,benjamin ,franklin and      the ,first 
,balloons        ,,by        ,,abbott   
,,lawrence ,,rotch          ,reprinted  
from the      ,proceedings of the       
,american ,antiquarian ,society         
,volume ,,xviii          ,,worcester1   
,,massachusetts      ,,the ,,davis      
,,press      #aijg          ,,benjamin  
,,franklin ,,and ,,the ,,first          
,,balloons4    ,,by ,,abbott ,,lawrence 
,,rotch4      ,the recent bi-centenary  
of ,franklin's birth1 which coincided   
with the  revival of interest in        
balloons1 makes this a timely topic1    
especially  since ,franklin's           
descriptions of the first balloon       
ascensions are  almost unknown and do   
not appear among his philosophical      
papers4 ,the  five letters which ,i have
 the honor to present were written to   
,sir  ,joseph ,banks1 ,president of the 
,royal ,society of ,london1 in #aghc1   
when  ,franklin was ,minister to the    
,court of ,france and1 with the         
collateral  documents1 they give perhaps

 the most complete and accurate account 
of the beginning of aerial navigation1  
enlivened with the humor and            
speculation characteristic of the       
writer4 ,it is certainly remarkable     
that ,franklin1 in the midst of         
diplomatic and social duties1 could have
  found time to investigate personally  
this new invention of which he at  once 
appreciated the possibilities4    ,the  
documents which ,i publish are copies of
 ,franklin's letters1 made  on thin     
paper in a copying press 7probably the  
rotary machine invented  by ,franklin71 
and all but one bear his signature in   
ink4 ,they have  corrections in the     
author's hand-writing and1 except for a 
few words1  are quite legible4 ,they    
were purchased by me from ,dodd1 ,mead  
,co41  in ,december1 #aije1 and         
previously had belonged to ,g4 ,m4      
,williamson1  of                        
,grandview-on-the-,hudson1 to whom they 
had come from ,vienna4 ,none  of the    
letters appear in ,sparks' edition of   

,franklin's ,works1 and  while all but  
one are included in the collections     
compiled by ,bigelow  and ,smyth1 there 
are numerous inaccuracies1 some of which
 will be  specified hereafter4 ,drafts  
of three of the letters are deposited in
  the ,university of ,pennsylvania1 but 
the existence of one letter and the     
whereabouts of another were unknown to  
the late ,mr4 ,smyth1 the editor  of the
 last and most complete edition of      
,franklin's ,works1#a who made  careful 
search for the original documents4      
,although the ,american owners  of these
 copies did not allow them to be        
transcribed1 ,mr4 ,smyth states  that he
 printed one letter from my copy1 and he
 noted how the other  copies differed   
from the drafts in the ,university of   
,pennsylvania4 ,in  general it may be   
said that1 whereas ,bigelow gives the   
text without  paragraphs1 capital       
letters or the old spelling1#b ,smyth   
follows the  originals more closely4 ,in
 view of the historic and scientific    

interest  of these letters1 they are now
 printed exactly according to the       
press-copies4 ,the letter dated         
,november #cj1 appears never to have    
been  printed and whereas ,smyth        
reproduced the letter of ,november #ba  
from the  ,university of ,pennsylvania  
draft1 this or another draft 7or        
possibly  this copy7 was in the         
possession of the ,french aeronaut1     
,gaston  ,tissandier1 about #ahhg4c     
#a ,the ,writings of ,benjamin          
,franklin1 collected and edited by      
,albert ,henry ,smyth1 ,volume ,,ix1    
,new ,york1 #aijf4      #b ,complete    
,works of ,benjamin ,franklin1 compiled 
and edited by    ,john ,bigelow1 ,volume
 ,,viii1 ,new ,york1 #ahhh4      #c     
,histoire des ,ballons1 ,paris1 #ahhg1  
,volume ,i1 page #bi4      7,,the       
,,first ,,hydrogen ,,balloon47          
,,passy1 ,aug4 #cj1 #aghc4    ,sir1     
,on ,wednesday1 the #bgth ,instant the  
new aerostatic ,experiment1 invented  by
 ,messrs4 ,montgolfier1 of ,annonay1 was

 repeated by ,m4 ,charles1  ,professor  
of experimental ,philosophy at ,paris4  
,a hollow ,globe #ab feet ,diameter was 
formed of what is called in ,england    
,oiled ,silk1 here ,taffetas gomm1 the  
,silk being impregnated with a          
,solution of ,gum elastic in ,lintseed  
,oil1 as is said4 ,the ,parts were      
sewed together while wet with the ,gum1 
and some of it was afterwards  passed   
over the ,seams1 to render it as tight  
as possible4    ,it was afterwards      
filled with the inflammable ,air that is
 produced by  pouring ,oil of ,vitriol  
upon ,filings of ,iron1 when it was     
found to have  a tendency upwards so    
strong as to be capable of lifting a    
,weight of #ci  ,pounds1 exclusive of   
its own ,weight which was #be lbs4 and  
the ,weight of  the ,air contain'd4     
,it was brought early in the morning to 
the ,champ de ,mars1 a ,field in  which 
,reviews are sometimes made1 lying      
between the ,military ,school and  the  
,river4 ,there it was held down by a    

