Maximilianus Hell (1720-1792) - Munin

he was already a famous and well known figure (a.). 1 My proposal
was deemed reasonable also by her Highness the Empress, who
graciously gave her consent.
Having received Honourable Father Joannes Sajnovics as my
travel companion, and having had Honourable Father Antonius Pilgram
confirmed as my substitute by Imperial decree, there was only
one issue left for me to focus on, namely to make sure that every
issue that in some way or other pertained to the accomplishment of
this scientific expedition was dealt with with haste and determination.
It was my indivertible persuasion that both the preparations and
the travel itself ought to be made swiftly, so that I could cast anchor
at Vardøhus and reach my site of observation towards the end of
August of the year 1768. This choice was necessary if I was to avoid
missing the aim of the expedition in the year 1769. According to my
calculations, I should be able reach this destination with ease, if I set
forth towards the end of April of the year 1768, and continued restlessly
across sea and land for four consecutive months. However,
this is not what came to pass. Things did not turn out quite as I had
planned, as I will explain below when I will treat the stay in Copenhagen
in some more detail. 2
(a.) This highly famous man fell ill from a serious ailment in his chest
in the year after my return from Vardøhus, after he had served as my assistant
for eleven years, and as my substitute for two years and four
months, all this to great praise. Following his doctors’ advice, he was
forced to take leave from the Imperial and Royal Observatory, and after
the dissolution of the Society of JESUS, which was put in effect in the year
1773, he returned to his illustrious family. He lives, at the time of my writing
this, again in good health in the suburban garden of his family, where he
has built himself a splendid private astronomical observatory which he has
furnished with instruments acquired from England at his own cost. His time
is spent most usefully, on observations and other mathematical activities.
Note: Here the exchanges that I had concerning this expedition with
the highly illustrious Bishop von Gondola, Vicar Apostolic of Nordic Missions,
will be included. 3
1. “a famous and well known figure (a.)”: with these words, and its accompanying
footnote, manuscript B ends. A omits the footnote, which may be taken as
another indication that it was - at least in part - written before the suppression
of the Society of Jesus.
2. At this point, the text of A breaks off.
3. A marginal note to A. Franz Joseph von Gondola (1711-1774) was appointed
Vicarius Apostolicus for the northern missions of the Catholic church in 1761.
His negotiations with Father Hell prior to the expedition have not been found.
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