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London Gazette Daily Advertifer Public Advertiser Gazetteer Morning Chron. Morning Herald Morning Post Public Ledger Daily Courant Gener. Advertiser St. James's Chron.

General Evening
Whitehall Even.

London Evening
London Chron.

Lloyd's Evening

English Chron.
Oxford

Cambridge

Bristol 3 papers

Bath 2

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Hereford 2

Chefter 2

Manchester 2

Canterbury 2

Dumfries

Aberdeen

Glasgow

For DECEMBER, 1783.

CONTAINING

More in Duantity and greater Mariety than any Book of the Bind and Price.

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OF

Queries on Dr. Chandler-Burnet & Baker 1024 Dr. Lindfey's Defcription of Water Spouts 1025 Ned Ward-Wood-tealers 1028-Farther Pa ticulars of Prefident Bradthaw Original Anecdotes of Hoadly and Secker 1029 IMPARTIAL AND CRITICAL REVIEW NEW PUBLICATIONS, viz. Les Jardins-Bp. Barrington and Dr. Horfley's ChargesBerkshire Collections-Black Book, contin ing Queen Elizabeth's Progrefs to Warwi &c. Memoirs of Count Grammont--Crabbe Village, &c. &c. SELECT POETRY, ANCIENT AND MODERN viz. American Eclogues, No I. 1043-Elo gium on Capt. Cook, 1044, &c. &c. &c. Important Difpatches from E. Indies 1046-105 Interesting Parliamentary Debates of the prefen Seffion on E. India Bill, &c. 1051-1059

1033-104

Foreign and Domeftic News, Lifts of Birth Marriages, Deaths, &c. &c. 1059-106 Prices of Stocks

106.

Embellished with Two beautifully picturefque Views in the ISLAND of JAMAICA; with exact Reprefentations of falling WATER-SPOUTS; and alfo with a Delineation of the new-invented Place of Execution in the OLD BAILEY.

By

SYLVANUS

URBAN,

Gent.

LONDON, Printed by J. NICHOLS, for D. HENRY, late of ST. JOHN's

TIMES OF THE NEW AND FULL MOONS,
AND OF THE ECLIPSES, FOR A. D. 1784.

7, Day, 12 Minutes paft 2 Afternoon,

Full Moon, Jan.
New Moon, --- 22,
Full Moon, Feb. 6,
New Moon,

New Moon,

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paft 9 Morning,
9 Night.

3 Morning. paft 7 Morning. paft 6 Afternoon past 6 Evening. paft 7 Morning. paft 5 Morning. paft 4 Afternoon. paft 6 Evening. Midnight.

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Sun eclipfed, invifible.,
Moon eclipfed, vinble.

20,

Full Moon, Mar. 7,
New Moon, -21

36

paft

22

Full Men, Apr. 5,
New Moon,

52

19,

Full Moon, May

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New Moon,

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Full Moon, June 3,

44

New Moon,

17,

27

Full Moon, July

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If to the time of New Moon you add 7 days, 9 hours, 11 minutes, it fhews the mean time of the first quarter; and the fame time, added to the Full Moon, thews the mean time of the last quarter.

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THE

Gentleman's Magazine;

For DECEMBER,

1783.

BEING THE SIXTH NUMBER OF THE SECOND PART OF VOL. LII.

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UR defire to gratify, as early as poffible, the public curiofity concerning the experiments of Meffears Charles and Robert with the air balloon, Dec.1,1783, has induced us to lay before them the following abftract of fo much of the difcourfe delivered by the firft of thefe gentlemen at the opening his courfe of lectures on Natural Philofophy, as published in the Journal de Paris, Nos 347 and 348, Dec. 13 and 14, 1783, as relates to his aërial voyage.

"Previous to our afcenfion," fays Mr. Charles, "we had fent up a globe of 5 f. 8 inc. to discover the courfe of wind, and mark out our intended route.. The compliment of cutting the ftring was paid to Mr. Montgolfier, and it inftantly rofe. Meanwhile we prepared to follow it with impatience; but the perplexing circumftances we were in prevented our putting into execution every minute particular that we had intended the night before, The globe and the chariot were in exact equilibrium on the ground. At three quarters after one, we threw out 19 pounds of ballaft, and rofe in the midst of a profound filence, occafioned by the emotion and aftonifh ment of both parties. Our first pleafing reflections on our efcape from the perfecution and calumny which had attacked us, were heightened by the maJeftic fcene which prefented itfelf to our view; on every fide a moft ferene fky, without a cloud, and a moft charming diftant profpect. As we afcended by an accelerated progreffive motion, we

*Les c resnftances orageufes qui nous prefolent.

