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Wolfgang, while no expert on the subject, I didn't find Maskelyne to be a self serving bureaucrat, as depicted in this book. Bureaucrat, quite possibly

However, I would characterize a gentleman named Robert Waddington as an individual who fits your description of self serving. A mathematician by trade, Waddington accompanied Maskelyne to St Helena to assist with the observation of the Venus transit. He departed early and returned to England   Waddington then went on to publish his own lunar tables and attempted to upstage Maskelyne  However, his effort for the most part went unrewarded

i find this period interesting and the list of characters attempting to gain some fame and of course fortune from the efforts of Maskelyne and John Harrison

Thank you for your response