As I am unable to attend the General Meeting on account of the accident which befell me at the Alexandra Palace on the 11th instant, I must beg you to read to themeeting this communication.

With respect to the Balloon Contest which took place on Saturday, it was proposed by me, in order to give an opportunity to balloonists of any nationality to put in practice their theories for the propulsion of balloons, about which so much has been lately vaunted. The conditions were made very favourable for this purpose. A town was chosen in the direction of the wind at the time, so that the balloon which approached nearest should be the winner of the prize. A day much earlier than the 11thof July was originally fixed by the executive of the Alexandra Palace for the contest, and for that day I had arranged with seven aeronauts for their legitimate contention for the prizes. That there were no more competitors and no foreign balloon propellers might have been due to the small amount of prize-money which I had been able to collect. The day first named being subsequently altered to a much latei date, it was found that the aeronauts had nearly all, for one cause or another, withdrawn their consent to attend.

Towards the end of August, 1884, the public were startled by the news from Paris that the problem of steering balloons had at last been solved. A balloon was said to have ascended at Meudon, near Paris, traversed a certain distance under complete control, and finally to have returned to its starting point.

Since then, however, only one or two unsuccessful experiments are reported to have taken place, and the invention, which began with such a nourish of trumpets, has already been almost forgotten. Thinking it might interest the members of this Society to know what was actually done,I procured a copy of the report presented by the inventors to the Académie des Sciénces. I also obtained from one or two other sources all the information I could about the experiments, and have written in the following pages, as briefly as possible, an account of what actually took place.

An experiment in aerial navigation crowned with complete success has just been accomplished at the militaryworkshop at Chalais. The object of the accompanyingreport is to make known to the Academie the results obtained.

On the 9th August, at four o'clock in the afternoon, anascent was made there, in a fish–shaped balloon. It wasfitted with a screw and a rudder, and was manned by CaptainRenard (Engineers) the director of the workshops, andCaptain Krebs (Infantry) who has worked with him for sixyears. After a total distance of 4–71 miles had been coveredin twenty–three minutes, the balloon made its descent at thesame point from which it had started. During the journeyit executed a series of manoeuvres with a precision comparableto that of a steamer moving upon water.

The solution of this problem has been already attempted in 1855, by M. Henri Giffard, who used steam power. In 1872, by M. Dupuy de Lome, who used the muscular force of men, and lastly, by M. Tissandier in 1883, who last year was the first to apply electricity to the propulsion of balloons. But its solution has remained until this day very imperfect, for in no case has the aerostat been able to return to the point of its departure. We have been guided in our labours by the calculations made by M. Dupuy de Lome for the construction of his aerostat of 1870–72, and have besides devoted ourselves to the fulfilment of the following condition.

In a paper read at the last annual meeting of this Society, treating of, and advocating steam avitation, I enumerated those qualities which appear to me to be indispensable in a practicable flying engine or avitor.

As appropriate to the opening of this paper, I will quote these remarks :— “First, the ability to raise itself and its “freight from, level ground, by its inherent power solely; “and to propel itself in any desired direction by the same “means:” “to offer but comparatively small obstructive “surface to the air or wind:” “to be so constructed and “balanced, that it cannot capsize, nor fall precipitately.” “Steam being the agent used, the furnace to be so enclosed, “and under control, as regards fuel and air supply, that the “fire can be regulated to a nicety, or if necessary, instantly “extinguished: and lastly, to be capable of a speed, at least “favorably comparable with the fastest land vehicles.”

Assuming the principle adopted is that of “Vertical Screw–Action,” (and I believe that an Avitor of less total weight can be constructed on this principle, than on any other,) I will first describe generally, and then in detail, two types of steam motor adapted to this; and next, a type adapted to Mr. Brearey’s “Wave–Action” principle.