** Edgar Allan Poe **
(1850)
ASTOUNDING NEWS BY EXPRESS, VIA NORFOLK!- The Atlantic Crossed in Three Days!- Signal Triumph of Mr. Monck Mason's Flying Machine!- Arrival at Sullivan's Island, near Charlestown, S. C., of Mr. Mason, Mr. Robert Holland, Mr. Henson, Mr. Harrison Ainsworth, and four others, in the Steering Balloon, Victoria, after a Passage of Seventy-five Hours from Land to Land! Full Particulars of the Voyage!
The subjoined jeu d'esprit with the preceding heading in magnificent capitals, well interspersed with notes of admiration, was originally published, as matter of fact, in the New York Sun, a daily newspaper, and therein fully subserved the purpose of creating indigestible aliment for the quidnuncs during the few hours intervening between a couple of the Charleston mails. The rush for the "sole paper which had the news" was something beyond even the prodigious; and, in fact, if (as some assert) the Victoria did not absolutely accomplish the voyage recorded it will be difficult to assign a reason why she should not have accomplished it. E. A. P.
THE GREAT problem is at length solved! The air, as well as the earth and the ocean, has been subdued by science, and will become a common and convenient highway for mankind. The Atlantic has been actually crossed in a Balloon! and this too without difficulty- without any great apparent danger- with thorough control of the machine- and in the inconceivably brief period of seventy-five hours from shore to shore! By the energy of an agent at Charleston, S. C., we are enabled to be the first to furnish the public with a detailed account of this most extraordinary voyage, which was performed between Saturday, the 6th instant, at 11 A.M. and 2 P.M., on Tuesday, the 9th instant, by Sir Everard Bringhurst; Mr. Osborne, a nephew of Lord Bentinck's; Mr. Monck Mason and Mr. Robert Holland, the well-known aeronauts; Mr. Harrison Ainsworth, author of "Jack Sheppard," etc.; and Mr. Henson the projector of the late unsuccessful flying machine- with two seamen from Woolwich- in all, eight persons. The particulars furnished below may be relied on as authentic and accurate in every respect, as, with a slight exception, they are copied verbatim from the joint diaries of Mr. Monck Mason and Mr. Harrison Ainsworth, to whose politeness our agent is also indebted for much verbal information respecting the balloon itself, its construction, and other matters of interest. The only alteration in the MS. received, has been made for the purpose of throwing the hurried account of our agent, Mr. Forsyth, into a connected and intelligible form.
THE BALLOON
Two very decided failures, of late,- those of
Mr. Henson and Sir George Cayley,- had much weakened the public
interest in the subject of aerial navigation. Mr. Henson's
scheme (which at first was considered very feasible even by men
of science) was founded upon the principle of an inclined
plane, started from an eminence by an extrinsic force, applied
and continued by the revolution of impinging vanes, in form and
number resembling the vanes of a windmill. But, in all the
experiments made with models at the Adelaide Gallery, it was
found that the operation of these fins not only did not propel
the machine, but actually impeded its flight. The only
propelling force it ever exhibited, was the mere impetus
acquired from the descent of the inclined plane, and this
impetus carried the machine farther when the vanes were at
rest, than when they were in motion- a fact which sufficiently
demonstrates their inutility, and in the absence of the
propelling, which was also the sustaining power, the whole
fabric would necessarily descend. This consideration led Sir
George Cayley to think only of adapting a propeller to some
machine having of itself an independent power of support- in a
word, to a balloon; the idea, however, being novel, or
original, with Sir George, only so far as regards the mode of
its application to practice. He exhibited a model of his
invention at the Polytechnic Institution. The propelling
principle, or power, was here, also, applied to interrupted
surfaces, or vanes, put in revolution. These vanes were four in
number, but were found entirely ineffectual in moving the
balloon, or in aiding its ascending power. The whole project
was thus a complete failure.
It was at this juncture that Mr. Monck Mason
(whose voyage from Dover to Weilburg in the balloon Nassau
occasioned so much excitement in 1837) conceived the idea of
employing the principle of the Archimedean screw for the
purpose of propulsion through the air- rightly attributing the
failure of Mr. Henson's scheme, and of Sir George Cayley's to
the interruption of surface in the independent vanes. He made
the first public experiment at Willis's Rooms, but afterward
removed his model to the Adelaide Gallery.
