But the spark you have quenched at creation, That Pyrrha's hair is neatly twined,

From The British Quarterly Review.

AERIAL VOYAGES.*

We are not in a position to state whether the genius in question listened favour

A FEW years ago a Frenchman, apostro-ably to M. Farcot's fervid appeal; but it phizing the Genius of Humanity as none is certain that his hopes have not yet been but a Frenchman can do, took the liberty realized. The balloon has always apof reproaching that metaphorical being peared to possess such splendid capabilfor its extreme backwardness in one de- ities that it is no wonder its admirers partment of duty. He called upon it to never weary of predicting a brilliant fu“march,” an injunction which his country- ture for the machine. Considering the men are so fond of issuing that they some- prominent part which Frenchinen have times forget to tell you where, or to state played in the history of aerostation, it will the reason why. The present age, he be readily understood that the apparatus intimated, demanded this movement: the commenced its career with a dash and élan coming generations would be greatly dis- which led mankind to anticipate that it appointed if it were not accomplished. would accomplish marvellous things, and · One effort," said he encouragingly to the become one of the foremost agents in the Genius, and the future is thine (l'avenir great work of civilization. Our lively t'appartient)!" The crooked places, he neighbours, ever on the alert for glory promised, should be made straight, and the until their recent misfortunes, and probarough ones delightfully smooth. There bly so still, were charmed with the idea should be no more mountains (Pyrenees of conquering a new region, though it conor otherwise), and the valleys should be- tained nothing but clouds, and were by no come as level as the plains! means insensible to the vanity of riding in the air, though in most cases they went up, like their famous sovereign, simply to come down again.

And what does the reader suppose was the duty in respect of which the genius in question was so shamefully in arrear? It was, said M. Farcot, in the matter of acrostation. How is it, asked this individual, somewhat sharply, that man, who is so anxious to conquer everything and everybody (except, we might add, himself), should not have made greater exertions to subdue the sole element which continues in a state of rebellion? How is it that a being who has such magnificent forces at command, and can traverse the ocean with an ease and a rapidity which the fleetest denizens of the deep cannot surpass, should suffer himself to be outstripped in the air by an insignificant fly? M. Farcot could not comprehend it; M. Farcot would not submit to it. He therefore of fered his services to mankind as the precursor of a new era, in which the balloon was to become the prominent figure, and entreated the object of his invocation to wake up, and with a single bound to overleap the gulf that lay between it and its greatest triumphs.

• Travels in the Air. By JAMES GLAISHER, F.R.S. CAMILLE FLAMMARION, W. DE FONVILLE, and GASTON TISSANDIER. Edited by JAMES GLAISHER,

FR.S. With 125 illustrations. London: Richard
Beatley and Son. 1871.

Many years have elapsed-nearly a century - since Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes made their daring voyage into the atmosphere in the car of a fire-balloon, this being the first excursion ever attempted by living creatures, if we except three anonymous animals, a sheep, a duck, and a cock, which were sent up in the previous month, and returned in safety to the earth. But as yet, though the machine has rendered considerable service to science, and will doubtless assist in the solution of many interesting problems, it is a thing of promise rather than of performance. It is still in a rudimentary state, and should be received, says Mr. Glaisher, simply "as the first principle of some aerial instrument which remains to be suggested." Potentially, it may include the germ of some great invention, just as Iliero's eolipile and Lord Worcester's

Within the last twelve months, however, the United States, Mr. Wise suggested the this largest of human toys — the plaything construction of an enormous air-ship, which of pleasure seekers, and the cynosure of was to carry up a quantity of bombs and all eyes at fêtes and tea-gardens - has torpedoes, and, whilst securely moored in been converted into a useful machine, the atmosphere by means of a cable though under the pressure of circum- several miles in length, it would be in stances which every philanthropist must deeply deplore.

a position to rain down death upon the devoted place. To its honour, however, the American Government declined the use of such an aerial battery.

