of its own covering.

His first balloon was a small parallelopiped in very thin taffeta,
containing less than seventy-eight cubic inches of air. He made it rise
to the roof of his apartment in November, 1782--at Avignon, where he
then happened to be. Having returned some little time after to Annonay,
Joseph and his brother performed the same experiment, together in the
open air with perfect success. Certain, then, of the new principle, they
made a balloon of considerable size, containing upwards of sixty-five
feet of heated air.

This machine likewise rose, tore away the cords by which it was at first
held down, and mounting in the air to the height of from two to three
hundred feet, fell upon the neighbouring hills after a considerable
flight. The brothers Montgolfier then made a very large and strong
balloon, with which they wished to bring their discovery before the
public.

The appointed day was the 5th of June, 1783 and the nobility of the
vicinity were invited to be present at the experiment. Faujas de
Saint Fond, author of "La Description des Experiences de la Machine
Aerostatique," published the same year, gives the following account of
it:--

"What," says Saint Fond, "was the general astonishment when the
inventors of the machine announced that immediately it should be full
of gas, which they had the means of producing at will by the most simple
process, it would raise itself to the clouds. It must be granted that,
in spite of the confidence in the ingenuity and experience of the
Montgolfiers, this feat seemed so incredible to those who came to
witness it, that the persons who knew most about it--who were, at the
same time, the most favourably predisposed in its favour--doubted of its
success.

"At last the brothers Montgolfier commenced their work. They first
of all began to make the smoke necessary for their experiment. The
machine--which at first seemed only a covering of cloth, lined with
paper, a sort of sack thirty-five feet high--became inflated, and grew
large even under the eyes of the spectator, took consistence, assumed a
beautiful form, stretched itself on all sides, and struggled to escape.
Meanwhile, strong arms were holding it down until the signal was given,
when it loosened itself, and with a rush rose to the height of 1,000
fathoms in less than ten minutes." It then described a horizontal line
of 7,200 feet, and as it had lost a considerable amount of gas, it began
to descend quietly. I