Sales catalogue 506: Maggs Bros

Date:
1928
Reference:
WA/HMM/CM/Sal/13/64
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sales catalogue 506: Maggs Bros. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    41/374 page 25
    82 MAGGS BROS., 34 (> 25, CONDUIT STREET, LONDON, W. 25 Epitre a M. Blanchard sur son Bateau Volant. Included in the ““ Almanach des Muses.”’ With engraved title-page. Tomo a: Ea ea 702. 18s ‘Mon cher Blanchard, je vous devine; vous voleriez assurément Si vous espériez de argent, pour vous jouer votre machine. . Je vous crois homme a tout oser, Et vous souhaite bon voyage. Mais quand votre art réussiroit avons-nous si grand intérét Que chaque homme ait sa paire d’ailes? Quand tout Amant seroit l’Amour, quand tout filou seroit Mercure Ne verrions-nous pas chaque jour, malgré porte, malgré serrure, Piller nos filles et notre or? hes Ma foi! S’il faut parler raison, Mon Féal, je commence 4 croire Qu’un tel projet n’est pas trop bon! mee BLANCHARD. Voyage Aérien. Included in Feuilles de Flandres. 4 pp., 4to. Sd. Lille, 1784. £4 4s Blanchard’s own description of his balloon trip over Paris, on March 10, 1784. *‘T went off alone at noon, and soon rose to a height which I was unable to deter- mine, because amongst the many losses I had sustained, when a young man had previously sprung into the basket, the deplorable loss of my instruments, which were all broken, must have first place. I had no wish to embark upon this venture, depleted of all my things, but being in the Public eye at the moment, I agreed to gratify their wish. A breeze took me right over to Passy, where it was beautifully calm, and I remained stationary for fourteen minutes. I passed back again, follow- ing the line of the River, and felt myself rising above the clouds. Just then, the ardent rays of the sun were full upon me, and I found myself once more in a wondrously calm environment in which I rested a further fifteen minutes. Suddenly I encountered a strong breeze, which drove the balloon along very swiftly, and made me feel the cold to such an extent that I hastily sought the cosy warmth of my coat . . . Later, a less violent current directed me over Mont Rouge, where I rested for a quarter of an hour. Seeing that my balloon was slackening speed owing to being buffeted by two contrary winds, I dropped four pounds of ballast, and instantly rose higher. . . . I soon found myself flying in the direction I had last taken, over the river, and felt myself unmistakably descending. To avoid falling into the river, I threw out more ballast, which kept me going until we reached the common of Billancourt, where I skimmed the ground for about 200 feet, but as it was very rugged just there, I thought it best to drop the remainder of my ballast and débris of my machine, which enabled me to make a gradual descent to earth. Many people came to my assistance, and secured the basket at a quarter past one; which made a total of five quarters of an hour en route. In that short space of time, I sampled successively, heat, cold, hunger and a great longing to sleep.’’
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