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[[Image - black and white - longitudinal section of the balloon sphere. similar to peeling a globe in sections north to south. labelled "Fig 5", dimensions along side.]] [[Image - Black and white - BLANCHARD@S BALLOON Fig 3, showing a circular balloon with parachute, gondola, passenger, oars/wings]] [[Clipping 1 of 9]] FLYING VESSEL. MR. BLANCHARD most respectfully informs the PUBLIC, that the Vessel in which he lately ascended into the Atmosphere, in Company with an ENGLISH GENTLEMAN, F.R.S. and in which he had already made Three aerial Voyages in France, is now to be seen at CLAYTON"S AUCTION ROOM, King-Street, St. James's-Square. Where his most curious GLOBE, and the APPARATUS employed in the Day of his Experiment at CHELSEAm are to be exhibited for the Inspection of the Curious, until the Day fixed for his FIFTH VOYAGE, which will be advertised in all the public Newspapers. Admittance ONE SHILLING. *** Mr. Blanchard will every Day have the Honor to attend personally in the Room FROM TWELVE TO FOUR o'CLOCK, to answer all Questions that may be put to him by those Ladies and Gentleman who would wish more minutely to inspect his AERIAL VEHICLE, and enquire about the Particulars of his several Voyages; the longest of which has been the last, having performed a Journey of Seventy-six Miles in little more than Four Hours; the last Hour he travelled at the Rate of THIRTY MILES AN HOUR. ^[[Nov. 1784.]] [[end clipping]] [[start clipping 2 of 9]] ^[[Dec 2 1784]] The aerial excursion of Mr Blanchard last Tuesday makes the twenty-sixth journey which has been taken in the air by different persons since the first expedition on the 21st of November 1783, by M. Pilatre de Rozier, from La Muette. The first female who adventured into the atmosphere was Madame Tible, at Lyons; and the persons who traveled farthest, and continued longest on their voyages, were Messrs. Roberts and Hulin, who were six hours and 40 minutes going from the Thuilleries to Bethune, in Artois, distant Paris about 160 miles. [[end clipping]] [[start clipping 3 of 9]] Yesterday at a quarter past two o'clock,. Mr. Blanchard returned in a post-chaise and four, from Dartford, in Kent, where he landed from his balloon on Tuesday about dusk. ^[[Dec 2.1784]] Dr. Jefferies, though an American, has given so many proofs of his attachment to this constitution, that we were greatly surprised at the report of his having displayed, on his ascension with Mr. Blanchard, a banner with thirteen stars, as a symbol of the American States; on enquiry, however, we find that gentleman waved an English ensign, while Mr. Blanchard sported in his aerial career the Devonshire arms. [[end clipping]] [[clipping 4 of 9 : Headline]] ^[[June 2, 1874]] THE LONDON CHRONICLE for 1784. [[start clipping 5 of 9]] BLANCHARD'S BALLOON MR. Blanchard having been disappointed in his aerial experiment on Monday, on account of the weather; and it clearing up unexpectedly yesterday morning, he used the utmost diligence in making preparations for his intended voyage, to gratify the curiosity of a prodigious multitude of people who had assembled on the occasion. The Rhedarium in Park-street, Grosvenor-square, was the place from whence the balloon ascended. The process of filling began about eleven o'clock, and about half past two was completed. The Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, and a very large party of Ladies and Gentleman, their friends, were present. The Duchess and the Ladies were dressed in blue and buff ribbons. After the operation of filling the machine had been completed, Mr. Blanchard and Dr. Jefferies, a person of fortune, from America, of great literary talents, took their seats in the vessel, and the two last cords were held by the Duchess of Devonshire and another Lady. Dr. Jefferies displayed an English ensign called in the navel world a jack, in one of the quarters of which thirteen stars, the symbol of America, appeared; Mr. Blanchard carried an English ensign; and with these appendages, they saluted the company on the first ascent of the aerial vessel. Before Mr. Blanchard made his final experiment, a small balloon, with a blue and orange cockade, and held by a blue ribbon, was let off by the Duchess of Devonshire as a signal, and to observe what course it took. About twenty minutes before three, the grand machine arose, and the voyagers made two attempts to ascend, but came down again; upon which Mr. Blanchard used his oars, and when he got above the height of the stable, found it necessary to throw out some ballast, to avoid striking against a chimney; by which means the vessel was evidently lightened, as it instantly towered, and appeared quickened in its horizontal progress. Having surmounted every difficulty, the balloon pursued its course in the atmosphere, and made a very beautiful progress over the metropolis. It did not rise to a great height, and at periods was so regulated, as to appear almost stationary; particularly over Grosvenor-square and other places, where great crowds were assembled, and where the voyagers waved their flags, and politely saluted the spectators. The day was somewhat hazy: but as the atmosphere was serene, at the height the vessel steered, the motion of the sails and oars could be distinctly observed. The wind was westerly, inclining a few points to the north; and it blew so gently, that it required very little of that skill which Mr. Blanchard is known to possess, to keep him at that elevation which would be most likely to gratify the whole town, the utmost length of which he must have traversed. The exercise of the oars seemed evidently to accelerate his motion; and he expressed a determination to let the balloon take as far a course as possible, while he had a ray of light to guide him. The navigators were provided with sufficient refreshments, instruments for observations, and defences against the cold and inclemency which they expected to experience; and from the philosophical abilities of Dr. Jefferies, the Public may expect to be highly gratified. [[end clipping]] [[start clipping 6 of 9]] soon after Mr. Blanchard's balloon was launched, two small balloons were let off, which ascended perpendicularly with great velocity. They passed the large balloon, which at that