de Rozier, and the Marquis de Arlande intended to ascend in a balloon which was ready in Paris. Mr. de Faujas gives the relation of that yoyage, and also a description of the ascension of Messrs. Charles and Robert, in a balloon inflated with inflammable air, which took place soon after that of the aforesaid gentlemen. I saw, to my great mortification, our voyage delayed: the immense size of our aerostat, requiring a long time to make it complete. It was hardly finished when Pilatre de Rozier, and Count Dampierre arrived from Paris, with letters of Etienne Montgolfier to his brother Joseph: they told him their intention was to ascend in the balloon we were preparing. At that time two friends of mine, one a naturalist, the other a geographer, had agreed to ascend with Mr. J. Montgolfier, and me: we mentioned it to Pilatre, who said we should then be six, instead of four: in fact, our machine could carry up many more. Soon after, arrived the Prince Charles de Ligne, who took a great proportion of the subscription, and expressed his wish to ascend with Mr. Montgolfier, who could not refuse him, nor the Count de Laurencien and Count d'Anglefort, as they insisted to be also of that aerial voyage. It was at that very time that the fire was so badly managed, that the upper part of the balloon was burnt. You will see by Mr. de Faujas' work that the damage was soon repaired. Mr Montgolfier reproached me with having ceased to conduct the fire, and wished me to assist again in the last experi ments. The aerostat having been exposed to rain, snow, and frost, for several days, the coarse tow cloth it was made of, became injured in many places, and we were under the necessity of taking off the net which surrounded it, and of tying the cords of the gallery to the balloon itself. On the 19th of January 1784, as it was ready to ascend, Mr. Pilatre de Rozier was the fifth person who went into the gallery; and the balloon was ascending, when I perceived Mr. Montgolfier conversing with Mr. De Flesselles the intendant: I took him in my arms and carried him into the gallery, of which I seized hold myself, when it was several feet high, and went up unperceived by those who were in it, except Mr. Montgolfier. The balloon was at a considerable height, when Prince de Ligne seeing me, appeared quite surprised, as well as some of the other aeronauts. He ssed some disapprobation, as he served to me a few days before, ere were only six seats in the galc. &c. I answered him pretty I then found myself under the necessity of requesting my two friends to relinquish their intended ascension; with the promise of Mr. Montgolfier that they should accompany us in another balloon, which he contemplated mak-being who had expressed the design to ing entirely of silk, and on a new plan. Ours being finished, it was inflated several times, and in one of these experiments, Prince de Ligne observed to me that he did not expect I could go in the gallery, as it had only six fit places, which were all engaged. I answered him, I did not care, that I had been the first who had proposed to ascend, and that if the balloon could go up, I should go with it: he did not appear to be pleased with my answer, and I left the place. id repeated what I had told him re, that I was the first human ascend in that balloon; and to cut the matter short, that I was not under his control: "Princes, added I, may consider themselves our superiors on earth, but in the aerial regions we are now exploring, we are all equal, and on the same level." The hortness of the voyage, of which you will see the particulars, prevented further discussion, and on the same evening at the theatre, the Prince embraced me, and gave me every mark of friendship, &c. &c. MISCELLANEOUS. You will excuse me, sir, for having taken so much of your attention for the perusal of these uninteresting particulars, which have become a great deal more so, from the lapse of time that has intervened. My intention has been only to convince you that Mr. Cavallo, or any other author who may have asserted that my ascension in that balloon was a 66 very remarkable instance of enthusiasm, rather than courage," has been in the wrong, as I had certainly time to reflect on my determination. I remain Sir, &c. C. G. FONTAINE. P. S. Give me leave to also observe to you, that experiments with inflammable air (or hydrogen gas) were often made by my friend Joseph Montgolfier, long before the Savans of Paris had (as mentioned in your Journal) introduced that new mode; and I myself, saw in Lyons, several of these very experiments, &c. Some time before the ascension of his balloon, at Lyons, Joseph Montgolfier made the experiment of parachutes. Being in the city of Avignon, he threw from the tower of the palace of the Vice Legate, a basket with a sheep in it, to which was attached a parachute; and the animal descended safe into a field, where he was afterwards found grazing. Letter of M. Pilatre de Rosier, to M. Faujas de Fond. SIR, 447 iment lasted but 57 minutes, of which only 17 were employed in filling the balloon, containing 145,000 cubic feet of rarefied air, produced by the combustion of 500 lbs. of alder wood. As to the voyage, of which so much has been said at Paris, it is a chimera engendered by the envious, who endeavoured to tarnish the lustre of an experiment, the success of which, very clearly demonstrates the utility of this important discovery. M. de Montgolfier, who had constantly disavowed the reports which had been circulating on this subject, engaged M. de Flesselles, the prefect of the province, to interpose his authority to oblige the persons who had taken possession of the gallery, to leave it; but these brave æronauts, penetrated with the most noble enthusiasm, unanimously resolved not to quit the machine, till it was no longer able to hold them. The zeal and courage of these gentlemen was worthy of admiration, but lessened the interest of the experiment, the result of which would have been, that