,cord till #e in the afternoon1  when it
 was to be let loose4 ,care was taken   
before the ,hour to replace  what       
,portion had been lost1 of the          
inflammable ,air1 or of its ,force1 by  
injecting more4    ,it is supposed that 
not less than #ej1jjj ,people were      
assembled to see  the ,experiment4 ,the 
,champ de ,mars being surrounded by     
,multitudes1 and  vast ,numbers on the  
opposite ,side of the ,river4    ,at #e 
a,clock ,notice was given to the        
,spectators by the ,firing of two       
,cannon1 that the ,cord was about to be 
cut4 ,and presently the ,globe was  seen
 to rise1 and that as fast as a ,body of
 #ab feet ,diameter1 with a  force only 
of #ci ,pounds1 could be suppos'd to    
move the resisting ,air  out of its     
,way4 ,there was some ,wind1 but not    
very strong4 ,a little  ,rain had wet   
it1 so that it shone1 and made an       
agreeable ,appearance4  ,it diminished  
in ,apparent ,magnitude as it rose1 till
 it enter'd the  ,clouds1 when it seem'd

 to me scarce bigger than an ,orange1   
and soon  after became invisible1 the   
,clouds concealing it4    ,the          
,multitude separated1 all well satisfied
 and delighted with the  ,success of the
 ,experiment1 and amusing one another   
with discourses of  the various uses it 
may possibly be apply'd to1 among which 
many were  very extravagant4 ,but       
possibly it may pave the ,way to some   
,discoveries  in ,natural ,philosophy of
 which at present we have no            
,conception4    ,a ,note secur'd from   
the ,weather had been affix'd to the    
,globe1  signifying the ,time  ,place of
 its ,departure1 and praying those who  
might happen to find it1 to send an     
account of its ,state to certain        
,persons at ,paris4 ,no ,news was heard 
of it till the next ,day1 when          
,information was receiv'd1 that it fell 
a little after #f a,clock1  at ,gonesse1
 a ,place about #d ,leagues ,distance1  
and that it was rent  open1 and some say
 had ,ice in it4 ,it is suppos'd to have

 burst by the  ,elasticity of the       
contain'd ,air when no longer compress'd
 by so heavy  an ,atmosphere4    ,one of
 #ch feet ,diameter is preparing by ,mr4
 ,montgolfier himself1 at the  ,expence 
of the ,academy1 which is to go up in a 
few ,days4 ,i am told it  is constructed
 of ,linen  ,paper1 and is to be filled 
with a different  ,air1 not yet made    
,public1 but cheaper than that produc'd 
by the ,oil of  ,vitriol1 of which #bjj 
,paris ,pints were consum'd in filling  
the other4    ,it is said that for some 
,days after its being filled1 the ,ball 
was  found to lose an eighth ,part of   
its ,force of ,levity in #bd ,hours2    
,whether this was from ,imperfection in 
the ,tightness of the ,ball1 or a       
,change in the ,nature of the ,air1     
,experiments may easily discover4    ,i 
thought it my ,duty1 ,sir1 to send an   
early ,account of this  extraordinary   
,fact1 to the ,society which does me the
 honour to reckon  me among its         
,members2 and ,i will endeavour to make 

it more perfect1 as  ,i receive farther 
,information4      ,with great ,respect1
 ,i am1 ,sir1    ,your most obedient    
and most humble ,servant    ,b4         
,,franklin    ,,sir ,,joseph ,,banks1   
,bart4    ,p4 ,s4 ,since writing the    
above1 ,i am favour'd with your kind    
,letter  of the #beth4 ,i am much       
obliged to you for the ,care you have   
taken to  forward the ,transactions1 as 
well as to the ,council for so readily  
ordering them on ,application4 ,please  
to accept and present my ,thanks4    ,i 
just now learn1 that some observers say1
 the ,ball was #aej ,seconds  in rising1
 from the ,cutting of the ,cord till hid
 in the ,clouds2  that its height was   
then about #ejj ,toises1 but1 being     
moved out of  the ,perpendicular by the 
,wind1 it had made a ,slant so as to    
form a  ,triangle1 whose ,base on the   
,earth was about #bjj ,toises4 ,it is   
said  the ,country ,people who saw it   
fall were frightned1 conceiv'd from its 
bounding a little1 when it touched the  

,ground1 that there was some  living    
,animal in it1 and attack'd it with     
,stones and ,knives1 so that it  was    
much mangled2 but it is now brought to  
,town and will be repaired4    ,the     
great one of ,m4 ,montgolfier1 is to go 
up1 as is said1 from  ,versailles1 in   
about #h or #aj ,days2 ,it is not a     
,globe but of a different  ,form1 more  
convenient for penetrating the ,air4 ,it
 contains #ej1jjj  cubic ,feet1 and is  
supposed to have ,force of ,levity equal
 to #aejj  pounds weight4 ,a            
,philosopher here1 ,m4 ,pilatre du      
,rozier has seriously  apply'd to the   
,academy for leave to go up with it1 in 
order to make  some ,experiments4 ,he   
was complimented on his ,zeal and       
,courage for  the ,promotion of         
,science1 but advis'd to wait till the  
management of  these ,balls was made by 
,experience more certain  safe4 ,they   
say the  filling of it in ,m4           
,montgolfier's ,way will not cost more  
than half  a ,crown4 ,one is talk'd of  

