BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 81
earth. After the lapse of nearly an hour and a half, he anchored in Doddington
Moor, when some people getting hold of the ropes, he was carried to Barmoor
in Northumberland, where he descended. The aeronaut had been invited
to Kelso by the gentlemen of the Caledonian Hunt. While here he was
much delighted with the races, and in one of his letters alludes to a match
between the Duke of Hamilton and Robert Baird, Esq., who rode their- own
horses; he likens the contest to the ancient Olympic games. “He dined on
Saturday with Sir James Douglas of Springwoodpark, and supped with the
gentlemen of the Caledonian Hunt. On Sunday he was entertained by Sir
James Pringle,l at Stitchel ; on Monday by Lord Home at Hirsel, and same
evening by the ancient Lodge of Freemasons.” He is stated also to have taken
“much notice of the two Miss Halls of Thornton, Miss Wilkie of Doddington,
and Miss Car of Newcastle,” who no doubt were highly gratified by his condescension
! !
Glasgow was next visited by the aeronaut, where he ascended from St.
Andrew Square on the 23d of November. A crowd of nearly 100,000 persons
had assembled to witness his flight. The balloon took a north-east direction
for about 25 miles ; the wind then changing, he was carried south-east until he
descended near Alemoor, in Selkirkshire, having passed over a distance of 125
miles in two hours. Lunardi thus describes his descent : “ When I came in sight
of the heathy hills I heard a voice call, ‘ Lunardi, come down ! ’ quite plain, and I
knew not who it was. I saw at a distance sheep feeding, but could not see a
human being. I called aloud several times through the hill, and after a minute, or
seventy seconds, I could hear the. echo of my words returned as loud as they were
pronounced, but I never had repeated ‘ Lunardi, come down,’ though I heard
these words several times repeated, on which I answered through the trumpet,
‘ Hallo, hallo,’ with a great voice. I heard the words ‘ Lunardi, hallo,’ repeated,
and being now quite free from interruption of clouds, I could see distinctly some
people on horseback ; at last I hastened my descent between two hills, where I
came down as light as a feather. Two trembling shepherds came to me, an old
man and a boy, whom I encouraged by calling to them, ‘ My dear friends, come
hither.’ At this time Mr. and
Mrs. Chisholm of Stirches happened to be returning on horseback from a visit,
who very kindly received Mr. Lunardi, at whose suggestion Mrs. Chisholm boldly
took possession of the car, resigning her horse to the aeronaut, and while some
shepherds held on by the ropes, the party thus proceeded to a distance of nearly
three miles. Lunardi spent the night at Stirches, and dined next day with the
magistrates of Hawick, who presented him with the freedom of the town.
Mr. Lunardi made a second ascent from Glasgow on the 5th of December,
and, as on the former occasion, he was witnessed by a vast concourseof people.
His ascent was very majestic ; but he did not’ proceed to 8 great distance, hav-
They crossed the water and came up to me.”
Sir James succeeded his uncle, Sic John Pringle, F.R.S., the distinguished physician and
cultivator of science, who accompanied the Duke of Cumberland to Scotland, and remained with the
army after the battle of Culloden till its return to England in August 1746.
M
