July I drew his attention to this plan, and he highly approved of these snap-loops.
From Mr Hamptom, London, February 1, 1850.
I hope you will get the book safe. This day I start for Dublin by sea. Mr Gale is, I am told, at Hull, giving lectures. If you see the Hull paper, see what they say about him and let me hear from you soon.
←56 | 57→
From Mr Hampton, Stove Tenters, Cork Street, Dublin, February 13, 1850.
The Mr Sheppard that Hampton disparages was George Sheppard, inventor of a small silk balloon later used by the 1852 Franklin Relief Expedition. The balloon automatically dropped printed messages giving details of the location of the rescue party.
I received your kind letter this morning and I thank you much for the information therein. I agree with you that the inventions you speak of will die away to nothing. As for the trial made by Mr Sheppard in the Park, it shews he knows nothing about balloons, and he is doing Aerostation a deal of harm.3 I find that another expedition is to be sent out. My plans are before the Lords of the Admiralty. Gale does not seem to do much. Let me know if you hear more about him, I wish to know all I can, and you seem to get more information than I do here.
I am sorry they do not treat you better at your office but take my advice, and keep it till you can better yourself. We shall see what luck I have. I hope to see you this spring or in course of the summer. I will send you my papers as soon as I can get settled. We had a dreadful time of it, being at sea six nights and days. We were out at sea the night of the frightful storm, but thanks be to God, we are safe.
From Mr Hampton, Stove Tenters, Cork Street, Dublin, February 19, 1850.
James Goulston, ‘a great friend’ of Gale, was a professional aeronaut. On occasions he ascended under the name of Guiseppe Lunardi, the alias no doubt intended to suggest a relationship with the renowned aeronaut Vincenzo Lunardini.
I received your kind letter this day. If Gale comes to Leeds, do not say that you know much of me, nor that I was at Leeds, as he may say to you what he thinks proper about me. The foolish man thinks I have been doing him some injury at the Admiralty and that I have done so with Lady Franklin, this I have not, but I fear he has some enemy that has done so, and this I told him when I saw him in London.
I have again sent my drawing with some improvement at the Admiralty on Saturday last, and I will let you know what the result is when I receive a ←57 | 58→reply. Do not tell Gale this when you see him, also say that from what you have heard that I have not done much in Ireland, nor do you think lectures or balloon ascents will do much in Ireland. The fact is I do not wish him to come here this summer, there is not enough for two, therefore we shall only injure each other. I hear that Coxwell has not left London, nor do I think he will, from what I hear he has got the balloon he had ‘locked up’ and I should not be much surprised if he was to get in with Mr Goulston, and get the management of the balloon Gale had and to throw out Gale.4 Gale has been a very foolish man by not acting right to Mr Goulston, that gentleman has been a great friend to him, I am told.
In my opinion Gale’s letter to Lady Franklin will not serve him much. I agree with you that Sheppard has made a bad thing of ballooning, and that the Admiralty has not shown much judgment in not having an experienced aeronaut. Continue to send me all the news you can, and I will do the same to you. Should Gale come to Leeds, notice if anyone is with him, that is, in partnership, if so, let me know their name if you can.
From Mr Hampton, Stove Tenters, Cork Street, Dublin, March 1, 1850.
Gale’s supposed partner, identified simply as Dean, was Joseph Dean, alias Captain Bedey. This aeronaut was later to play an extensive, and at times intrusive, part in Brown’s own aeronautical endeavours.
I have just received your letter. I am very sorry to hear the account you give of poor Gale’s bad success, he must be in a frightful state. I wish you had the means of buying the things, if they are sold, I have no doubt he would sell the whole for £5. I cannot spare the money or I would send it to you. Should you think of having them, mind how you make your bargain. He had a silk balloon when in London, you should try and get this in for the £5. If you have the means of getting them, they may be of great use to you next winter. It would be better that you should have them than a stranger. I have seen them when in London and they are worth, without the silk balloon, £5, and the silk balloon is worth about fifteen shillings. I would ←58 | 59→not give more than £5 for the lot. Was anyone with him as a partner, and had he a man attending him named Dean? If he had no one with him as a partner, I cannot make out how he has kept up against these losses.5
I have received a letter of thanks from the Lords of the Admiralty for my invention, this is two letters I have received, besides what I have had from Lady Franklin. I have written again to Lady Franklin, and when I get a reply you shall know. I have got my model fire balloon done and I shall next week try some experiments, the result you shall know. Shall we have the pleasure of seeing you this summer? I hope we shall. I think of getting up my Surveying Balloon if I can raise the money to do so, it would tell well to have an experimental trial here, I have no doubt. I find the solution you first told me of has answered well, it prevents the linen getting into a blaze, only burning a hole, and goes out as soon as it is taken from the fire. Let me hear again from you, and state what poor Gale is doing, etc. I would readily assist him had I the means of doing so. I fear he will find that Coxwell is no friend to him.
From Mr Hampton, Stove Tenters, Cork Street, Dublin, March 5, 1850.
I have just received your letter of the 3rd instant. Do not think that I doubt you, this I do not. I am glad to hear that you have been on friendly terms with Mr Gale, and I hope he will not forget your kindness to him in the hour of adversity. My reason for wishing you not to say much about me was that he would not be so free with you if he knew that you and I were so friendly as we are. You will not deny yourself the right of free communication with Mr Gale or any other person – all I ask is not to state my plans, etc. Did you hear Gale say that the Admiralty had noticed his plans or not? I much fear they have not, for if I speak the truth, I do not think they will send out anything of the sort. Though I have received a letter of thanks, as I stated to you in my last, it does not lead me to suppose that they will adapt my plans, but I shall know more in a day or two, and will then write to you again. I cannot make out how poor Gale gets away from ←59 | 60→the different towns without paying, which he must, if he has had such bad success, rent, printing etc, must be paid.
It is just what I stated to you some time back respecting Coxwell, and getting the balloon from Gale, and you will find I fear that he, Coxwell, will work Gale of out Goulston’s favour, and I think it will not take much to do this from what I hear when I was in London. Mr Goulston has been a good friend to Gale, but Gale has not acted as he ought, so it is stated. What he will do I cannot think, he has a large family to support.
I shall do my best to bring out the new fire balloon this summer, if I can do so. I have got my model done and shall try it in a day or two. You misunderstand me respecting the placing of the fire. I never thought of putting it so high as the zone of the balloon, for two reasons, one is that I should scorch the top of the balloon while the lower part would receive the heat. If I have the pleasure of seeing you soon, you then shall see all my plans, and you will then judge accordingly.
From J. MacSweeny Esq., Cork, March 6, 1850.
The book by Monck Mason, so far mentioned a number of times, was titled Aeronautica; Or, Sketches Illustrative of the Theory and Practice of Aerostation: Comprising an Enlarged Account of the Late Aerial Expedition to Germany. It was published in 1838 and gained its author a certain notoriety. Mason was by profession a musician and never piloted a balloon, always travelling as a passenger.
