Herecordsanoriginalballooningexploit，organisedatAlgiers，whichonemighthavesupposedwouldhavecausedagreatsensation，andtowhichhehimselfhadcalledpublicattentioninthelocaljournals。ThebrothersBraguetweretomakeanascentfromtheMustaphaPlaininasmallfireballoonheatedwithburningstraw，andthisriskyperformancewassuccessfullycarriedoutbytheenterprisingaeronauts。But，totheonlooker，themoststrikingfeatureoftheproceedingwasthefactthatwhiletheEuropeanspresentregardedthespectaclewithcuriosityandpleasure，thenativeMussulmansdidnotappeartotaketheslightestinterestinit;\"Andthis，\"remarkeddeFonvielle，\"wasnotthefirsttimethatignorantandfanaticpeoplehavebeennotedasmanifestingcompleteindifferencetoballoonascents。AfterthetakingofCairo，whenGeneralBuonapartewishedtoproduceaneffectupontheinhabitants，henotonlymadethemaspeech，butsupplementeditwiththeascentofafireballoon。Theattemptwasacompletefailure，fortheFrenchalonelookeduptothecloudstoseewhatbecameoftheballoon。\"
Inthesummerof1867anattemptwasmadetorevivethelongextinctAeronauticCompanyofFrance，establishedbyDeGuyton。
Theundertakingwasworkedwithconsiderableenergy。Somefortyorfiftyactiverecruitswerepressedintotheservice，asuitablecaptiveballoonwasobtained，thousandsofspectatorscametowatchtheevolutions;andmanywerefoundtopaythehandsomefeeof100francsforashortexcursionintheair。
Forallthis，theeffortwasentirelyabortive，andtheballooningcorps，assuch，droppedoutofexistence。
AlittlewhileafterthisdeFonvielle，onavisittoEngland，hadamostpatheticinterviewwiththeveteranCharlesGreen，whowaslivingincomfortableretirementatUpperHolloway。
Thegrandoldmanpointedtoawell—filledportfoliointhecornerofhisroom，inwhich，hesaid，wereaccountsofallhistravels，thatwouldrequirealifetimetoperuseandputinorder。Greenthentookhisvisitortotheendofthenarrowcourt，and，openingthedoorofanouthouse，showedhimtheoldNassauballoon。\"Hereismycar，\"hesaid，touchingitwithakindofsolemnrespect，\"which，likeitsoldpilot，nowreposesquietlyafteralongandactivecareer。HereistheguideropewhichIimaginedinformeryears，andwhichhasbeenfoundveryusefultoaeronauts……Nowmylifehaspastandmytimehasgoneby……Thoughmyhairiswhiteandmybodytooweaktohelpyou，Icanstillgiveyoumyadvice，andyouhavemyheartywishesforyourfuture。\"
Itwasbutshortlyafterthis，onMarch26，1870，thatCharlesGreenpassedawayinthe85thyearofhisage。
DeFonvielle’scolleague，M。GastonTissandier，wasononeoccasionaccidentallybroughttovisittherestingplaceoftheearliestamongaeronauts，whosetragicdeathoccurredwhileCharlesGreenhimselfwasyetaboy。InastormyandhazardousdescentTissandier，undertheguidanceofM。Duruof，landedwithdifficultyontheseacoastofFrance，whenoneofthefirsttorenderhelpwasalightkeeperoftheGriz—nezlighthouse，whogavetheinformationthatontheothersideofthehills，afewhundredyardsfromthespotwheretheyhadlanded，wasthetombofPilatredeRozier，whosetragicaldeathhasbeenrecordedinanearlychapter。Avisittotheactuallocalitythenextdayrevealedthefactthatahumblestonestillmarkedthespot。
CertainscientificfactsandmemorandacollectedbythetalentedFrenchaeronautwhomwearefollowingaretoointerestingtobeomitted。Inthesamejourneytowhichwehavejustreferredthevoyagers，whennearlyoverCalais，werewitnessesfromtheircommandingstandpointofaverystrikingphenomenonofmirage。LookinginthedirectionofEngland，thefarcoastlinewashiddenbyanimmenseveilofleaden—colouredcloud，and，followingthiscloudwallupwardtodetectwhereitterminated，thetravellerssawaboveitagreenishlayerlikethatofthesurfaceofthesea，onwhichwasdetectedalittleblackpointsuggestingawalnutshell。Fixingtheireyesonthisblackspot，theypresentlydiscernedittobeashipsailingupsidedownuponanaerialocean。Soonafter，asteamerblowingsmoke，andthenothervessels，addedthemselvestotheillusoryspectacle。
