HOSTILE BALLOONS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 16, Issue 905, 30 December 1870, Page 3

HOSTILE BALLOONS.

The following extraordinary statement appears in the Nouvelles du Jour, a Belgian paper. The intelligence was conveyed in a note to that journal from one .of their correspondents at the seat of war, which note was,conveyed to Brussels by a .carrier pigeon :^ Paris, October 1. Nadar returned yesterday to Paris. His return was not, however, effected without much trouble, although his balloon was directed by a good wind and favorable currents since his departure tfrom Tours, but let me relate the particulars of the voyage in chronological order. He left Tours at 6 o'clock in the morning, and the bold aeronaut arrived in view of Paris at 11 o'clock, floating about .3,000 metres above the fort of Charenton. At the same time as the was the name of M. Nadar's balloon—appeared in sight, a second ballon was seen in the horfzon. M. Nadar was observed to display a long streamer with the French national colors, Immediately afterwards a national flag floated from the car of the other balloon. Vigorous hurrahs and cries of " jC'est Durouff," from the garrison of the fort, greeted the appearance of the two aeronauts, whose balloons gradually approached. Suddenly, and when at a short distance from each other, a loud report was heard in the air, which report was followed by a series of explosions. These were at first supposed to be victorious signals or demonstration, jjintil M. Nadar was seen to fling himself into the netting of his balloon, and to cling to its sides. During this time the other aeronant continued discharging shots at M. Nadar and his balloon. The Intrepide was descending rapidly, and it .appeared evident to the spectators below that some incomprehensible event had happened above. But mark what the French flag of the neighbouring balloon x;ame to. It was withdrawn, and a black and yellow standard was observed to be .floating in iis place. AH was explained. * Treason ;!' 'ltis a Prussian balloon 1' <* He has fired on the Intrepide 1' were the cries that burst simultaneously from the French people. Nadar was supposed to have been lost. He was seen to .descend rapidly in his car, and his balloon had once more nearly reached the earth. He, however, casts out his ballast, and he again ascends. M. Nadar again clambers up the network of his balloon, and by a marvellous effort, he succeeds in stopping ; the hole made in his balloon by the shot of his adversary. The Intrepide then becomes the assailant, and several shots were fired from the car into the Prussian -balloon, which suddenly whirled about .and fell to the ground with giddy velocity. As soon as it reached the eath a detachment of Uhlans, who were on the plain, and who had been following the aerial .combatants throughout this exciting struggle, rushed forth and, surrounding the JbailooUj received their champion—God knows in what condition. They then hastened oft at full speed to the Prussian advanced posts. In the meantime M. Nadar descended safely at Charenton, where he still is at this moment. The Echo du Parlement, commenting on this recital, observes: —" While the Nouvelles du Jour was publishing that ,extraordinary t account of an aerial combat, we read in the correspondence addressed from Versailles to the Times of the 30ih of Sept. the following paragraph :—' An inexplicable phenomenon has jus: been witnessed at Versailles. Two balloons attached to .each other were seen hovering over Paris, moved by a strong east wind in the direction of the forest of St. Ger.main. While the gentleman who narrated these facts to me was gazing at the aeronauts, his little daughter asked him to let her view the balloons through his spyglass. Scarcely bad she distinguished the objects in the air when she exclaimed, * They have fallen.' The balloons had disappeared suddenly behind the trees. The Brussels journal also states that a smaller balloon was perceived about the same time above. Neffe, near Bastogne, near which place it seemed to have slowly descended. It was supposed to haye .ascended from the garrison in Metz.