"Thus, may it please your Excellencies, detailed some, though by no means all, the considerations which led me the project of lunar voyage now proceed to lay the result of an attempt so apparently audacious in conception, and, at all events, so utterly unparalleled annals of mankind

"Having attained the altitude before mentioned, three miles and three-quarters, I threw out car quantity of feathers, and found that I still ascended with sufficient rapidity; , therefore, no necessity for discharging any ballast glad , for I wished to retain with me weight as carry, for reasons which explained sequel I suffered no bodily inconvenience, breathing with great freedom, and feeling no pain whatever head The cat was lying very demurely upon my coat, which I had taken off, and eyeing the pigeons with an air of nonchalance These latter being tied leg, their escape, were busily employed in picking up some grains of rice scattered bottom car

"At twenty minutes past six o'clock, the barometer showed an elevation of 26,400 feet, or five miles to fraction The prospect seemed unbounded Indeed, very easily calculated of spherical geometry, what great extent earth's area I beheld The convex surface of any segment of sphere is, entire surface sphere itself, versed sine segment diameter sphere Now, in my case, the versed sine -- , the thickness segment beneath me -- was about equal to my elevation, or the elevation point of sight above the surface "As five miles, then, to eight thousand," would express the proportion earth's area seen by me In other words, I beheld as sixteen-hundredth part whole surface globe The sea appeared unruffled as mirror, although, spy-glass, perceive it in state of violent agitation The ship was no longer visible, having drifted away, apparently eastward I now began to experience, at intervals, severe pain head, especially ears -- still, however, breathing with tolerable freedom The cat and pigeons seemed to suffer no inconvenience whatsoever

"At twenty minutes before seven, the balloon entered long series of dense cloud, which put me to great trouble, by damaging my condensing apparatus and wetting me skin , , singular recontre, for I believed it possible that cloud nature sustained at so great an elevation it best, however, to throw out two five-pound pieces of ballast, reserving still weight of one hundred and sixty-five pounds Upon so doing, I soon rose above the difficulty, and perceived immediately, that I had obtained great increase in my rate of ascent In few seconds after my leaving the cloud, flash of vivid lightning shot from one end of it other, and caused it to kindle up, throughout its vast extent, like mass of ignited and glowing charcoal This, it remembered, was broad light of day No fancy may picture the sublimity which exhibited by similar phenomenon taking place amid the darkness night Hell itself found fitting image Even as , my hair stood on end, while I gazed afar down yawning abysses, letting imagination descend, as it were, and stalk about strange vaulted halls, and ruddy gulfs, and red ghastly chasms hideous and unfathomable fire I had indeed made narrow escape Had the balloon remained very short while longer cloud -- -- the inconvenience of getting wet, determined me to discharge the ballast, inevitable ruin the consequence Such perils, although little considered, are perhaps the greatest be encountered in balloons I had , however, attained too great an elevation any longer uneasy head

" now rising rapidly, and by seven o'clock the barometer indicated an altitude of no nine miles and half I began great difficulty in drawing my breath My head, too, was excessively painful; and, having felt for moisture cheeks, I discovered it blood, oozing quite fast drums ears My eyes, also, great uneasiness Upon passing the hand over them they seemed protruded from their sockets in no inconsiderable degree; and all objects car, and even the balloon itself, appeared distorted to my vision These symptoms were more than I had expected, and occasioned me some alarm juncture, very imprudently, and without consideration, I threw out car three five-pound pieces of ballast The accelerated rate of ascent thus obtained, carried me too rapidly, and without sufficient gradation, into highly rarefied stratum atmosphere, result had nearly proved fatal to my expedition and to myself suddenly seized with spasm which lasted for more than five minutes, and even , in measure, ceased, catch my breath only at long intervals, and in gasping manner -- bleeding all the while copiously nose and ears, and even slightly eyes The pigeons appeared distressed extreme, and struggled to escape; while the cat mewed piteously, and, with her tongue hanging out of her mouth, staggered to and fro car under the influence of poison I now too late discovered the great rashness I guilty in discharging the ballast, and my agitation was excessive I anticipated nothing death, and death The physical suffering I underwent contributed also to render me nearly incapable of making any exertion preservation life I had, indeed, little power of reflection left, violence pain in my head seemed greatly increase Thus that my senses would shortly give way altogether, and I had already clutched valve ropes view of attempting descent, recollection trick I had played the three creditors, possible consequences to myself, should I return, operated to deter me moment I lay down bottom car, and endeavored to collect my faculties I succeeded determine experiment of losing blood Having no lancet, however, constrained to perform the operation best manner able, and finally succeeded in opening vein in my right arm, blade penknife The blood had hardly commenced flowing when I experienced sensible relief, and I had lost about half moderate basin full, most worst symptoms had abandoned me entirely I nevertheless think it expedient to attempt getting on my feet immediately; but, having tied up my arm as , I lay still for about quarter of an hour end of I arose, and found myself freer from absolute pain of any kind than I hour and quarter ascension The difficulty of breathing, however, was diminished in very slight degree, and would soon be positively necessary use condenser meantime, looking toward the cat, who was again snugly stowed away upon my coat, I discovered to my infinite surprise, that she had taken the opportunity indisposition to bring into light litter of three little kittens an addition number of passengers on my part altogether unexpected; but pleased occurrence It would afford me chance of bringing to kind of test the truth of surmise, which, more than anything else, had influenced me in attempting this ascension I had imagined habitual endurance atmospheric pressure surface earth cause, or nearly so, pain attending animal existence at distance above the surface Should the kittens be found to suffer uneasiness in an equal degree with their mother, consider my theory in fault, but failure look upon as strong confirmation idea

"By eight o'clock I had actually attained an elevation of seventeen miles above the surface earth Thus it seemed evident that my rate of ascent was increase, but progression apparent in slight degree even had I not discharged the ballast which The pains in my head and ears returned, at intervals, with violence, and I still continued to bleed occasionally nose; but, whole, I suffered much expected I breathed, however, at every moment, with more and more difficulty, and each inhalation was attended with troublesome spasmodic action chest I now unpacked the condensing apparatus, and got it ready for immediate use