【Mitja Saje 】Famous Scientist and Jesuit

Famous Scientist and Jesuit Missionary Augustin Hallerstein (Liu Songling) and his Relations with Europe:Topics and Quotations from A. Hallerstein’sletters
Prof. Mitja Saje Ph. D
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Relations with Austria
n Homeland is Slovenia at that time called Carniolia, which was part of Austria
n Studied mathematics, astronomy and other sciences in Graz.
n At the age of 18 he joined the Jesuit Society in Vienna
n Correspondence with his Jesuit superiors in Vienna
n Published important articles and his most important book: Observationes Astronomicae
Family and Life of Augustin Ferdinand von Hallerstein in Slovenia
l Born in Ljubljana on August 27, 1703
l His grandfather was elevated to nobility attaining the title of Baron von Hallerstein.
l Lived in a small castle in Mengeš, a country town some 20km. north of Ljubljana
l Studied at the Jesuit College in Ljubljana
l From China he kept correspondence with his sister Ana
Connections in Austria
n Correspondence with his brother Vaikard Hallerstein who was professor of ethics at the University of Vienna
n Some of his letters were published in the Jesuit periodical Welt-Bott
n Hallerstein’s most important book: Observationes Astronomicae was published in Vienna
Observationes Astronomicae
n The manuscript about his observations was first sent to Sankt Petersburg
n The book was published with the help of Russian diplomat Ivan Kropotov
n Observationes astronomicae were printed in Vienna in 1768
n It is the most precise measurement of stars with traditional method
Member of Jesuit Society
n In 1727 he decided to do the missionary work.
n Hallerstein first applied to do missionary work in India.
n After the death of emperor Yongzheng he was nominated in the mission to China.
n In 1735 he went to Portugal to board a ship sailing to China
n In Lisbon he stayed for half a year living in the Collegium of St. Anton.
Relations with Portugal
n In Lisbon he started to learn Portuguese language.
n in Portugal he was well treated by Portuguese fathers and received many gifts for the long journey.
n He was received by the Portuguese queen Maria Ana, which was from Habsburg family and so of Austrian origin.
n He was part and later head of Portuguese mission in China
n From China he kept contacts with the queen of Portugal
n He organised Portuguese royal mission to emperor Qian Long and also served as interpreter
The Queen Maria Ana
He met her several times during his stay in Portugal
Hallerstein made a good impression on the queen
Later he maintained written contacts with her during all the years when he was in China.
At the court he met queen’s father confessor Karel Gallenfels, a noble from Hallerstein’s native land Carniolia.
Last time the queen received him on April 24th 1936 just before he boarded the ship to Goa.
Hallerstein describes the contacts with the queen in the letter to his brother Vajkard dated the same day:
Quotation from Hallerstein’s letter to his brother Vaikard on April 24th 1936
n “Her majesty the queen, our kind lady in her royal generosity ordered to give fifty cruzados as travel expenses to everyone of us going on a long journey. To the mission of St. Joseph in Peking she sent small manual organ made of silver (except legs) with a clock in a glass ball on top of it. Her majesty even played some music on this instrument in our presence. For the reverend father Fridelius she added a handwritten letter in Latin. Another letter she gave for father Joseph Hausegger, missionary in Malabares.”
n “Her majesty mentioned to me the books of revered father Joseph Stöcklein from the Jesuit society titled Welt-Bott. At my arrival she asked to have a look of those books and then later she has sent them back. In one book I found a green ribbon made of taffeta as a kind of mark that her majesty has read till that page.”
Journey from Portugal to China: April 25th 1936 till October 1st 1938
● He sailed off with a group of European Jesuits on the ship named Sao Pedro de Alcantara.
● Altogether there were 12 ships among which 5 were warships and others were merchant ships.
● On 24th of July they sailed around the cape of Good Hope and on September 18th they ancored at the coast of Sofala.
● After six weeks of annoying journey they arrived in Mozambique on October 29th and had to stay there for nine months because the sea and wind would not allow us to sail in the open sea until August.
