'You have, and I too, very nearly.' I then drew up my legs, which had
been extended, and took a pencil in my hand to begin observations. Mr.
Coxwell told me that he had lost the use of his hands, which were black,
and I poured brandy over them."

Mr. Glaisher considers that he must have been totally insensible for
a period of about seven minutes, at the end of which time the water
reserved for the wet bulb thermometer, which he had carefully kept
from freezing, had become a solid block of ice. Mr. Coxwell's hands had
become frostbitten, so that, being in the ring and desirous of coming to
his friend's assistance, he was forced to rest his arms on the ring
and drop down. Even then, the table being in the way, he was unable to
approach, and, feeling insensibility stealing over himself, he became
anxious to open the valve. "But in consequence of having lost the use of
his hands he could not do this. Ultimately he succeeded by seizing the
cord in his teeth and dipping his head two or three times until the
balloon took a decided turn downwards." Mr. Glaisher adds that no
inconvenience followed his insensibility, and presently dropping in a
country where no conveyance of any kind could be obtained, he was able
to walk between seven and eight miles.

The interesting question of the actual height attained is thus discussed
by Mr. Glaisher:--"I have already said that my last observation was made
at a height of 29,000 feet. At this time, 1.54 p.m., we were ascending
at the rate of 1,000 feet per minute, and when I resumed observations
we were descending at the rate of 2,000 feet per minute. These two
positions must be connected, taking into account the interval of time
between, namely, thirteen minutes; and on these considerations the
balloon must have attained the altitude of 36,000 or 37,000 feet. Again,
a very delicate minimum thermometer read minus 11.9, and this would give
a height of 37,000 feet. Mr. Coxwell, on coming from the ring, noticed
that the centre of the aneroid barometer, its blue hand, and a rope
attached to the car, were all in the same straight line, and this gave a
reading of seven inches, and leads to the same result. Therefore, these
independent means all lead to about the same elevation, namely, fully
seven miles."

So far we have followed Mr. Glaisher's account only, but Mr. Coxwell has
added testimony of his own to this remarkable adventure, which renders
the narrative more complete. He speaks of the