to be #aaj feet ,diameter4 ,several     
,gentlemen  have ordered small ones to  
be made for their ,amusement4 ,one has  
ordered  four of #ae feet ,diameter     
each2 ,i know not with what ,purpose2   
,but such  is the present ,enthusiasm   
for promoting and improving this        
,discovery1  that probably we shall soon
 make considerable ,progress in the art 
of  constructing and using the          
,machines4    ,among the ,pleasanteries 
,conversation produces on this ,subject1
 some  suppose ,flying to be now        
invented1 and that since ,men may be    
supported  in the ,air1 nothing is      
wanted but some light handy ,instruments
 to  give and direct ,motion4 ,some     
think ,progressive ,motion on the ,earth
  may be advanc'd by it1 and that a     
,running ,footman or a ,horse slung and 
suspended under such a ,globe so as to  
have no more of ,weight pressing  the   
,earth with their ,feet1 than ,perhaps  
#h or #aj ,pounds1 might with a  fair   
,wind run in a straight ,line across    

,countries as fast as that ,wind1  and  
over ,hedges1 ,ditches  even ,waters4   
,it has been even fancied that  in time 
,people will keep such ,globes anchored 
in the ,air1 to which by  ,pullies they 
may draw up ,game to be preserved in the
 ,cool  ,water to be  frozen when ,ice  
is wanted4 ,and that to get ,money1 it  
will be contrived  to give ,people an   
extensive ,view of the ,country1 by     
running them up in  an ,elbow ,chair a  
,mile high for a ,guinea c4 c4    ,b4   
,f4      7,a ,,hot ,,air ,,balloon      
,,carrying ,,animals47    ,,passy1 ,oct4
 #h1 #aghc4    ,sir1    ,the ,publick   
were promised a printed particular      
,account of the ,rise   ,progress of the
 ,balloon ,invention1 to be published   
about the ,end  of last month4 ,i waited
 for it to send it to you1 expecting it 
would  be more satisfactory than        
anything ,i could write2 but it does not
  appear4 ,we have only at present the  
enclosed ,pamphlet1 which does  not     
answer the expectation given us4 ,i send

 you with it some prints4  ,that of the 
,balloon raised at ,versailles is said  
to be an exact  representation4 ,i was  
not present1 but am told it was filled  
in about  ten minutes by means of       
burning ,straw4 ,some say water was     
thrown into  the flame1 others that it  
was ,spirits of ,sal ,volatile4 ,it was 
supposed  to have risen about #bjj      
,toises3 ,but did not continue long at  
that  height1 was carried horizontally  
by the ,wind1 and descended gently  as  
the ,air within grew cooler4 ,so vast a 
,bulk when it began to rise  so         
majestically in the ,air struck the     
spectators with surprise and            
,admiration4 ,the ,basket contained a   
sheep1 a duck1 and a ,cock1 who1  except
 the ,cock1 received no hurt by the     
fall4    ,the ,duke de ,crillon made a  
feast last week in the ,bois de         
,boulogne1  just by my habitation1 on   
occasion of the ,birth of two ,spanish  
,princes2  after the ,fireworks we had a
 ,balloon of about #e feet ,diameter    

filled  with permanent inflammable ,air4
 ,it was dismissed about ,one a,clock in
  the ,morning4 ,it carried under it a  
large ,lanthorn with inscriptions on    
its sides4 ,the ,night was quite calm   
and clear1 so that it went right  up4   
,the appearance of the light diminished 
gradually till it appeared  no bigger   
than one of the ,stars1 and in about    
twenty minutes ,i lost  sight of it     
entirely4 ,it fell the next ,day on the 
other side of the  same ,wood near the  
,village ,boulogne1 about half after    
twelve1 having  been suspended in the   
,air eleven hours and a half4 ,it lodged
 in a tree1  and was torn in getting it 
down2 so that it cannot be ascertained  
whether it burst when above1 or not1    
tho' that is supposed4 ,smaller         
,repetitions of the ,experiment are     
making every day in all quarters4  ,some
 of the larger ,balloons that have been 
up are preparing to be sent  up again in
 a few ,days2 but ,i do not hear of any 
material improvements  yet made either  

in the mechanical or ,chemical parts of 
the ,operation4  ,most is expected from 
the new one undertaken upon subscription
 by  ,messieurs ,charles and ,robert1   
who are ,men of ,science and mechanic   
,dexterity4 ,it is to carry up a ,man4  
,i send you enclosed the ,proposals1    
which it is said are already subscribed 
to by a considerable number  and likely 
to be carried into execution4 ,if ,i am 
well at the ,time1 ,i  purpose to be    
present1 being a subscriber myself1 and 
shall send you an  exact ,account of    
,particulars4      ,with great esteem   
and respect1 for yourself and the       
,society2    ,i have the honour to be1  
,sir1    ,your most obedient     most   
humble ,servant1    ,b4 ,,franklin      
,,sir ,,joseph ,,banks1 ,bart4          
7,,the ,,first ,,aerial ,,voyage ,,by   
,,man47    ,,passy1 ,novr #bast1 #aghc  
,dear ,sir1    ,i received your friendly
 ,letter of the #gth ,inst4 ,i am glad  
my ,letters  respecting the ,aerostatic 
,experiment were not unacceptable4 ,but 

