A BALLOON ADVENTURE.
An exciting balloon adventure was that of Mr. Pendarves Vivian, an English member of Parliament. With two skilled aeronauts he recently made an ascent from Southwest London, the start being delayed by unfavorable weather until 10 p.m.
They found themselves in a strong current, which in ten minutes had placed them over North London, the lights below presenting a fairy scene of indescribable beauty. Though over 1000 feet high, street cries were distinctly audible. Ascending rapidly to 8000 feet, in an hour they found themselves passing at a tremendous rate over a flat country suitable for descending, and they resolved to come down. Gas was let out, and grappling-irons dropped, when there was a sharp check and violent jerks, and suddenly they commenced soaring upward at a frightful pace.
The rope of the grappling-irons had broken. The danger of so helpless a position, especially at night, was instantly apparent, and shortly afterward a renewed descent was made, hoping to run the balloon against some branches of trees. When this was done, one got out, and the two, relieved of his weight, were carried upward with extreme velocity to a height of three miles.
Half stunned by the shock, some time elapsed before the adventurous occupants of the balloon again attempted to descend, when, to their horror, they heard the roaring of the sea immediately below them. Fortunately they landed upon the beach, and not in the water. They were eventually rescued unhurt; but Mr. Vivian's experience convinces him that ballooning can never be of practical utility as a means of travelling.
MAGICAL MUSIC.
This is a game in which music is made to take a prominent part. On one of the company volunteering to leave the room, some particular article agreed upon is hidden. On being recalled, the person, ignorant of the hiding-place, must commence a diligent search, taking the piano as his guide. The loud tones will mean that he is very near the object of his search, and the soft tones that he is far from it. Another method of playing the same game is for the person who has been out of the room to try to discover on his return what the remainder of the company desire him to do. It may be to pick up something from the floor, to take off his coat, to look at himself in the glass, or anything else as absurd. The only clew afforded him of solving the riddle must be the loud or soft tones of the music.