Maximilianus Hell (1720-1792) - Munin

they decided to suggest to, and indeed convince the supremely gracious
King that he too should facilitate a scientific expedition by the
North Pole, with Vardøhus island the destination. In those days, the
highest ministers closest to the King’s table were His Excellency
Count Bernstorff, that immortally famed head and administrator of
foreign affairs, along with His Excellency Count Otto von Thott, a
man well versed in all branches of the sciences and Supreme Minister
of the realms belonging to the King of Denmark, as well as His
Excellency Count von Moltke, the highest administrator of finances
and all the arts. 1
This triumvirate of ministers at the King’s court, then, decided
among themselves that a scientific expedition ought to be sent to
the island of Vardøhus under the auspices of their supremely gracious
King. And as soon as they obtained the consent of the Supreme
King — who is Himself well versed in the mathematical sciences, as
befits His Royal Dignity 2 — and had their proposal confirmed
through His most benign approval, they all (as I learned later),
thanks to some hidden and downright miraculous instinct of Divine
Providence, all voted unanimously that the one to undertake this expedition
under the auspices of the King, was to be me. The will of
the King supported the proposal, whereas I for my part did not have
the faintest idea that any such deliberations and casting of votes
took place.
Thus, in the month of August 1767 a letter was sent from His
Excellency Count von Bernstorff, the Prime Minister (as I explained
above) at the Royal court in Copenhagen, addressed to His Excellency
Count von Bachoff, the Danish King’s ambassador at the
Imperial and Royal court in Vienna. The letter contained the deliberations
of the King of Denmark concerning this scientific expedition,
to be presented to me by His Excellency von Bachoff. Accordingly,
on the 5 th of September I, who did not have the slightest idea that
anything of this sort was going to happen, was invited to the place
of von Bachoff, and upon my arrival the ambassador revealed to me
the ideas and wishes of his supremely gracious court, making me
understand that the highest ministry had singled out Vardøhus in
Finnmark, an island
1. Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff (1712-1772), Minister of Foreign
Affairs from 1754 to 1770. Count Otto von Thott (1703-1785), Interior Minister
from 1763 to 1770. Count Adam Gottlob Moltke (1710-1792), Privy
Councillor and administrator of the King’s treasury from 1747 to 1766 and
again Privy Councillor as well as head of the “Overskattedirektion” from 1768
to 1770.
2. “who is Himself ... Royal Dignity”: this phrase is found only in A.
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