Lofty　ascents　have　proved　a　strain　on　even　robust　constitutionsthe　heart　may　begin　to　suffer；　or　ills　akin　to　mountain　sickness　may　intervene　before　a　height　equal　to　that　of　our　loftiest　mountain　is　reached。　　But　many　have　spoken　of　an　exhilaration　of　spirits　not　inferior　to　that　of　the　mountaineer；　which　is　experienced；　and　without　fatigue；　in　sky　voyages　reasonably　indulged　inof　a　light…heartedness；　a　glow　of　health；　a　sharpened　appetite；　and　the　keen　enjoyment　of　mere　existence。　　Nay；　it　has　been　seriously　affirmed　that　〃more　good　may　be　got　by　the　invalid　in　an　hour　or　two　while　two　miles　up　on　a　fine　summer's　day　than　is　to　be　gained　in　an　entire　voyage　from　New　York　to　Madeira　by　sea。〃
  CHAPTER　X。　THE　COMMENCEMENT　OF　A　NEW　ERA。
  Resuming　the　roll　of　progressive　aeronauts　in　England　whose　labours　were　devoted　to　the　practical　conquest　of　the　air；　and　whose　methods　and　mechanical　achievements　mark　the　road　of　advance　by　which　the　successes　of　to…day　have　been　obtained；　there　stand　out　prominently　two　individuals；　of　whom　one　has　already　received　mention　in　these　pages。
  The　period　of　a　single　life　is　seldom　sufficient　to　allow　within　its　span　the　full　development　of　any　new　departure　in　art　or　science；　and　it　cannot；　therefore；　be　wondered　at　if　Charles　Green；　though　reviving　and　re…modelling　the　art　of　ballooning　in　our　own　country；　even　after　an　exceptionally　long　and　successful　career；　left　that　pursuit　to　which　he　had　given　new　birth　virtually　still　in　its　infancy。
  The　year　following　that　in　which　Green　conducted　the　famous　Nassau　voyage　we　find　him　experimenting　in　the　same　balloon　with　his　chosen　friend　and　colleague；　Edward　Spencer；　solicitor；　of　Barnsbury；　who；　only　nine　years　later；　compiles　memoranda　of　thirty…four　　ascents；　made　under　every　variety　of　circumstance；　　many　being　of　a　highly　enterprising　nature。　　We　find　him　writing　enthusiastically　of　the　raptures　he　experienced　when　sailing　over　London　in　night　hours；　of　lofty　ascents　and　extremely　low　temperatures；　of　speeding　twenty…eight　miles　in　twenty　minutes；　of　grapnel　ropes　breaking；　and　of　a　cross…country　race　of　four　miles　through　woods　and　hedges。　　Such　was　Mr。　Spencer　the　elder；　and　if　further　evidence　were　needed　of　his　practical　acquaintance　with；　as　well　as　personal　devotion　to；　his　adopted　profession　of　aeronautics；　we　have　it　in　the　store　of　working　calculations　and　other　minutiae　of　the　craft；　most　carefully　compiled　in　manuscript　by　his　own　hand；　these　memoranda　being　to　this　day　constantly　consulted　by　his　grandsons；　the　present　eminent　aeronauts；　Messrs。　Spencer　Brothers；　as　supplying　a　manual　of　reliable　data　for　the　execution　of　much　of　the　most　important　parts　of　their　work。
  In　the　terrific　ordeal　and　risk　entailed　by　the　daring　and　fatal　parachute　descent　of　Cocking；　Green　required　an　assistant　of　exceptional　nerve　and　reliability；　and；　as　has　been　recorded；　his　choice　at　once　fell　on　Edward　Spencer。　　In　this　choice　it　has　already　been　shown　that　he　was　well　justified；　and　in　the　trying　circumstances　that　ensued　Green　frankly　owns　that　it　was　his　competent　companion　who　was　the　first　to　recover　himself。　　A　few　years　later；　when　a　distinguished　company；　among　whom　were　Albert　Smith　and　Shirley　Brooks；　made　a　memorable　ascent　from　Cremorne；　Edward　Spencer　is　one　of　the　select　party。
  Some　account　of　this　voyage　should　be　given；　and　it　need　not　be　said　that　no　more　graphic　account　is　to　be　found　than　that　given　by　the　facile　pen　of　Albert　Smith　himself。　　His　personal　narrative　also　forms　an　instructive　contrast　to　another　which　he　had　occasion　to　give　to　the　world　shortly　afterwards；　and　which　shall　be　duly　noticed。　　The　enthusiastic　writer　first　describes；　with　apparent　pride；　the　company　that　ascended　with　him。　　Besides　Mr。　Shirley　Brooks；　there　were　Messrs。　Davidson；　of　the　Garrick　Club；　Mr。　John　Lee；　well　known　in　theatrical　circles；　Mr。　P。　　Thompson；　of　Guy's　Hospital；　and　othersten　in　all；　including　Charles　Green　as　skipper；　and　Edward　Spencer；　who；　sitting　in　the　rigging；　was　entrusted　with　the　all…important　management　of　the　valve　rope。
  〃The　first　sensation　experienced；〃　Albert　Smith　continues；　〃was　not　that　we　were　rising；　but　that　the　balloon　remained　fixed；　whilst　all　the　world　below　was　rapidly　falling　away；　while　the　cheers　with　which　they　greeted　our　departure　grew　fainter；　and　the　cheerers　themselves　began　to　look　like　the　inmates　of　many　sixpenny　Noah's　Arks　grouped　upon　a　billiard　table。。。。　Our　hats　would　have　held　millions。。。。　And　most　strange　is　the　roar　of　the　city　as　it　comes　surging　into　the　welkin　as　though　the　whole　metropolis　cheered　you　with　one　voice。。。。　Yet　none　beyond　the　ordinary　passengers　are　to　be　seen。　　The　noise　is　as　inexplicable　as　the　murmur　in　the　air　at　hot　summer　noontide。〃
