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[[start page]] Extract of a private letter, dated Paris May, 21, ^[[1782]] "This is the time to say with our great Racine 'Eh quel tems put jamais plus fertile en miracles!'--Wonders indeed will never cease ; and all our good Parisians are gaping at the sight of new miracles. If you remember any thing of my former letters to you, you will recollect that a few months ago I gave you information of a man who had the natural gift of finding out springs and other hidden treasures of the earth.--This I delivered upon hearsay; of what follows I speak as an eye-witness.--A countryman, blindfolded, armed with a switch cut from a filbert-tree, has, in the presence of the Magistrates and above five hundred people, followed the course of the aqueduct D'Argenteuil; but so true to the various meanders of the stream, as not to deviate in his walk one single line from its course underground.--What perhaps will appear to you more extraordinary, and seems to me unaccountable, is, that this man stopped short at one place, and, resting himself on his wand, or switch, declared, that the spring ended at that particular spot: being, however, encouraged to go further, he, a few steps above, found once more the current of the Spring. The magistrates present having ordered the ground to be searched in those two places, it proved, that in the latter, the water ran freely; but that in the former, some planks were laid across, which prevented the effect of the [[italics]]Batulomancy[[/italics]]. "This fact is too well authenticated to be in the least questioned; but the cause of this phenomenon, whether it proceeds from a natural sympathy or antipathy between the man and the water is worth the investigation of your profound philosophers, to whom I strongly recommend it; and here goes one. "The second is yet in embryo, ^[[*]] but will, I hear, be in a few weeks perfectly compleated, it [[underline]] is the work of a Mr. Blanchard, a very ingenious mechanic [[/underline]]; it conflicts in a boat so framed, and provided with such springs, as to be able by means of one man only, to fly or [[underline]] rather swim in the air [[/underline]], and keep such course, as the airy pilot shall direct. Attempts have been made before, to take those cloudcapt journeys, and Icarus is the first madman upon record, who venture on a bold pinion, to fly through the air; God grant Mr. Blanchard may prove more successful than the son of Dedalus! "The third parisian wonder, and the last, tho' not the least, I shall speak of, is to be wrought by the celebrated, and not less unfortunate Monsieur Linguet. This gentleman, whether his long abode in the Bastile has turned his brains, or the desire of getting out of it, has made him conceive, that every thing was possible, has transmitted to the ministers, a memorial, stating a method by which intelligence and orders might be conveyed to and from Brest in the space of twenty minutes; how this is to be effected, is a mystery for the solving of which, the disinterested pleader only asks his freedom; but so far I can tell you; that it is not by the firing of cannon, which, as the inventer observes, do their work but too well, and are calculated to destroy, not to instruct; nor by signals or dubious fires, but by a private agency, which at present is a secret locked up in the breast of Monsieur Linguet. There let it remain till the author is pleased to give it life. "A fourth article, which even the court enthusiasts will call in question, is, that our ministers would make the world believe, that though we have been beat in the West-Indies, it is for the better. Dr. Pangloss himself would not persuade us into a disbelief that it looks very much like the worse for us; and we, to a man, conclude that the appointment and bad success of De Grasse is in reality for us the coup de grace.--Forgive the pun; it is too true to make a joke of it." [[end page]] [[start page]] Parisian Intelligence. ^[[1784]] Aerostatic Globe. The [[underline]] second of March [[/underline]], being the Day appointed for the Experiment of M. Blanchard every thing was prepared for it in the Middle of the Champ de Mars. He had issued an immense Number of Tickets, and the Place was crowded with all Ranks of People. His Machine was ingeniously contrived. The Balloon was constructed on the Principle of Mess. Charles and Roberts; and had Wings and a Helm, the Mechanism of which was curious and philosophic. By applying the Principles of Mechanics to the Discovery of the Air Balloon, it was his Project to shew that it was practicable for Man to navigate the upper Regions of the Air. The adventurer had prevailed on a young Physician, Dour Pech, a Benedictine of St. Martin des Champs, to go with him as his Compagnon de Voyage, for the Purpose of making Experiments on the Atmosphere. When every thing was ready for their Attempt, about a Quarter after Eleven o'Clock, the young Gentleman seated himself in the Car, with a drawn Sword in his Hand; his Enthusiasm struck the Spectators with Terror, and they endeavoured by every Means, but in vain, to prevent his going up. The Tumult was excessive and outrageous; and in pressing on the Machine the Wings were broken, and the Globe itself very much injured. But all these Obstacles could not deter them from their Flight--They cut the Ropes, and the Machine mounted into the Air; but a deal of the Gas in the Globe being dissipated by the Damages it had received from the Mob, they came down, and Dour Pech very unwillingly resigned his Seat. Blanchard thus left to himself, and stript of all the Means of directing the Machine, would have postponed his Experiments; but, in his Account, he says, in the Spirit of a Frenchman, "I was under the Eyes of the Public, and my Honour was pledged."