time was going almost horizontally; and thereby proved that the large balloon was not under the influence of the wind, but under that of Mr. Blanchard himself, who was guiding it. Dr. Jefferies, in a letter to a friend, gives the following account of the voyage: " I wrote you far, very far above the clouds. We have had a short, but most noble and enchanting voyage of twenty one miles, over Shooter's-hill &c. &c. and landed on the banks of the Thames, in the parish of Stone, in Kent, within half a mile of Essex. Our motion was very rapid, and all our ballast expended," Mr. Blanchard appeared to have to have so perfect a command of his balloon, that he crossed and re-crossed the Thames several times, undetermined which side of the river he should land upon, and at last fixed on a spot called Stone Marsh. near Ingress, the seat of the late Mr. Calcraft, a few miles beyond Dartford in Kent, where he landed about ten minutes before four o'clock, and arrived in town about two o'clock on Wednesday with his balloon, which he safely lodged in his late room in King-street, St. James's. Mr. Blanchard and Dr. Jefferies, we understand, were forced to come down on account of the extreme chillness of the atmosphere, which they felt very inconvenient and distressing. Mr. Blanchard, before his ascension, was offered the sum of 200 guineas by a Gentleman of the Middle Temple, for the liberty to accompany him across the channel; but he politely declined the offer, as it was his determination to make that aerial excursion without a companion. Though Mr Lunardi has profited by the public favour, for having been the first who visited our variable atmosphere, Mr. Blanchard is so far the most expert and accomplished aerial traveller. Besides being an exquisite mechanic, he is the inventor of that species of oars, or wings, which alone have been hitherto found of any material utility; and upon the whole we may observe that his second tour in England does him great honour, and was a much better spectacle than this first. The Prince of Wales, who was present in Mackenzie's Rhedarium during the whole process, expressed the highest satisfaction, and heartily joined in the loud acclamations which bid the navigators farewel. The Duchess of Devonshire had sent to the ingenious adventurer for an hundred tickets for her party the day before, and seemed highly gratified on this occasion. [[end clipping]] [[start clipping 7 of 9]] Mr Blanchard, with his air-balloon, descended on Tuesday afternoon, about ten minutes before four o'clock, at Stoney-Marsh, within two miles of Dartford, in Kent, and returned from thence yesterday to London in a post-chaise, with two flags flying, and part of the apparatus of the balloon, and passed in procession through Fleet-street about half past two o'clock in the afternoon. ^[[Dec. 9. 1784]] The flight of Mr. Blanchard, on Tuesday, was accompanied with several circumstances which did great honour to that spirited foreigner. After his first exertion with his fellow traveller, to try, as it were, the power of the balloon, before the stay-ropes were loosened, he came down again and received from the hands of the three Graces united in the person of the Duchess of Devonshire a pair of colours, bearing the arms of the family. After having waved it, in compliment to the graceful donor, Blanchard returned to his aerial boat, and ascended into the atmosphere in all that awefulness with which the fate of two men suspended between Heaven and Earth, can inspire a sensible spectator. The Gentleman who accompanied Mr. Blanchard in his flying vessel, we hear, was Dr. Jefferies, a person of fortune, from America, and of great literary talents. The aerial excursion of Mr. Blanchard last Tyesday makes the 26th journey which has been taken in the air by different persons since the first expedition on the 21st of November, 1783, by M. Pilatre de Rozier, from La Muette. The first female who adventured into the atmosphere was Madame Tible, at Lyons; and the persons who travelled farthest, and continued longest on their voyage, were Messrs. Roberts and Hulin, who were six hours and forty minutes going from the Thuilleries to Bethune, in Artois, distant from Paris about 160 miles. [[end clipping]] [[start clipping 8 of 9]] From the most improved experiments for filling air balloons, it appears, that one pound of the English Vitriolic acid, mixed with five pounds, or pints, of water, is sufficient to dissolve the like weight of iron shavings. Each pound of acid thus dissolved produces three cubic feet of inflammable air. [[Dec. 9. 1784]] The above process, which was the same m. Blanchard made use of in his fifth voyage, corresponds with the estimate calculated two years since in Upsal, in Sweden, by the late great chymist Sir Tobanus Bergman, from which it appeared a cubic inch of iron produced a cubic foot of inflammable air - or from 1720 to 1730 times its own bulk. The chymist who has taught almost all the aerial voyagers the most expeditious manner of filling their balloons, is the ingenious Mr. Argaud, a citizen of Geneva, who invented the simplest method of producing the inflammable ir, from using a number of casks. M. Montgolfiere lately adopted his method; also Messrs. Charles and Robert, and, lately, m. Blanchard. As this Gentleman's name has scarcely been heard of among all the aerial experiments, to the success of which he so essentially contributed, it is an act of justice and candour to give his name to the Public. [[end clipping]] [[start clipping 9 of 9]] ^[[Dec 1784]] The flight of Mr. Blanchard, on Tuesday, was accompanied with several circumstances that did great honour to that spirited foreigner. After his first exertion with his fellow traveller, to try, as it were, the power of the balloon, before the stay-ropes were loosened, he came down again, and received from the hands of the three Graces united in the person of the Duchess of Devonshire a pair of colours, bearing the arms of the family. After having waved it, in compliment to the graceful donor, Blanchard returned to his aerial boat, and ascended into the atmosphere in all that awefulness with which the fate of two men suspended between Heaven and Earth, can inspire a sensible spectator. [[end clipping]] ^[[25 - handwritten in pencil at the bottom of the page.]]
