appliances for filling it. Finally, on the
morning of the nineteenth of September
seventeen hundred and eighty-three, of a
fair cloudless French morning, all things
were announced to be in readiness for the
great show.

The Great Court of Ministers at Versailles
had been selected as a sort of amphitheatre,
and when, early in the morning, the public
were admitted to the number of one hundred
and thirty thousand souls, filling every nook
and corner, the sight must have been grand,
indeed. A large space, however, was kept
clear in the centre, for the machinery to be
employed in filling the balloon, consisting of
an enormous framework of proportionate
strength and solidity, ten feet high, and one
hundred long; inside of which were heaped
up the wet straw and wool, to be presently
lighted—generators of the gas. On each side,
to the right and left, were planted two tall
masts, fitted with ropes and pulleys, which
were to do duty as stays or guides, according
as the balloon filled.

Such being the preparations, before seven
o'clock in the morning, every inch of standing
room was occupied. A party of grenadiers
belonging to the French guard and
Swiss, were drawn up round the portion set
apart for the experiment. A second company
of fusileers were ranged outside of these,
forming a sort of reserved ground, where
only were admitted the savants, the noble
amateurs, and dilettantes of quality; and the
ladies of the court, so enchanted with science.
A most gallant and imposing show. A third
company kept open a long avenue that
stretched away to the door of the palace.
This was against the coming of the King and
the royal family.

An hour or more passed away. Much
chattering, much expectancy, much fluttering of
many fans from the reserved seats; epigrams,
no doubt, from the Marshal Duke of Richelieu,
titular savant; much flirting among the
younger ladies of quality. Presently, towards
the stroke of ten, one of the royal furniture
vans—this sounds irreverent; but voiture du
garde meuble is the word—drawn by four
royal horses, comes dashing in laden with the
balloon. Immense sensation, and a general
impression that this begins to look like
business. A most dazzling concern this
balloon, formed of rich silk of royal blue tint,
painted all over in yellow, with the cipher of
"our august king," with garlands, and with
fleur-de-lys. There is a singular reverence
in the eye-witness who tells the history, for
all things royal, as may be gathered from that
stroke concerning the royal furniture van.
Which flunkeyism was indeed much in vogue
at this eve of combustion; when, as Mr.
Carlyle has it, a red smithy light was seen
through the chinks. It was the effete
Bourbonism, the old Louis-worship, flickering up
with a start before extinction. It was, as
who should say, " How great, how glorious
is everything our king doth! " Our king,
accordingly, has his grand huntsman, and
his grand stable-keeper, and his beds of justice,
and his little rising in the morning, and his
grand rising, and his little coucher, or going
to bed, and his grand coucher or going to
bed. With the honour of handing of the
shirt, and the rest of the play-acting, see how
good and glorious! Even the royal furniture
van drawn by four royal horses! Let us
mark now the further steps of this scientific
meeting.

The royal and august balloon being
conveniently placed for filling, and all things
being ready, Monseigneur the Count D'Artois
was seen to enter the square surrounded by the
lords and distinguished persons of his suite. He
was shown the preparations, and expressed
himself much contented therewith, though it
may be suspected, not unjustly, whether such
things were much in the line of Monseigneur
the Count D'Artois. Presently came
Monsieur, Chief Sir of the Realm, with HIS
lords and HIS distinguished suite. The
inventor, M. Montgolfier, we are told, " was
allowed the honour and satisfaction " of
explaining the machinery to the august
personages. They having retired; the King, the
Queen, followed by the court, and a detachment
of the royal body-guard, and the
Hundred-Swiss, came on foot (!) from the palace,
and examined all the details with the most
scrupulous attention. To them, too, was M.
Montgolfier " allowed the honour of explaining"
his invention. The appearance of M.
Montgolfier is described. He was a man of
good stature, and between two ages. He was
dressed in sober black, and gave his
directions, all through, with the greatest sang froid.
The stern seriousness of his countenance, and
his perfect composure, were sure tokens of
his perfect confidence in the result. His
manners were modest and retiring.

After the inspection and explanation, the
King withdrew to hear mass, and the
hundred and thirty thousand spectators wiled
away the time as best they might. Presently,
re-appears the King on the grand balcony,
surrounded by numbers of persons of
distinction, while the Queen takes up her
position under a great tent, also surrounded by
great lords and ladies. The position of the
tent has been minutely described by the
Jenkins of the hour, as being on the terrace
belonging to the Palace Pavilion, and which
is nearest on the left hand to the Court of
Marble.

Everything being now ready, the King
limself gave the signal, and the heap of
straw and wool was lighted. It was noted
with surprise how the collapsed silk gradually
expanded and raised itself up along the
masts, until, at the expiration of ten minutes,
it stood out in full shape and perfection, a
gorgeous globe of azure—royal blue, rather—
forty-eight feet in diameter, with the royal
cipher now displayed to infinite advantage.