F. W. Bessel and Russian science -- comments on the paper of K. K. Lavrinovich. (Q1267402)

It is a discussion about K. K. Lavrinovich's paper `F. W. Bessel und die Russische Wissenschaft' (`F. W. Bessel and Russian science'), NTM, Schriftenr. Gesch. Naturwiss. Tech. Med. 28, No. 2, 211-216 (1992) which recapitulates two publications of the same author in Russian, but contains several errors coming mainly from re-translations of German names and texts from Russian to German. The right spelling of names and correct forms of the astronomical and geodetical terms in German are given, as well as the right quotations from Bessel's letter. For the latter their German publications are indicated; based on the information on their originals it is guessed that many of them are probably lost. Lavrinovich wrote that in the personal connections between F. W. Bessel in Königsberg and F. G. W. Struve in Dorpat (Tartu) and Pulkovo ``they left mutual sympathy and good friendship'', but due to their correspondence and the opinion of Otto Struve it can be characterized only as mutual appreciation and fruitful scientific competition. It is emphasized that because the language in Dorpat and Pulkovo was then German, like in Königsberg, all this can be hardly considered as belonging to Russian-German scientific relationship.