Anotherwonderdetected，equallystrikingthoughlessuncommon，wasofanacousticalnature，thelocalitythistimebeingoverParis。Theheightoftheballoonatthismomentwasnotgreat，and，moreover，wasdiminishingasitsettleddown。Suddenlytherebrokeinuponthevoyagersasoundasofaconfusedkindofmurmur。Itwasnotunlikethedistantbreakingofwavesagainstasandycoast，andscarcelylessmonotonous。ItwasthenoiseofParisthatreachedthem，assoonastheysanktowithin2，600feetoftheground，butitdisappearedatoncewhentheythrewoutjustsufficientballasttoriseabovethataltitude。
Itmightappeartomanythatsostrangeandsuddenashuttingoutofavastsoundoccurringabruptlyinthefreeupperairmusthavebeenmoreimaginarythanreal，yetthephenomenonisalmostpreciselysimilartoonecomingwithintheexperiencethewriter，andvouchedforbyhissonanddaughter，asalsobyMr。PercivalSpencer，allofwhomwerejointobserversatthetime，themainpointofdifferenceinthetwocasesbeingthefactthatthe\"regionofsilence\"wasrecordedbytheFrenchobserversasoccurringatasomewhatlowerlevel。Inbothcasesthereislittledoubtthatthephenomenoncanbereferredtoastratumofdisturbedornon—homogeneousair，whichmayhavebeenveryfarspread，andwhichiscapableofactingasamostopaquesoundbarrier。
Attentionhasoftenbeencalledinthesepagestothefactthattheactionofthesunonaninflatedballoon，evenwhenthesolarraysmaybepartiallyobscuredandonlyoperativeforafewpassingmoments，istogivesuddenandgreatbuoyancytotheballoon。Anadmirableopportunityforfairlyestimatingthedynamiceffectofthesun’sraysonasilkglobe，whosefabricwashalftranslucent，wasofferedtotheFrenchaeronautswhentheirballoonwasspreadonthegrassunderrepair，andforthispurposeinflatedwiththecircumambientairbymeansofasimplerotatoryfan。Thesuncomingout，theinterioroftheglobequicklybecamesuffocating，anditwasfoundthat，whiletheexternaltemperaturerecorded77degrees，thatoftheinteriorwasinexcessof91degrees。
CHAPTERXVII。ADVENTUREANDENTERPRISE。
AballoonwhichhasbecomefamousinhistorywasfrequentlyusedintheresearchesoftheFrenchaeronautsmentionedinourlastchapter。Thiswasknownas\"TheGiant，\"thecreationofM。Nadar，aprogressiveandpracticalaeronaut，whohadalwaysentertainedambitiousideasaboutaerialtravel。
M。NadarhadbeeneditorofL’Aeronaut，aFrenchjournaldevotedtotheadvancementofaerostationgenerally。Hehadalsostronglyexpressedhisownviewsrespectingthepossibilityofconstructingairshipsthatshouldbesubjecttocontrolandguidancewhenwindswereblowing。Hisgreatcontentionwasthatthedirigibleairshipwould，likeabird，havetobemadeheavierthanthemediuminwhichitwastofly。
Asheputit，aballooncouldneverproperlybecomeavessel。
Itwouldonlybeabuoy。Inspiteofanynumberofaccessories，paddles，wings，fans，sails，itcouldnotpossiblypreventthewindfrombodilycarryingawaythewholeconcern。