the balloon would progressively have ascended to the height of 23,240 feet. M. de Montgolfier determined to accompany it, and at the moment it was leaving the ground, I sprang in the weight of my body having caused the balloon to descend, M. Fontaine availed himself of the opportunity to jump, without its being noticed, into the gallery. Those versed in physics may readily conceive that this excess of weight was directly op The subscription opened at Ly-posed to the projected ascension. It ons before the first ærial voyage, was for the purpose of repeating the experiment made at Versailles. The cost of the machine was estimated at 4,400 livres; and it was constructed sufficiently large to raise a horse, or such other animals as might be suspended, to the amount of 8000 lbs: but M. de Montgolfier has now far exceeded his own engagements, as well as the expectations of more than 100,000 spectators, by elevating 15,600 lbs. to would be very difficut to give you a description of all the sensations the public seemed to experience at the time when this vast edifice left the earth: a part of the people on their knees; others with extended hands in the attitude of invoking Heaven; some females fainted, whilst others were unable to restrain their tears. The men, divided between admiration and fear, followed in crowds, through snow and mud, the imposing-march of the ma ellers in a state ecstacy (of which there are few examples) seemed only to dread the period when they should descend. The atmosphere was so calm, that the balloon in ascending described a line perpendicular to the platform, where it was inflated; and did not deviate from its course for eight minutes. It descended, at length, at a short distance from the place of departure. Scarcely had we touched the ground, when numerous retinues bore M. de Montgolfier, and the other voyagers in triumph to their coaches, which they accompanied to the hotel where I staid. The express, who is waiting for me, prevents me, sir, from giving you a detail of all the means employed to evince satisfaction, and render homage to the genius of M. de Montgolfier. I scarcely have time to assure you of the consideration, and of the very distinguished sentiments with which I have the honour to be, &c. PILATRE DE ROSIER. January 28, 1784. M. Pilatre de Rozier is mistaken, for Mr. Fontaine who had assisted and co-operated at all the experiments, saw him in fact enter as the fifth person in the gallery, which was already about four feet high, when Mr. Fontaine lifted up Mr. J. Montgolfier (who was in conversation with Mr. de Flesselles) and threw him over into the gallery, while he himself clambered in, at the moment it left the platform. [M.S. note of Mr. Fontaine.] Extract of letter of M. Mathon, De la Cour, director of the academy of Sciences at Lyons. "At the instant the cords were cut, both Messrs. Montgolfier and Pilatre de Rozier jumped into the gallery: M. Fontaine, who had had a good deal to do with the balloon, also jumped in at the moment of its departure; although his name had not been entered among those who were to be of the voyage, yet this sudden transport of his, was excused on the ground of his ervices and his zeal.” Mr. Fontaine, intimately connected with Mr. Joseph Montgolfier, had informed him at the first construction of the balloon, of his design of stationing himself in the gallery, and ascending with it: Mr. Montgolfier told him that this determination did not surprise him, for that he also intended himself to ascend; and in this manner, added he, we shall occupy the places of the intended animals: but very soon after, the arrival of Mr. Pilatre de Rozier, and the Count de Dampierre, which was followed by that of the other aeronauts, swelled the number to six (including Mr. Montgolfier.) Mr. Fontaine could not, however, reconcile it to himself, to abandon his project: he therefore went up to the balloon, threw his friend Montgolfier over, and seizing hold of the gallery, already several feet from the platform, he clambered in himself. [M.S. note of Mr. Fontaine.] From the letters already quoted, and other authorities in the compilation of M. Faujas de St. Foud, we have translated the following summary to illustrate Mr. Fontaine's account.-The enterprize was commenced by a subscription of 4,400 livres: that sum being deemed sufficient, as the balloon was to be constructed on an economical plan, in consequence of its being intended merely for the elevation of some large quadruped. Accordingly, it was composed of coarse tow-cloth, which was doubled, and between the folds was stitched three thicknesses of paper. Its height was 126 feet, and its diameter 102 feet. No person as yet had ever ascended, but before it was completed, the aerial voyage of M. Pilatre de Rozier took place, and as there was then a great desire among many persons to follow the example, the gallery was constructed accordingly. When finished, it was inflated several times, and in one of the experiments it caught fire from too much fuel having been put in the grate, but it was extin guished without much difficulty by hand envir MISCELLANEOUS. 