wrote to Bergman and thanked him for the book and gave several comments. Swab
had already read the manuscript of Bergman’s paper on alum and was thus already
familiar with Bergman’s work. He wrote to Bergman that he could count on the
support from the Board of Mines and that he had discussed the matter with the
president.
14 While Tilas wrote to Bergman on a more equal level, the older von
Swab used a more formal language.
When the board at the university voted on April 25, Bergman was ranked
number one with 10 of 22 votes [60]. Five delegates (e.g. Linnaeus) ranked
Bergman second, and seven put Bergman on the third place, so there was clearly
some opposition. The fact that Bergman only had been employed at the university
for about six years was the main argument against him. Tidström and Hjortsberg
shared second place with six votes each [61]. Kewenter received no votes and was
very upset. His letter to the university was dismissed as unworthy. The matter was
now presented to the Chancellor, Crown Prince Gustav, who passed his decision to
the Royal Council on May 14 [60]. The Prince seems to have put considerable effort
into the question. According to Bergman, Gustav consulted Tilas and von Swab,
who both supported Bergman [62]. It should be recalled that Tidström’s patron
Tessin was Gustav’s former teacher, and had been almost as a father for the young
prince (Chap. 2). With the support of the Chancellor, the Royal Council appointed
Bergman on July 7, 1767. As Fors put it: “Tidström didn’t lose because Bergman
was a better chemist. He lost because he had put the faith in the wrong patrons.”
[63] Had the process occurred a few years earlier, the situation may have been quite
different. Linneaus expressed his disappointment over the decision in a letter to
Gyllenborg two weeks later [64]. Crown Prince Gustav, who became Gustav III a
few years later, had actually little interest in science, and as King, he had little
contact with the professors in Uppsala. Bergman and historian Johan Henric Lidén
(1741–1793) were the exceptions [65]. The King took no interest in Scheele. When
Claudine Picardet (1735–1820), wife of French chemist Louis-Bernard Guyton de
Morveau (1737–1816; Sect. 26.7) translated Scheele’s works to French,
15 she sent
a letter to the Swedish King, a letter which the King did not respond to [65].
A nineteenth-century anecdote tells that Gustav III learned of Scheele while on a
trip to Italy, and immediately decided to award him the Order of Vasa. In Stockholm, no one had heard of Scheele and thus gave the Order to Scheele’s cousin,
Christian Benjamin von Schéele, a highly ranked civil servant, instead [66]. In
reality, Scheele was never considered as a receiver of the Order of Vasa, and von
Schéele was awarded the Order by Gustav III’s son, Gustav IV Adolf in 1796, 10
years after Scheele’s death.
Now Bergman was finally a professor, but the first years would be challenging.
For example, he had to wait 5 years for his salary. The problem was that Wallerius
retained his salary on retirement, and not until Bergman’s former teacher, Mårten
Strömer, died in 1770 could Wallerius take Strömer’s emeritus salary, and Bergman
was finally paid [67]. In 1777, Bergman’s salary was 58 riksdalers and 16 skillings
14
At the time, politician Jean Georg Lillienberg (1713–1782) was president at the board of Mines.
15
Mémoires de Chymie, 2 vols, Dijon 1785.
124
9 Bergman Becomes a Chemist
had already read the manuscript of Bergman’s paper on alum and was thus already
familiar with Bergman’s work. He wrote to Bergman that he could count on the
support from the Board of Mines and that he had discussed the matter with the
president.
14 While Tilas wrote to Bergman on a more equal level, the older von
Swab used a more formal language.
When the board at the university voted on April 25, Bergman was ranked
number one with 10 of 22 votes [60]. Five delegates (e.g. Linnaeus) ranked
Bergman second, and seven put Bergman on the third place, so there was clearly
some opposition. The fact that Bergman only had been employed at the university
for about six years was the main argument against him. Tidström and Hjortsberg
shared second place with six votes each [61]. Kewenter received no votes and was
very upset. His letter to the university was dismissed as unworthy. The matter was
now presented to the Chancellor, Crown Prince Gustav, who passed his decision to
the Royal Council on May 14 [60]. The Prince seems to have put considerable effort
into the question. According to Bergman, Gustav consulted Tilas and von Swab,
who both supported Bergman [62]. It should be recalled that Tidström’s patron
Tessin was Gustav’s former teacher, and had been almost as a father for the young
prince (Chap. 2). With the support of the Chancellor, the Royal Council appointed
Bergman on July 7, 1767. As Fors put it: “Tidström didn’t lose because Bergman
was a better chemist. He lost because he had put the faith in the wrong patrons.”
[63] Had the process occurred a few years earlier, the situation may have been quite
different. Linneaus expressed his disappointment over the decision in a letter to
Gyllenborg two weeks later [64]. Crown Prince Gustav, who became Gustav III a
few years later, had actually little interest in science, and as King, he had little
contact with the professors in Uppsala. Bergman and historian Johan Henric Lidén
(1741–1793) were the exceptions [65]. The King took no interest in Scheele. When
Claudine Picardet (1735–1820), wife of French chemist Louis-Bernard Guyton de
Morveau (1737–1816; Sect. 26.7) translated Scheele’s works to French,
15 she sent
a letter to the Swedish King, a letter which the King did not respond to [65].
A nineteenth-century anecdote tells that Gustav III learned of Scheele while on a
trip to Italy, and immediately decided to award him the Order of Vasa. In Stockholm, no one had heard of Scheele and thus gave the Order to Scheele’s cousin,
Christian Benjamin von Schéele, a highly ranked civil servant, instead [66]. In
reality, Scheele was never considered as a receiver of the Order of Vasa, and von
Schéele was awarded the Order by Gustav III’s son, Gustav IV Adolf in 1796, 10
years after Scheele’s death.
Now Bergman was finally a professor, but the first years would be challenging.
For example, he had to wait 5 years for his salary. The problem was that Wallerius
retained his salary on retirement, and not until Bergman’s former teacher, Mårten
Strömer, died in 1770 could Wallerius take Strömer’s emeritus salary, and Bergman
was finally paid [67]. In 1777, Bergman’s salary was 58 riksdalers and 16 skillings
14
At the time, politician Jean Georg Lillienberg (1713–1782) was president at the board of Mines.
15
Mémoires de Chymie, 2 vols, Dijon 1785.
124
9 Bergman Becomes a Chemist