Like Sir George Cayley's balloon, his own was an
ellipsoid. Its length was 13 feet 6 inches- height, 6 feet 8
inches. It contained about 320 cubic feet of gas, which, if
pure hydrogen, would support 21 pounds upon its first
inflation, before the gas has time to deteriorate or escape.
The weight of the whole machine and apparatus was 17 pounds-
leaving about 4 pounds to spare. Beneath the centre of the
balloon, was a frame of light wood, about 9 feet long, and
rigged on to the balloon itself with a net-work in the
customary manner. From this framework was suspended a wicker
basket or car.
The screw consists of an axis of hollow brass
tube, 18 inches in length, through which, upon a semi-spiral
inclined at 15 degrees, pass a series of steel-wire radii, 2
feet long, and thus projecting a foot on either side. These
radii are connected at the outer extremities by 2 bands of
flattened wire; the whole in this manner forming the framework
of the screw, which is completed by a covering of oiled silk
cut into gores, and tightened so as to present a tolerably
uniform surface. At each end of its axis this screw is
supported by pillars of hollow brass tube descending from the
hoop. In the lower ends of these tubes are holes in which the
pivots of the axis revolve. From the end of the axis which is
next the car, proceeds a shaft of steel, connecting the screw
with the pinion of a piece of spring machinery fixed in the
car. By the operation of this spring, the screw is made to
revolve with great rapidity, communicating a progressive motion
to the whole. By means of the rudder, the machine was readily
turned in any direction. The spring was of great power,
compared with its dimensions, being capable of raising 45
pounds upon a barrel of 4 inches diameter, after the first
turn, and gradually increasing as it was wound up. It weighed,
altogether, eight pounds six ounces. The rudder was a light
frame of cane covered with silk, shaped somewhat like a
battledoor, and was about 3 feet long, and at the widest, one
foot. Its weight was about 2 ounces. It could be turned flat,
and directed upward or downward, as well as to the right or
left-, and thus enabled the aeronaut to transfer the resistance
of the air which in an inclined position it must generate in
its passage, to any side upon which he might desire to act;
thus determining the balloon in the opposite direction.
This model (which, through want of time, we have
necessarily described in an imperfect manner) was put in action
at the Adelaide Gallery, where it accomplished a velocity of 5
miles per hour; although, strange to say, it excited very
little interest in comparison with the previous complex machine
of Mr. Henson- so resolute is the world to despise anything
which carries with it an air of simplicity. To accomplish the
great desideratum of aerial navigation, it was very generally
supposed that some exceedingly complicated application must be
made of some unusually profound principle in dynamics.
So well satisfied, however, was Mr. Mason of the
ultimate success of his invention, that he determined to
construct immediately, if possible, a balloon of sufficient
capacity to test the question by a voyage of some extent; the
original design being to cross the British Channel, as before,
in the Nassau balloon. To carry out his views, he solicited and
obtained the patronage of Sir Everard Bringhurst and Mr.
Osborne, two gentlemen well known for scientific acquirement,
and especially for the interest they have exhibited in the
progress of aerostation. The project, at the desire of Mr.
Osborne, was kept a profound secret from the public- the only
persons entrusted with the design being those actually engaged
in the construction of the machine, which was built (under the
superintendence of Mr. Mason, Mr. Holland, Sir Everard
Bringhurst, and Mr. Osborne) at the seat of the latter
gentleman near Penstruthal, in Wales. Mr. Henson, accompanied
by his friend Mr. Ainsworth, was admitted to a private view of
the balloon, on Saturday last; when the two gentlemen made
final arrangements to be included in the adventure. We are not
informed for what reason the two seamen were also included in
the party- but in the course of a day or two, we shall put our
readers in possession of the minutest particulars respecting
this extraordinary voyage.
The balloon is composed of silk, varnished with
the liquid gum caoutchouc. It is of vast dimensions, containing
more than 40,000 cubic feet of gas; but as coal gas was
employed in place of the more expensive and inconvenient
hydrogen, the supporting power of the machine, when fully
inflated, and immediately after inflation, is not more than
about 2500 pounds. The coal gas is not only much less costly,
but is easily procured and managed.