Of course, when the balloon was presented to mankind, one of the first thoughts which suggested itself to our com- Fortunately we think we may say forbative race was this-"Can we turn it tunately for the interests of mankind, to any account in war? Will it assist us the baloon has not succeeded to any conin killing our enemies, or capturing their siderable extent as a military machine. fortresses?" And when we remember Even the Jesuit Lana felt inclined to that the machine was reared amongst the weep over his abortive project (he did most military people in Europe, can we pray over it) when he considered how doubt that as Napoleon's great question easy it would be for warlike marauders to respecting the Simplon road was, whether set the stoutest walls and ramparts at deit would carry cannon, so the chief point fiance, and to hurl destruction into any with a Frenchman would be, whether a city they might select. Let us hope that balloon could be rendered of any service the balloon is destined for more pacific in a battle? Not many years were suffered purposes. The range of modern guus, and to elapse before regular experiments were the difficulty of manoeuvring so rudderinstituted with this view. An aerostatic less an apparatus, seem to cut it off from school was established at Meudon, a com- a career of glory. If employed for purpany of aeronauts, under the command of poses of reconnoitring purely, and kept in Colonel Coutelle, was formed, and a num- a captive condition, it may occasionally ber of balloons constructed by Couté were render service by darting suddenly into distributed amongst the divisions of the the atmosphere, and taking a glimpse French army, not even forgetting the of the enemy's position or movements. troops despatched to Egypt. At the sieges of Maubeuge, Charleroi, Mannheim, and Ehrenbreitstein the invention was found to be of some value for purposes of reconnoitring; and previous to the battle of Fleurus, Coutelle and an officer spent several hours in the air, studying the positions of the Austrians, and this with such effect that their information materially assisted General Jourdan in gaining the victory. The machine was, of course, held captive during the process, but its tether was easily extended by means of a windlass, and thus the occupants were enabled to soar above the enemy's fire.

More than once it has been proposed to build huge balloons, and freight them with shells and other missiles, which might be conveniently dropped down upon a hostile corps, or "plumped" into the midst of a beleagured town. With a view to the demolition of the fortress of St. Juan de Ulloa, during the war between Mexico and

But then, a tethered balloon, as M. de Fonvielle intimates, belongs neither to the air nor the earth; it is a creature compelled to serve two masters, and therefore cannot do its duty to either; but, whilst attempting to obey the commands of its rulers below, it is forced to yield to the caprice of the breezes above. If free, asks M. Simonin, and if the wind were everything the aerial heroes could wish; if, moreover, the balloon, charged with the most formidable fulminates, were carried direct to the hostile camp, could they expect to find the enemy massed for a review or a manoeuvre precisely at the spot over which they sailed, and could they time their discharges so beautifully, having due regard to the speed of the machine, that their projectiles should explode at the most fitting moment for damaging their foes? Happily, in neither of the two greatest struggles of recent times how recent none need say, for the scent

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Many

of blood is yet on the soil of Virginia, 'naut of the Archimède, who had been sent and the bones of Teuton and Gaul still lie out in search of them, and had traversed blended on the fields of France - has the the hostile lines on his errand. balloon brought itself into formidable con- of these postal vessels were carried to a federacy with Krupp cannon or the mur- considerable distance, some landing in derous mitrailleuse.

| Belgium, Holland, or Bavaria; whilst War, however, the greatest of scourges, one, Le Ville d'Orléans, was swept into is sometimes compelled, in the good provi- Norway, and came to anchor about 600 dence of God, to yield an incidental miles north of Christiania. A few, unhapharvest of blessings. Liberty has often pily, never landed at all. Le Jacquard, been entrusted to the keeping of the bay- which left the Orleans railway station on onet, and civilization has more than once the 28th November, with a bold sailor depended upon the explosive virtues of for its sole occupant, disappeared like charcoal and salt petre. It is not impos- many a gallant ship. It was last observed sible that the recent investment of Paris above Rochelle, and probably foundered may ultimately lead to the development at sea, as some of its papers were picked of aerial navigation on a scale which up in the Channel. Le Jules Favre (the would gladden the heart of M. Farcot, second of that name), which set out two and almost satisfy the expectations of days subsequently, has arrived nowhere some of the greatest enthusiasts in the as yet; and one of the last of these mailart. We allude, of course, to the employ- balloons, the Richard Wallace, is missing ment of the balloon for postal purposes. as much as if it had sailed off the planet During the recent siege of that city we into infinite space. So long as these mamean, of course, by the Germans, and not chines continued to be launched by day, by Frenchmen themselves - upwards of they were exposed to a fusillade whilst fifty of these aerial packets sailed from traversing the girdle of the Prussian guns, the beleagured metropolis with despatches. the bullets whistling round them even at for the outer world. They conveyed about an elevation of 900 or 1,000 mètres. To two-and-a-half millions of letters, repre- avoid this peril it became necessary to senting a total weight of about ten tons. start them by night, although the disadMost of them took out a number of pig-vantages of nocturnal expeditions, in eons, which were intended to act as post- which no light could be carried and conmen from the provinces. One called Le sequently the barometer could not be Général Faidherbe, was furnished with duly read, were held by many to outfour shepherds' dogs, which it was hoped weigh all the dangers attaching to Gerwould break through the Prussian lines, man projectiles. carrying with them precious communica- Let us now attempt an imaginary tions concealed under their collars. The voyage through the air, availing ourselves greater number of these balloons were as much as possible of the experience under the management of seamen, some- of the gentlemen whose excursions are times solitary ones, whose nautical train- chronicled in the work which heads this ing, it was naturally supposed, would qualify them more especially for the duties of aerial navigation. More than one fell into the hands of the enemy, having dropped down right amongst the Prussians. In some of these cases the crews were generally made prisoners, but in others they effected their escape; and more than once their dispatches were preserved in a very remarkable way-in one instance being secreted in a dung cart, and in another being rescued by a forester, and conveyed to Buffet, the aero

article. A more attractive volume cannot well be imagined. It is the production of one Englishınan and three Frenchmen. Mr. Glaisher is well known, in' companionship with Mr. Coxwell, as our greatest authority on the subject. All his visits to the clouds have been for scientific purposes, and if the question,

