Reisz T. Csaba: Magyarország általános térképének elkészítése a 19. század első évtizedében - Lipszky János és segítői térképészeti vállalkozásának ismertetése (Budapest, 2002)

IDEGEN NYELVŰ ÖSSZEFOGLALÓK - The Making of Hungary’s First General Map in the first Decade of the 19th Century. The Cartographic Enterprise of János Lipszky

Council was also needed, who approved this order.) Consequendy, Lipszky benefited of a change from the uncertain working conditions of the military to a well- heated room in the vicinity of central governmental agencies.

First new accounts of the map in progress were published by Ferenc Zach’s journal, the Allgemeine Geographische Ephemeriden. This journal and a later journal of Zach, the Monatliche Correspondenz devoted particular attention to the progress of the undertaking, and when the map was published, the journal carried descriptions of individual map units.

Lipszky’s former colleague in the regiment, count GYÖRGY FESTETICS provided another source of important support, who first helped him in gaining access to the map collection of count FERENC SZÉCHÉNYI, then as a result of the two aristocrats’ intervention, Lipszky had the chance of presenting his idea to Joseph palatine.

The involvement of the Council of the Governor-general in the work

On 9 September 1798, János Lipszky turned to Joseph palatine with the request to disburse public funds on dispatching the astronomical expedition required for the accuracy of the maps. In accordance with official procedures, the palatine transferred the request to the Hungarian Chancellery, which in turn favourably submitted the application to the emperor. The highest decision gave permission for the journey’s expenses to be covered by the Education Fund. The Council of the Governor-general was given the task of coordinating the expedition and managing related business. Moreover, the Chancellery had repeatedly commissioned the Council of the Governor-general to take decisions on issue that arose later.

Thus the Council of the Governor-general became involved in the work at the end of 1798, and took part in different phases of the venture until 1810. Specific tasks were assigned to the department of educational affairs (Departamentum littera- rio-politicum), which contained the preparations of the Lipszky-map for years among its records. Files — excluding smaller units — may be found registered in fonds related to the affairs of the university in Pest (Pestiensem Uhiversitatem uti et Gymnasium tangential/concementia objecta), as well as in separate fonds of 1799-1803, among the documents of the Bogdanich-expedition which carried out surveys required for the map {Quoad exmittendum/exmissum Adjunctum Astronomiae Bogdanics ad perficiendas Astronomico-Geographicas Determinationes Tocorum nonnullorum ad conficiendam Mappam Hungáriáé necessarias) or the Lispzky-map (Circa Mappam Hungáriáé conficiendam).

The chancellery clarified details with respect to the Bogdanich-expedition with the University Council (related to personal, technical and financial issues), provided the necessary travel documents and turned to the military authorities requesting their assistance for the scientist.

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