● They sailed off on August the 16th and finally reached Goa on September18th.
● Next spring before Ister he was with great success preaching for several weeks in Portuguese language on a small island in Goa.
● On May 8th he sailed with two Austrian colleges on the ship Santa Anna to Malaca.
● On August 4th he sailed on French ship St. Benedikt to Macao and on August 28 reached the Chinese coast in front of Canton.
The Imperial Board of Astronomy in Peking
l After Hallerstein’s arrival in Macao the news that he is excellent mathematician came quickly to Peking, so next year he was asked to come to Peking
l On April 4th he left Canton and arrived in Peking on June 13th where he joined the work of other Jesuits in the Imperial Board of Astronomy.
l The emperor Qian Long became fond of him and ordered him to become the aid of Ignacius Kögler.
l After the death of Ignaz Kögler in 1746, P. A. Pereira, who liked him very much suggested to the emperor that Hallerstein is the most capable to fill that position.
l Hallerstein became the head of The Imperial Board of Astronomy and held this position for 28 year until his death in 1774.
The situation of missionary work in China has changed since the early Qing dinasty, so even the Jesuits in Beijing became the target of prosecution
“Even in Peking they have tried several things against us. The Portuguese father Felix de Rocha and I even had to stand in the court facing the charges that we were giving religious books, prayer books, pictures, chaplets, and similar things to the Christians. But the Emperor pardoned us when the judge presented him the case. Then to prevent the brothers from Peking to help the brothers in provinces they frustrated our access to the Emperor (anyhow even in normal circumstances it is very hard to meet the Emperor) in such a cunning way that nothing succeeds whatever plans or attempts we make. So we can even count as success that we have maintained our mission in Peking.”
The letter to the queen of Portugal
Most illustrious queen, most gracious lady,
“The mercy desiring situation of our mission should not only let untouched anyone who cares about its progress, but it can not even let untouched no one of those that would sacrifice their powers and their life for the goal to bring medicine to a lost case. I can only describe our situation with the words, that we are exiles in China which with sad eyes only observe the scarce remnants of our recently almost destroyed mission. However the letter of your majesty, most gracious queen which you wrote me on March 26th 1750 elevated our spirit and gave to the burdened new powers and so in a moment wiped the tears of the sighing. This letter written by your royal hand I have shown to some fathers, so that the consolation for us all would be greater.
And how the hope that you will send a royal mission to support our position, the hope which your majesty has graciously aroused and raised our spirit when we saw that such a high protector will support our mission, which ourselves with our own might though willing, can not assure the desired peace.
What is the present situation and what are the fruits of our mission in Peking and in vicinity (about other places I could not find out anything this year) I will not describe in details, because according to your own will I am reporting it in every year’s letter.
Though the situation is not such as it should be according to the endeavour of so many years and numerous missionaries our mission is still not so small not to merit attention. In order to become more fruitful I am humbly recommending myself and the entire mission to your royal mercy and kindness. In Peking in China, November 22nd 1751.
To your majesty, our most gracious lady.”
With Portuguese royal misssion to Chinese Emperor Qian Long
l The royal mission arrived in Macao on August 11th 1752.
l The emperor Qianlong appointed Hallerstein to escort the Portuguese King’s envoy from Canton to Peking and back. So he travelled twice to Canton and back, which all together took him more than a year.
l Not everybody in Chinese court was happy that Hallerstein was appointed to escort the Portuguese envoy and it was much to the Emperors personal support that the mission was accomplished according to Hallerstein’s plan.
l Hallerstein attended receptions where he was translating and he also translated the emperor’s letter to the Portuguese king.
Explaining the escort of Portuguese envoy in a letter to his brother dated on Oct. 21st 1753
“You know from other sources, that the Portuguese court sent an envoy to Chinese Emperor. Because the weather was favourable he arrived in Macao in August last year that is 1752. On the 2nd of October I received the envoy’s letter in Peking in which he explained to me the aim of the mission and asked me that I personally come to Macao to meet the mission and escort it to Peking. To his letter he attached the letter of her highness the Portuguese queen dowager, with which she recommended me.”
