This heroic madame du Frenoy. lady embarked with her husband, a few days ago, in a tartane for Genoa. They had scarce loft fight of the port, when they difcovered a corfair making towards them, and finding it impoffible to efcapey flight, prepared to receive him. In vain did M. du Frenoy endeavour to prevail on his lady to go below; the refolutely refufed, and, feizing a fabre, placed herself by his fide, declaring fhe was determined to abide her fate. M. du Frenoy, finding all arguments vain, was obliged to confent. The Algerine after a broadlide, grappled the tartane. Our people received them gallant ly, but none can defcribe the behaviour of madame du Frenoy. She flew among them with her fabre, and with her voice animated the crew. M. du Frenoy fell with a piftol bullet in his thigh; his lady tood over him, and levelled with one itroke a Turk, who advanced to attack her. The pirates were obliged to retreat to their own fhip, when they cut their grapplings, and fell off. A fmart action now com menced with the great guns. Madame du Frenoy, after aliiting her husband down to the fur eon, returned upon deck, where the continued encouraging the men, until the corfair, tired of his reception, fheered off. We had fourteen men killed, and thirry wounded. The lofs of the pirates must have been great; they left eighty upon our decks. The tartane being much thattered, returned to this port. The magilirates being informed of the action, waited on madame du Frenoy, and invited her in their name to the theatre, where he was received with the loudest acclamations, and a crown of laurel placed on her head by the marquis de St. Christeau New York, Nov. 2. In the report of the grand committee of congrefs, dated September 27, 1785, it is recommended to congrefs to make a requifition on the united ftates for three millions of dollars, for the fervice of the prefent year, in order to pay one year's intereft on the foreign and domeuic debts, &c. The quotas of the feveral states to be as follow, viz. New Hampshire, 105,416 dollars. Maf fachufets, 448,854. Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, 64,636. Connecticut, 264,182. New York, 256,486. New Jersey, 166,117. Pennfylvania, 410,378. Delaware, 44,886. Maryland, 283,034. Virginia, 512,974. North Carolina, 218,012. South Carolina, 192,306. Georgia, 32,060. 24. We learn from Stranraer, in Scotland, that about ten days ago the mail from thence to Ballantrae, in Ayrshire, was robbed, and a confiderable fum of money taken out of a letter. The heiff of Whigton took a precognition refpecting the robbery, when it turned out that the poftboy was the robber, who has fince been committed to Stranraer jail, and a confiderable part of the money is recovered. 25. Mr. Lunardi's voyage from Harriot's Gardens, near Edinburgh, on the 20th of December, was rather an act of obflinacy and desperation, than, of prudence and true courage. He had promifed the people, that on that day he would af cend; and he did afcend, though, by the courfe of the wind, he was almost certain of being dropt in the fca. As he expected, fo it happen ed. He fell in the water about a mile and a half from the rocks of Findra and Lamb; and was feud ding through the ocean like a nautilus, when he was taken up by a fifhing-boat, and brought fate to fhors fhore, with the lofs however of his balloon, which was afterwards taken up by the Royal Charlotte cutter, and returned to him. In a letter to fome of his friends, dated in the evening, he writes: "Gentlemen, I have the honour to acquaint you, that I have had an hour of the most agreeable aerial voyage, and an hour and a quarter of the moft difagreeable and breaft-water fea-voyage. I was picked up by a fifhing-boat while I was going full fail towards the island of May, and am now very well at Mr. Nefbet's," &c. This was the last aerial excurfion in the year 1785. Of the variety of them that have been undertaken, we have mentioned fuch only as were attended with fome very ftriking circumstances. By way of recapitulation, however, it may be proper to mention fome others, in order to complete the history of aerotation for this year. See Philor fophical Papers, Vol. V. p. 154. On the 4th of January, Mr. Har per, of Birmingham, afcended from that place, at a quarter after twelve, and in one hour and twenty-three minutes, failed about fifty miles, landing at Whetstone Green, four miles beyond Newcastle-under-line. On the 19th of April, about four in the afternoon, the inhabitants of Chippenham were furprised by the appearance of a balloon hovering over that town, which had been launched at Brittol about two the fame day, with Mr. Dicker, jun. The wind was boisterous, and toffed the balloon like a football; fometimes close to the ground, and then in an inftant high in the air; fo that the young navigator had a rough voyage, and was not in a humour to make many aerial obfervations. However, he fortunately landed fafe near the town. On the 3d of May, Mr. Blanchard afcended from Langhorn's Repofitory in Barbican, accompa nied by mifs Simonet. On afcending into the air, the aeronaut faluted the lady in fight of a vast concourfe of people. They proceeded no farther than Hill-houfe ferry, beyond Lee Bridge. On the 5th of the fame month, Mr. Sadleir, of Oxford, and the hon. Mr. Wyndham, afcended at Moulfey-Hurft, near Hampton Court. The machine took a S. E. courfe, ftrongly impelled by the current of air towards the fea. They, however, had the good