Theballoon, afterhavingrisen, remainedstationary；theunknownconsultedthebarometer, andsaid：
“Hereweareat800metres！Menresembleinsects！See, Ithinkitisfromthisheightthatweshouldalwayslookatthem, tojudgecorrectlyoftheirmoralproportions！ThePlacedelaComédieistransformedtoanimmenseant-, andthisbridge, theMaine-Brucke, lookslikeawhitethreadthrownbetweenthetwobanksoftheriver.”
Theatmospheregrewcooler.
“ThereisnothingIwillnotdoforyou, myhost，”saidmycompanion.“Ifyouarecold, Iwilltakeoffmyclothesandlendthemtoyou.”
“Thanks！”
“, , andmyconversationshallcompensateyoufortheannoyanceIhavecausedyou.”
Iseatedmyself, withoutreplying, ；itwasaworkonaerostation.
“Ipossess，”saidhe，“amostcuriouscollectionofengraving, ；andofthegasaffectingelectricproperties, whichtheyproducedbythecombustionofclampstrawwithchoppedwool.”
“Wouldyoudetractfromthemeritoftheseinventions?”repliedI.“Wasitnotwelldonetohaveprovedbyexperimentthepossibilityofrisingintheair?”
“Whodeniesthegloryofthefirstaerialnavigators?, hasnotaerostaticsciencemadegreatprogresssincetheascensionsofBlanchard?Look, Monsieur.”
Hetookfromhiscollectionanengraving.
“HereisthefirstaerialvoyageundertakenbyPilatredesRosiersandtheMarquisdArlandes, ；, bymeansofartifice, , whichrendersthemanagementoftheballooneasy, hadnotthenbeeninvented；-dishwassuspendedbeneaththeorifceoftheballoon；whenthevoyagerswishedtoascend, theythrew, withalongfork, strawuponthisbrazier, attheriskofburningthemachine, andtheair, growingwarmer, gavetotheballoonanewascensionalforce.”
