Hence appears how requifite it is that we guard against habits of laziness and indolence, if we confult our health, reputation,

and interest.

Short Account of an Air-Balloon launched at Oxford on the 19th of February laft, and of the Method of conftructing those curious Machines.

A

Great deal has lately been faid on the fubject of airballoons, but most of the makers have been very reserved as to their method of conftructing and filling them. Mr. Rudge is an exception to the charge. This gentleman, with a franknefs that does honour to his difpofition, has given us the neceffary information on both thefe heads.

The air balloon conftructed by him, and launched from Queen's-College on Thurfday the 19th, afcended exactly in a perpendicular direction, with a fteady uniformly accelerated motion, and in feven minutes totally difappeared. The fring was cut at a quarter paft one o'clock, in the prefence of a numerous concourfe of fpectators, at which time the fky was perfectly serene; and we learn that it fell the fame afternoon, at a quarter before three o'clock, in a field belonging to Mr. Jofeph Badcock, of Pyrton, near Wallington, in that county.

The balloon was compofed of 23 yards of red and white Perfian fik, pieced alternately, fo as to appear like meridional lines upon a terreftrial globe. The varnish with which it was covered is prepared in the following manner :-To one gallon of linfeed oil add two ounces of litharge, two ounces of white vitriol, and two ounces of gum fanderack; boil these for about an hour over a flow fire; when cold, ftrain it off, and mix with it an ounce and a half of the fpirits of turpentine. The feams were covered with a folution of the elaftic gum in the above compofition.

The form of this balloon was fpherical, 15 feet in circumference, and capable of containing upwards of 65 cubic feet of air; and 19 pounds of iron filings, and 40 pounds of the concentrated vitriolic acid, with a quantity of water in proportion to the latter as five to one, produced a fufficient quantity of gas to fill it to fuch a degree as to float, which it did when about twothird's full.

The apparatus made ufe of for filling it confifted of two cafks, connected together by a copper fyphon; through an orifice in one of them were introduced the materials which produced the factitious air; and from the other, which was nearly filled with

water,

water, projected a long metal tube, to which the balloon was fixed.

Anfwer, by Tafo, of Bristol, to Philogathus's enigmatical Dish of Fruit, inferted February 2.

Aufwer, by J. S. of Shepton-Mallet, to Taffo's Anagram, inferted

T

February 2.

O have the matter clearly understood,

The term of grammar, Sir, I fay is MOOD;

Now, any perfon with a grain of fenfe,

May fee 'tis DOOM that judges oft dispense.

Anfwer, by a Conflant Reader, to Taffo's Rebus, inferted February 2.

HE name you hint I know full well,

TH

But is it fair to KISS and tell?

If We have received the like anfwer from Arion, of Bath; and J. S. of Shepton-Mallet..

Aafwer (in an Acroftic), by Taffo, of Bristol, to Sobrius's Enigma, inferted February 2.

S OBRIUS fill, with myftic news,
O nward drives his riddling mufe;
A nd in pleasing strains 'tis known,
Paints that SOAP is ufeful grown.

Itt We have received the like answer from J. Drew, of Tywardreth; Arion, of Bath; a Conftant Reader; and Ifaac Petrin, of Street.

2 N 2

A QUESTION,

G

A QUESTION, by Tasso, of Bristol.

IVEN 1.2+2.3+3.4+4.5, &c. to x terms 48y, and 2.4+4.6+6.8+8.10, &c. to y terms=35x, to find the values of x and y.

A QUERY, by Richard Parfons, of Tiverton.

EQUIRED to know the number of hogsheads, gallons, quarts, and pints, the brazeń sea, which stood in Solomon's temple, would hold, allowing 4 quarts to the gallon, and 63 gallons to the hogfhead.

An ANAGRAM, by J. Dunkerton, junior, of Shepton-Mallet.

T

RANSPOSE what carters often ufe,
Then 'twill an animal produce;
Again tranfpos'd, 'twill fhew, no doubt,
What you must have to find this out.

A REBUS, by J. S. of Shepton-Mallet.

half of a beaft which is very well known
Pray connect what has often occafion'd a groan ;

And then, inftantaneously, gents, will appear,
What the fair fex in fummer and winter do wear.

B

An ENIGMA, by T. Roberts, of Bodmin.

EHOLD old ocean! how her billows roar,

And madly foaming lash the foff'ring fhore!
The hollow rocks retain the dreadful found,
Old chaos fmiles, and difcord's charms abound!
Here grisly terror and her imps refort,
Their vigils keep, and hold the Stygian court;
Well pleas'd to fee the fhatter'd bark arife,
Dafh'd by the waves against the angry skies;

Or, plunging headlong touch the nether fands,
While a whole threatning world of water stands
High pendant o'er the mafts. The failors, clung
Falt to the fhrouds, from wave to wave are flung.
Aftonifh'd mortals, confcious of their fate,
Behold grim death and all his train await,
Who, wildly rampant, fly their gloomy cell,
Rave round the cliff, and pour th' horrific yell.
Here pale-ey'd horror holds her hated reign,
Sways her black fceptre, and infpires the train,
Calls diffolution from her dark abode,
And Neptune frowning fhews the angry God.

Come forth, O man! behold this awful fcene!
Know here I dwell a wight of awkward mien.
Sure ne'er a being (fearch created space)
Exhibits fuch a foul, detefted face,

Which, left fome prying ken should e'er defcry,
Secreted ftands, hid from the vulgar eye.
Thus in a picture, what fuperfluous fhows
Difcreetly into fhades the painter throws.

But fee bleak Boreas raves no more,
Mild breezes die along the fhore,
Bland Zephyrs, while the billows fleep,
Soft o'er the filver furface creep.
How pleafant now! how fair! how bright!
The charming fcene infpires delight.
The fearless bark (her danger gone)
Unfurls her white fails to the fun,
And fweetly through the yielding tides,
As flies the graceful hawk, fhe glides.
O what enchanting fcene!-Tis here
I dwell unknown to grief, to fear;
But man, the tyrant of the earth,
Fierce man comes mifchievously forth!
Infidiously he rears his arm,
And, io! 1 fall a lifeless form;
Yet had I known the tyrant's art,
He ne'er had wrought the cruel part;
Secluded in myfelf, I then

Had boldly dar'd the ftrength of men ;
Had emblematically fhewn

The friend where penury is known.
Ah me! fuch is my ugly fhape,
'Twould puzzle Proteus to ape.

POETRY.

POETRY.

For the WEEKLY ENTERTAINER. WINTER: A PASTORAL POEM.

TH

By S. M. O. of Shaftesbury.

HE fcenes of Autumnus are fled,
begin;
And the horrors of winter
Loud Boreas fweeps o'er the bare mead,
And the forefts refound with the din.
The trees are bereft of their bloom;
In the vale not a flow'ret remains;
The breeze wafts no longer perfume
O'er creation's enamell'd champaigns.

Ah! where are the joys of fweet May?
Has Sol his refulgence withdrawn ?
His genial and life-giving ray

To more foutherly regions is flown.
The groves yield no longer delight,
The dances are ceas'd on the plains;

No pleasure appears to the fight,
For winter moft dreadfully reigns.

The fweet bubbling rills by yon cot
Are in chryftaliz'd bondage detain'd;
Their murmurs they've wholly forgot,
For in filence their currents are chain'd.
The hillock where used to go

The flocks on the herbage to feed,
The fame is now crefted with fnow,
And from feeding the lambkins impede.

No