For its introduction into common use for purposes
of aerostation, we are indebted to Mr. Charles Green. Up to his
discovery, the process of inflation was not only exceedingly
expensive, but uncertain. Two and even three days have
frequently been wasted in futile attempts to procure a
sufficiency of hydrogen to fill a balloon, from which it had
great tendency to escape, owing to its extreme subtlety, and
its affinity for the surrounding atmosphere. In a balloon
sufficiently perfect to retain its contents of coal gas
unaltered, in quantity or amount, for six months, an equal
quantity of hydrogen could not be maintained in equal purity
for six weeks.
The supporting power being estimated at 2500
pounds, and the united weights of the party amounting only to
about 1200, there was left a surplus of 1300, of which again
1200 was exhausted by ballast, arranged in bags of different
sizes, with their respective weights marked upon them- by
cordage, barometers, telescopes, barrels containing provision
for a fortnight, water-casks, cloaks, carpet-bags, and various
other indispensable matters, including a coffee-warmer,
contrived for warming coffee by means of slack-lime, so as to
dispense altogether with fire, if it should be judged prudent
to do so. All these articles, with the exception of the
ballast, and a few trifles, were suspended from the hoop
overhead. The car is much smaller and lighter, in proportion,
than the one appended to the model. It is formed of a light
wicker, and is wonderfully strong for so frail looking a
machine. Its rim is about 4 feet deep. The rudder is also very
much larger, in proportion, than that of the model; and the
screw is considerably smaller. The balloon is furnished besides
with a grapnel, and a guide-rope, which latter is of the most
indispensable importance. A few words, in explanation, will
here be necessary for such of our readers as are not conversant
with the details of aerostation.
As soon as the balloon quits the earth, it is
subjected to the influence of many circumstances tending to
create a difference in its weight; augmenting or diminishing
its ascending power. For example, there may be a deposition of
dew upon the silk, to the extent, even, of several hundred
pounds; ballast has then to be thrown out, or the machine may
descend. This ballast being discarded, and a clear sunshine
evaporating the dew, and at the same time expanding the gas in
the silk, the whole will again rapidly ascend. To check this
ascent, the only recourse is (or rather was, until Mr. Green's
invention of the guide-rope) the permission of the escape of
gas from the valve; but, in the loss of gas, is a proportionate
general loss of ascending power; so that, in a comparatively
brief period, the best-constructed balloon must necessarily
exhaust all its resources, and come to the earth. This was the
great obstacle to voyages of length.
The guide-rope remedies the difficulty in the
simplest manner conceivable. It is merely a very long rope
which is suffered to trail from the car, and the effect of
which is to prevent the balloon from changing its level in any
material degree. If, for example, there should be a deposition
of moisture upon, the silk, and the machine begins to descend
in consequence, there will be no necessity for discharging
ballast to remedy the increase of weight, for it is remedied,
or counteracted, in an exactly just proportion, by the deposit
on the ground of just so much of the end of the rope as is
necessary. If, on the other hand, any circumstances should
cause undue levity, and consequent ascent, this levity is
immediately counteracted by the additional weight of rope
upraised from the earth. Thus, the balloon can neither ascend
nor descend, except within very narrow limits, and its
resources, either in gas or ballast, remain comparatively
unimpaired. When passing over an expanse of water, it becomes
necessary to employ small kegs of copper or wood, filled with
liquid ballast of a lighter nature than water. These float, and
serve all the purposes of a mere rope on land. Another most
important office of the guide-rope, is to point out the
direction of the balloon. The rope drags, either on land or
sea, while the balloon is free; the latter, consequently, is
always in advance, when any progress whatever is made, a
comparison, therefore, by means of the compass, of the relative
positions of the two objects, will always indicate the course.
In the same way, the angle formed by the rope with the vertical
axis of the machine, indicates the velocity. When there is no
angle- in other words, when the rope hangs perpendicularly, the
whole apparatus is stationary; but the larger the angle, that
is to say, the farther the balloon precedes the end of the
rope, the greater the velocity; and the converse.
As the original design was to cross the British
Channel, and alight as near Paris as possible, the voyagers had
taken the precaution to prepare themselves with passports
directed to all parts of the Continent, specifying the nature
of the expedition, as in the case of the Nassau voyage, and
entitling the adventurers to exemption from the usual
formalities of office; unexpected events, however, rendered
these passports superfluous.
The inflation was commenced very quietly at
day-break, on Saturday morning, the 6th instant in the
courtyard of Wheal-Vor House, Mr. Osborne's seat, about a mile
from Penstruthal, in North Wales; and at 7 minutes past 11,
everything being ready for departure, the balloon was set free,
rising gently but steadily, in a direction nearly South; no use
being made, for the first half hour, of either the screw or the
rudder. We proceed now with the journal, as transcribed by Mr.
