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On the [[5th?]] of August, 1840, the Professor made an ascent from the yard of the old Lancaster County Prison, corner of West King and Prince streets, and landed near Dillerville, only a mile and a half from the starting point, being prevented from going further by the accidental breaking of the valve-spring.
On the last Saturday of August, 1842, Mr. Wise made a fine ascension from York, and striking an easterly current, sailed over Marietta and Lancaster, and landed on Wm. Hiester's farm, near New Holland.
On the 20th of August, 1853, he made another ascension from York, and passed over almost the same course.
On the third Saturday, of May, 1843, Prof. Wise made an ascent from Carlisle, which is mainly remarkable for the circumstance that, before he ascended, he promised to land at Lancaster, and did land within one hundred yards of our city limits. His balloon was towed into town, and after the aeronaut had divested himself of surplus clothing and basket, he made another ascension from the north side of the old Court House in Centre Square; and after remaining up an hour landed in the vacant [[?]] in rear of Moderwell's warehouse, [[?]] which the balloon was towed to the [[residence?]] of Mr. Wise, East King and Ann [[?]], and there emptied of its remaining [[?]].
In June, 1843, Prof. Wise published in the LANCASTER INTELLIGENCER a proclamation announcing his intention to make a balloon voyage across the Atlantic ocean, [[?]] want of pecuniary means prevented the accomplishment of the grand undertaking. [[In?]] December of the same year he petitioned Congress for aid to build a great aerostat for [[?]] same purpose, but a deaf ear was turned [[?]] his appeals.
In the 22d of October, 1846, during the Mexican war, Prof. Wise writing from Lancaster, proposed to take the castle of Vera [[Cruz?]], by balloon batteries, moored above [[?]] city, and on the 10th of December, following, addressed a letter on the same sub[[?]] to Secretary Marcy, but nothing was [[?]] by the War Department to test the [[?]] of the project.
[[?]] June 7, 1847, Prof. Wise made another [[ascension?]] from Centre Square, Lancaster, [[?]] a great number of ascensions from other places at later dates.
During the summer of 1849 a balloon [[?]] stock company was formed by Prof. Wise and other gentlemen of this city. A large and elegant silk balloon was constructed, and a number of topical ascensions made from a then vacant lot at the corner of Orange and Lime streets. The balloon had immense lifting capacity, and the car in which the passengers were taken up comfortably seated six or eight persons. Several hundred of our citizens availed themselves of the opportunity of making ascensions to a height of 1,000 feet. The competition for seats became so great that the premium for them increased rapidly from $2 to $10, and for a few days the enterprise proved a great success; but finally just before the grand clear ascension was to have been made by Prof. Wise and family, a great storm arose and the balloon was dashed to the earth and exploded. It was afterwards repaired, more topical ascensions were made and finally Prof. Wise, his wife, son Charles and a niece, made a grand clear ascension attaining a great height and landing safely not far below Witmer's Bridge, in what was generally called Hell-street-lane.
Charles E. Wise's first ascension, alone, was made from Shannondale Springs, Va., on the 3d of September, 1853, when he was about 17 years old. He landed safely near Williamsport, Md., about twenty-five miles from the place of starting. He had before that made several ascension in company with his father.
On the 18th of September, 1869, Charles E. Wise and wife made a very beautiful ascension from Centre Square, this city, in the balloon "Jupiter," and landed on the farm of Hoffman Hershey, nine miles northwest of this city.
On the 6th of September, 1873, Mr. J. M. Shearer, an aeronaut of considerable experience made an ascension from Centre Square and landed near Lincoln Univer-

On last [[?]]-Monday, Mr. Shearer made a second ascension from this city, filling his balloon at the corner of Duke and Frederick streets, and towing it to the Lancaster Park, from where the ascension was made. He descended near Kinzer's station.
The Wises, father and son, have made hundreds of other ascensions from various places in the United States and the Canadas, and have always navigated their airships with consummate skill, avoiding accidents in perilous places, that would almost certainly have ensued had they been less proficient in the science of ballooning.
From the voyage which is to be made tomorrow, from Centre Square, by Prof. Charles E. Wise, Master John Wise and J. M. Johnston, of the INTELLIGENCER, good results may be anticipated, as the aeronauts will carryto the upper regions all the instruments necessary for making correct observations. These instruments will consist of a thermometer, barometer, chronometer, compass, and opera, field and marine glasses, together with some of the most valuable and reliable carrier pigeons in the county. The course of the balloon will necessarily somewhat depend on the state of the weather and the direction of the local wind currents, but should the weather prove propitious, it is intended that the balloon shall reach the great "eastern current," in which case the voyage may be lengthened to a very considerable distance. Full particulars of the trip, written especially for the INTELLIGENCER, will be published as soon as received.

THE BALLOON ASCENSION.
The Send-off---Magnificent Scenery---A Great Chess-Board---One-and-a-half Miles Above the Earth---Over the Buckwheat Fields of York County---The Landing---The Re-ascension---On Terra-Firma---Home Again.