Afterthisstrongexpressionofopinion，itmayappearsomewhatstrangethatsuchaboldtheorisershouldatoncehavesethimselftoconstructthelargestgasballoononrecord。Such，however，wasthecaseandthereasonurgedwasnototherwisethanplausible。For，seeingthatavastsumofmoneywouldbeneededtoputhistheoriesintopractice，M。Nadarconceivedtheideaoffirstconstructingaballoonsouniqueandunrivalledthatitshouldcompelpublicattentioninawaythatnootherballoonhaddonebefore，andsobypopularexhibitionsbringtohishandsuchsumsasherequired。Aproperideaofthescaleofthishugemachinecanbeeasilygathered。Thelargestballoonsatpresentexhibitedinthiscountryareseldommuchinexcessof50，000cubicfeetcapacity。Comparedwiththesethe\"GreatNassauBalloon，\"builtbyCharlesGreen，whichhasbeenalreadysufficientlydescribed，wasatrueleviathan;whileCoxwell’s\"Mammoth\"waslargeryet，possessingacontent，whenfullyinflated，ofnolessthan93，000cubicfeet，andmeasuringover55feetindiameter。This，however，aswillbeseen，wasbutamerepigmywhencomparedwith\"TheGiant，\"which，measuringsome74feetindiameter，possessedtheprodigiouscapacityof215，000cubicfeet。
Butthehugecraftpossessedanothernoveltybesidesthatofexceptionalsize。Itwasprovidedwithasubsidiaryballoon，calledthe\"Compensator，\"andproperlytheideaofM。L。
Godard，thefunctionofwhichwastoreceiveanyexpulsionofgasinascending，andthustopreventlossduringanyvoyage。
ThespecificationofthisreallyremarkablestructuremaybetakenfromM。Nadar’sowndescription。Theglobeinitselfwasforgreaterstrengthvirtuallydouble，consistingoftwoidenticalballoons，onewithintheother，eachmadeofwhitesilkofthefinestquality，andcostingabout5s。4d。peryard。
Nolessthan22，000yardsofthissilkwererequired，andthesewingupofthegoreswasentirelydonebyhand。Thesmallcompensatingballoonwasconstructedtohaveacapacityofabout3，500cubicfeet，andthewholemachine，whenfullyinflated，wascalculatedtolift41/2tons。Withthisenormousmarginofbuoyancy，M。Nadardeterminedonmakingthecarofproportionateandunparalleleddimensions，andofmostelaboratedesign。Itcontainedtwofloors，ofwhichtheupperonewasopen，theheightofallbeingnearly7feet，withawidthofabout13feet。Thenwhatwasthoughttobedueprovisionwasmadeforpossibleemergencies。Itmightdescendfarfromhelporhabitations，thereforemeanswereprovidedforattachingwheelsandaxles。Again，thechanceofroughimpacthadtobeconsidered，andsocanes，toactassprings，werefittedaroundandbelow。Onceagain，therewasthecontingencyofimmersiontobereckonedwith;thereforetherewereprovidedbuoysandwater—tightcompartments。Furtherthanthis，unusualluxurieswereadded，fortherewerecabins，oneforthecaptainatoneend，andanotherwiththreeberthsforpassengersattheother。Norwasthisall，fortherewas，inaddition，alarder，alavatory，aphotographicroom，andaprintingoffice。Itremainsnowonlytotellthetaleofhowthisleviathanoftheairacquitteditself。
Thefirstascentwasmadeonthe4thofOctober，1853，fromtheChampdeMars，andnofewerthanfifteenlivingsoulswerelaunchedtogetherintothesky。OftheseNadarwascaptain，withthebrothersGodardlieutenants。TherewasthePrincedeSayn—Wittgenstein;therewastheCountdeSt。Martin;aboveall，therewasalady，thePrincessdelaTourd’Auvergne。Theballooncametoearthat9o’clockatnightnearMeaux，and，consideringalltheprovisionwhichhadbeenmadetoguardagainstroughlanding，itcanhardlybesaidthatthedescentwasahappyone。Itappearsthatthecardraggedonitssidefornearlyamile，andthepassengers，farfromfindingsecurityintheseclusionoftheinnerchambers，weregladtoclamberoutaboveandcling，asbesttheymight，totheropes。
Manyofthepartywerebruisedmoreorlessseverely，thoughnoonewasseriouslyinjured，anditwasreportedthatsuchfragilearticlesascrockery，cakes，confectionery，andwinebottlestothenumberofnolessthanthirty—seven，wereafterwardsdiscoveredtobeintact，andreceiveddueattention。