Forsyth from the joint MSS. of Mr. Monck Mason and Mr.
Ainsworth. The body of the journal, as given, is in the
handwriting of Mr. Mason, and a P. S. is appended, each day, by
Mr. Ainsworth, who has in preparation, and will shortly give
the public a more minute and, no doubt, a thrillingly
interesting account of the voyage.
THE JOURNAL
Saturday, April the 6th.- Every preparation
likely to embarrass us having been made overnight, we commenced
the inflation this morning at daybreak; but owing to a thick
fog which encumbered the folds of the silk and rendered it
unmanageable, we did not get through before nearly eleven
o'clock. Cut loose, then, in high spirits, and rose gently but
steadily, with a light breeze at North, which bore us in the
direction of the Bristol Channel. Found the ascending force
greater than we had expected; and as we arose higher and so got
clear of the cliffs, and more in the sun's rays, our ascent
became very rapid. I did not wish, however, to lose gas at so
early a period of the adventure, and so concluded to ascend for
the present. We soon ran out our guide-rope; but even when we
had raised it clear of the earth, we still went up very
rapidly. The balloon was unusually steady, and looked
beautifully. In about 10 minutes after starting, the barometer
indicated an altitude of 15,000 feet. The weather was
remarkably fine, and the view of the subjacent country- a most
romantic one when seen from any point- was now especially
sublime. The numerous deep gorges presented the appearance of
lakes, on account of the dense vapors with which they were
filled, and the pinnacles and crags to the South East, piled in
inextricable confusion, resembling nothing so much as the giant
cities of Eastern fable. We were rapidly approaching the
mountains in the South, but our elevation was more than
sufficient to enable us to pass them in safety. In a few
minutes we soared over them in fine style; and Mr. Ainsworth,
with the seamen, was surprised at their apparent want of
altitude when viewed from the car, the tendency of great
elevation in a balloon being to reduce inequalities of the
surface below, to nearly a dead level. At half-past eleven
still proceeding nearly South, we obtained our first view of
the Bristol Channel; and, in fifteen minutes afterward, the
line of breakers on the coast appeared immediately beneath us,
and we were fairly out at sea. We now resolved to let off
enough gas to bring our guide-rope, with the buoys affixed,
into the water. This was immediately done, and we commenced a
gradual descent. In about 20 minutes our first buoy dipped, and
at the touch of the second soon afterward, we remained
stationary as to elevation. We were all now anxious to test the
efficiency of the rudder and screw, and we put them both into
requisition forthwith, for the purpose of altering our
direction more to the eastward, and in a line for Paris. By
means of the rudder we instantly effected the necessary change
of direction, and our course was brought nearly at right angles
to that of the wind; when we set in motion the spring of the
screw, and were rejoiced to find it propel us readily as
desired. Upon this we gave nine hearty cheers, and dropped in
the sea a bottle, inclosing a slip of parchment with a brief
account of the principle of the invention. Hardly, however, had
we done with our rejoicings, when an unforeseen accident
occurred which discouraged us in no little degree. The steel
rod connecting the spring with the propeller was suddenly
jerked out of place, at the car end, (by a swaying of the car
through some movement of one of the two seamen we had taken
up,) and in an instant hung dangling out of reach, from the
pivot of the axis of the screw. While we were endeavoring to
regain it, our attention being completely absorbed, we became
involved in a strong current of wind from the East, which bore
us, with rapidly increasing force, toward the Atlantic. We soon
found ourselves driving out to sea at the rate of not less,
certainly, than 50 or 60 miles an hour, so that we came up with
Cape Clear, at some 40 miles to our North, before we had
secured the rod, and had time to think what we were about. It
was now that Mr. Ainsworth made an extraordinary but, to my
fancy, a by no means unreasonable or chimerical proposition, in
which he was instantly seconded by Mr. Holland-viz.: that we
should take advantage of the strong gale which bore us on, and
in place of beating back to Paris, make an attempt to reach the
coast of North America. After slight reflection, I gave a
willing assent to this bold proposition, which (strange to say)
met with objection from the two seamen only. As the stronger
party, however, we overruled their fears, and kept resolutely
upon our course. We steered due West; but as the trailing of
the buoys materially impeded our progress, and we had the
balloon abundantly at command, either for ascent or descent, we