Quis crederet unquam Aerias hominem carpere posse vias?

could be put in reference to any man, it might surely be applied to him, for he has

had the honour of ascending higher than it was first determined to send up some any other mortal from Icarus to Gay- human beings to the clouds in a MontgolLussac. MM. Flammarion, Fonvielle, and fier, it was by no means an unnatural sugTissandier are all enthusiasts in the mat- gestion that the experiment should be ter of ballooning; the second of these tried upon a couple of criminals; but gentlemen having expressed his willing- French valour would not permit even ness to be shot up into the air in connec- French rascality to carry off the honour tion with a sky-rocket, provided its pro- of the exploit, and Pilâtre de Rozier indigjectile force could be duly regulated and a nantly protested that vile malefactors proper parachute were attached. In the ought not to have "the glory of being the narratives of their numerous ascents, there first to rise in the air." Brave men, howis necessarily some degree of sameness; ever, whose courage could not be imbut the whole are not only thoroughly peached even in the fieriest hour of battle, readable, but thoroughly enjoyable to the have been known to shrink from a balloon last. The illustrations to the book are when they would have calmly faced a really superb. As a mere portfolio of sky- battery. A gallant field-marshal, says sketches, it is well worth the price. Not Flammarion, "who had never hesitated to unreasonably indeed, one of the writers advance through the discharge of cannon expresses his hope that the work will form and musketry," declared more than once a kind of epoch in the history of the sub- that he would not, for a whole empire, ject, "for it is the first time that artists ascend even in a captive machine! On have gone up in balloons for the purpose the other hand, it is related of an old of familiarizing the eyes of the public with woman (who had been an inmate of Lama series of aerial scenes." We have charts beth workhouse for forty years, and who, of triple texture, showing first, the path on losing her son at the age of seventyof the machine through the air; secondly, five, exclaimed, “I felt sure I should never the geography of the country over which bring up that poor child!") that being it passed; and thirdly, the gradations of asked on her hundredth birthday what light and darkness during the expedition, treat she would like by way of celebrating these being so arranged as to answer point the occasion, the ancient female decided for point. We have also pictures in which upon an excursion in the great balloon the balloon is seen in almost every phase then tethered at Chelsea. Her wish was of adventure - sweeping through the granted, and she enjoyed a ride in the clouds, plodding through the falling snow, atmosphere at the foot of this huge floatcruising amongst the stars by night, ex-ing gasometer, which was fettered to the ploding in the sky, plunging into the sea, dragging on the ground, caught in the trees, stranded amongst the sheepfolds, or tumbling upon the coast and struggling madly to escape the pursuing billows. But we have also some gorgeous views of cloud-land, with its marvellous scenery; now silvered with the pale radiance of the moon or the stars, now drenched in the golden glories of the setting sunat one time darkening into night under the gathering thunderstorm, at another fantastically illuminated with haloes and manytinted spectra; and through all these wonderful fields of air, a tiny sphere, a mere bubble of the sky, with a bubble or two of human breath attached, may be seen pursuing its noiseless way as if it had escaped for ever from this turbulent earth.

Before we start, however, the great question, Dare we start at all? Well might the first aerial navigator, like the anonymous hero qui fragilem truci commisit pelago ratem primus, shudder at his own audacity as he launched his miserable vessel upon the untraversed deep. When

earth by a cable two thousand feet in length. The fair sex, indeed, have never exhibited much timidity in dealing with balloons. Out of the seven hundred persons carried up in the air at various times by the veteran Green, not less than one hundred and twenty were females. “If,” hinted he to Fonvielle, "you wish balloons to become popular in France, begin by taking women in them; men will be sure to follow!" Does not this accord to the letter with George Stephenson's dictum, that feminine influence would draw a man from the other side of the globe when nothing else would move him? Not that we think the advice was specially needed for France, for the first lady who made an ascent was a Frenchwoman, Mme. Thiblé; and the first lady who met her death on an aerial excursion was Mme. Blanchard, who belonged to the same nation.

First of all, then, we ought to see the balloon before it is inflated. There it lies, a vast expanse of varnished silk, or calico, or india-rubber cloth, enveloped in netting, and covering many a square yard of ground with its flabby, crumpled form.