waved our banner in token of joy, and, in order the better to infure our fafety, I was particularly attentive to the ba rometer. M. Robert examined the cargo with which our friends had ballafted our chariot, as for a long voyage, of champaign, &c. blankers, and furs.Having enough, and to fpare, he began with throwing out one of the blankets, which fpread itself in the air, and foll near the dome of the Allumption.The barometer then funk 66 inches, and we had ccafed to afccnd, or, more properly fpeaking, were arrived at the height of about 300 toifes. This was the height to which I had undertaken to ftop, and from this moment, to that of our firft getting out of fight of the obfervers at the different ftations, our horizontal courfe was between 26 inches and 26 inches 8 lines of the mercury, which agrees with the obfervations made at Paris. We took care to throw out our ballaft in proportion as we defcended by the infenfive lots of inflammable air, and we railed ov felves fenfibly to the fame height. Had circumftances permitted us to regulate this ballaft with more exactncis, our courfe would have been almoft abiclutely horizontal and voluntary,

Having reached the height of Mauffeaux, which we left a little to the left, we remained for a moment ftationary., Our chariot turned about, and we then filed off, as the wind directed, We foon after paffed the Seine, between 6t. Ouen and Afnieres, and leaving Colombe on the left, paffed almoft over Gennevil liers. We had croffed the river a fecond time; leaving Argenteuil on the left, we paft at Sanois, Franconville, Eaubonne, St. Leu-Taverny, Villiers, croft L'Ile Adam, and afterwards Nefl.,

where

where we defcended. Such were nearly the places over which we must have paffed almoft perpendicularly. This paffage makes about 9 Paris leagues, which we ran over in two hours, with fcarcely any fenfible agitation in the air. During the whole of this delightful journey we felt not the leaft uncafinefs about our own fate or that of the machine, The globe fuffered no other alteration than the fucceffive modifications of dilatation and compreffion, of which we availed ourfelves, to rife or defcend at pleasure, in any quantity. The thermometer was, for above an hour, between 10 and 12 deg. above o, owing to the infide of our chariot having been warmed by the rays of the fun. Its heat foon communicated itfelf to our globe, and contributed, by the dilatation of the inflammable air within, to keep us at the fame height, without being obliged to lighten our ballast; but we fuffered a greater lofs: the inflammable air, dilated by the fun's heat, efcaped by the appendage to the globe, which we held in our hands, and Toofened, as circumftances required, to let out the air too much dilated, By this eafy method we avoided the expanfions and explosions which perfons unacquainted with thefe matters apprehended. The inflammable air could not break its prifon, fince it had always a vent, and the atmospheric air could not get into the globe, fince its preffure made the appendage ferve as a valve to oppofe its entrance.

After 56 minutes progrefs we heard the gun which was the fignal of our difappearing from the obfervers at Paris. Not being obliged to confine our courfe to an horizontal direction, as we had till then done, we gave ourtelves up to the contemplation of the varied fcenes in the open country bencath us. We fhouted Vive le Roi, and heard our fhouts re-echocd. We heard, very diftinctly, voices faying, 'Are not you afraid, my friends? Are not you fick? What a clever thing it is! God pre'ferve you! Farewell, my friends!'We continued waving our banners, and we faw that thefe fignals redoubled the joy and fecurity of thofe below. We feveral times came down low enough to be heard: people alked us whence we came, and what time we let out; and we afcended bidding them farewell. As circumstances required, we threw out, fucceffively, great coats, muffs, clothes. As we failed over L'lfle AJam, we flourished our banners, and

2

afked after the Prince of Conti; but had the mortification to be told, by a fpeaking trumpet, that he was at Paris. At length, re-afcending, we reached the plains of Nefle about half after three, when, as I intended a fecond expedi tion, and wished to avail myself of the advantage of fituation, as well as of the daylight, I propofed to Mr. Robert to defcend. Seeing a troop of country people running before us over the fields, we defcended towards a fpacious meadow, inclofed with fome trees and buthes. Our chariot advanced majestically along a long inclined plane. As it approached the trees, fearing it might be entangled among them, I threw out two pounds of ballaft, and it fprung upwards over them. We ran over above 20 toites within one or two feet of the land, and looked like travellers in a fledge. The country people purfued us as children do a butterfly, without being able to overtake us. At length we came to the ground. As foon as the curate and fyndics could be brought to the spot, I drew up a verbal procefs, which they immediately figned. Prefently galloped up the Duke de Chartres, the Duke de Fitz-James, Mr. Farrer, an English gentleman, and a number of horsemen, who had followed us from Paris. Fortunately we alighted near a hunting-feat of the latter, who immediately mounted his horfe, and riding up to us, exclaimed "Mr. Charles, I am firft." The Prince embraced us both in our chariot, and figned the process. So did the Duke de Fitz-James. Mr. Farrer figned it 3 times, His fignature was omitted in the Journal, for he was to tranfported with joy, that he could not write legibly. Of above

