The disastrous effort of M. Nader to bring his great
balloon to earth, after his tour over France and Germany, on the 19th inst., has given rise to many striking descriptions from the various members of that unfortunate party. The first adventure was a challenge from a Belgian Customhouse officer, who evidently took it for granted that tariff boundaries run up iu a direct line to the zenith, and would have passionately demanded octroi from Milton's Satan, as he passed the different parallels of latitude in the sky,—but these amusing incidents were soon to be succeeded by less agreeable experiences. During the night of the 18th, the balloon cruised about from the mouth of the Scheldt to Hanover, and on the 19th, at sunrise, was over that State. The glory of the sunrise for a time blinded the party to the fact that the sun's heat was swelling out the gas in the balloon, so that soon it would burst the silk ; but when this was discovered the order was given to descend, and gas let out. The balloon then descended from a region of celestial calm into the fierce wind which was sweeping the surface of the earth, the grappling-irons or anchors gave way—and the great creature dragged, or rather hopped—the car coming down with a horrible crash on the ground—sometimes on a railway, dragging away the telegraph wires ; sometimes in a bog, filling all eyes and mouths with mud ; sometimes cutting through a tree like a sword, till M. Godard, one of the nine, climbed up and cut open the balloon with an axe, for the safety-valve had got fixed. Even then its course was not stopped, and the inhabitants of the car had to leap out to save themselves from being crushed against a forest which the balloon was approaching. Madame Nader fell into a little river and all of the party were more or less seriously hurt, M. and Madame Nader having broken several ribs. All are now happily recovering ; but a hopping balloon seems to be decidedly the most unpleasant form of swift locomotion.
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