I prove beyond a doubt the cerity and folidity of my maxims, pereven beyond my own hopes. fammary of two experiments reg to meteorology to be made with oftatique balloons.

e firft is with a balloon covered tiffae, ftuck full of brafs wires, the . 25 I have defcribed above, which be fent up into thick and denfe ds, fuch as generally attend a dar-torm. The wires muft comthate with a cord twisted over with e of the fame metal, which muft to the ground, in the fame manin the experiment of the electric By this means we may know the of the electric balloons, and her they will be preferable to the fter without wind they may be to the clouds) in preventing is of lightning, by drawing off the electric fluid, without the of fpreading elsewhere. The experiment is with feven balof the fame diameter, the covers ich are made of the fame weight

and the same stuff; but the first to be filled with a gaz or inflammable air one degree more rare than the first ftratum of the atmofpheric air; the fecond with a gaz twice as rare; the third with a gaz three times as rare, &c. Each of thefe balloons must be painted of a different colour, and let off at the fame time, that by the inequality of their afcenfion, we may know the different degrees of velocity which each will have; and alfo the different directions they will take. If it will be poffible, by any means, to perceive at what height each balloon will take an horizontal direction, we may draw conclufions and establish calculations not only on the different degrees of denfity of the atmofpherique air, but alfo on the progreffion of the rarefication of the atmosphere, by obferving in which proportion the gaz extends the covering of the balloon. By thefe obfervations alfo, we may obtain the foundation of a true theory of the air, which may be applied with fuccefs to aerial navigation.

EXPLANATION of the PLATE.

The large balloon.

The boat or car.

The revolving wings.

The pieces of lead which draw the taffety of the wings backward and for rd, as the wings turn.

The rudder.

The log.

The fmall balloon, armed with small spikes of brafs wire.

The cord which the brafs wire is twifted round, and which is attached to fick at the prow of the boat, to keep the small balloon at the height of be hundred and forty feet above the boat or car.

Another cord of one hundred and forty feet, that is held by the navigator, dfattened to the balloon in the fame place as the former cord.

The navigator, ftationed towards the poop of the boat.

The fack or bag of leather filled with water, in the middle of which swims piece of refin fixed to the end of the brafs wire HH.

The two

pullies in which the cord runs, that is defigned to raise or lower fmall balloon at pleafure, without altering the gaz.

CCOUNT OF AN AEROSTATIC EXPERIMENT PERFORMED AT DIJON. Gas balloon, which had been fome time preparing by order of the demy of Dijon, was at length comred, and launched on the 25th of illat, from the garden of an abin the town of Dijon. We have LOND. MAG. June, 1784.

not yet learned its dimenfions, and only know, that its power of afcenfion was estimated at 550lb. and that a great part of the inflammable air with which it was filled was procured from potatoes, by distillation, which was found 3 M

to

450

to be lighter than that produced from metals, in the proportion of 6 to 7.M. de Morveau and the Abbé Bertrand were named commiffaries, by the academy, for conducting this experiment; and they actually afcended in a gondola annexed to it. As this is the most important expedition fince that of Meffrs. Charles and Robert, our readers will no doubt wish to learn fome particulars concerning it, and nothing will probably gratify them more, than the account which the navigators themselves have given in an affidavit, drawn up immediately on their landing.

Being apprehenfive (fay the commiffaries) left the very high and boifterous wind that rofe a few moments before our departure, and which had already blown us feveral times from the height at which we were held by ropes against the ground, fhould endanger our apparatus, and throw us upon the town (the place of our afcent being at the foot of one of its highest fteeples*) we thought it expedient to difcharge all our ballaft, and even a part of our provifions, weighing between 75 and Solb. When we had afcended beyond the roof of the church, and were fet free by thofe who held the ropes below, we foared with very great rapidity, and foon faw the steeple a great way below ust.

