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After this examination, which showed that the envelope inflated with air did not lose its contents to any appreciable extent, the balloon was emptied, and was then given the last coat of varnish. This having been done, it was again inflated for the purpose of drying.

The net suspended by the crown, in the centre of the central dome, and with the suspending ropes attached to the balustrade of the first gallery, presented the appearance of a vast tent, the summit of which was 131 to 164 feet above the ground.

STAFF-OFFICERS OF THE EXPEDITION.

The car, the valves, and in short all the articles made at Paris were exhibited at the Champ de Mars. A little balloon of 1,148 feet, fully equipped, and inflated with air, suspended by the side of the polar balloon, served for comparison. This exhibition, which was not arranged with a view to profit, was thrown open to the public from the 10th to the 14th of May.

The 10th of May was reserved for special guests, and M. Félix Faure, President of the French Republic, was the first visitor. He took much interest in the various parts of the balloon, which he examined at length, and in the details of its construction. He expressed his best wishes for the success of this interesting expedition.