Page - 127 - in Maximilian Hell (1720–92) - And the Ends of Jesuit Science in Enlightenment Europe

127Enlightened and Jesuit Networks, and a New Node of Science Returning to the Viennese astronomic universe, besides the two observatory directors, it naturally included a good number of lesser figures, such as assis- tants and students. One of these at the Imperial and Royal Observatory also led Hell—after and besides his inquiries into electricity—to dip into another neighboring field of astronomy: meteorology. In various editions of the Ephe- merides, meteorological reports as well as discussions of meteorological instru- ments were included, chiefly thanks to Hell’s assistant in 1762–73, Anton Pil- gram (1730–93). Pilgram—who acted as Hell’s replacement in his functions, including the edition of the Ephemerides, during Hell’s absence from Vienna for the Arctic expedition—later published a thick volume entitled “Investiga- tions on What Is Probable in Meteorology” based on daily measurements made at the Imperial Observatory, as well as published observations from elsewhere in Europe.102 In 1761, upon inspection of the meteorological journals of the Je- suit observatory in Vienna, Hell himself believed that he could predict the weather for years in advance. He even wished to publish an “ephemeris of the weather” (Ephemerides meteorologicae) ahead of each year.103 When presenting this idea to Van Swieten, however, Hell was made to un- derstand that such a publication would not receive support from the powerful councilor, who would in fact make sure it was never allowed to see the light of day. In an apparently heated conversation, Van Swieten accused Hell of having abused the title of membre correspondant by naming himself an ordinary member (Mitglied) of the Académie des Sciences, and revealed that he had spoken negatively about Hell and his meteorological theory to Her Highness (i.e., Maria Theresa). Hell’s defiant reaction was to outline to Lacaille the rudi- ments of his theory,104 in order to make sure that, in case Van Swieten (whom published as a separate booklet); and 1760 (Philosophiae recentioris a Benedicto Stay in Rom[ano] Archigymn[asio] eloquentiae profess[ore] versibus traditae Libri X, ad Sylvium Valentium Cardinalem amplissimum, cum adnotationibus, et supplementis P. Rogerii Jose- phi Boscovich S.J. in Collegio Rom[ano] publ[ico] matheseos professore tomus 2, Rome); cf. e.g. Tolomeo, Boscovich: Lettere, 13–14; and the online inventory http://www.brera.inaf.it/ boscovich/progetto-sito/opere_a_stampa.pdf (accessed April 15, 2019). 102 Anton Pilgram, Untersuchungen über das Wahrscheinliche der Wetterkunde (Vienna: Kurz- boeck, 1788). On Pilgram’s work, see Thomas Posch and Karin Lackner, “Anton Pilgram: Mitbegründer neuzeitlicher wissenschaftlicher Meteorologie?,” in Firneis and Kersch- baum, Konferenzbeiträge/Proceedings, 55–69; Steinmayr, “Geschichte der Universitätsste- rnwarte,” 246–62. 103 Hell may have changed the name of his almanac to Ephemerides astronomicae in this year in order to differentiate it from the intended Ephemerides meteorologicae. 104 Hell to Lacaille in Paris, dated Vienna, April 27, 1761 (wus). Further context is given in his letter to Weiss, dated Vienna, April 1, 1761 (Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem, Egyetemi Könyvtár [Loránd Eötvös University, University Library, Budapest—hereafter: elte EK], copy in Vargha priv.). The theory itself is set out in an unfinished manuscript at the wus,