as more  perfect ,accounts of the       
,construction and ,management of that   
,machine  have been and will be         
published before your ,transactions1 and
 from  which ,extracts may be made that 
will be more particular and therefore   
more satisfactory1 ,i think it best not 
to print those ,letters4 ,i say  this in
 answer to your ,question2 for ,i did   
not indeed write them with  a view of   
their being inserted4 ,mr4 ,faujas de   
,st4 ,fond acquainted me  yesterday that
 a ,book on the ,subject which has been 
long expected1 will  be publish'd in a  
few ,days1 and ,i shall send you one of 
them4 ,enclosed  is a ,copy of the      
,procs verbal taken of the ,experiment  
made yesterday  in the ,garden of the   
,queen's ,palace la ,muette where the   
,dauphin now  resides which being near  
my ,house ,i was present4 ,this ,paper  
was drawn  up hastily1 and may in some  
,places appear to you obscure2 therefore
 ,i  shall add a few explanatory        
,observations4    ,this ,balloon was    

larger than that which went up from     
,versailles and  carried the ,sheep1 c4 
,its bottom was open1 and in the middle 
of the  ,opening was fixed a kind of    
,basket ,grate in which ,faggots and    
,sheaves  of ,straw were burnt4 ,the    
,air rarified in passing thro' this     
,flame rose  in the ,balloon1 swell'd   
out its sides1 and fill'd it4    ,the   
,persons who were plac'd in the ,gallery
 made of ,wicker1 and attached  to the  
,outside near the ,bottom1 had each of  
them a ,port thro' which  they could    
pass ,sheaves of ,straw into the ,grate 
to keep up the ,flame1   thereby keep   
the ,balloon full4 ,when it went over   
our ,heads1 we could  see the ,fire     
which was very considerable4 ,as the    
,flame slackens1 the  rarified ,air     
cools and condenses1 the ,bulk of the   
,balloon diminishes  and it begins to   
descend4 ,if those in the ,gallery see  
it likely to  descend in an improper    
,place1 they can by throwing on more    
,straw1   renewing the ,flame1 make it  

rise again1 and the ,wind carries it    
farther4    ,la ,machine pousse par le  
,vent s'est dirige sur une des ,alles du
  ,jardin4 ,that is against the ,trees  
of one of the ,walks4 ,the ,gallery     
hitched among the top ,boughs of those  
,trees which had been cut and were      
stiff while the ,body of the ,balloon   
lean'd beyond and seemed likely to      
overset4 ,i was then in great ,pain for 
the ,men1 thinking them in danger  of   
being thrown out1 or burnt for ,i       
expected that the ,balloon being no     
longer upright the ,flame would have    
laid hold of the inside that leaned     
over it4 ,but by means of some ,cords   
that were still attach'd to it1 it  was 
soon brought upright again1 made to     
descend1  carried back to its  place4   
,it was however much damaged4           
,planant sur l',horizon4 ,when they were
 as high as they chose to be1  they made
 less ,flame and suffered the ,machine  
to drive ,horizontally  with the ,wind1 
of which however they felt very little1 

as they went  with it1 and as fast4     
,they say they had a charming ,view of  
,paris   its ,environs1 the ,course of  
the ,river1 c but that they were once   
lost1 not knowing what ,part they were  
over1 till they saw the ,dome of  the   
,invalids1 which rectified their ,ideas4
 ,probably while they were  employed in 
keeping up the ,fire1 the ,machine might
 turn1 and by that  means they were     
desorients as the ,french call it4      
,there was a vast ,concourse of ,gentry 
in the ,garden1 who had great  ,pleasure
 in seeing the ,adventurers go off so   
chearfully1  applauded  them by clapping
 c4 but there was at the same time a    
good deal of  ,anxiety for their        
,safety4 ,multitudes in ,paris saw the  
,balloon passing2  but did not know     
there were ,men with it1 it being then  
so high that  they could not see them4  
,dveloppant du ,gaz4 ,that is1 in plain 
,english1 burning more straw2  for tho' 
there is a little ,mystery made1        
concerning the kind of ,air  with which 

the ,balloon is filled1 ,i conceive it  
to be nothing more than  hot ,smoke or  
common ,air rarify'd1 tho' in this ,i   
may be mistaken4    ,aiant encor dans   
leur ,galerie les deux tiers de leur    
,approvisionement4 ,that is their       
,provision of ,straw2 of which they     
carried up a great ,quantity4 ,it was   
well that in the hurry of so  hazardous 
an ,experiment1 the ,flame did not      
happen by any accidental  ,mismanagement
 to lay hold of this ,straw2 tho' each  
had a ,bucket of  ,water by him1 by ,way
 of ,precaution4    ,one of these       
courageous ,philosophers1 the ,marquis  
d',arlandes1 did me  the honour to call 
upon me in the ,evening after the       
,experiment1 with  ,mr4 ,montgolfier the
 very ingenious ,inventor4 ,i was happy 
to see him  safe4 ,he informed me that  
they lit gently without the least       
,shock1 and  the ,balloon was very      
little damaged4    ,this ,method of     
filling the ,balloon with hot ,air is   
cheap and  expeditious1 and it is       