first threw out fifty pounds of ballast, and then wound up (by
means of a windlass) so much of the rope as brought it quite
clear of the sea. We perceived the effect of this manoeuvre
immediately, in a vastly increased rate of progress; and, as
the gale freshened, we flew with a velocity nearly
inconceivable; the guide-rope flying out behind the car, like a
streamer from a vessel. It is needless to say that a very short
time sufficed us to lose sight of the coast. We passed over
innumerable vessels of all kinds, a few of which were
endeavoring to beat up, but the most of them lying to. We
occasioned the greatest excitement on board all- an excitement
greatly relished by ourselves, and especially by our two men,
who, now under the influence of a dram of Geneva, seemed
resolved to give all scruple, or fear, to the wind. Many of the
vessels fired signal guns; and in all we were saluted with loud
cheers (which we heard with surprising distinctness) and the
waving of caps and handkerchiefs. We kept on in this manner
throughout the day with no material incident, and, as the
shades of night closed around us, we made a rough estimate of
the distance traversed. It could not have been less than 500
miles, and was probably much more. The propeller was kept in
constant operation, and, no doubt, aided our progress
materially. As the sun went down, the gale freshened into an
absolute hurricane, and the ocean beneath was clearly visible
on account of its phosphorescence. The wind was from the East
all night, and gave us the brightest omen of success. We
suffered no little from cold, and the dampness of the
atmosphere was most unpleasant; but the ample space in the car
enabled us to lie down, and by means of cloaks and a few
blankets we did sufficiently well.
P.S. [by Mr. Ainsworth.] The last nine hours have
been unquestionably the most exciting of my life. I can
conceive nothing more sublimating than the strange peril and
novelty of an adventure such as this. May God grant that we
succeed! I ask not success for mere safety to my insignificant
person, but for the sake of human knowledge and- for the
vastness of the triumph. And yet the feat is only so evidently
feasible that the sole wonder is why men have scrupled to
attempt it before. One single gale such as now befriends us-
let such a tempest whirl forward a balloon for 4 or 5 days
(these gales often last longer) and the voyager will be easily
borne, in that period, from coast to coast. In view of such a
gale the broad Atlantic becomes a mere lake. I am more struck,
just now, with the supreme silence which reigns in the sea
beneath us, notwithstanding its agitation, than with any other
phenomenon presenting itself. The waters give up no voice to
the Heavens. The immense flaming ocean writhes and is tortured
uncomplainingly. The mountainous surges suggest the idea of
innumerable dumb gigantic fiends struggling in impotent agony.
In a night such as is this to me, a man lives- lives a whole
century of ordinary life- nor would I forego this rapturous
delight for that of a whole century of ordinary existence.
Sunday, the 7th. [Mr. Mason's MS.] This morning
the gale, by 10, had subsided to an eight- or nine- knot breeze
(for a vessel at sea), and bears us, perhaps, 30 miles per
hour, or more. It has veered, however, very considerably to the
North; and now, at sundown, we are holding our course due West,
principally by the screw and rudder, which answer their
purposes to admiration. I regard the project as thoroughly
successful, and the easy navigation of the air in any direction
(not exactly in the teeth of a gale) as no longer
problematical. We could not have made head against the strong
wind of yesterday, but, by ascending, we might have got out of
its influence, if requisite. Against a pretty stiff breeze, I
feel convinced, we can make our way with the propeller. At
noon, today, ascended to an elevation of nearly 25,000 feet,
(about the height of Cotopaxi) by discharging ballast. Did this
to search for a more direct current, but found none so
favorable as the one we are now in. We have an abundance of gas
to take us across this small pond, even should the voyage last
3 weeks. I have not the slightest fear for the result. The
difficulty has been strangely exaggerated and misapprehended. I
can choose my current, and should I find all currents against
me, I can make very tolerable headway with the propeller. We
have had no incidents worth recording. The night promises
fair.
P.S. [By Mr. Ainsworth.] I have little to record,
except the fact (to me quite a surprising one) that, at an
elevation equal to that of Cotopaxi, I experienced neither very
intense cold, nor headache, nor difficulty of breathing;
neither, I find, did Mr. Mason, nor Mr. Holland, nor Sir
Everard. Mr. Osborne complained of constriction of the chest-
but this soon wore off. We have flown at a great rate during
the day, and we must be more than half way across the Atlantic.