“That day the Emperor went to Manchuria to spend some time on hunting. I stated the matter orally and in written form to the official which is with the Emperor in charge of our other affairs. I told him about the envoy’s wish that I would personally go to meet him and escort him to Peking. He answered that it is definitely necessary that I go personally. In a letter to which he attached my explanation he explained the whole matter to the Emperor. The Emperor which because of his reputation already for some time wished to receive this mission was very glad to hear this news. He did not wait for the report of the prefects or the mandarin from Canton, because of which they are quite angry with me, not even has he listened to the opinion of the office which is usually dealing this kind of matters, but he decided that I should immediately go to Macao and lead the envoy with all his escort to Peking. So on the 25th of October 1752 I left Peking accompanied by a Manchu mandarin”.
Describing the reception in Peking
“After one hundred and thirty four days on the 1st of May we solemnly arrived in Peking. So far in this place they have not seen such a feast. We were there for thirty nine days completely according to the rituals. On the 8th of June the envoy has left Peking and I went with him. After one hundred and twenty one days on the 6th of October we returned to Macao. The reason for such a long journey was because with such big escort, and with so many luggage we could not travel on land without heavy expenses, unpleasant events and diseases.”
The Portuguese mission was a rare success
n The mission succeeded in time when all other attempts of Europeans to establish high level contacts in China failed
n The success was mainly due to Halrstein’s meticolous preparations and his diplomatic skill
n Both sides were satisfied with the results of the mission
n After the mission the emperor granted to Hallerstein the title of the official (mandarin) of the 3rd rank.
Relations with Russia
In Beijing he often had opportunity to meet Russians who were staying there
He met envoys which were coming to China from Sankt Peterburg
In his letters he often mentions his contacts with Russians and makes observations about their situation in Peking
He comments the relations between Russians and the Chinese.
He became member of Academy of Sciences in Sankt Peterburg and maintained contacts and exchange of books with this Academy
In a letter to his brother dated on October 6,1743 he wrote about Russians living in Peking:
“I have already written that a caravan of Russians came here and after some six months stop they went back. Under the emperor Kangxi Russians and Chinese made an agreement, that Russians can come every three years to court and trade. The goods that they trade with are all kinds of furs. It the is strange that the Chinese find European cloths so funny. The Russians are dressed just like Germans. They have a house, which was presented to them by our emperor in which they live when they come here to trade. Some of their priests and clerics live here permanently. Now there are three and with them there are also three youngsters who are learning Chinese and Tartar languages in order to serve as translators at Russian court or at the border. Soon we are expecting three more youngsters form Russia, it looks that none of them is older than 20 years and they all know Latin. Those, which will now go back, have been here for ten or twelve years and have well learned both languages.”
In the same letter he wrote about the messenger which came from Russia to announce the enthronement of the new czarina:
” This year a messenger came here from Russia to announce the enthronement of the new czarina. From Sankt Petersburg to here he needed three months. When he was going back, our emperor wanted to give him presents to take them to the new czarina. But because the presents were too modest - it was twelve rolls of silk material which we call damascus as well as 20 smaller and more or less the same number of bigger vessels just made of porcelain - he did not accept it excusing himself that he himself did not bring anything and so he does not dare to carry anything with him, especially because his czarina did not order him to do so. When the emperor pressed him to take the presents, he resisted even more and did not take anything. Because of that a conflict between him and the court emerged, so that we did not dare to visit him, fearing that the court might blame us for his resistance, because the Chinese and Tartars are very inclined to this kind of suspicion.”
