Monck Mason's account of the famous 1836 flight from London to Weilburg, in which he was a participant, is a classic of ballooning which vividly conveys the flavor of the adventures of the early aeronauts as well as offering a valuable insight into contemporary knowledge of the subject. It describes this night flight as: "like cleaving our way through black marble." The aeronautical expedition described was made on Nov. 7-8, 1836, and covered about 480 miles, the longest balloon voyage on record until it was surpassed by John Wise in 1859. This voyage, together with later activities of Green...