supposed may be sufficient for certain  
purposes1  such as elevating an         
,engineer to take a ,view of an ,enemy's
 ,army1 ,works1  c4 conveying           
,intelligence into1 or out of a besieged
 ,town1 giving  ,signals to distant     
,places1 or the like4    ,the other     
,method of filling a ,balloon with      
permanently elastic  inflammable ,air1  
and then closing it is a tedious        
,operation1 and  very expensive2 ,yet we
 are to have one of that kind sent up in
 a few  ,days4 ,it is a ,globe of #bf   
feet diameter4 ,the ,gores that compose 
it  are red and white ,silk1 so that it 
makes a beautiful appearance4 ,a  very  
handsome triumphal ,car will be         
suspended to it1 in which ,messrs4      
,robert1 two ,brothers1 very ingenious  
,men1 who have made it in concert  with 
,mr4 ,charles propose to go up4 ,there  
is room in this ,car for a  little      
,table to be placed between them1 on    
which they can write and  keep their    
,journal1 that is take ,notes of every  

thing they observe1 the  ,state of their
 ,thermometer1 ,barometer1 ,hygrometer1 
c which they will  have more ,leisure to
 do than the others1 having no fire to  
take ,care  of4 ,they say they have a   
contrivance which will enable them to   
descend  at ,pleasure4 ,i know not what 
it is4 ,but the ,expence of this        
,machine1  ,filling included1 will      
exceed1 it is said1 #aj1jjj ,livres4    
,this ,balloon of only #bf feet diameter
 being filled with ,air ten times       
lighter than common ,air1 will carry up 
a greater ,weight than the other1  which
 tho' vastly bigger was filled with an  
,air that could scarcely be  more than  
twice as light4 ,thus the great ,bulk of
 one of these ,machines1  with the short
 duration of its ,power1  the great     
,expence of filling  the other will     
prevent the ,inventions being of so much
 ,use1 as some may  expect1 till        
,chemistry can invent a cheaper light   
,air producible with  more ,expedition4 
,but the ,emulation between the two     

,parties running high1 the ,improvement 
in the ,construction and ,management of 
the ,balloons has already made  a rapid 
,progress2 and one cannot say how far it
 may go4 ,a few ,months  since the ,idea
 of ,witches riding thro' the ,air upon 
a ,broomstick1 and  that of             
,philosophers upon a ,bag of ,smoke1    
would have appeared equally  impossible 
and ridiculous4    ,these ,machines must
 always be subject to be driven by the  
,winds4  ,perhaps ,mechanic ,art may    
find easy means to give them progressive
  ,motion in a ,calm1 and to slant them 
a little in the ,wind4    ,i am sorry   
this ,experiment is totally neglected in
 ,england where  mechanic ,genius is so 
strong4 ,i wish ,i could see the same   
,emulation  between the two ,nations as 
,i see between the two ,parties here4   
,your  ,philosophy seems to be too      
bashful4 ,in this ,country we are not so
 much  afraid of being laught at4 ,if we
 do a foolish thing1 we are the first   
to laugh at it ourselves1 and are almost

 as much pleased with a ,bon  ,mot or a 
good ,chanson1 that ridicules well the  
,disappointment of  a ,project1 as we   
might have been with its ,success4 ,it  
does not seem  to me a good reason to   
decline prosecuting a new ,experiment   
which  apparently increases the ,power  
of ,man over ,matter1 till we can see to
  what ,use that ,power may be applied4 
,when we have learnt to manage it1  we  
may hope some time or other to find     
,uses for it1 as ,men have done  for    
,magnetism and ,electricity of which the
 first ,experiments were mere  ,matters 
of ,amusement4    ,this ,experience is  
by no means a trifling one4 ,it may be  
attended with  important ,consequences  
that no one can foresee4 ,we should not 
suffer  ,pride to prevent our progress  
in ,science4 ,beings of a ,rank and     
,nature  far superior to ours have not  
disdained to amuse themselves with      
making  and launching ,balloons1        
otherwise we should never have enjoyed  
the  ,light of those glorious objects   

that rule our ,day  ,night1 nor have had
  the ,pleasure of riding round the ,sun
 ourselves upon the ,balloon we now     
inhabit4      ,with great and sincere   
,esteem1 ,i am1    ,dear ,sir1    ,your 
most obedt     most humble ,servant1    
,b4 ,,franklin    ,sir ,,joseph ,,banks4
      7,,postponement ,,of ,,charles'   
,,and ,,robert',s ,,ascension47         
,,passy1 ,nov4 #cj1 #aghc    ,dear ,sir1
    ,i did myself the honour of writing 
to you the ,beginning of last ,week1    
and ,i sent you by the ,courier1 ,m4    
,faujas's ,book upon the ,balloons1     
which ,i hope you have receiv'd4 ,i did 
hope to have given you to day  an       
,account of ,mr4 ,charles's grand       
,balloon1 which was to have gone up     
yesterday2 but the filling it with      
inflammable ,air having taken more  time
 than had been calculated1 it is        
deferr'd till to-morrow4 ,i send  you   
herewith a ,paper in which you will see 
what was proposed by ,messrs  ,robert   
who constructed the ,machine2 and some  

