AEROSTATION. Gaston PLANTÉ (1834-1889) physicist, inventor of the electric accumulator. L.A.S., Bellevue-sous-Meudon August 19, 1884, to Gaston Tissandier; 3pages in-8, envelope. He warns him that, "if you were to try, with an ordinary electric machine, the action of an egret on the mixture of air and hydrogen, and if an ignition did not occur, you should not conclude that the spark itself is absolutely necessary, and that in the atmosphere, you would have no danger to run by the manifestation of electricity in this form. The egrets on our machines are not fed like those that can be produced by atmospheric electricity, and which are often veritable flames. It's always a question of degree, or in this case, quantity of electricity. I implore you, therefore, never to expose yourself to an ascent in stormy weather or weather threatening to become stormy. If there is a God for aeronauts, as you rightly say, and as there is, moreover, for all men, whatever the kind of trials we have to undergo, we must not, however, brave nature"... Enclosed is a print by G. Tissandier, Sur l'application des moteurs électriques et des piles secondaires de M. G. Planté à la direction des aérostats, 1881 (3p. in-4).