Itisfurtherstatedthatthedescentwasdecidedoncontrarytothewishesofthecaptain，butindeferencetothejudgmentoftheexperiencedMM。Godard，itbeingapparentlytheirconvictionthattheballoonwasheadingouttosea，whereas，inreality，theyweregoingdueeast，\"withnoseaatallbeforethemnearerthantheCaspian。\"
Thiswascertainlyanunpropitioustrialtripforthevesselthathadsoambitiouslysoughtdominionovertheair，andthenexttrial，whichwasembarkeduponafortnightlater，Sunday，October18th，washardlylessunfortunate。AgaintheascentwasfromtheChampdeMars，andthesend—offlackednothinginthewayofsplendourandcircumstance。TheEmperorwaspresent，fortwohoursaninterestedobserveroftheproceedings;theKingofGreecealsoattended，andevenenteredthecar，whileanotherfamousspectatorwasthepopularMeyerbeer。\"TheGiant\"firstgaveapreliminarydemonstrationofhispowerbytakingup，foracable’slength，alivingfreightofsomethirtyindividuals，andthen，at5。10p。m。，startedonitssecondfreevoyage，withninesoulsonboard，amongthemagainbeingalady，inthepersonofMadameNadar。
Fornearlytwenty—fourhoursnotidingsofthevoyagewereforthcoming，whenatelegramwasreceivedstatingthattheballoonhadpassedoverCompiegne，morethanseventymilesfromParis，at8。30onthepreviousevening，andthatNadarhaddroppedthesimplemessage，\"Allgoeswell！\"AlatertelegramthesameeveningstatedthattheballoonhadatmidnightonSundaypassedtheBelgianfrontieroverErquelines，wheretheCustomHouseofficialshadchallengedthetravellerswithoutreceivingananswer。
Buteight—and—fortyhourssincethestartwentbywithoutfurthernews，andexcitementinParisgrewintense。WhenthenewscameatlastitwasfromBremen，tosaythatNadar’sballoonhaddescendedatEystrup，Hanover，withfiveofthepassengersinjured，threeseriously。ThesethreewereM。
Nadar，hiswife，andM。St。Felix。M。Nadar，incommunicatingthisintelligence，added，\"WeoweourlivestothecourageofJulesGodard。\"ThefollowingsignedtestimonyofM。LouisGodardisforthcoming，andasitreferstoanoccasionwhichisamongthemostthrillinginaerialadventure，itmaywellbegivenwithoutabridgment。ItisheretranscribedalmostliteratimfromMr。H。Turner’svaluablework，\"AstraCastra。\"
\"TheGiant，\"afterpassingLisle，proceededinthedirectionofBelgium，whereafreshcurrent，comingfromtheChannel，droveitoverthemarshesofHolland。ItwastherethatM。LouisGodardproposedtodescendtoawaitthebreakofday，inordertorecognisethesituationandagaintodepart。Itwasoneinthemorning，thenightwasdark，buttheweathercalm。
Unfortunately，thisadvice，supportedbylongexperience，wasnotlistenedto。\"TheGiant\"wentonitsway，andthenLouisGodardnolongerconsideredhimselfresponsiblefortheconsequencesofthevoyage。
TheballooncoastedtheZuyderZee，andthenenteredHanover。
Thesunbegantoappear，dryingthenettingandsidesoftheballoon，wetfromitspassagethroughtheclouds，andproducedadilatationwhichelevatedtheaeronautsto15，000feet。Ateighto’clockthewind，blowingsuddenlyfromthewest，drovetheballooninarightlinetowardstheNorthSea。Itwasnecessary，atallhazards，toeffectadescent。Thiswasaperilousaffair，asthewindwasblowingwithextremeviolence。ThebrothersGodardassisted，byM。Gabriel，openedthevalveandgotouttheanchors;but，unfortunately，thehorizontalprogressoftheballoonaugmentedfromsecondtosecond。Thefirstobstaclewhichtheanchorsencounteredwasatree;itwasinstantlyuprooted，anddraggedalongtoasecondobstacle，ahouse，whoseroofwascarriedoff。Atthismomentthetwocablesoftheanchorswerebrokenwithoutthevoyagersbeingawareofit。Foreseeingthesuccessiveshocksthatwereabouttoensue——themomentwascritical——theleastforgetfulnessmightcausedeath。Toaddtothedifficulty，theballoon’sinclinedpositiondidnotpermitofoperatingthevalve，exceptonthehoop。
