they were pumping away, or loading the
boat with water, first at the tail of the
vessel; which, in consequence, gradually
sunk, till it scarcely floated above the surface
of the sea. Then the front portion was
similarly loaded, and became submerged. And
then— it was quite as exciting as the first
sight of a balloon ascent; it was more fearful
than seeing the kraken plunge into the depth
below, after you had mistaken it for an island;
— then, down went the scarlet-mailed monster,
with a decisive dip which had all the air of a
voluntary and muscular action. And the
boiling waters, and the white-streaming mass
of bubbling air, which those desperadoes left
behind them on the surface! Oh ! Gracious
Heavens! Can I believe my eyes ?—that there,
down below, and out of sight, nine living
breathing men should be cheerfully at work,
though hidden from our view by the waves
of the sea!  And not exactly hidden; only
veiled. The waters here are clear, their bed
being of rock, and I can perceive a reddish
gleam, with a brighter point in the middle,
which is the top of the potence, struggling
through the blue-green medium in which
those nine wretched lost men lie entombed.
Survive they cannot, short of miracle! Lucky
that none of their wives or children were here
to witness that fearful descent.

"Full fathom five thy father lies:
Of his bones are coral made:
Those are pearls that were his eyes:"—

The "father," however, quotes responsively,

"—but for the miracle,
I mean our preservation, few in millions
Can speak like us."

The men are safe, thanks to Payerne's
ingenuity. They have much more air
with them than they will require during
their stay below; they can regulate the
supply at pleasure, and this will give them
sufficient oxygen. But, by breathing they
throw off carbonic acid, and this must be got
rid of, or they will suffer inconvenience, and,
perhaps, be injured in health. They, therefore,
take down with them a bucket containing
about six (French) pounds of first-rate quick-
lime, with a small portion of potash; it is
mixed with water, and, as soon as their feelings
tell them what is wanted to be done,
one of the number takes a pair of bellows
having the rose of a garden watering-pot
fixed on its snout, and with this simple implement
dipped into the alkaline solution, he
blows away, until the air is sufficiently purified
by the passage through it, to be again wholesome
to the lungs. For those who doubt the
healthiness of house-cleanings and
white-washings, here is a lesson that the human
body throws off a something, whose ill effects
are neutralised by lime.

Dr. Payerne has made many experiments
on the purification of air—some, in the diving
bell at the London Polytechnic Exhibition,
ten years ago—and has published on the
subject. But, the Diving Boat has led to the
discovery of an unexpected means of clearing
air of an excess of carbonic acid. The Bell
cannot be worked in a strong current; the
boat works best there, for this reason. It is
known that carbonic acid is very soluble in
water, much more soluble than atmospheric
air; that is, it is taken up by it in combination,
like sugar or salt: or, as they are both
fluids, it might be better to say that water
and carbonic acid unite together like spirits
and water, instead of remaining separate, like
water and oil. Now, it turns out that
carbonic acid combines so readily with water,
that when the Diving Boat is working in a
strong current, the men have no need to use
their lime solution, nor to work their bellows
at all. The water running beneath their feet
attracts and carries off with it the carbonic
acid, as fast as they produce it. And,
fortunately, carbonic acid is so much heavier
than atmospheric air, that it naturally sinks
to the bottom of the boat by its own weight.
It is only in still waters that they are obliged
to have recourse to the bellows and the
alkaline air-filter; and the more the water
changes from the condition of stillness, the
less need have they of that acid. We may
hence deduce the fact, that fountains and
running streams in the midst of populous
cities are not only pleasing to the eye, but
are healthful to the constitution, by carrying
off, while they seem to be only idly sparkling
to and fro, many an unseen, impalpable, and
unsuspected impurity.

Another difficulty with the Diving Bell is,
that the deeper it descends, the higher the
water rises within it, from the compression of
the included air by the superincumbent mass
of water; so that the adventurer finds
himself half-flooded and seriously hindered both
in investigation and in work, long before a
depth impossible for human lungs to bear
has been reached. But, the Diving Boat, by
making use of the internal spring of its store
of compressed air, is always able (by letting
out an extra supply, as profounder depths are
arrived at), to keep the water-surface quite
at the bottom of the internal walls of its
chamber.

It seems at first sight a little paradoxical
to learn that it costs much less trouble to
make the Auguste float on the surface, than
to cause her to sink to the bottom of the sea.
But, a very slight change of equilibrium or
alteration of specific gravity is sufficient to
produce the tendency to float. If you sink a
bladder full of air in a tub, by means of a
small bag-full of shot just enough to keep it
at the bottom, it is surprising how few shot
have to be subtracted, in order to make it
mount; just as, in a nicely balanced balloon,
the shaking out of a small sand-bag causes it
to mount steadily. And so the Auguste, by
discharging a little water through the spiracles
of its iron shell, makes itself lighter, and