other ,papers relative  to the same     
,subject1 the last of which is curious1 
as containing the  ,journal of the first
 ,aerial ,voyage performed by ,man4--,i 
purpose being  present to-morrow at the 
,experiment1 and shall give you an ,acct
 of it  by the ,wednesday's ,post4 ,with
 sincere  great ,esteem1 ,i have the    
honour  to be1      ,sir1 ,your most    
obedt humble ,servt    ,b4 ,,franklin   
,sir ,,jos4 ,,banks1 ,bart4      7,,the 
,,second ,,aerial ,,voyage ,,by ,,man47 
,,passy1 ,dec4 #a1 #aghc4    ,dear ,sir1
    ,in mine of yesterday1 ,i promis'd  
to give you an ,account of ,messrs4     
,charles  ,robert's ,experiment1 which  
was to have been made at this ,day1  and
 at which ,i intended to be present4    
,being a little indispos'd1  the  ,air  
cool1 and the ,ground damp1 ,i declin'd 
going into the ,garden of the           
,tuilleries where the ,balloon was      
plac'd1 not knowing how long ,i might   
be oblig'd to wait there before it was  
ready to depart2 and chose to  stay in  

my ,carriage near the ,statue of ,louis 
,,xv4 from whence ,i could  well see it 
rise1  have an extensive ,view of the   
,region of ,air thro'  which1 as the    
,wind sat1 it was likely to pass4 ,the  
,morning was foggy1  but about one      
a,clock1 the ,air became tolerably      
clear1 to the great  ,satisfaction of   
the ,spectators1 who were infinite1     
,notice having been  given of the       
intended ,experiment several ,days      
before in the ,papers1  so that all     
,paris was out1 either about the        
,tuilleries1 on the ,quays   ,bridges1  
in the ,fields1 the ,streets1 at the    
,windows1 or on the ,tops  of ,houses1  
besides the ,inhabitants of all the     
,towns  ,villages of the  ,environs4    
,never before was a philosophical       
,experiment so magnificently  attended4 
,some ,guns were fired to give ,notice1 
that the ,departure  of the great       
,balloon was near1 and a small one was  
discharg'd which  went to an amazing    
,height1 there being but little ,wind to

 make it  deviate from its perpendicular
 ,course1 and at length the ,sight of it
  was lost4 ,means were used1 ,i am     
told1 to prevent the great ,balloon's   
rising so high as might indanger its    
,bursting4 ,several ,bags of ,sand  were
 taken on board before the ,cord that   
held it down was cut1 and  the whole    
,weight being then too much to be       
lifted1 such a ,quantity was  discharg'd
 as to permit its ,rising slowly4 ,thus 
it would sooner arrive  at that ,region 
where it would be in ,equilibrio with   
the surrounding  ,air1 and by           
discharging more ,sand afterwards1 it   
might go higher if  desired4 ,between   
,one  ,two a,clock1 all ,eyes were      
gratified with seeing  it rise          
majestically from among the ,trees1 and 
ascend gradually above  the ,buildings1 
a most beautiful ,spectacle6 ,when it   
was about #bjj feet  high1 the brave    
,adventurers held out and wav'd a little
 white ,pennant1  on both ,sides their  
,car1 to salute the ,spectators1 who    

return'd loud  ,claps of ,applause4 ,the
 ,wind was very little1 so that the     
,object1  tho' moving to the ,northward1
 continued long in ,view2 and it was a  
great while before the admiring ,people 
began to disperse4 ,the ,persons        
embark'd were ,mr4 ,charles1 ,professor 
of ,experimental ,philosophy1   a       
zealous ,promoter of that ,science2 and 
one of the ,messieurs ,robert1  the very
 ingenious ,constructors of the         
,machine4 ,when it arrived at its       
height1 which ,i suppose might be #c or 
#djj ,toises1 it appeared to have  only 
horizontal ,motion4 ,i had a ,pocket    
,glass1 with which ,i follow'd it1  till
 ,i lost ,sight1 first of the ,men1 then
 of the ,car1 and when ,i last  saw the 
,balloon1 it appear'd no bigger than a  
,walnut4 ,i write this at #g  in the    
,evening4 ,what became of them is not   
yet known here4 ,i hope they  descended 
by ,day-light1 so as to see  avoid      
falling among ,trees or on  ,houses1 and
 that the ,experiment was completed     

without any mischievous  ,accident which
 the ,novelty of it  the want of        
,experience might well  occasion4 ,i am 
the more anxious for the ,event1 because
 ,i am not well  inform'd of the ,means 
provided for letting themselves gently  
down1 and  the ,loss of these very      
ingenious ,men would not only be a      
,discouragement  to the ,progress of the
 ,art1 but be a sensible ,loss to       
,science and  ,society4    ,i shall     
inclose one of the ,tickets of          
,admission1 on which the ,globe was     
represented1 as originally intended1 but
 is altered by the ,pen to show  its    
real ,state when it went off4 ,when the 
,tickets were engraved1 the  ,car was to
 have been hung to the ,neck of the     
,globe1 as represented by a  little     
,drawing ,i have made in the ,corner ,a4
 ,i suppose it may have been  an        
,apprehension of ,danger in straining   
too much the ,balloon or tearing  the   
,silk1 that induc'd the ,constructors to
 throw a ,net over it1 fix'd  to a ,hoop