"Perceiving now, by the form of our balloon, that the air it contained was exceedingly dilated, both by the heat of the fun, and on account of the diminution of denfity of the circumambient medium, we opened at once both our valves; but their apertures not being fufficient to emit a proper quantity of the fluid, the balloon burit at the bottom near the appendices, the rent measuring about feven or eight inches in length. This accident, fo far from alarming us, ferved rather to remove our apprehenfions.

"We now felt ourselves in a perfect calm, and in a manner stationary; and yet we foon perceived that we were gotten fome diftance from the town.

"At 5h. 5 we paffed over a village of which we had no knowledge: we there dropped a note faftened to a bag

filled with bran, bearing a little frea er; we therein gave notice that were perfectly well; that the barome ftood at 20 inches 9 lines; the therm meter 1° below o (about 28°) Fahr.); and the hygrometer at 59 Mr. de Retz's, and 24 of Mr. pineau's fcale.

We dropped two other not which we were obliged to write wit pencil, the cold not allowing us ufe of the pen. At 5 h. 11", the mometer ftood at 3° below o (nearly of Fahr.) and it had in the whole afcent funk 14° (about 31° of F

"We obferved by a flop watch time of the fall of one of the notes was no doubt fomewhat retarde the ftreamer, for although its de was almost vertical, it yet took m than 57" in reaching the ground

"The intense cold affected ar and this was the only inconven we experienced; and even for th were amply indemnified by the tions which Mr. Charles has defcribed. We have only one d tion to make upon his lively rep tation, which is, that fo far fro being exaggerated, it appeared i rather too faint, when we fa clouds floating beneath us, and cluding us in a manner from the We then jointly repeated the affixed to our acroftat, furgit nu lus ad æthera.

"The fun, after exhibiting t magnificent parhelion, was now fetting; and perceiving by the dity of the lower part of our ball that it was time for us to defcend began to look out for a proper land place. We concluded, from the rection of the compafs, that we e not be far from the town of Ato and, in fact, a large mafs of buil which we perceived about 25° t right proved to be that place. then had recourfe to all our expedi in order to fteer towards that Our apparatus for this purpor been greatly damaged by the bi wind at our departure. The r was unhinged, one of the or fnapped near its handle, and d. off the moment we attempted to

The wind was weft, and the steeple of the abbey-church was to the caitward. + They were launched at 4 h. 53 m. P. M.

rder to accelerate our courfe. Anocar had been entangled in one of ropes by which we were at first to the ground, and we could never er it. We had, therefore, only ars left, which being both on the fide, were perfectly ufelefs during ratest part of our navigation in calm, and even after we felt oursadvancing, although without any tible current. But having now eda ftream which carried us tothe eaft, we worked our oars great facility for about eight or minutes: this, made us verge fo to the fouth-east, the point of deftination, that we found it neay to fufpend our work, left we old exceed our mark, having no to make us revert to the eastward. "We were in hopes of landing near d of buildings which we had for Auxonne, but our globe loft ch of its gaz through the rent, we faw little profpect of reaching distance. We were now over a #tract covered with wood, and ourfelves defcending. We had twhat ballaft we had left, which ed of little elfe than our loofe Ees, that we might have the means arding the fall in cafe we fhould it neceffary. We threw out one Eefe benches, and then defcended gently upon a copfe, the name of La we have fince learned is Chaignet, ging to the Countefs de Brun. A gondola had scarce touched the of the boughs, when it reafcended fome force. We laid hold of the sin order to come to an anchor, to avoid our being thrown again the tall trees that rofe here and there ove the rest of the wood. We tried fcend by hauling thofe boughs, in me manner as fhips are moved by ing, but our efforts were ineffectual. heard human voices, and we called their aid to ground us. The peoe we heard were inhabitants of Magdaxozne: one of them anfwered, at he would gladly aflift us, if we d promise to do him no harm; we dified his fears, and his example, as ell as our repeated defire, induced at gth his companions to affift us. We

landed at 6 h. 25-Among the number of inhabitants who were affembled, two men and three women were seen to kneel to the balloon.