About co-operation with Academy of Sciences in Sankt Petersburg’s he wrote in November 28, 1749
” In the year 1745 the head of Sankt Petersburg’s Academy, noble baron Korff, who is now, as I understand, ambassador at the Swedish court, wrote us in the name of the whole Sankt Petersburg’s Academy and very kindly invited us to establish the exchange of books with the Academy. At the same time he sent to three of our churches three boxes of books, which were published by their Academy. Of course we couldn’t not to answer and not to accept such a noble and kind invitation. So, on the cost of all our three houses, we have sent in exchange a rather big box full of Chinese books, mathematical and others, which have been earlier published here by our monks. Though the Russians do not understand them, they still want them. We have sent them also the data about some others, though not very numerous but very good observations, which we were doing at the time. Everything luckily arrived there and was very well accepted as we have learned this year. They are preparing new presents for us, books and just completed Atlas of Siberia, which they will send with the first caravan, which we are expecting next year.”
Hallerstein often mentions wars in central Asia and its implications for Russia. In a letter to his brother, written on October 29, 1761 he wrote:
”Our emperor has added to his empire all territory between China in the east, Tibet and Mongolia in the south, Buharia in the west and Russian Siberia in the north. The northern part of this territory is populated by Tartars, which the Russians call Kalmiks, we here call them Elutes or Dzhongars, and some just call them wandering Tartars, because they live in tents. Their neighbours in the south, which were paying tribute to them, were some Muslims, which were probably Buhars by origin. When twelve years ago died Kalmik king, which the Russians called Kondaish, his two sons started to fight each other. They both lost their lives and the rest of the princes were so divided among themselves, that not even two of them agreed with each other. Among them there were also two, which were some kind of pretendants for the crown. Our emperor thought that he should take advantage of this division, because these peoples were always restless and dangerous to themselves and their neighbours.”
Later in a letter in 1764he mentions some conflicts between Russia and China from the same war
”A t the same time the emperor persistently requested from Russians to hand over those princes, who have fled to Siberia, but the Russians were constantly rejecting it. From this court several rather sharp letters were sent to the Russian court. They have always answered reasonably, moderate and not at all scared. Besides that the Russians have built some fences out of rough and strong wood together with some smaller wooden forts on the border that divides two empires, that is between Eastern Caspian see, with which they tried to prevent Tartars” robbery incursions. Chinese court did not like that, and because they reproached Russians with transgression of borders in three or four places, the Chinese side reminded them to pull down all forts, which were standing in disputable places. When they rejected it, the emperor ordered to burn down three forts. They were burnt down. In these days we are expecting news, how the Russian court will accept that.”
Two years later in a letter on September 24, 1766 he again comments about the consequences of this border conflict with Russia:
”In earlier years I have written about wars in which the emperor subjugated the Kalmik Tartars that live on the west side from China. He annexed all their territories to his empire all the way to the borders of great Bukharia as they call it that is from the Russian border in the north to the lands of great Mogul in the south. There were fears of war on the Russian border, but at the moment it is all calm. The emperor has forbidden further trade in Kiakhta, which was the only place for trading in order to revenge himself upon Russians, because they did not want to hand over some Kalmik princes, which have fled to them. Still the trade is secretly going on. When the emperor heard about this, he had the prince who was governing that place brought as prisoner to Peking and took away his honours. He first kept him as prisoner, though now he gave him back his freedom, but forced him to stay in Peking. Regardless of this the trading goes on, but in a more cautious way.”
