"The wind continuing to carry me towards the sea, I resolved to
bring my observations to an end. I effected my descent in a
meadow, near the village of Rehorst, in Holstein, after having
run sixteen leagues from France in sixty-five minutes."
At the commencement of the year 1804, Laplace, at the Institute,
proposed to take advantage of the means offered by aerostation to
verify at great heights certain scientific points--as, for
example, those which concern magnetism. This proposition was made
at a favourable time, and was, so far, carried out in the best
possible way. The aeronauts who were appointed to carry out the
expedition were Biot and Gay-Lussac, the most enthusiastic
aeronauts of the period.
The following is their report:--
"We observed the animals we had with us at all the different
heights, and they did not appear to suffer in any manner. For
ourselves, we perceived no effect any more then a quickening of
the pulse. At 10,000 feet above the ground we set a little
green-finch at liberty. He flew out at once, but immediately
returning, settled upon our cordage; afterwards, setting out
again, he flew to the earth, describing a very tortuous line in
his passage. We followed him with our eyes till he was lost in
the clouds.
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