fortune to land near the conflux of the Medway and the Thames, not a mile from the water's edge. The country people, to whom they committed the care of the balloon, while they fecured their inftruments of obfervation, fuddenly quitted their hold, when it took its flight to the caftward, and, as it afterwards appeared, fell in the fea, a few leagues to the eastward of the Nore, where it was taken up by capt. John Sherwin, of Sunderland, and restored to Mr. Sadleir. On the 16th, Mr. Lunardi afcended in a magnificent balloon from the Artillery-ground. Evolutions had been promifed to be performed, and a prodigious multitude in courfe collected. But no evolutions were attempted; and the aeronaut, after rifing a confiderable height into the air, defcended, with the moft alarming rapidity, into, the garden of the Adam and Eve, in Tottenham-court road, and fortunately unhurt. The fame day, Mr. Sadleir afcended from Manchester, and was carried by a current of air to the neighbourhood of Warrington, where he plainly faw on one fide Manchester, to the northward the (G 4) diftant distant mountains in Weftmoreland, and to the weft, Liverpool, and the fea. A different current of air then conveyed him in another direction, and he alighted about a mile from Bury, in Lancashire, having been in the air about an hour, and three quarters. On the 19th, Mr. Sadleir made another aerial voyage in his balloon from Manchester. When at the higneft, which he thought was more than two miles, and far above the clouds, he felt himfelf much affected by fhort refpiration, a fevere pain in his ears, and extreme cold, The banoon trained much; he feared it would burft, and was much terrified when he found he could not open the valve, as it was frozen ftiff, He faw nothing of the earth for three quarters of an hour, and the clouds appeared to him as if rolling on the furface of it, While he was in this fituation, a kind of tranfparent fleet hung round him, which, from the reflection of the fun, made a moft beautiful appearance. The fhadow of the balloon alfo appeared upon the clouds, and feemed paffing on a different direc tion: and, after failing upwards of fifty miles in an hour and a half, he Janded near Pontefract, at a place where no perfon being near to aflift, except a man on horseback, who, being terrified at his appearance, rode off full gallop; he was dragged over hedge and ditch, till being no longer able to keep his hold, he dropped down, much lacerated, and his balloon took a fecond flight, and was not recovered till after he had reached Manchefter again in a chaife, It was found by Mr. Morton, of Gainsborough, who, as he was walking out, obferved in a field fomething of an immenfe fize rolling on the ground, and, parfuing it, found it to be a balloon, and at tached thereto a large bafket, with nothing in it but a knife and a hat; he therefore concluded that the ow ner had been dashed to pieces. On the 3d of June, major Mo ney, Mr. Blake, and Mr. Lock wood, took their departure in a balloon freza Tottenham-court road, about one o'clock, and about four were fet down near Higham Farm, in Effex, where Mr. Blake jumped out. The balloon was no fooner lightened than it was again loft in the clouds; and, after having failed about thirty-fix miles farther, the voyagers opened the valve, and came down on a heath near Col chefter, The fame day col. Thornton afcended at South Lambeth in a balloon, that was prevented, by a rope, from going beyond a certain height. By way of experiment, he took up a dog with him, which he let drop fufpended to a parachute, or large filken umbrella; but the colonel wanting skill to manage it properly, the poor animal defcend. ed to the earth with great velocity, and was killed on the fpot. Mr. Blanchard then afcended in the fame balloon, liberated from the rope, and, about a mile from the earth, let down a cat, fufpended to a parachute. The defcent of it was beautiful beyond defcription. It hovered more gently than a feather, and was wafted by the wind as far as Peckham, where it was found fafe and unhurt in the net, between two branches of the tree on which it alighted. The umbrella was fo well fpread, that it covered the whole tree. Mr. Blanchard himfelf alighted at Woolwich.—This idea of defcending by means of a parachute, was fuggefted by the cele brated M. Montgolfier, who, as appears from the foreign prints, prevailed upon the magiftrates of Ly ons, ons, in August laft, to fuffer a criminal, condemned to the gallies for life, to defcend, by a fimilar machine, from a tower near that city, about 265 feet high: the man came fafe to the ground, and was par doned for his intrepidity. On the 24th of June, colonel Fitzpatrick afcended in Mr. Sadleir's balloon from Oxford, and alighted near Kingfton Lifle, oppofite the White Horfe hills, Berks. On the 29th, Mr. Biggin and Mrs. Sage afcended in Mr. Lunardi's balloon from St. George's Fields, and alighted at Harrow on the Hill. On the 20th of July, Mr. Lunardi afcended from Liverpool, and alighted in an hour and twenty minutes (after the balloon had purfued various directions) at Simmonfood, twelve miles from Liverpool. The balloon being deficient in levity, to keep himself fufpended, he threw away his hat, coat, and wait:coat, which occafioned him to fuffer much from the cold. On the 25th of Auguft, Mr. Sadleir afcended from Worcester, and in two hours alighted at Sutton Grandfome, about twenty-five miles distant, in a corn field, where forty