"April 13th Was again alarmed by repetition loud, crackling noise which terrified me tenth Thought long , but was unable any satisfactory conclusion Great decrease earth's apparent diameter, which now subtended balloon an angle of very little more than twenty-five degrees The moon seen at all, being nearly in my zenith I still continued plane elipse, but made little progress eastward

"April 14th Extremely rapid decrease diameter earth To-day I became strongly impressed idea, balloon was now actually running up the line of apsides point of perigee- in other words, holding the direct course which would bring it immediately moon part orbit the nearest earth The moon iself was directly overhead, and consequently hidden from my view Great and long-continued labor necessary condensation atmosphere

"April 15th Not even the outlines of continents and seas could now be traced earth with anything approaching distinctness About twelve o'clock I became aware, third time, appalling sound which had so astonished me before It now, however, continued for some moments, and gathered intensity as it continued , while, stupefied and terror-stricken, I stood in expectation of not what hideous destruction, the car vibrated with excessive violence, and gigantic and flaming mass of some material which distinguish, came with voice of thousand thunders, roaring and booming balloon When my fears and astonishment had in some degree subsided, I had little difficulty in supposing it some mighty volcanic fragment ejected world so rapidly approaching, and, in all probability, one singular class of substances occasionally picked up earth, and termed meteoric stones for want of better appellation

"April 16th To-day, looking upward as , through each side windows alternately, I beheld, to my great delight, portion moon's disk protruding, as it were, on all sides beyond the huge circumference balloon My agitation was extreme; for I had now little doubt of soon reaching the end perilous voyage Indeed, the labor now required condenser had increased to most oppressive degree, and allowed me scarcely any respite from exertion Sleep was matter nearly I became quite ill, and my frame trembled with exhaustion impossible that human nature could endure this state of intense suffering much longer During the now brief interval of darkness meteoric stone again passed in my vicinity, frequency phenomena began to occasion me much apprehension

"April 17th proved an epoch in my voyage remembered that, thirteenth, the earth subtended an angular breadth of twenty-five degrees fourteenth this had greatly diminished; fifteenth still more remarkable decrease was observable; and, on retiring night sixteenth, I had noticed an angle of no more than about seven degrees and fifteen minutes What, therefore, must my amazement, on awakening from brief and disturbed slumber, morning day, the seventeenth, at finding the surface beneath me so suddenly and wonderfully augmented in volume, subtend no thirty-nine degrees in apparent angular diameter ! thunderstruck ! No words can give any adequate idea extreme, the absolute horror and astonishment, seized possessed, and altogether overwhelmed My knees tottered beneath me -- my teeth chattered -- my hair started up on end "The balloon, then, had actually burst ! " These were the first tumultuous ideas that hurried through my mind: "The balloon had positively burst ! -- falling -- falling most impetuous, the most unparalleled velocity ! To judge immense distance already so quickly passed over, it more than ten minutes, farthest, before meet the surface earth, and be hurled into annihilation ! " But reflection came to my relief I paused; I considered; and I began to doubt The matter was impossible in any reason have so rapidly come down Besides, although evidently approaching the surface below me, with speed by no means commensurate velocity I had at first so horribly conceived This consideration served to calm the perturbation mind, and I finally succeeded in regarding the phenomenon in its proper point of view , amazement fairly deprived me senses, when I the vast difference, in appearance, surface below me, surface mother earth The latter was indeed over my head, and completely hidden balloon, while the moon -- the moon itself in all its glory -- lay beneath me, and at my feet

"The stupor and surprise produced in my mind extraordinary change posture of affairs was perhaps, after all, that part adventure least susceptible of explanation bouleversement in itself was natural and inevitable, but long actually anticipated as circumstance expected whenever arrive exact point voyage where the attraction planet superseded attraction satellite -- or, more precisely, where the gravitation balloon toward the earth less powerful than its gravitation toward the moon I arose from sound slumber, with all my senses in confusion, contemplation of very startling phenomenon, and one which, although expected, was not expected moment The revolution itself must, , have taken place in an easy and gradual manner, and by no means clear that, had I even been awake occurrence, I made aware of it by any internal evidence of an inversion -- , by any inconvenience or disarrangement, either person or apparatus

" almost needless that, upon coming to due sense situation, and emerging terror which had absorbed every faculty soul, my attention was, first place, wholly directed contemplation general physical appearance moon It lay beneath me like chart -- and although I judged it still at no inconsiderable distance, the indentures surface were defined to my vision with most striking and altogether unaccountable distinctness The entire absence of ocean or sea, and indeed of any lake or river, or body of water whatsoever, struck me, at first glance, most extraordinary feature in its geological condition Yet, strange , I beheld vast level regions of character decidedly alluvial, although by far the greater portion hemisphere in sight was covered with innumerable volcanic mountains, conical in shape, and having more the appearance of artificial than of natural protuberance The highest among them exceed three and three-quarter miles in perpendicular elevation; but map volcanic districts Campi Phlegraei would afford to your Excellencies better idea general surface than any unworthy description think proper to attempt The greater part were in state of evident eruption, and fearfully to understand their fury and their power, repeated thunders miscalled meteoric stones, which now rushed upward balloon with frequency more and more appalling

"April 18th To-day an enormous increase moon's apparent bulk -- evidently accelerated velocity descent began me with alarm remembered, that, earliest stage speculations possibility of passage moon, the existence, in its vicinity, of an atmosphere, dense in proportion bulk planet, had entered largely into my calculations; this too of many theories contrary, and, it added, of general disbelief existence of any lunar atmosphere at all But, to what already urged in regard to Encke's comet zodiacal light, I strengthened in my opinion by certain observations of Mr Schroeter, of Lilienthal He observed the moon when two days and half old, evening soon after sunset, dark part was visible, and continued to watch it until it became visible The two cusps appeared tapering in very sharp faint prolongation, each exhibiting its farthest extremity faintly illuminated solar rays, before any part dark hemisphere was visible Soon afterward, the whole dark limb became illuminated This prolongation cusps beyond the semicircle, , arisen refraction sun's rays moon's atmosphere I computed, also, the height atmosphere (which could refract light enough into its dark hemisphere twilight more luminous light reflected earth moon is about 32 degrees new) 1,356 Paris feet; view, I supposed the greatest height capable of refracting the solar ray, 5,376 feet My ideas topic had also received confirmation by passage eighty-second volume Philosophical Transactions, stated that at an occultation of Jupiter's satellites, the third disappeared after having been about 1" or 2" indistinct, fourth became indiscernible near the limb {*4}

"Cassini frequently observed Saturn, Jupiter, fixed stars, when approaching the moon to occultation, their circular figure changed into an oval one; and, in other occultations, no alteration of figure at all Hence it supposed, that at some times and not at others, dense matter encompassing the moon wherein the rays stars are refracted