We have passed over some 20 or 30 vessels of various kinds, and
all seem to be delightfully astonished. Crossing the ocean in a
balloon is not so difficult a feat after all. Omne ignotum pro
magnifico. Mem.: at 25,000 feet elevation the sky appears
nearly black, and the stars are distinctly visible; while the
sea does not seem convex (as one might suppose) but absolutely
and most unequivocally concave.*
* "Mr. Ainsworth has not attempted to account for this phenomenon, which however, is quite susceptible of explanation. A line dropped from an elevation of 25,000 feet, perpendicularly to the surface of the earth (or sea), would form the perpendicular of a right-angled triangle, of which the base would extend from the right angle to the horizon, and the hypothenuse from the horizon to the balloon. But the 25,000 feet of altitude is little or nothing, in comparison with the extent of the prospect. In other words, the base and hypothenuse of the supposed triangle would be so long, when compared with the perpendicular, that the two former may be regarded as nearly parallel. In this manner the horizon of the aeronaut would appear to be on a level with the car. But, as the point immediately beneath him seems, and is, at a great distance below him, it seems, of course, also, at a great distance below the horizon. Hence the impression of concavity; and this impression must remain, until the elevation shall bear so great a proportion to the extent of prospect, that the apparent parallelism of the base and hypothenuse disappears- when the earth's real convexity must appear.
Monday, the 8th. [Mr. Mason's MS.] This morning
we had again some little trouble with the rod of the propeller,
which must be entirely remodelled, for fear of serious
accident- I mean the steel rod, not the vanes. The latter could
not be improved. The wind has been blowing steadily and
strongly from the North-East all day; and so far fortune seems
bent upon favoring us. Just before day, we were all somewhat
alarmed at some odd noises and concussions in the balloon,
accompanied with the apparent rapid subsidence of the whole
machine. These phenomena were occasioned by the expansion of
the gas, through increase of heat in the atmosphere, and the
consequent disruption of the minute particles of ice with which
the network had become encrusted during the night. Threw down
several bottles to the vessels below. Saw one of them picked up
by a large ship- seemingly one of the New York line packets.
Endeavored to make out her name, but could not be sure of it.
Mr. Osbornes telescope made it out something like "Atalanta."
It is now 12 at night, and we are still going nearly West, at a
rapid pace. The sea is peculiarly phosphorescent.
P.S. [By Mr. Ainsworth.] It is now 2 A.M., and
nearly calm, as well as I can judge- but it is very difficult
to determine this point since we move with the air so
completely. I have not slept since quitting Wheal-Vor, but can
stand it no longer, and must take a nap. We cannot be far from
the American coast.
Tuesday, the 9th. [Mr. Ainsworth's MS.] One, P.M.
We are in full view of the low coast of South Carolina. The
great problem is accomplished. We have crossed the Atlantic-
fairly and easily crossed it in a balloon! God be praised! Who
shall say that anything is impossible hereafter?
The Journal here ceases. Some particulars of
the descent were communicated, however, by Mr. Ainsworth to Mr.
Forsyth. It was nearly dead calm when the voyagers first came
in view of the coast, which was immediately recognized by both
the seamen, and by Mr. Osborne. The latter gentleman having
acquaintances at Fort Moultrie, it was immediately resolved to
descend in its vicinity. The balloon was brought over the beach
(the tide being out and the sand hard, smooth, and admirably
adapted for a descent), and the grapnel let go, which took firm
hold at once. The inhabitants of the Island, and of the Fort,
thronged out, of course, to see the balloon; but it was with
the greatest difficulty that any one could be made to credit
the actual voyage- the crossing of the Atlantic. The grapnel
caught at 2 P.M. precisely; and thus the whole voyage was
completed in 75 hours; or rather less, counting from shore to
shore. No serious accident occurred. No real danger was at any
time apprehended. The balloon was exhausted and secured without
trouble; and when the MS. from which this narrative is compiled
was despatched from Charleston, the party were still at Fort
Moultrie. Their further intentions were not ascertained; but we
can safely promise our readers some additional information
either on Monday or in the course of the next day, at
furthest.
This is unquestionably the most stupendous, the
most interesting, and the most important undertaking ever
accomplished or even attempted by man. What magnificent events
may ensue, it would be useless now to think of determining.