people were at harvest, who all fled, except an old woman, who being with fome difficulty perfuaded to take hold of the cord, the others returned to his affittance. On the 26th, Mr. Blanchard and the chevalier d'Epinard afcended at Lifle. At the height of a mile, they let down a dog by a parachute, which defcended to the earth gradually, and the animal alighted unhurt at the distance of two miles. Mr. Blanchard and his companion, fay the foreign prints, were carried near three hundred English miles from the place of their departure, and alighted at a village in the province of Champagne. They immediately fer off for Lifle, where they arrived on the fourth day after their afcent. On the 28th, the marquis de Cubiares, and three others, fet out in a balloon from the neighbourhood. of Paris, with a refolution to make their excurfion as long as poffible; but, on account of the violence of the wind, they were obliged to defcend at the foot of the mountain Belle Vice Cabot, twelve miles diftant. They affert, that, by their addrefs in managing the balloon, they kept it within 70 degrees (nearly 5 points) of the wind, which is as near as large Dutch veffels commonly lie to it. On the ift of September, licutenant French, of the Royal Cheshire militia, afcended alone at Chester in Mr. Lunardi's balloon. In about two hours he defcended at Maccles field, diftant forty miles. On the cth, Thomas Baldwin, efq. likewise afcended from Chester, in the fame balloon. He defcended at Pixton Mofs, alighting as the falling fnow, and having gone 25 miles in two hours and a quarter. On the roth, Mr. Sadleir afcended again from Worcester. He defcended about nine miles beyond Litchfield; but for want of his grappling iron (which, in fome confufion at his first ascent, had been thrown out) he was dragged near five miles over a rough heath, and at length thrown out of his car, by which accident his balloon efcaped from him, and in five minutes was out of fight. He was not materially hurt by his fall. The balloon was afterward found at Middleton, near Durham, 250 miles from Worceller. On the 5th of October, Mr. Lunardi afcended from Edinburgh, in a N. N. W. direction. He went over the city at a very great height, directly across the Frith. When about half over, he defcended pretty low, and then discharging fome of his ballatt, he rofe rapidly, and dif appeared. He alighted at Calinch, three miles S. E. of Cupar. Befides thefe, and fome other experiments at home, the aerial voyage of an army furgeon in the Spanith fervice deferves notice. About the middle of July, he took his departure from Aranjues, and when he had afcended to the height of 700 fathom, the balloon, to which he was attached, took fire, which obliged him to cut the canvas. He came down with aftonishing velocity, and by falling on the bough of a tree, broke both his legs, and was otherwife much bruifed, fcorched, and wounded. The prince of Afturias, in compaffion to his fufferings, fettled a pention of 8oco rials on him for life, The foreign prints of Auguft mention the aerial voyage of two Frenchmen, Meffrs. Alban and Vallet, who, they fay, afcended in a balloon contructed by order of the compte d'Artois, from Javel, and paffing over the river near the wood of Boulogne, navigated their vehicle to Bagatelle, to gratify the curiofity of the duc d'Angouleme, and the duc de Berry. After being in the air three hours, the wind became boisterous; but a calm enfuing, they renewed their ma œuvres, fucceffively tranfported themfelves to and from Bagatelle to Longchamp, and at length de fcended, without having loft any of the inflammable air, though the balloon had been filled for more than fix weeks.---But this difcovery of the art of defcending without the evaporation of gas, does not appear to have met finge with that man confirmation which was certainly neceflary. The foreign prints likewife mention, that in the courfe of this year, a Perfian phyfician, at Conftantinople, without any fubfcription, conftructed a balioon, and in the prefence of the Grand Seignior, accompanied with all his fultanas, richly dreffed, afcended with two gentlemen belonging to the court, from the grand terrace, which was elegantly decorated on the occafion. Previous to their afcenfion they approached the fultan, who prefented each with a magnificent pellice, with which they immediately entered their car, and afcended to the altonifhment of the fpectators, but much more fo to the inhabitants at thirty leagues distance, who were witneffes to their defcent; all of whom were ftruck with inexpreffible horror, under the apprehenfions of the coming of their prophet to ́ chaftife them for the enormity of their crimes, and foil every where proftrate before them, fo that they could fearce prevail upon any of them to rife to give them affistance. At length two of the most courageous were fent to the pacha of the place, who enabled them to fecure the balloon, and furnished them with the means of returning to court, where they were received with uncommon marks of honour by the Grand Seignior. Hie fublime highnefs ordered the balloon to be hung up in the mofque of St. Sophia, to perpetuate the memory of fo wonderful an event. But the conduct of the empres of Ruffa was the reverfe of that of his fublime highnets. An air balloon having been carried over to Rafia, the conftruction of which coit 8ool. her imperial majetty would not allow it to be produced to the public; and the proprietors were |