--His Helm was still perfect. He mounted with great Rapidity, and rose to the astonishing Height. The Wind was high, and he was carried over Passy--There came, he says, a sudden Calm, and he remained stationary for fourteen Minutes--He then repassed the River, during all which Time the Clouds were under him, and he experienced another Calm which lasted about 15 Minutes. and during which the Sun was very warm. A contrary Gale then sprung up, and he was carried with extreme Velocity towards Montrouge; in this Direction he tacked four Times by mean of his Helm. Perceiving that his Globe was diminishing by the Loss of Air which it had sustained, and that he was descending, he threw out four Pound Weight of his Ballast, and he remounted--To prevent his coming down in the River, he threw out the rest of his Ballast, and at length descended in the Plain of Billancourt, after having been in the Air an Hour and a Quarter; in the Course of his short Excursion he experience, he says, extreme Heat, and afterwards extreme Cold; a very sharp Appetite, and a strong Disposition to sleep. His Arrival was witnessed by a Croud of Spectators, and he drew up the Account of his Journey in the Presence of the Duc de Fronsac, and the Marquis de Laigle, de Montaignac, de Montesquieu, and de Reaulx. In regard to the Question, whether it is possible to direct the Aerostatic Machines in the Air, Mess. Blanchard says, that though deprived of the principal Part of his Machinery, his Wings, yet by means of his Helm, and Tail, he was able not only to withstand the Rapidity of the Gale, but also to accomplish what none of his Predecessors have affected, the sailing, in Reality, against the Wind. [[end page]] [[start page]] [[image - drawing of Blanchard's Balloon and Steering Apparatus.]] Blanchard's Balloon and Steering Apparatus. M. Blanchard, who afterwards acquired great celebrity as an aeronaut, and whose attention had long been directed to the invention of mechanical aids to the aerial voyager, made his first attempt in March, 1784, at Paris, in a balloon filled with hydrogen gas. Through the fears and imprudence of his companion, after having risen a few feet from the earth, they descended with a severe shock; but Blanchard, who now took the sole management, rose to the height of a mile; and, after having been driven through various currents of air during nearly two hours, he descended in safety. [[end page]] [[start page]] A very curious relation is given in some of the foreign papers of a voyage made in a balloon on a new plan, with wings and sails, by M. Blanchard, at Rouen, of which the following is an extract: ^[[1784]] "I ascended from the old barracks of Rouen on Sunday May 23, at 20 minutes past seven. The weather was extremely fine, with few clouds, the wind S. E. I passed over the Seine, intending to direct my course towards Versailles; but a contrary wind preventing me, went over a village called Ilneauville. I crossed a small cloud, which affected me a little, and soon after a larger one, that wetted me considerably; it appeared like a thick mist, in which I could discern neither earth nor sky; 12 min. past 8, I left the cloud with a rapid movement upwards. The sun again appeared, but did not prevent my feeling a very cold sensation, nor my clothes from freezing on my back. In the temperature of the atmosphere I ran about two leagues in ten minutes. Perceiving a very thick cloud, a little below me, that seemed stormy, and imagining that I could also discern the sea, and was rapidly approaching both, I moved my wings, and descended gradually, at my own discretion, taking advantage of a calm to eat and drink. About 600 yards from the earth, I saw a most beautiful country which I judged to be a plain in the environs of Rouen; for I had passed the mountains without being aware of it, every thing from the extreme elevation appearing to me on a level. The city of Rouen resembled a parcel of stones, of about half a foot square. The face of nature appeared delightful, and I contemplated it with inexpressible satisfaction. A superb forest invited me to skim over it, but the near approach of night, and the lightning that seemed to be brewing under my feet, made me determine on a descent. I then swept the earth above a quarter of a league, at the distance of 100 feet, at the end of which I touched it gently. No one was present at my descent; I was sitting quietly in my balloon, and making my last observation, when several of the country people came up, and assured me of the fidelity of my watch, by which it was 20 minutes 17 seconds past eight. They informed me of the name of the place, which was Moteville Claville, four leagues and a half distant from the place of my departure. "I had almost forgot to mention, that the country people came armed, and one of them had loaded his gun, in order to fire at me, taking my balloon, as they told me afterward, for some strange animal; others were so terrified, that they could scarcely be induced to approach me. "Signed, Blanchard." [[end page]] [[start page]] M. Blanchard, who entertained Paris some time ago, with the promise of an aerial navigation, by means of a flying machine, is now employed in applying the principles of his discovery to the principles of the Air Balloon. In his advertisement he says, that his discovery was defective. He contrived means by which he could navigate the higher regions of the air, [[italics]] if he cou'd get thither[[/italics]]. The god like Montgolfier has opened the communication, and he has appointed an early day of March for his experiment. He means to sail with the wind, and steer his vessel against it. His subscription is full, and we wait with impatience for the return of good weather, that he may take his flight. ^[[March - 1784]] [[end page]]
