Deák Antal András: A Duna fölfedezése
Tartalom - III.A DANUBIUS PANNONICO-MYSICUS, 1726
T II E DISCOVERY OF THE DANUBE would engrave here, meaning in Holland. All these items are listed in point 1., 2., 3. and 4 where the Danube-maps are mentioned also which "were made with such perfection and fine art that had never been seen in this coutry. " - The Publishing Company will compensate Marsigli for his work by giving him books chosen from the Academy of Bologna, ten thousand Duchy Forints in value. - The owner of the engraved copperplates, drawings and manuscripts - namely Marsigli and the Science Academy of Bologna — agrees not to publish the book within the next one hundred years. - At last: The Count would get twenty copies of the published book and can make use of them as hi wishes. After that the preparations to publish the book began in earnest. Illustrations had to be revised and prepared and other details revised as it is described in Marsigli's preface to the book. The whole work was subject to the decisions and preferences of the Dutch editor. In the summer of 1724 the Danubius project arrived at another exciting and critical milestone. On the 13 t h of July the copperplates that were ready to be transported were carefully inventoried and then they were packed for the long and dangerous journey across the mountain passes of the Alps. First of all the plates were carefully counted, then measured and finally put into the boxes. The notes that I found in the Archivio di Stato allowed me to reconstruct the story of the Danubius with its many twists and curves. But let us first follow the book after it arrived in the Netherlands in a form still far from ready for printing. Not only did the abovementioned ornamental figures and the frontispieces have still to be made but the missing elements had to be filled in as well. Several instructions can be read on the leaves of the manuscript with regard to new illustrations which had to be made. As the contract stipulated, the drawing was produced in Italy 23 6 It must have been made at Schenk's. 23 7 BUB Mss di Marsigli Vol. 34. p. 121. 23 8 Archivio di Stato, Bologna; Assuntcria di Istituto - Diversorum - B. Gennajo 1730. but engraved in copper in Holland in master Schank's workshop, according to the editor's instructions. We can guess on the basis of the editor's instructions that these were prepared in Master Schenk's workshop in the Netherlands. Here follow some remarks from the manuscript pages returned from the Netherlands: Tab 14. te maaken by Schenk 23 6; Tab. 15. te maaken by Schenk detto (p. 32); folio 49 te maken (p. 64); fol. 49. te maken (p. 77); fol. 60 te maken (p. 78). In the same place the drawings and their printed versions can be found in pairs. In another place 23 7, the suggestions of the Dutch editor can be read glued to the end of the volume saying that the correction must be made on the drawings as well as on the plates according to the instructions. He suggested that as many drawings of the minerals should be put on a folio as it can bear. One must not forget, however, about the missing legends. The editors fostered another business project as well at this time: the edition of a separate volume of Marsigli's beautiful maps and mine depictions, which contained many scientific novelties. This is implied by the fact that all these plates can be found in the list of missing items made in Bologna. Namely, in January 1730, a list was made in Marsigli's native town of the plates which had been returned from the Netherlands. 238 The individual plates are listed with their inventory and ordinary numbers as well as by their weight: Sixteen plates were returned from volume I the ones marked as numbers 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44 and 46 — although 23 items were sent to them. That is, 7 plates, those with numbers 21, 22, 23, 24, 35, 38 and 45 have disappeared. In total these plates weighed 91.6 kg. However, the weight of the returned plates was 17.6 kg less than this. Fifty-eight plates were sent for volume II (weighing 235.6 kg) and 4 more plates were returned 20. n. 7. In the pallium with the inscription Ricupera dei Rami sequita in 133
