File:(The grand British balloon.) (BM 1868,0808.5392).jpg

The balloon is round and is crossed horizontally and diagonally by exterior galleries. On its summit stands the British lion, crowned and holding an admiral's flag. Round the equator of the balloon is a carved projecting gallery on which are tents and one or two men whose minute size shows the large scale of the balloon. A single larger tent (right) is 'A Tent for the Inspector of the Cordage'; a row of smaller tents (left), 'Tents for the Aerial Navigators and Pumpers'. A feathered wing projects from each side of the balloon: 'small wings for Ornament'. On the centre of the upper half of the balloon is a royal crown, with above it '2440' (cf. Mercier, 'L'An 2440, rêve, s'il en fût jamais', 1772) and below it 'G.R.' A platform supported on a carved bracket, a 'Gallery for mounting Guard', projects in profile from the central gallery (left); it is crowded with men, one of whom looks through a telescope. A lantern on a vertical post is erected at the point of junction of this platform with the balloon; it is 'The Light House'. Attached to this platform by ropes is 'A small Balloon to serve as a Boat'; it resembles Lunardi's balloon and in its basket is a man. In large letters across the balloon below the gallery are the words 'Pro Bono Publico'. 'Pipes to let out the Inflammable Air' project from the centre of the lower half of the balloon and also in profile to the left; below the latter is a platform on which are men; the pipes emit smoke.
The balloon is connected with the ship beneath by stout and elaborate cordage on pulleys, including two pairs of triple 'Rope Ladders to which the Ship is fastened'; and also by a large cylinder or pipe which enters the balloon at its lowest point, this is 'The Grand Aerostatic Pipe'. The ship is elaborate and fantastic, its bows (right), projecting in a spike, terminate in a sail; on this spike 'A Cannon for Signals' is being fixed. Behind it, let into the bows, are organ-pipes; they have been removed from the 1798 reissue. Below is a row of large windows; they are 'Ordinances and Coffee Houses'. On the deck of the ship are elaborate buildings: at the stern (left) is a building with a steeple, a turret, a bell under a pent-house, and a baroque façade; it resembles a church, but in the republican version of 1798 is 'The Hospital'. Beside it is a platform supporting a gigantic telescope which projects beyond the stern of the balloon. Three men stand by it, one looking through it, another holding a flag. They are 'Aerial Officers on the look out'. The roof of a smaller building in the bows is 'The General's House'. To the deck of the ship (right) is attached a large sail, the upper part of which is attached to the balloon by cords and pulleys. In the side of the ship is a row of rectangular apertures, open, through each of which projects the muzzle of a gun. Below is a row of tall windows, each with a pediment, 'Apartments for Officers'. A large and ornate projection from the stern, on which is a small building with a round tower, is 'The Helm', the building being 'The Lodge of the Helm-Keeper'.
Below the keel of the ship and attached to it by ropes and pulleys are three other elaborate appendages. In the centre hangs a large cask, one end of which is approached by a gangway or rope-ladder from the ship.
This is 'Grand Magazine of Combustibles'. On the left is a cage, resembling that of a parrot, but with two floors, both crowded with people; on the lower floor there is also a tent. A broad gangway, crowded with people, connects it with the ship. A small rectangular building beside the cage is approached by a rope-ladder from the gangway. The cage, gangway, &c, have all been removed from the 1798 plate and are therefore unexplained. [In a French version they are explained as 'Filles de bonne volonté dans leur Hôtel garni'] From the bows of the ship is suspended a cottage-shaped building, also approached by a gangway on which are figures; this is 'The Water Closet'. The summit of a rocky mountain is sketched in the lower right corner of the design. For anticipations of aerial warfare see BMSat 6435, &c, 6799. 14 December 1784