Deák Antal András: A Duna fölfedezése

Tartalom - III.A DANUBIUS PANNONICO-MYSICUS, 1726

T II E DISCOVERY OF THE DANUBE On the 12

t

h of May 1703, Müller reported with relief to Marsigli that he had finished the drawing of the maps and suggested that the ready copperplates be placed in Löffelholz's house wrapped in canvas, lest they should become the victims of the war.

211 Among Marsigli's helpers appeared Wurstbain's name, who recommended to him a book on mushrooms. At the time of the demarcation of the frontier, Marsigli's interest was caught by the mushrooms in the forests and mountains of Croatia. He asked for books on mushrooms from Wurstbain, who recommended Fr. Sterrebec's book Teátrum Fungorum edited in 1676. It was missing from his library, but he hoped to get one from his friends in Belgium. It would be useful since the author used the observations of many scientists published in Clusius's História brevis Fungorum in Pannónia observatorum.

2

n Wurstbain's real role, however, does not really become evident from the letter.

21

3 Pfeffers role is also unclear. He was a copperplate engraver in Vienna, and both Marsigli and Müller were content with his work. His name was raised with regard to the engraving of the Danube sections that had exceeded Eimmart's skill.

21

4 He is only the artist from Vienna who is mentioned in the letters. So he was probably the engraver of the 49 copperplats in the list of Eimmart from June 30 1703.

21

5 Marsigli also asked Scheuehzer, the renown Swiss scientist, to send him his catalogue of minerals. At the same time, he inquired after maps, mentioning the atlas by Mercator and Huner Jaillot (1689).

21

6 Encouraged by Lochner from Nürnberg and Fayus from Basel, Scheuchzer wrote another letter to Marsigli offering to help him in his "splendida" work, the Danubius, by presenting his own study.

21

7 The study, called Observationes Naturales Faetae per Deeursum Anni 1704 a Johanne Scheuehzero, contained the notes made by Scheuchzer on his journey to Vienna: observations in Bohemia (p. 3); observations in the ore mines in Hungary, especially at Selmecbánya (here we can find the drawing of the vena metalliea, ore vein, also published in the Danube monograph) (pp. 3-4); the salt mines in Lower and Upper Austria (pp. 4-5); and the metal mines (pp. 5-10). Tobias Styger sent maps, which had been recently made in 1689, of the salt mines in Hallstatt (pp. 11-22). Thobias Zahler, a forester in Hallstatt in Upper Austria answered Marsigli's 26 questions concerning the vegetation of the region. We can find Jakob Tolliuss observations on the metal mines of Bohemia in the same volume (pp-. 28-33).

21

8 ON THE THRESHOLD OF PUBLISHING: PRODROMUS By the end of the 1690's, Marsigli felt that his work was ripe enough both in its context and structure to edit a promotion, a so-called prodromus, with the purpose to propagate the book he wished to publish before beginning printing and to call the attention of book handlers to his work.

21

9 He dedicated the book to Emperor Leopold, but 21

1 BUB Mss di Marsigli Vol. II. B. letter no. 63. p. 164. Nürnberg, May 12, 1703. 21

2 BUB Mss di Marsigli Vol. 79. pp. 253-254. Vurstbain, Joh. Paul. Nürnberg, June 23, 1701. 21

3 Gilberto Govi: Luigi Ferdinando Marsili micologo Bolognese (1658 - 1730). Bologna, 1984. 21

4 BUB Mss di Marsigli 80 B Vol. II. B. letter no. 63. pp. 163-164. May 12, 1703. Nürnberg. 21

5 BUB Mss di marsigli, 104. Vol. fol. 80. 21

6 MUB Mss di Marsigli, Vol. 82. letter no. 56. Scheuchzer, Zürich , Marchn 18, 1703. 21

7 BUB Mss di Marsigli Vol. 82. p. 66.Scheuzer, Joh, Jakob. Zürich, April 15, 1703. The cited study can be found in Vol. 23. 21

8 It was annotated and illustrated by Henr. Christian Hennius and printed in Amsterdam in 1700. 21

9 Frontispiece: Aloysi Ferdinandi Comit. Marsigli: Danubialis Operis Prodromus. Ad Regiam Societatem Anglicanam. Auspicio Anni ac Saeculi Novi 1700. IMAGE No. 20 on page 50: The title page of the preliminary publication of the Danube monograph 129