Hisdescriptionofanencounterwithastorm—cloudintheJuneof1843hasaninterestofitsown，andmaynotbeconsideredoverdrawn。ItwasanascentfromCarlisle，Pa。，tocelebratetheanniversaryofBunker’sHill，andWisewasanxioustogratifythelargeconcourseofpeopleassembled，andthuswastempted，soonafterleavingtheground，todiveupintoahugeblackcloudofpeculiarlyforbiddingaspect。Thiscloudappearedtoremainstationarywhilehesweptbeneathit，and，havingreacheditscentralposition，heobservedthatitsundersurfacewasconcavetowardstheearth，andatthatmomenthebecamesweptupwardsinavortexthatsethisballoonspinningandswingingviolently，whilehehimselfwasafflictedwithviolentnauseaandafeelingofsuffocation。Thecoldexperiencednowbecameintense，andthecordagebecameglazedwithice，yetthishadnoeffectincheckingtheupwardwhirlingoftheballoon。Sunshinewasbeyondtheupperlimitsofthecloud;butthiswasnosoonerreachedthantheballoon，escapingfromtheuprush，plungeddownseveralhundredfeet，onlytobewhirledupagain，andthisreciprocalmotionwasrepeatedeightortentimesduringanintervaloftwentyminutes，inallofwhichtimenoexpenditureofgasordischargeofballastenabledtheaeronauttoregainanycontroloverhisvessel。
StatementsconcerningathunderstormwitnessedatshortrangebyWisewillcomparewithotheraccounts。Thethunder\"rattled\"withoutanyreverberations，andwhenthestormwaspassing，andsomedensecloudsmovingintheuppercurrents，the\"surfaceofthelowerstratumswelledupsuddenlylikeaboilingcauldron，whichwasimmediatelyfollowedbythemostbrilliantebullitionofsparklingcoruscations。\"Green，inhisstormyascentfromNewbury，England，witnessedathunderstormbelowhim，aswillberemembered，whileanuppercloudstratumlayathisownlevel。ItwasthenthatGreenobservedthat\"ateverydischargeofthunderallthedetachedpillarsofcloudswithinthedistanceofamilearoundbecameattracted。\"
Theauthorwillhaveoccasion，indueplace，togivepersonalexperiencesofanencounterwithathunderstormwhichwillcomparewiththeforegoingdescription。
CHAPTERIX。EARLYMETHODSANDIDEAS。
Beforeproceedingtointroducethechiefactorsandtheirachievementsintheperiodnextbeforeus，itwillbeinstructivetoglanceatsomeoftheprincipalideasandmethodsinfavourwithaeronautsuptothedatenowreached。