd were Mr. Charles, Professor of Experimental Philosophy, &
a zealous Promoter of that Science; and one of the Messieurs Robert,
the very ingenious Constructors of the Machine. When it arrived at its
height, which I suppose might be 3 or 400 Toises, it appeared to have
only horizontal Motion. I had a Pocket Glass, with which I follow'd it,
till I lost Sight, first of the Men, then of the Car, and when I last
saw the Balloon, it appear'd no bigger than a Walnut. I write this at 7
in the Evening. What became of them is not yet known here. I hope they
descended by Day-light, so as to see & avoid falling among Trees or on
Houses, and that the Experiment was completed without any mischievous
Accident which the Novelty of it & the want of Experience might well
occasion. I am the more anxious for the Event, because I am not well
inform'd of the Means provided for letting themselves gently down, and
the Loss of these very ingenious Men would not only be a Discouragement
to the Progress of the Art, but be a sensible Loss to Science and
Society.
I shall inclose one of the Tickets of Admission, on which the Globe was
represented, as originally intended, but is altered by the Pen to show
its real State when it went off. When the Tickets were engraved, the
Car was to have been hung to the Neck of the Globe, as represented by a
little Drawing I have made in the Corner A. I suppose it may have been
an Apprehension of Danger in straining too much the Balloon or tearing
the Silk, that induc'd the Constructors to throw a Net over it, fix'd
to a Hoop which went round its Middle, and to hang the Car to that
Hoop, as you see in Fig. B.
Tuesday Morning, Dec. 2. I am reliev'd from my Anxiety, by hearing
that the Adventurers descended well near l'Isle Adam, before Sunset.
This Place is near 7 Leagues from Paris. Had the Wind blown fresh, they
might have gone much farther.
If I receive any farther Particulars of Importance I shall communicate
them hereafter.
With great Esteem, I am, Dear Sir,
Your most obedient
& most humble servant,
B. FRANKLIN
P. S. Tuesday Evening.
Since writing the above, I have receiv'd the printed Paper & the
Manuscript, containing some Particulars of the Experiment, which I
enclose.--I hear farther, that the Travellers had perfect Command of
their Carriage, descending as they pleas'd by letting some of the
inflammable Air escape, and rising again by discharging some Sand;
that they descended over a Field so low as to talk with Labourers in
passing and mounted again to pass a Hill. The little Balloon falling at
Vincennes, shows that mounting higher it met with a Current of Air in a
contrary Direction: An Observation that may be of use to future aerial
Voyagers.
Sir JOSEPH BANKS, Bar^t.
(SOME PARTICULARS OF THE SECOND VOYAGE.)
Mr. Le Chevalier de Cubière qui a suivi la marche du Globe est
arrivé chez M. Charles hier à 10 heures 1/4 du Soir et a dit, Que les
Voyageurs étoient descendus lentement et volontairement à trois heures
3/4 dans les Marais de Nesle et d'Hebouville, une lieue et demie après
l'Isle Adam. Ils y ont été accueillis par Mrs. le Duc de Chartre et
Fitz James, qui après les avoir embrassés, ont signé le Procès verbal
de lieu et d'heure. Beaucoup d'habitants de la campagne et le curé de
Nesle et d'Hebouville se sont aussi trouvés à leur arrivée.
Les Voyageurs ont assuré n'avoir éprouvé que des Sensations agréables
dans leur traversée. Mr. Robert étant sorti du Char, et aidé de
quelques Paysans, se disposoit à remplacer sa Pesanteur avec de la
Terre; mais M. Charles voulant profiter du peu de Jour qui lui restoit,
pour faire encore quelques observations, impatienté de la Lenteur de
cette operation, a repris son Vol à 4 heures et 1/4, avec un excédant
de Légèreté d'environ 100 Livres par une Ascension droite et une
rapidité telle qu'en peu de tems le Globe s'est trouvé hors de vue. La
Chute du Jour l'a déterminé à redescendre une lieue et 1/2 plus loin,
aux environs de Fouroy.
La Machine n'a éprouvé aucun Accident. Elle perdoit légèrement par une
petite ouverture qui existoit dejà quelques heures avant son Depart
auprès de l'appendice, et dont le Morceau de Taffetas que l'on y avoit
appliqué au moment de l'expérience, s'étoit detaché.
* * * * *
Le petit Ballon est tombé dans la Cour du Dongeon à Vincennes. Il a été
ramassé par des Enfans et vendu 6_d._ au nommé Bertrand. Il avoit perdu
son air inflammable par le Robinet qu'on avoit laissé ouvert exprès
pour empêcher l'explosion à trop grande hauteur. On évalue qu'il a été
50 minutes en l'air. Le Taffetas étoit roussi aux deux Extremités.