Attherequestofhisbrother，JulesGodardattemptedthedifficultworkofclimbingtothishoop，and，inspiteofhisknownagility，hewasobligedseveraltimestorenewtheeffort。Alone，andnotbeingabletodetachthecord，M。LouisGodardbeggedM。Yontojoinhisbrotheronthehoop。Thetwomadethemselvesmastersoftherope，whichtheypassedtoLouisGodard。Thelattersecureditfirmly，inspiteoftheshockshereceived。AviolentimpactshookthecarandM。deSt。
Felixbecameentangledunderthecarasitwasploughingtheground。Itwasimpossibletorenderhimanyassistance;
notwithstanding，JulesGodard，stimulatedbyhisbrother，leaptouttoattemptmooringtheballoontothetreesbymeansoftheropes。M。Montgolfier，entangledinthesamemanner，wasre—seatedintimeandsavedbyLouisGodard。
Atthismomentothersleaptoutandescapedwithafewcontusions。Thecar，draggedalongbytheballoon，broketreesmorethanhalfayardindiameterandoverthreweverythingthatopposedit。
LouisGodardmadeM。YonleapoutofthecartoassistMadameNadar;butaterribleshockthrewoutMM。Nadar，LouisGodard，andMontgolfier，thetwofirstagainsttheground，thethirdintothewater。MadameNadar，inspiteoftheeffortsofthevoyagers，remainedthelast，andfoundherselfsqueezedbetweenthegroundandthecar，whichhadfallenuponher。Morethantwentyminuteselapsedbeforeitwaspossibletodisentangleher，inspiteofthemostvigorouseffortsonthepartofeveryone。Itwasatthismomenttheballoonburstand，likeafuriousmonster，destroyedeverythingaroundit。ImmediatelyafterwardstheyrantotheassistanceofM。deSt。Felix，whohadbeenleftbehind，andwhosefacewasoneghastlywound，andcoveredwithbloodandmire。Hehadanarmbroken，hischestgrazedandbruised。
Afterthisaccident，thoughacreditablefuturelayinstorefor\"TheGiant，\"itsmonstrousandunwieldycarwascondemned，andpresentlyremovedtotheCrystalPalace，whereitwasdailyvisitedbylargecrowds。
ItisimpossibletodismissthisbriefsketchofFrenchballoonistsofthisperiodwithoutpayingsomeduetributetoM。DepuisDelcourt，equallywellknownintheliteraryandscientificworld，andregardedinhisowncountryasafatheramongaeronauts。Bornin1802，hisrecollectionwentbacktothetimeofMontgolfierandCharles，tothefeatsofGarnerin，andthedeathofMadameBlanchard。HeestablishedtheAerostaticandMeteorologicalSocietyofFrance，andwastheauthorofmanyworks，aswellasofajournaldealingwithaerialnavigation。HeclosedalifedevotedtothepursuitandadvancementofaerostationinApril，1864。
Beforeverylong，eventsbeganshapingthemselvesinthepoliticalworldwhichweredestinedtobringtheballooninFranceintoyetgreaterprominence。Butweshouldmentionthatalreadyitscapabilitiesintimeofwartomeettherequirementsofmilitaryoperationshadbeenscientificallyandsystematicallytested，andofthesetrialsitwillbenecessarytospeakwithoutfurtherdelay。
Referencehasalreadybeenmadeinthesepagestoavaluablearticlecontributedin1862byLieutenantG。Grover，R。E。，totheRoyalEngineers’papers。Fromthisreportitwouldappearthattheballoon，asameansofreconnoitring，wasemployedwithsomewhatuncertainsuccessatthebattleofSolferino，thebrothersGodardbeingengagedasaeronauts。TheballoonusedwasaMontgolfier，orfireballoon，and，inspiteofitsreadyinflation，MM。Godardconsideredit，fromthedifficultyofmaintainingwithinitthenecessarydegreeofbuoyancy，farinferiortothegasinflatedballoon。Ontheotherhand，theAustrianEngineerCommitteewereofacontraryopinion。ItwouldseemthatnoverydefiniteconclusionshadbeenarrivedatwithrespecttotheuseandvalueofthemilitaryballoonuptothetimeofthecommencementoftheAmericanWarin1862。