As we went to press yesterday, the balloon was still in sight, apparently hovering over some point a few miles southwest of the city, at a great height. The first news that was received of it was by the return of one of the carrier-pigeons of Frank Howell, which proved itself a blooded bird by flying straight to its cote. For a time, however, it was so excited and agitated over its effort, that it could not be induced to go into the cote and have detached from it the message which it bore. In a half-hour it was secured and the card taken off its leg. The inscription thereon read as follows:
OVER SAFE HABOR-4:20 p.m.-Fifteen hundred feet high; thermometer 70°; all comfortable; grand scenery.
WISE AND JOHNSTON, Balloon.
As the bird arrived here at 4:50, it had made excellent time, and Mr. H. may congratulate himself upon his success in raising this class of birds. In the meantime a dispatch was received announcing that the balloon had been observed near Wrightsville, These "reports from the air" were duly posted on the bulletin board of the INTELLIGENCER, and were read by hundreds who passed by or came to hear the news, so general was the interest felt in the result of the trip.
Later in the evening the following dispatches were received:
YORK, Pa., 5:27 p.m.-Wise and his balloon several miles south of this place, moving southwest.
YORK, Pa., 11:30 p.m.-Prof. Wise is on the Cincinnati Express, having landed about one and half miles this side of Shrewsbury station, York county.
Another of the pigeons arrived in this city about 9 a.m., this morning, bearing the following message:
SHREWSBURY, York Co., Pa.-7 p.m.-Have landed safely. Will be home in the morning. This is 40 miles from Lancaster.
WISE AND JOHNSTON.
It is supposed the bird roosted over night and resumed his flight this morning. These are the first carrier-pigeons ever sent from or arrived at this city, and their performances are regarded with great popular interest.
A 3:49 this morning Messrs. Wise and Johnston arrived safe in this city, and we will now let the latter tell the story of his trip:

Well, our grand balloon ascension has taken place. We have "gone up," made our voyage and returned home, and it is now expected that we shall write a description of the trip. Description is not our forte; but in lieu of that we will dot down in a homely way some of the incidents attending our first journey to the skies.
Long before the time of starting, Centre Square was filled with people watching with much interest the inflation of the balloon, and anxious to see it ascend. Prof. Wise was no little annoyed by the overofficiousness of friends, who, in their mistaken endeavor to assist him, kept him back very considerably in the delicate work he had to perform. As for the historian of the voyage, he was early on the ground, and anxious to remain there during the inflation, but was more than once driven off by the flood of queries that were constantly being dinned into his ears by the crowd, of which, for the nonce, he was a central figure, and every other one of whom seemed determined to "interview" him. Some of the questions asked were in themselves very proper ones, but when one is obliged to answer, in the same words, the same question asked by a thousand different persons, the interview becomes, to say the least, monotonous. Here follow a few of the questions we were expected to answer, or acknowledge that we couldn't answer:
When will you go up? Where will you stop? When will you come home? How high will you go? Will you not get giddy away up there? Ain't you afraid? Come, won't you take a drink before you go? Do you intend to take all those sand-bags hanging to the balloon along with you? Have you got your life insured? Do you think the balloon will be likely to knock down the monument? &c., &c., &c.
A thousand warnings reproofs and admonitions also fell upon our ears. Don't you think you are tempting Providence in thus hazarding your precious life? Stick, old boy, don't back out. I'll bet fifty cents you don't go up. Telegraph to me as soon as you land. Be careful and don't fall overboard. I'll give fifty dollars for your seat. I wouldn't go up for the world. Good bye. God bless you. Gone, but not forgotten, &c., &c. Then we were called all manner of pet names, such as "nauty" for aeronaut; "looney" for balloonist; "gassy," "little angel," &c., &c., &c. Similar sayings and queries were poured upon us so constantly, that it was a genuine relief when the time came for us to step into the basket and bid the multitude adieu.
The ascent, as thousands who witnessed it will testify, was a most successful and beautiful one. Our air-ship arose from the midst of the dense mass by which it was surrounded, and passed directly over the Athenaeum, being greeted with loud huzzas and waving of handkerchiefs. The compliment was returned on our part by the waving of the star spangled banner by Master John Wise and the vigorous swinging of hats by Prof. Wise and the reporter, and then the air below us was filled with a shower of small printed circulars thrown from the basket attached to the balloon. Thus lightened, the balloon soon shot up to an altitude of 4,000 feet, and Prof. Wise made preparations to throw out the drag rope, which had been coiled in the bottom of the basket, in deference to the fears of some worthy gentlemen that if coiled in the Square it might become entangled in the Soldiers' Monument, and carry off that exquisite piece of sculpture! The rope became much tangled and required the exercise of no little time and patience to unravel and throw it overboard. It was accomplished at last however and then our labor for the voyage was over, and we had full time to look down upon the world from our elevated seat. And what a magnificent scene it was! It included a view of all Lancaster county from the Blue Ridge to the Maryland line, and from the Octorara to the Susquehanna, but at an elevation of four or five thousand feet, every thing was so much reduced in size, that the largest buildings looked like toy-houses; the streets and roads like well-swept paths: the newly plowed fields and fields of grass,

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