of
November, 1852. The balloon rose 22,930 feet, and the lowest temperature
observed was 26 degrees below zero.

It is to Mr. Glaisher and Mr. Coxwell, however, that the highest
honours of scientific aerostation belong. The ascents made by these
gentlemen--Mr. Glaisher being the scientific observer, and Mr. Coxwell
the practical aeronaut--have become matters of history. Not only did
they, in the course of a large number of ascents undertaken under the
auspices of the British Association, succeed in gathering much valuable
meteorological information, but they reached a greater height than that
ever gained on any previous or subsequent occasion, and penetrated into
that distant region of the skies in which it has been satisfactorily
proved that no life can be long maintained. It was on the 5th of
September, 1862, that Mr. Glaisher and Mr. Coxwell made the famous
ascent in which they reached the greatest height ever attained by an
aeronaut, and were so nearly sacrificed to their unselfish daring. Mr.
Glaisher has given an admirable account of this ascent, which took place
from Wolverhampton. He says:--"Our ascent had been delayed, owing to the
unfavourable state of the weather. It commenced at three minutes past
one p.m., the temperature of the air being 59 degrees, and the dew-point
48 degrees. At the height of one mile the temperature was 41 degrees
and the dew-point 38 degrees. Shortly after wards clouds were entered
of about 1,100 feet in thickness. Upon emerging from them at seventeen
minutes past one, I tried to take a view of their surface with the
camera, but the balloon was ascending too rapidly and spiraling too
quickly to allow me to do so. The height of two miles was reached at
twenty-one minutes past one. The temperature of the air had fallen to
32 degrees and the dew-point to 26 degrees. The third mile was passed
at twenty-eight minutes past one, with an air temperature of 18 degrees,
and a dew-point of 13 degrees. The fourth mile was passed at thirty-nine
minutes past one, with an air temperature of 8 degrees, and a dew-point
of minus 6 degrees and the fifth mile about ten minutes later, with an
air temperature minus 5 degrees, and a dew-point minus 36 degrees.

"Up to this time I had experienced no particular inconvenience. When at
the height of 26,000 feet I could not see the fine column of the mercury
in the tube; then the fine divisions on the scale of the instrument
became invisible. At that time I as