Itwasnowthatthepracticeofballooningbecamearecogniseddepartmentofmilitarymanoeuvres，andavaluablereportappearsintheabove—mentionedpapersfromthepenofCaptainF。Beaumont，R。E。Accordingtothisofficer，theAmericansmadetrialoftwodifferentballoons，bothhydrogeninflated，onehavingacapacityofabout13，000cubicfeet，andtheotherabouttwiceaslarge。ItwasthislatterthattheAmericansusedalmostexclusively，itbeingfoundtoaffordmoresteadinessandsafety，andtobethemeans，sometimesdesirable，oftakingupmorethantwopersons。Thedifficultyofsufficientgassupplyseemstohavebeenwellmet。Twogeneratorssufficed，thesebeing\"nothingmorethanlargetanksofwood，acid—proofinside，andofsufficientstrengthtoresisttheexpansiveactionofthegas;theywereprovidedwithsuitablestopcocksforregulatingtheadmissionofthegas，andwithmanholecoversforintroducingthenecessarymaterials。\"
Thegas，asevolved，beingmadetopasssuccessivelythroughtwovesselscontaininglimewater，wasdeliveredcoolandpurifiedintotheballoon，andasthesulphuricacidneededfortheprocesswasfoundsufficientlycheap，andscrapironalsorequiredwasreadilycomeby，itwouldseemthatpracticaldifficultiesinthefieldwerereducedtoaminimum。
AccordingtoCaptainBeaumont，thedifficultieswhichmighthavebeenexpectedfromwindyweatherwerenotconsiderable，andtwenty—fiveorthirtymensufficedtoconveytheballooneasily，wheninflated，overallobstacles。Thetransportofthebulkoftherestoftheapparatusdoesnotread，onpaper，averyseriousmatter。Thetwogeneratorsrequiredfourhorseseach，andtheacidandballooncartsasmanymore。Arrivedonthesceneofaction，thedrillitselfwasasimplematter。A
squadofthirtymenunderanofficersufficedtogettheballoonintoposition，andtoarrangetheballastsothat，withallin，therewasaliftingpowerofsomethirtypounds。Then，atthewordofcommand，thementogetherdropthecar，andseizethethreeguyropes，ofwhichoneismadetopassthroughasnatchblockfirmlysecured。Theguyropesarethenpayedoutaccordingtothedirectionsoftheaeronaut，asconveyedthroughtheofficer。
Theballoonaccompaniedthearmy’sadvancewhereitsservicescouldbeturnedtothegreatestadvantage。Itwasemployedinmakingcontinualascents，andfurnishingdailyreportstoGeneralM’Clellan，anditwassupposedthatbyconstantobservationtheaeronautcould，ataglance，assurehimselfthatnochangehadtakenplaceintheoccupationofthecountry。CaptainBeaumont，speaking，beitremembered，ofthemilitaryoperationsandmanoeuvrestheninvogue，declaredthatearthworkscouldbeseenevenatthedistanceofeightmiles，thoughtheircharactercouldnotbedistinctlystated。Woodedcountrywasunfittedforballoonreconnaissance，andonlyinaplaincouldanyconsiderablebodyoftroopsbemadeknown。Thenfollowssuchadescriptionasonewouldbeexpectingtofind:——
\"DuringthebattleofHanoverCourtHouse，whichwasthefirstengagementofimportancebeforeRichmond，Ihappenedtobeclosetotheballoonwhentheheavyfiringbegan。Thewindwasratherhigh;butIwasanxioustosee，ifpossible，whatwasgoingon，andIwentupwiththefatheroftheaeronaut。Theballoonwas，however，shortofgas，andasthewindwashighwewereobligedtocomedown。Ithenwentupbymyself，thediminishedweightgivingincreasedsteadiness;butitwasnotconsideredsafetogomorethan500feet，onaccountoftheunsettledstateoftheweather。Theballoonwasveryunsteady，somuchsothatitwasdifficulttofixmysightonanyparticularobject。AtthatdistanceIcouldseenothingofthefight。\"