200 horfemen who followed us from Paris, only thefe could overtake us; the reit had knocked up their horfes, or given out. After relating a few particulars to the Duke de Chartres, I told him I was going off again, when would he have mie return? He replied, in half an hour. Mr. Robert quitted the chariot, as we had agreed. Thirty pealants held down the machine. I asked for fome earth to ballast it, having not above 4 or 5 pounds left. A fpade was not at hand, nor were there any ftones in the meadow. The fun was near fetting. I made a hafty calculation of the time requifite for the alteration of weight, and giving a fignal to the peafants to quit their hold, I fprung up like a bird. In 20 minutes I was 1500 toifes high, out of light of all terreftrial objects." I had

taken

taken the neceffary precautions against the explosion of the globe, and prepared to make the obfervations which I had promised myself. In order to obferve the barometer and thermometer placed at the ends of the chariot, without altering the centre of gravity, I knelt down in the middle, ftretching forwards my body and one leg, holding my watch and paper in my left, and my pen and the string of the valve in my right, waiting for the event. The globe, which, at my fetting out, was rather flaccid, fwelled infenfibly. The air efcaped in great quantities at the valve. I drew the valve from time to time, to give it two vents; and I continued to afcend, still lofing air, which iffued out hiffing, and became vifible, like a warm vapour in a cold atmosphere. The reafon of this phænomenon is obvious. On earth the thermometer was 7 degrees above the freezing point; after 10 minutes afcent it was 5 degrees below. The inflammable air had not had time to recover the equilibrium of its temperature. Its elaftic equilibrium being quicker than that of the heat, there muft efcape a greater quantity than that which the external dilatation of the air could determine by its leaft preffure. For myfelf, though expofed to the open air, I paffed, in 10 minutes, from the warmth of fpring to the cold of winter, a fharp dry cold, but not too much to be borne. I declare, that in the firft moment I felt nothing difagreeable in the fudden change. When the barometer ceafed to rife, I marked exactly 18 inches 10 lines, the mercury fuffering no fenfible

ofciliation. From this ofcillation I deduct a height of 1524 toifes, or thereabouts, till I can be more exact in my calculation. In a few minutes more my fingers were benumbed by the cold, fo that I could not hold my pen. I was now ftationary, and moved only in an horizontal direction. I rofe up in the middle of the chariot, to contemplate the fcene around me. At my fetting out the fun was fet on the valleys; he foon rofe for me alone, who was the only luminous body in the horizon, and all the reft of nature in fhade. The fun himfelf prefently difappeared, and I had the pleafure of fecing him fet twice in the fame day. I beheld, for a few feconds, the circumambient air and the vapours rifing from the vallies and ri vers. The clouds feemed to rife from the earth, and collect one upon another, till preferving their usual form, only

For

their colour was grey and monotonous from the want of light in the atmo fphere. The moon alone enlightened them, and fhewed me that I was tacks ing about twice, and I obferved certain currents that brought me back again. 1 had several fenfible deviations, and obferved, with furprife, the effects of the wind, and faw the ftreamers of my banners point upwards. This phænomenon was not the effect of the afcent or defcent, for I then moved horizontally. At that inftant I conceived, perhaps a little too hastily, the idea of being able to fteer one's own course. In the midft of my tranfports I felt a violent pain in my right car and jaw, which I afcribed to the dilatation of the air in the cellular conftruction of thofe organs, as much as to that of the external air. I was in a waistcoat, and bareheaded. I immediately put on a woollen cap, yet the pain did not ga off but as I gradually defcended. 7 or 8 minutes I had ceafed to afcend; the condenfation of the internal inflammable air rather made me defcend. I now recollected my promife to return in half an hour, and, pulling the upper valve, I came down. The globe was now fo much emptied, that it appeared only an half-globe. I perceived a nine ploughed field near the wood of Tour du Lay, and haftened my descent. When I was between 20 and 30 toifes from the earth, I threw out haftily 2 or 3 pounds of ballast, and became, for a moment, ftationary, till I defcended gently on the field, above a league from the place whence I fet out. The frequent deviations and turnings about make me imagine this voyage was about 3 leagues, and I was gone about 35 minutes. Such is the certainty of the combinations of our aeroftatic machine, that I can at pleafure complete 130 fpecific lightnefs, the prefervation of which, equally voluntary, might have kept me in the air at leaft for 24 hours longer. When the two Dukes faw me at a distance coming down, they and the rett left M. Robert to meet me, and haftened to Paris; and the Prince himself moft kindly undertook to give the publick an account of us, and to quiet their apprehenfions for us.'

A. W.'s curious Communications (the fine old Seal, and tb beautiful View of Rouen with its prefent remarkable Bridge) came too late for this month, but are now engraving; and the Stone Celts, Candlestick, &c. &c. as are the Three Portraits of Perfons unknown ;

MR.

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