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172
Wonderful Balloon Ascents; Or, The Conquest of the Skies
·
Fulgence Marion
50
“If,”
says
Linguet,
“there
existed
an
autograph
journal,
written
by
Columbus,
descriptive
of
his
first
great
voyage
with
what
jealous
care
it
would
be
preserved,
with
what
confidence
it
would
be
quoted!
We
should
delight
to
follow
the
candid
account
which
he
gave
of
his
thoughts,
his
hopes,
his
fears;
of
the
complaints
of
his
followers,
of
his
attempts
to
calm
them,
and,
finally,
of
his
joy
in
the
moment
which,
ratifying
his
word
and
justifying
his
boldness,
declared
him
the
discoverer
of
a
new
world
All
these
details
have
been
transmitted
to
us,
but
by
stranger
hands;
and,
however
interesting
they
may
be,
one
cannot
help
feeling
that
this
circumstance
makes
them
lose
part
of
their
value.”
The
narrative
of
the
first
aerial
voyage,
written
by
one
of
the
two
first
aeronauts,
exists,
and
we
are
in
a
position
to
place
it
before
our
readers.
Such
an
enterprise
certainly
demanded
great
courage
in
him
who
was
the
first
to
dare
to
confide
himself
to
the
unknown
currents
of
the
atmosphere
It
threatened
him
with
dangers,
perhaps
with
death
by
a
fill,
by
fire,
by
cold,
or
by
straying
into
the
mysterious
cloud-land.
Two
men
opposed
the
first
attempt.
Montgolfier
temporised,
the
king
forbade
it,
or
rather
only
gave
his
permission
on
the
condition
that
two
condemned
criminals
should
be
placed
in
the
balloon!
“What!”
cried
Roziers,
in
indignation
at
the
king’s
proposal,
“allow
two
vile
criminals
to
have
the
first
glory
of
rising
into
the
sky!
No,
no;
that
will
never
do!”
Roziers
conjured,
supplicated,
agitated
in
a
hundred
ways
for
permission
to
try
the
first
voyage.
He
moved
the
town
and
the
court;
he
addressed
himself
to
those
who
were
most
in
favour
at
Versailles;
he
pleaded
with
the
Duchess
de
Polignac,
who
was
all-powerful
with
the
king.
She
warmly
supported
his
cause
before
Louis.
Roziers
dispatched
the
Marquis
d’Arlandes,
who
had
been
up
with
him,
to
the
king.
Arlandes
asserted
that
there
was
no
danger,
and,
as
proof
of
his
conviction,
he
offered
himself
to
accompany
Roziers.
Solicited
on
all
sides,
Louis
at
last
yielded.
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