Followingthisisanothersignificantsentence:——
\"Inthecaseofasiege，Iaminclinedtothinkthataballoonreconnaissancewouldbeoflessvaluethaninalmostanyothercasewhereareconnaissancecanberequired;but，evenhere，ifuseless，itis，atanyrate，alsoharmless。Ioncesawthefireofartillerydirectedfromtheballoon;thisbecamenecessary，asitwasonlyinthiswaythatthepicketwhichitwasdesiredtodislodgecouldbeseen。However，IcannotsaythatIthoughtthefireofartillerywasofmucheffectagainsttheunseenobject;notthatthiswasthefaultoftheballoon，forhaditnottoldtheartilleristswhichwaytheshotswerefallingtheirfirewouldhavebeenmoreuselessstill。\"
Itwillbeobservedthatatthistimephotographyhadnotbeenadoptedasanadjuncttomilitaryballooning。
FulldetailshavebeengiveninthischapterofthemonsterballoonconstructedbyM。Nadar;butin1864EugeneGodardbuiltonelargeryetoftheMontgolfiertype。Itscapacitywasnearlyhalfamillioncubicfeet，whilethestovewhichinflateditstood18feethigh，andweighednearly1，000
pounds。TwofreeascentsweremadewithoutmishapfromCremorneGardens。FiveyearslaterAshburnhamParkwasthesceneofcaptiveascentsmadewithanothermammothballoon，containingnolessthan350，000cubicfeetofpurehydrogen，andcapableoflifting11tons。Itwasbuiltatacostof28，000francsbyM。Giffard，thewell—knownengineerandinventoroftheinjectorforfeedingsteamengines。
Theseaerialleviathansdonotappeartohavebeen，inanytruesensesuccessful。
CHAPTERXVIII。THEBALLOONINTHESIEGEOFPARIS。
Withinafewmonthsofthecompletionoftheperiodcoveredbytherecordsofthelastchapter，Francewasdestinedtoreceiveamoreurgentstimulusthaneverbeforetodeveloptheresourcesofballooning，and，inhothaste，toturntothemostseriousandpracticalaccountallthebestresourcesofaeriallocomotion。Thesternnecessityofwarwasuponher，andduringfourmonthsthesolemodeofexitfromParis——nay，theonlypossiblemeansofconveyingasimplemessagebeyondtheboundaryofherfortifications——wasbyballoon。
Hitherto，fromtheveryinceptionoftheartfromtheearliestMontgolfierwithitsblazingfurnace，theballoonhadgoneupfromthegaycapitalundereveryvarietyofcircumstance——forpleasure，forexhibition，forscientificresearch。ItwasnowputinrequisitiontomitigatetheemergencyoccasionedbythelongandcloseinvestmentofthecitybythePrussianforces。
Recognising，atanearlystage，thepossibilitiesoftheballoon，anenquirywasatoncemadebythemilitaryauthoritiesastotheexistingresourcesofthecity，whenitwasquicklydiscoveredthat，withcertainexceptionstobepresentlymentioned，suchballoonsaswereinexistencewithinthewallswereeitherunserviceableorinadequatefortheworkthatwasdemandedofthem。Thereupon，withadmirablepromptnessandenterprise，itwasforthwithdeterminedtoorganisethebuildingandequipmentofaregularfleetofballoonsofsufficientsizeandstrength。
ItchancedthattherewereinParisatthetimetwoprofessionalaeronautsofprovedexperienceandskill，bothofwhomhadbecomewellknowninLondononlytheseasonbeforeinconnectionwithM。Giffard’shugecaptiveballoonatAshburnhamPark。ThesewereMM。GodardandYon，andtothemwasentrustedtheestablishmentoftwoseparatefactoriesinspaciousbuildings，whichwereatonceavailableandadmirablyadaptedforthepurpose。ThesewereattheOrleansandtheNorthernRailwaystationsrespectively，wherespaciousroofsandabundantelbowroom，thechiefrequisites，weretobefound。