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Mr. SADLER ascended in his balloon from Cambridge on Wednesday. Lieutenant PAGET had agreed to be his companion, and had seated himself in the car, but there being some difficulty in getting the balloon under weigh, Mr. SADLER was of opinion that it would not carry double, and Lieutenant PAGET reluctantly quitted it. The balloon rose about 21 minutes after two o'clock in the afternoon, moved towards the South, and in about two minutes was out of sight.
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At three o'clock the gardens and Sidney college were opened for the subscribers and others, to the University breakfast; and in the evening the senate-house was filled for the fourth, and last concert.
Tuesday morning, the Chancellor went in state to the senate-house, when Doctors were created. The annual prizes left by Sir William Browne, to three Under Graduates, for the best odes in Latin and Greek, were adjudged by the Vice-Chancellor. His Royal Highness was attended by all the noblemen and gentlemen in Cambridge. When the ceremony was concluded, his Royal Highness took the tour of the colleges, and expressed his satisfaction of the general order which prevailed in them, and afterwards sat down to a sumptuous dinner at Caius-college. In the evening, he went to Christ's college to supper.
Wednesday morning, the Chancellor finished his visitations to the several colleges; and at about one o'clock walked through the Great Court of Trinity-college, from whence the balloon was to ascend, in order to inspect the operation of filling it, and afterwards ascended the top of the turret of the Great Gate, from whence he viewed the spectacle. The morning was one continued drizzle of rain, with some wind to the N.E. Mr. Sadler intended that his two daughters should ascend with him, had the weather been fine; that not being the case, however, the second seat in the balloon was engaged by Lieutenant Paget, at the price of 100 guineas.
At a quarter past two, Mr. Sadler and Lieutenant Paget were seated in the balloon, which had some difficulty in getting under weigh. At length, it was the aeronaut Captain's opinion, that the vessel would not carry the Lieutenant as well as himself: and Mr. Paget reluctantly stepped out of the car. At about twenty-one minutes after two o'clock the balloon rose, and immediately crossed the south side of Trinity Great Court, and over King's College Chapel. The balloon moved towards the south, steadily and beautifully rising gradually, or with a slight impulse, as Mr. Sadler threw out ballast. It remained in sight about two minutes, when a cloud enveloped it, and withdrew it from the view of the enraptured spectators, with as much quickness as the curtain falls upon an interesting scene of a play. At this moment the spectators gave Mr. Sadler a farewell cheer of encouragement and satisfaction.
Mr. Sadler alighted in a field near Stanstead, in Essex, 23 miles from Cambridge. He had been long before discerned by the inhabitants of that spot, and some labourers assisted his descent; some time elapsed before they could keep down the balloon. He immediately set off for Cambridge in a chaise and four, where he arrived at eight o'clock the same evening. The account which Mr. Sadler gives of his voyage is this: he ascended at fifteen minutes past two o'clock, and lost sight of Trinity College entirely in three minutes and a half, when he entered a mass of clouds, through which the balloon continued ascending, and in six minutes more was clear of the clouds. The observations which he made upon the clouds were, that from the time occupied in breaking through them, they must have been nearly one mile in thickness. The balloon still continued ascending, and, in a few minutes, he observed its shadow on the clouds, the balloon was then moving with great velocity, in a direction nearly east, still rising, till about ten minutes past three o'clock. The barometer at this time was 13, the thermometer 28 deg. From the direction and velocity of the wind, at the only time there was an opportunity of observing the progress of the balloon, Mr. Sadler was apprehensive that he should be carried to the sea-coast; in consequence of this he began to evaporate the gas, to find out at what part of the country he was in, and descended rapidly; but finding that the barometer fell, he threw out some ballast to moderate the descent, this occasioned the ascent for a short time, and, shortly after, Mr. Sadler descended. Mr. S. then observing, having neared the earth, that a small copse was at hand, in the direction the balloon was taking, judged it expedient to descend. The country around appeared, and was beautifully laid out with corn fields; and the balloon took the ground at fifty-minutes past three o'clock, at which time Mr. S. had been an hour and 35 minutes traversing the air.
Mr. Sadler ascends again on the Regent's birth-day (August 12), from Hackney.
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