Relations with England
Member of Royal Society – the British Academy of Sciences
Sending scientific reports to the Royal Society
Making efforts to get advanced English astronomic instruments
Keeping in touch with contemporary astronomic achievements
Relations with France
n Good relations with French Jesuits
n Making efforts to get advanced French astronomic instruments
n Member of French Academy of sciences
n Reporting the discovery of a new comet to French Academy of sciences
n Measuring earthly latitude of Beijing by observing Jupiter’s moons and calculating the time difference between Paris and Beijing
Praising French Jesuit Peter Foureau in the letter written on November 6, 1740
»Recently the Most Reverend Father Pierre Foureau, who is travelling from China back to France, obligingly offered to bear both my letters to mine, and theirs to me, as well as other affairs, swiftly and securely from Europe to China. This man, who arrived in Peking six years ago and who learned the Chinese and Tatar languages very well, and whose yearning heart longed for the conversion of China as a whole, decided to return to his homeland, partly because in these sad conditions his services were not required either at court or outside of it and particularly because his health continually suffered. He did this with the intention of educating some Chinese youth, in the seminary or educational facility which he would establish there, into servants of our faith in order that they might by means of their apostolic zeal eventually compensate for what the inclement relations and his poor health did not allow.«
»Some young Chinese accompanied him to France, and in him they aroused the hope that, when they had achieved the goal of their mutual aspirations, many others would soon follow. I wish that your Eminence might soon provide my good friend with the possibility of showing in acts his inclination to me, and that your Eminence might be able to receive my message from him. From his writing you will easily discern his virtuousness, reason, and eloquence that caused all of us here to value this man so highly. «
In the letter to his brother written on September 24. 9. 1766 he speaks about good relation with French Jesuits in the field of astronomy
»From the representative of the Frenchmen, Father Benoît, I received as a gift an essay by the venerable Father Maximilian Hell« about the passing of Venus below the sun in 1761, which was both a consolation and an honour to me. From the booklet I discerned that there are two observatories in Vienna, one belonging to the University, the other to the College.
In the letter to his brother written on November 28, 1749 he mentions the efforts to get advanced equipment from Franc and England
»If we had a quadrant of the type that I hear is manufactured in France and England, we could aim for even greater goals. But where to find a patron? This year we endeavour to receive from France a new pendulum, and from England a new micrometer. Our means do not suffice for a quadrant. «
In the same letter he mentions the connections with Academies of science in Europe
»This year D. de L’Isle wrote a very long letter to Father Gaubil. In it he described the current state of European astronomy and explained to him the efforts of the London, Paris and Bonn Academies to improve the accuracy of data about the planets and their movement. He asked us to entrust him with anything interesting we might have regaring our with various observations. «
Relations with Italy and Vatican
Good relations with Italian Jesuits, especially with the painter father Castiglione
As principal of Christian province he was writing reports to Vatican
His relation with Vatican were burdened with growing tensions between Pope and the Jesuit society
The wish of father Castiglione to have some pictures printed in Italy
»It is Brother Castiglione's wish that they be prepared and printed in Italy. Because this does not belong to my area of competence, I did not interfere. The Emperor, too, wishes that only one hundred copies of each be printed and that they be sent back here with the figures; the Cantonese Viceroy is to pay for them.«
About the importance of painting and the need that father Castiglione gets some help
»We hope that the grace that this humble artist and brother found in the eyes of the Emperor will favourably influence the general position of our Christian affairs. Perhaps precisely this hope could prompt European artists, especially those from our society, with their art, which is now almost the only cause of popularity at the Chinese court, to serve God’s churches and help Castiglione, who is already somewhat exhausted. It is by no means necessary that they already be complete masters of all types of painting. Even Castiglione, when he arrived here twenty-six years ago, was not such a painter as he is today. If in Europe they have already become well acquainted with perspective, which is the foundation of the art of painting, they can surely come here without difficulty. Through keen practice and under the tutelage of Castiglione they will made good progress in the remaining types of painting.«
In his letter on September 24, 1766 he is reporting about the death of father Castiglione
»On July 16 of this year a brother from our Society, the Milanese Giuseppe Castiglione, a magnificent painter, but an even better priest, died. He lived to be seventy-nine years, if we subtract a few days. Fifty of those years he lived for God in this Peking station and sacrificed himself in His service.«
The growing conflict between Pope and the Jesuit society
Political conflict between Catholic church and Jesuit order in Latin America
Growing tensions over the implementation of accommodation method
The conflict caused tensions between Rome and Chinese court which made missionary work more difficult
In 1773 the Pope Clement XIV dissolved the Society of Jesus
Hallerstein kept his position until his death in 1774 In August 1774 the news about dismissal of Jesuit Order reached Beijing, he died two months later.