 which went round its ,middle1 and to   
hang the ,car to that  ,hoop1 as you see
 in ,fig4 ,b4    ,tuesday ,morning1     
,dec4 #b4 ,i am reliev'd from my        
,anxiety1 by hearing  that the          
,adventurers descended well near l',isle
 ,adam1 before ,sunset4  ,this ,place is
 near #g ,leagues from ,paris4 ,had the 
,wind blown fresh1 they  might have gone
 much farther4    ,if ,i receive any    
farther ,particulars of ,importance ,i  
shall communicate  them hereafter4      
,with great ,esteem1 ,i am1 ,dear ,sir1 
,your most obedient     most humble     
servant1    ,b4 ,,franklin    ,p4 ,s4   
,tuesday ,evening4    ,since writing the
 above1 ,i have receiv'd the printed    
,paper  the  ,manuscript1 containing    
some ,particulars of the ,experiment1   
which ,i  enclose4--,i hear farther1    
that the ,travellers had perfect        
,command of  their ,carriage1 descending
 as they pleas'd by letting some of the 
inflammable ,air escape1 and rising     
again by discharging some ,sand2  that  

they descended over a ,field so low as  
to talk with ,labourers in  passing and 
mounted again to pass a ,hill4 ,the     
little ,balloon falling at  ,vincennes1 
shows that mounting higher it met with a
 ,current of ,air in a  contrary        
,direction3 ,an ,observation that may be
 of use to future aerial  ,voyagers4    
,sir ,,joseph ,,banks1 ,bart4           
7,,some ,,particulars ,,of ,,the        
,,second ,,voyage47    ,mr4 ,le         
,chevalier de ,cubire qui a suivi la    
marche du ,globe est  arriv chez ,m4    
,charles hier  #aj heures #a_/d du ,soir
 et a dit1 ,que les  ,voyageurs toient  
descendus lentement et volontairement   
trois heures  #c_/d dans les ,marais de 
,nesle et d',hebouville1 une lieue et   
demie aprs  l',isle ,adam4 ,ils y ont t 
accueillis par ,mrs4 le ,duc de ,chartre
 et  ,fitz ,james1 qui aprs les avoir   
embrasss1 ont sign le ,procs verbal  de 
lieu et d'heure4 ,beaucoup d'habitants  
de la campagne et le cur de  ,nesle et  
d',hebouville se sont aussi trouvs  leur

 arrive4    ,les ,voyageurs ont assur   
n'avoir prouv que des ,sensations       
agrables  dans leur traverse4 ,mr4      
,robert tant sorti du ,char1 et aid de  
quelques ,paysans1 se disposoit         
remplacer sa ,pesanteur avec de la      
,terre2 mais ,m4 ,charles voulant       
profiter du peu de ,jour qui lui        
restoit1  pour faire encore quelques    
observations1 impatient de la ,lenteur  
de  cette operation1 a repris son ,vol  
#d heures et #a_/d1 avec un excdant  de 
,lgret d'environ #ajj ,livres par une   
,ascension droite et une  rapidit telle 
qu'en peu de tems le ,globe s'est trouv 
hors de vue4 ,la  ,chute du ,jour l'a   
dtermin  redescendre une lieue et #a_/b 
plus loin1  aux environs de ,fouroy4    
,la ,machine n'a prouv aucun ,accident4 
,elle perdoit lgrement par une  petite  
ouverture qui existoit dej quelques     
heures avant son ,depart  auprs de      
l'appendice1 et dont le ,morceau de     
,taffetas que l'on y avoit  appliqu au  
moment de l'exprience1 s'toit detach4   

99       99       99       99       99  
,le petit ,ballon est tomb dans la ,cour
 du ,dongeon  ,vincennes4 ,il a t       
ramass par des ,enfans et vendu #f;d4 au
 nomm ,bertrand4 ,il avoit perdu  son   
air inflammable par le ,robinet qu'on   
avoit laiss ouvert exprs  pour empcher  
l'explosion  trop grande hauteur4 ,on   
value qu'il a t  #ej minutes en l'air4  
,le ,taffetas toit roussi aux deux      
,extremits4      ,,notes ,,concerning   
,,the ,,letters4    ,letter of ,august  
#cj4 ,the hand-writing is in a more     
flowing style than  the subsequent      
letters4 ,bigelow omits paragraph ten   
beginning ,it is  said4 ,both ,bigelow  
and ,smyth give another paragraph in the
 ,postscript1  beyond the signature ,b4 
,f4 in my copy2 also a note dated ,sept4
 #b;d1  which contains calculations in  
,french relating to the balloon4 ,smyth 
says that these additions are not in the
 ,university of ,pennsylvania  draft but
 that they occur in this press-copy1    
which is obviously a  mistake4 ,in      