1784, the ascension took place, with the following persons in the gallery, viz. M. Joseph de Montgolfier, Count de Laurencin, Count de Dampierre, Count de Laporte d'Anglefort, It rose perpendicularly for some minutes, and its greatest elevation was supposed to have been, about 500 toises-it then moved horizontally, until it became torn in several places, when it descended rapidly, but not so as to injure the aeronauts on coming to the ground, which they did at a short distance from the place of ascen, sion. In the evening they attended the theatre, where they were received with the most enthusiastic applause, and were crowned with wreaths. Mr. Fontaine, who was in the pit, underwent a similar coronation, on being recognized. Such are the particulars of this singular enterprize. Of the subsequent fate of the intrepid men who were associated with Mr. Fontaine in its dangers, we have gathered the following brief account: Count Dampierre, who was then an officer in the regiment of French guards, became commander in chief on the defection of Dumourier, and was killed at the battle of St. Amand, 1793. Prince Charles de Ligne, who was the eldest son of the author of the "Memoirs," took an opposite side to that of his aerial colleague, Dampierre; and like him fell in battle during the same war. Count D'Anglefort, had then just recovered from a dangerous wound received from a mutinous soldier in his regiment; but is now dead. Count Laurencin, was considerably advanced in years, and in all probability has long since paid the debt of nature. Mr. Joseph Montgolfier, is (as well as his brother Etienne) now no more. Mr. Pilatre de Rozier, in the following year, attempted, with Mr. Romain, to cross the British Channel, but the balloon taking d to the earth. and 449 killed, 15th June, 1785, near Boulogne. He was about 36 years of age, and with a slender form, united a soul perfectly fearless. He was a man of science, and had been for many years engaged in a chemical laboratory at Paris. He wes afterwards appointed chief director of the Lyceum established by Monsieur, (the brother of the king,) now Louis xvII In the ascension of Etienne Montgolfier's balloon at Paris, he voluntarily attached his fortunes to the car, and was accordingly the first mortal that was ever* FOR THE MASONIC REGISTER. SECOND ADVENT DISPENSATION. MR. PRATT, Religion and politics are synonymous. Civil and religious liberty are preparatory to a resurrection from the dead. I am peculiarly impressed with the persuasion that liberty must eventuate in an equality of possessions; or, in other words, it will enable us to comprehend that mine and thine, are not the language of perfect charity. We should yield all our possessions to the commonwealth, for the good and welfare of the whole, in all its parts and ramifications. The time for labour should be necessarily equal, as in an army, or a ship. Every one who eats, should culttivate the soil, or fish, in due proportion, say three hours each day and as all must likewise engage in some trade, three hours more may perhaps suffice for such avocation. And, except when harvest, roads, or other public duties demanded, the remainder of the day could be spent in reading, music, singing, sacred dancing, and amusements. The progress of knowledge being infinite, every possible stimulus of public applause and rejoicing should be given to those whose application and industry enabled them to make the greatest progress in the arts and sciences, and invented the best machinery to decrease labour. They might be drawn in triumphal cars, while 10,000 times 10,000 musicians werę tuning their praise, and music and singing electrified the whole with supernal joy. Every difficulty touching a choice of individual occupation, could be removed by drawing of lots, if an appeal should be made from the wisdom of the sages, or the majority of votes;-yet, who could be so hardy even in the present degraded state of mankind as to object? no gain. Freely I have received: Your cosmopolite friend, PUNCTUATION. The errors that so frequently occur in punctuation, may sometimes be attributed to the hurried application of a writer: as it is exceedingly difficult, says a learned author, "to keep a busy eye steadily fixed upon evanescent atoms." But it oftener arises from ignorance of the practice; or more generally, as well as inexcusably, from an affectation of contempt, for so minute a drudgery. The fol In the name of the God of harmo-lowing anecdote however, very forciny, and by the coat of Immanuel, and the water symbol of his baptism, I call upon all the separated links of his church to unite. bly illustrates the importance, which at times, may be attached to this very essential, although apparently inconsiderable department of composition. Bar Ingenuity. officer, and the following passage was Let names, and sects, and parties fall; Let Christ, with us, be all in all. Take the crown of thorns from the A curious and very ingenious expehead of that blessed Redeemer; bring dient was lately resorted to at a trial forth the royal diadem of peace and in Green-street, to save a prisoner unity, and crown him Lord of all. At- charged with robbery. The principal tend better to the symbols of sacred thing that appeared in evidence against writ, which is all a profound allegory, || him was a confession alledged to have drawn in the most striking images by been made by him at the police office, Omniscience-the unutterable 1 Am and taken down in writing by a pothat I Am. May we assimilate as lice officer. The document purportwater, or leavened bread, or genuine ing to contain this self-criminating ac wine, in our sacrament for the Com-knowledgment was produced by the forter, the key-stone of the arch. Come out from all those who want faith in this only true consummation of Jesus, the chief corner-stone, by recovering our primeval light of right reason, (Melchisedeck's Oracle.) By thus returning to equality, sin, death, hell, will eventually cease; because as all minds become united, harmonized, and blended into one mind, the absent deity would return, revive-for in oneanother, and in him, in perfect fellowship, is immortality. All nature's motto is, United we stand, divided we fall. I shall from time to time, communicate to you my system of magic harmonies. Loving the truth, I seek read from it: 66 Mangan said he never robbed but twice said it was Crawford." This it will be observed, has no mark of the writer's having any notion of punctuation, but the meaning he attached to it will be evident from the following mode of printing it : "Mangan said he never robbed but twice"Said it was Crawford." Mr. O'GORMAN, the Counsel for the prisoner, begged to look at the paper. He perused it, and rather astonished the peace officer by asserting, that, so far from its proving the man's guilt, it |