city of Paris.  He has at last received news of his balloon.”—­“Where did it fall?” asked the Emperor.  “At Rome, Sire!”—­“Ah, that is really very singular.”—­“Yes, Sire; Garnerin’s balloon has thus, in twenty-four hours, shown your imperial crown in the two capitals of the world.”  Then the minister related to his Majesty the following details, which were published at the time, but which I think sufficiently interesting to be repeated here.

Garnerin had attached to his balloon the following notice:  “The balloon carrying this letter was sent up at Paris on the evening of the 25th Frimaire (Dec. 16) by Monsieur Garnerin, special aeronaut of his Majesty the Emperor of Russia, and ordinary aeronaut of the French government, on the occasion of a fete given by the city of Paris to the Emperor Napoleon, celebrating his coronation.  Whoever finds this balloon will please inform M. Garnerin, who will go to the spot.”

The aeronaut expected, doubtless, to receive notice next day that his balloon had fallen in the plain of Saint-Denis, or in that of Grenelle; for it is to be presumed that he hardly dreamed of going to Rome when he engaged to go to the spot.  More than fifteen days passed before he received the expected notice; and he had probably given up his balloon as lost, when there came the following letter from the nuncio of his Holiness: 

“Cardinal Caprara is charged by his Excellency Cardinal Gonsalvi, Secretary of State of His Holiness, to remit to M. Garnerin a copy of a letter dated Dec. 18.  He hastens to send it, and also to add a copy of the note which accompanied it.  The cardinal also takes this occasion to assure Monsieur Garnerin of his highest esteem.”

To this letter was added a translation of the report made to the cardinal, secretary of state at Rome, by the Duke of Mondragone, and dated from Anguillora, near Rome, Dec. 18: 

“Yesterday evening about twenty-four o’clock there passed through the air a globe of astonishing size, which fell upon Lake Bracciano, and had the appearance of a house.  Boatmen were sent to bring it to land; but they were not able to do so, as a high wind prevailed, accompanied by snow.  This morning early they succeeded in bringing it ashore.  This globe is of oiled silk, covered with netting, and the wire gallery is a little broken.  It seems to have been lighted by lamps and colored lanterns, of which much debris remains.  Attached to the globe was found the following notice.” (Which is given above).

Thus we see that this balloon, which left Paris at seven o’clock on the evening of Dec. 16, had fallen next day, the 17th, near Rome, at twenty-four o’clock, that is to say, at sunset.  It had crossed France, the Alps, etc., and passed over a space of more than three hundred leagues in twenty-two hours, its rate of speed being then fifteen leagues (45 miles) per hour; and, what renders this still more remarkable, is the fact that its weight was increased by decorations weighing five hundred pounds.