paragraph two of the ,postscript mov'd  
out1 in ,smyth1  should read being moved
 out1 and in the last line but one upon 
should read up in4    ,letter of        
,october #h4 ,in the eighth line after  
the word ,balloon  ,smyth inserts       
lately4 ,part of the valedictory and the
 signature are  omitted by ,bigelow and 
,smyth1 but the former gives an ,extract
 of the  ,proposals for the balloon of  
which ,i have no copy4    ,letter of    
,november #ba4 ,this should be dated    
,nov4 #bb1 since the  ascension of      
d',arlandes and de ,rozier which1       
according to the  letter1 took place the
 previous day is known to have been on  
the  #bast4 ,the orthography of the     
,french words in ,bigelow and ,smyth    
does  not always agree with the copy4   
,in paragraph three1 for ,post1 in      
,smyth1 read ,port2 in paragraph six for
 ,adventures1 in ,smyth1 read           
,adventurers2 in paragraph thirteen for 
,by the emulation1 in ,smyth1  read ,but
 the ,emulation2 in paragraph fifteen   

for the phrase1 in  ,smyth and ,bigelow1
 beginning1 ,i wish ,i could see the    
same emulation1  correct to end1 between
 the two ,nations as ,i see between the 
two  ,parties here2 in paragraph        
sixteen1 in both ,bigelow and ,smyth1   
for  ,experiment1 read ,experience2 and 
for the unintelligible phrase in  both  
,bigelow and ,smyth1 ,beings of a frank 
and sic nature1 read  ,beings of a ,rank
 and ,nature4 ,minor discrepancies      
between this and  the other press-copies
 and the letters as printed by ,bigelow 
and ,smyth  also occur4 ,the signature  
is in pencil in this copy4 ,a ,p4 ,s4   
,nov4  #beth is not in the press-copy1  
contrary to ,smyth's statement1 but  ,i 
have a press-copy of the ,french        
,procs-,verbal1 therein referred  to1 in
 ,franklin's handwriting with his name  
and eight others affixed  as witnesses4 
,neither ,bigelow nor ,smyth print this 
document1 which  was first reproduced in
 the book mentioned by ,franklin in the 
first  paragraph of his letter1 viz3    

,description des ,expriences de la      
,machine ,arostatique par ,m4 ,faujas de
 ,saint-,fond1 ,paris1 #aghc4 ,since    
,franklin's copy of the ,procs-,verbal  
differs only in his spelling  the word  
sang-froid instead of sens-froid1 ,i do 
not print it4  ,however1 other changes  
were introduced in the ,procs-,verbal   
when  reprinted in the second volume of 
,m4 ,faujas' work1 published in #aghd4  
,the plate forming the frontispiece to  
this volume shows the balloon as  seen  
from ,mr4 ,franklin's terrace at ,passy4
    ,letter of ,november #cj4 ,this has 
never been published so far as ,i  know4
 ,the ,journal of the first ,aerial     
,voyage1 here mentioned1 was  written by
 the ,marquis d',arlandes to ,m4 ,faujas
 de ,saint-,fond on ,nov4  #bhth and    
first printed in the ,journal de ,paris 
but was republished by  ,faujas de      
,saint-,fond in his second volume4      
,letter of ,december #a4 ,smyth states  
that he reproduced this  letter from my 
press-copy but he omits the capital     

letters and the  contractions in        
spelling1 as well as the references ,a  
and ,b1 which  are given by ,bigelow    
with the remark that the drawings were  
not found4  ,the ,manuscript1 containing
 some ,particulars of the ,experiment1  
which  ,i enclose1 mentioned in the     
,postscript1 is a two-page account in   
,french1 in ,franklin's handwriting1 by 
an eye-witness of the voyage1 ,m4  le   
,chevalier de ,cubire4 ,as this         
interesting document has never been     
published1 to my knowledge1 ,i have     
given it here literatim from my         
press-copy4          --,transcriber's   
note--    ,a caret 77 indicates the     
following character or characters were  
printed in superscript4 ,some           
superscripts were silently converted to 
regular characters 7i4e4 #bgth instead  
of #bgth74    ,except for the following 
corrections1 the original text and      
punctuation  remain unchanged3      p4  
#g1 ,added a missing comma after ,sir at
 the beginning of the letter            

,a hot air balloon carrying animals1 as 
there is one in every            other  
letter2    p4 #g1 added missing t to    
than in            more satisfactory    
than anything2    p4 #i1 ,procs verbal  
corrected to ,procs verbal2    p4 #aa1  
added a missing comma after ,robert in  
,messrs4 ,robert1 two ,brothers12    p4 
#aa1 ,aiant encor dans leur ,galerie le 
deux tiers de leur                      
,approvissonement4 was corrected to 444 
les deux tiers de            leur       
,approvisionement4 ,aiant encor might be
 ,ayant encore1            as printed in
 the ,journal des savans of ,january    
#aghd1            but was not corrected 
here2    p4 #ad1 ,carr corrected to ,car
 in on both ,sides their ,car12    p4   
#af1 removed a space after d' in        
,beaucoup d'habitants2    p4 #af1 ,bart4
 corrected to ,bart4 in ,sir ,,joseph   
,,banks1 ,bart42    p4 #ag1 ,sept4 #b;d 
corrected to ,sept4 #b;d1 for #bnd4     
,the following possible mispellings have
 been retained3      p4 #f1 ,m4 ,pilatre

 du ,rozier should be ,m4 ,piltre de    
,rozier2    p4 #aj1 chearfully is       
possibly an older spelling for          
cheerfully2    p4 #af1 there are several
 missing accents that might have been in
 the            original ,french        
document1 in desorients1 operation1     
dej1 depart1 detach and extremits4      
,there are two occurences of c for c4