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Wonderful Balloon Ascents; Or, The Conquest of the Skies
·
Fulgence Marion
88
Rome,
accompanied
with
an
inscription
narrating
its
travels
and
wonderful
descent--minus
the
circumstance
of
the
tomb.
It
was
removed,
as
might
be
supposed,
in
1814.
From
this
time
the
ascents
of
balloons
took
place
for
the
most
part
only
on
the
occasions
of
coronations
and
other
great
public
fetes.
Chapter
VIII.
Green’s
Great
Journey
Across
Europe.
It
is
probable
that
at
the
origin
of
navigation,
man,
before
he
had
invented
oars
and
sails,
made
use
of
trunks
of
trees
upon
which
he
trusted
himself,
leaving
the
rest
to
the
winds
and
the
currents
of
the
water,
whether
these
were
known
or
unknown.
There
is
some
analogy
between
such
rude
rafts,
the
first
discovered
means
of
navigation
on
water,
and
balloons,
the
first
discovered
means
of
navigation
in
air.
But
unquestionably
the
advantage
is
with
the
latter.
No
means
have
yet
been
found
of
directly
steering
balloons,
but
by
allowing
the
gas
to
escape
the
aeronaut
can
descend
at
will,
and
by
lightening
his
car
of
part
of
the
ballast
he
carries
he
can
ascend
as
readily.
It
must
also
be
remembered
that
the
currents
of
air
vary
in
their
directions,
according
to
their
elevation,
and
were
the
aeronaut
perfectly
acquainted
with
aerial
currents,
he
might,
by
raising
or
lowering
himself,
find
a
wind
blowing
in
the
direction
in
which
he
wished
to
proceed,
and
the
last
problem
of
aerostation
would
be
solved.
That
any
such
knowledge
can
ever
be
acquired
it
is
impossible
to
say;
but
this
much
may
with
safety
be
advanced,
that
distant
journeys
may
frequently
be
taken
with
balloons
for
useful
purposes.
One
of
the
most
remarkable
excursions
of
this
kind
was
that
superintended
by
Green,
in
1836,
from
London
to
Germany.
This
journey,
1,200
miles
in
length,
is
the
longest
that
has
been
yet
accomplished.
Green
set
out
from
London
on
the
7th
of
November,
1836,
accompanied
by
two
friends--Monk-Mason,
the
historian
of
the
journey,
and
a
gentleman
named
Molland.
Not
knowing
to
what
quarter
of
the
globe
he
might
be
blown,
Green
provided
himself
with
passports
to
all
the
states
of
Europe,
and
with
a
quantity
of
provisions
sufficient
to
last
him
for
some
time,
should
he
be
driven
by
the
wind
over
the
sea.
Shortly
after
mid-day
the
balloon
rose
with
great
grandeur,
and,
urged
by
a
light
breeze,
floated
to
the
south-east,
over
the
plains
of
Kent.
At
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