Page - 186 - in Maximilian Hell (1720–92) - And the Ends of Jesuit Science in Enlightenment Europe

Chapter 4186 limited period. The prestige involved in the international quest to determine the size of the solar system obviously mattered more than religious concerns. Economic considerations may have been an issue as well: after all, members of Catholic orders were known to subsist on modest means. The decision to contact Hell was taken in the foreign ministry on August 18, 1767, with the first meeting between Hell and the Danish ambassador taking place in Vienna on September 5.42 In the subsequent correspondence between ambassador Johann Friedrich Bachoff von Echt (1710–81) and the Danish for- eign minister, Johann Hartvig Ernst Bernstorff (1712–72, in office 1751–70), the ambassador stressed that “just as little as any religious person is mindful to acquire riches for himself, neither will Father Hell demand any payment, ex- cept coverage of all the costs of the voyage itself.” Furthermore, “as far as the costs of the voyage are concerned,” the ambassador had reason to believe that, “considering the frugality in which the Jesuits are accustomed to live,” no huge expenses would be incurred.43 With backing from the government in Copen- hagen, Bachoff then made direct contact with Kaunitz.44 The invitation was a question of diplomacy at the highest level, as the purpose was to obtain for Hell a temporary leave from his post as court astronomer. But Hell was not only a servant of the court in Vienna; he also needed to obtain permission from the Society of Jesus. Regrettably, the correspondence between Hell and the Jesuit superior general, Lorenzo Ricci (1703–75, in office 1758–73), apart from the drafts for a couple of letters written by Hell while already in Vardø, has not been found.45 In any case, by December 10, 1767, three months after the first meeting between Hell and the ambassador (during which period they consult- ed regularly not only about necessary formalities but also about practicalities Brochmann and Knut Kjeldstadli, A History of Immigration: The Case of Norway 900–2000 (Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 2008). 42 “[Bachoff, the Danish ambassador in Vienna] will be ordered to make confidential, pre- liminary talks with Father Hell to see if, and under what conditions, he could be willing, on His Majesty’s costs, to observe the transit of Venus in front of the Sun from Vardøhus.” Tyske Cancelli, kopibogen, entry under August 18, 1767, Rigsarkivet, Copenhagen (hereaf- ter: RA); Privatarkiv no. 1846. Andreas Schumacher. “I talked the day before yesterday to Father Hell, who made no difficulty whatsoever about visiting me.” Tyske Kancelli, Uden- rigske Afdeling, Kejseren, Gesandtskabsrelationer 1767–68, letter from Bachoff to Bern- storff in Copenhagen, dated Vienna, September 7, 1767 (RA). Further comments on the invitation of Hell are made in letters from Bachoff to Bernstorff, dated Vienna, Septem- ber 3, October 29, and December 10, 1767 (RA). 43 Bachoff to Bernstorff (RA), dated Vienna, September 7, 1767, and Vienna, December 10, 1767. 44 Bachoff to Bernstorff (RA), dated Vienna, December 10, 1767. 45 A visit to the Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu in Rome in October 2005 yielded no results.