"We had just moored our apparatus, placed fomebody to guard it, and difpatched a messenger to Dijon, when we faw a number of people approaching on the road of Magny, who having perceived us at Auxonne were coming to meet us. As many as had room were pleafed to fign the prefent affidavit, which we drew up immediately at the parfonage of Atée, the 25th of April, 1784." Signed by DE MORVEAU and BERTRAND, commiffaries; Bidel, prieft of Atée; Buvée, a principal magiftrate in the jurifdiction of Auxonne, and 14 more.

To this account, which is all that is hitherto published, we have it in our power to add fome further authentic information. The height to which this balloon afcended is computed to have been about 2000 French toifes (above 2 English miles.) The diftance it went in a ftrait line was about fix leagues; the time it remained in the air th. 27. It seems, that the perfons who held the ropes were exceedingly alarmed at the violence of the wind, and refused to let go, till in a manner compelled to it, by a gentleman appointed to repeat the fignals of the navigators, who, by difcharging all their ballaft, and by every other means in their power, exprefled their eagerness to be fet at liberty.

One of thofe who held the ropes was raifed above three feet from the ground before he quitted his hold, and in the fall he hurt his fhoulder. He has fince acknowledged that his intention was to tie the rope to his wrift, and to follow the balloon: had he fucceeded, his rafhnefs would inevitably have proved his own deftruction, with that of the navigators, and of many of thofe who were ftanding immediately under them; fince his weight muit have drawn the equatorial circle out of its horizontal pofition, which would have made fome of the ropes, to which the gondola was fufpended, prefs fo hard against the balloon as infallibly to burst it.

3 M 2

At

At Moncucco, near Milan, on the thirteenth of March, a fire-balloon, feventy-two feet high, and fifty-fix feet in diameter, was launched with the makers, Meffrs. Gherli, and Count Andreani, at whofe fole expence the experiment was undertaken. They were in the air twenty-five minutes, and mounted above four thoufand fect from the earth, and the aerial travellers landed in fafety, about three miles from the fpot whence they afcended.

There is likewife a vague report of

DR

the performance of an aeroftatic e riment at Mofcow, but nothing cer has tranfpired.

Thefe are the two firft encroachme of foreigners on the French pri aerial navigation. It is faid, than King of Pruffia has prohibited experiments in his dominions order that the merit of improvem may be left to the inventors. (exclaimed the veteran warrior) m my element, for Ruffia and Auftria at univerfal fway on land; Engla fea; and France in the air."

ANATOMY.

R. HUNTER's Lectures were fo well known, fo generally attended fo juftly admired, that we think our readers cannot but be pleafed the following extract from the fecond of the two introductory Lectures, have been published fince the death of their author.

They have been printed from a copy, which the Doctor himself corre the prefs, and as they were delivered at his laft course of Anatomical Le in Windmill-street.

After having confidered the rife and progrefs of Anatomy, its follower their various difcoveries, he thus teaches his pupil what are the requifita ceflary for making a man.

ON THE REQUISITES NECESSARY FOR MAKING A MA FROM DR. HUNTER'S SECOND INTRODUCTORY LECTU

FOR

OR what purpofe is there fuch a variety of parts in the human body? Why fuch a complication of nice and tender machinery? Why was there not rather a more fimple, lefs delicate, and lefs expenfive frame?

That beginners in the ftudy of Anatomy may acquire a fatisfactory general idea of their fubject, we fhall furnish them with clear anfwers to all fuch queftions. Let us then, in our imagination, make a man: in other words, let us fuppofe that the mind, or immaterial part, is to be placed in a corporeal fabric, to hold a correfpondence with other material beings by the intervention of the body; and then confider, a priori, what will be wanted for her accommodation. In this enquiry, we fhall plainly fee the necefity or advantage, and, therefore, the final caufe of moft of the parts which we actually find in the human body. And if we confider that, in order to answer fome of the requifites,