  The　significance　of　this　last　remark　will　be　insisted　on　when　the　writer　has　to　tell　his　own　experiences　aloft　over　London；　as　also　a　note　to　the　effect　that　there　were　seen　〃large　enclosed　fields　and　gardens　and　pleasure　grounds　where　none　were　supposed　to　exist　by　ordinary　passengers。〃　　Another　interesting　note；　having　reference　to　a　once　familiar　feature　on　the　river；　now　disappearing；　related　to　the　paddle　boats　of　those　days；　the　steamers　making　a　very　beautiful　effect；　〃leaving　two　long　wings　of　foam　behind　them　similar　to　the　train　of　a　table　rocket。〃　　Highly　suggestive；　too；　of　the　experiences　of　railway　travellers　in　the　year　1847　is　the　account　of　the　alighting；　which；　by　the　way；　was　obviously　of　no　very　rude　nature。　　〃Every　time；〃　says　the　writer；　〃the　grapnel　catches　in　the　ground　the　balloon　is　pulled　up　suddenly　with　a　shock　that　would　soon　send　anybody　from　his　seat；　a　jerk　like　that　which　occurs　when　fresh　carriages　are　brought　up　to　a　railway　train。〃　　But　the　concluding　paragraph　in　this　rosy　narrative　affords　another　and　a　very　notable　contrast　to　the　story　which　that　same　writer　had　occasion　to　put　on　record　before　that　same　year　had　passed。
  〃We　counsel　everybody　to　go　up　in　a　balloon。。。　In　spite　of　the　apparent　frightful　fragility　of　cane　and　network　nothing　can　in　reality　be　more　secure。。。　The　stories　of　pressure　on　the　ears；　intense　cold；　and　the　danger　of　coming　down　are　all　fictions。。。。　Indeed；　we　almost　wanted　a　few　perils　to　give　a　little　excitement　to　the　trip；　and　have　some　notion；　if　possible；　of　going　up　the　next　time　at　midnight　with　fireworks　in　a　thunderstorm；　throwing　away　all　the　ballast；　fastening　down　the　valve；　and　seeing　where　the　wind　will　send　us。〃
  The　fireworks；　the　thunderstorm；　and　the　throwing　away　of　ballast；　all　came　off　on　the　15th　of　the　following　October；　when　Albert　Smith　made　his　second　ascent；　this　time　from　Vauxhall　Gardens；　under　the　guidance　of　Mr。　Gypson；　and　accompanied　by　two　fellow…passengers。　　Fireworks；　which　were　to　be　displayed　when　aloft；　were　suspended　on　a　framework　forty　feet　below　the　car。　　Lightning　was　also　playing　around　as　they　cast　off。　　The　description　which　Albert　Smith　gives　of　London　by　night　as　seen　from　an　estimated　elevation　of　4；000　feet；　should　be　compared　with　other　descriptions　that　will　be　given　in　these　pages：
  〃In　the　obscurity　all　traces　of　houses　and　enclosures　are　lost　sight　of。　　I　can　compare　it　to　nothing　else　than　floating　over　dark　blue　and　boundless　sea　spangled　with　hundreds　of　thousands　of　stars。　These　stars　were　the　lamps。　　We　could　see　them　stretching　over　the　river　at　the　bridges；　edging　its　banks；　forming　squares　and　long　parallel　lines　of　light　in　the　streets　and　solitary　parks。　　Further　and　further　apart　until　they　were　altogether　lost　in　the　suburbs。　　The　effect　was　bewildering。〃
  At　7；000　feet；　one　of　the　passengers；　sitting　in　the　ring；　remarked　that　the　balloon　was　getting　very　tense；　and　the　order　was　given　to　〃ease　her〃　by　opening　the　top　valve。　　The　valve　line　was　accordingly　pulled；　〃and　immediately　afterwards　we　heard　a　noise　similar　to　the　escape　of　steam　in　a　locomotive；　and　the　lower　part　of　the　balloon　collapsed　rapidly；　and　appeared　to　fly　up　into　the　upper　portion。　　At　the　same　instant　the　balloon　began　to　fall　with　appalling　velocity；　the　immense　mass　of　loose　silk　surging　and　rustling　frightfully　over　our　heads。。。。　retreating　up　away　from　us　more　and　more　into　the　head　of　the　balloon。　　The　suggestion　was　made　to　throw　everything　over　that　might　lighten　the　balloon。　　I　had　two　sandbags　in　my　lap；　which　were　cast　away　directly。。。。　There　were　several　large　bags　of　ballast；　and　some　bottles　of　wine；　and　these　were　instantly　thrown　away；　but　no　effect　was　perceptible。　　The　wind　still　appeared　to　be　rushing　up　past　us　at　a　fearful　rate；　and；　to　add　to　the　horror；　we　came　among　the　still　expiring　discharge　of　the　fireworks　which　floated　in　the　air；　so　that　little　bits　of　exploded　cases　and　touch…paper；　still　incandescent；　attached　themselves　to　the　cordage　of　the　balloon　and　were　blown　into　sparks。。。。　I　presume　we　must　have　been　upwards　of　a　mile　from　the　earth。。。。　How　long　we　were　descending　I　have　not　the　slightest　idea；　but　two　minutes　must　have　been　the　outside。。。。　We　now　saw　the　houses；　the　roofs　of　which　appeared　advancing　to　meet　us；　and　the　next　instant；　as　we　dashed　by　their　summits；　the　words；　'Hold　hard！'　burst　simultaneously　from　all　the　party。。。。　We　were　all　directly　thrown　out　o