The one great attempt at exploring by balloon which has so far been made has, unfortunately, met with hopeless and terrible disaster--this was the ill-fated voyage to the North Pole of Andrée and his companions. The idea of reaching the Pole by balloon was first proposed many years ago, and both French and English aeronauts at different times have made suggestions as to the best way in which it might be accomplished. Nothing, however, was attempted until about the year 1894, when M. S. A. Andrée, a well-known Swedish balloonist, who had already met with exciting experiences in the air, made up his mind actually to risk the venture. His plan was to take a suitable balloon, and the apparatus for inflating it, to a place as far north as a ship could safely go, then to fill the balloon and wait for a favourable wind which should carry him right over the Pole and beyond until inhabited country was reached. By the summer of 1896 all his preparations were complete. His balloon was an enormous one, capable of holding 162,000 cubic feet of gas, and was fitted with a rudder sail and a long trail-rope, by means of which Andrée hoped to be able to some extent to steer his course across the ice. Two companions were to accompany him on his voyage, and on June 7th the party embarked with all their apparatus, and were conveyed to Spitzbergen. They landed at Dane’s Island, where their first work was to build themselves a shed. They then got their gas-making apparatus into order, and filled the balloon, and by the 27th of July were all ready for a start. But the wind was contrary, and day after day they waited in vain for a change, until at last the captain of the ship which had brought them warned them they would be frozen in for the winter unless they returned without delay. Very reluctantly, therefore, they abandoned their venture for that year, and went home, leaving behind them the shed and gas-generator for another occasion. The winter passed, and by the end of next May they were back again at Dane’s Island. Their shed and apparatus had suffered damage during their absence, and had to be repaired, and their preparations were not complete until the end of June. But again the wind was contrary, and for three weeks more they waited impatiently. All this while the balloon remained inflated, and by the long delay must have lost a considerable amount of its buoyancy. At last the wind changed, and though it was not exactly in the direction they wished, being a little west of south, instead of due south, Andrée felt he could wait no longer, and at half-past two in the afternoon of July 11th set sail, with his two friends, on his daring voyage. What followed is soon told. Eleven days later one of the carrier pigeons taken by Andrée in his balloon was picked up by a fishing-boat off Spitzbergen. Fastened to it was the following message:--“July 13th, 12.30 P.M. 82° 2´ north lat., 15° 5´ east long. Good journey eastward. All goes well on board.--ANDRÉE.”