Page - 153 - in Maximilian Hell (1720–92) - And the Ends of Jesuit Science in Enlightenment Europe

153The 1761 Transit of Venus and Hell’s Transition to Fame combined in the two personae of the Cardinal de Luynes, archbishop and hon- orary member of the Académie des Sciences (Paul d’Albert de Luynes [1703– 88]) and the duke of Chaulnes (Michel Ferdinand d’Albert d’Ailly [1714–69]), who observed the transit from Sens. A full page is spent on the archbishop and duke at the outset of the account of French observations, but in the end no details of their observation are revealed, for since […] the work that the highly famous friar de Lacaille is prepar- ing for publication will include the outstanding observations of the ele- vated prince of Chaulnes, they could not possibly be referred here by me, utterly inferior to these men with regard to dignity that I am, without in- curring the crime of preposterousness.45 There follows a long series of observations from France. Most details are taken directly from letters from Lacaille and Lalande, both of whom receive their share of praise from the Viennese court astronomer. Apart from the various observatories in the French capital, however, the Jesuit observatory in Lyon is the only location outside Paris from which Hell presented any datasets. Following in line after France, Britannia receives its praise as well. At the opening of a four-page account, Britain is singled out as “the parent of the sub- limest of intellects, including astronomers.”46 Summaries of observation sets from Greenwich, London (multiple locations), and Liskeard in Cornwall are included. There is no particular praise of Sweden, except that the importance of observations from this northern territory is evident from the fact that as- tronomers here had the opportunity to witness both ingress and egress. Three pages spent on three observers—Wargentin, Samuel Klingenstierna (1698– 1765), and Johan Carl Wilcke (1732–96)—at a single site, the Royal Observatory in Stockholm, is still a fairly spacious coverage for a Lutheran territory.47 Or- thodox Russia is also offered coverage on the same account: the advantageous geographical location of St. Petersburg merited a couple of pages in Hell’s re- port.48 The only country outside of the vicinity of the Habsburg lands in which the imperial and confessional factor is again reiterated is Spain. Here, Hell’s acquaintance and ally from Vienna, Rieger, is praised. Ample space—three- and-a-half pages—are given to him and other Jesuits in Madrid, in particular Father Weindling (Jan/Juan Wendlingen [1715–90]), originally called from 45 Hell, “Observatio transitus […] 1761,” 37. 46 Hell, “Observatio transitus […] 1761,” 42–45. 47 Hell, “Observatio transitus […] 1761,” 89–92. 48 Hell, “Observatio transitus […] 1761,” 92–94.