The Boston port warmly welcomed the elderly gentleman, whose fame preceded his arrival. American newspapers and magazines had known about his visit a year prior. The confident and determined man wore an impeccably fitting expensive suit. Hamel became the first delegate sent by the Russian Academy of Sciences to the USA in 1853.

Joseph Hamel (1788, 1861) grew up in the German colony of Sarepta, now located in Volgograd, where he received his primary education. In 1811, he graduated with honors from the Saint Petersburg Medical-Surgical Academy. His knowledge spanned many sciences, including chemistry, physics, and history.

As a serious scholar, Hamel had an impressive list of achievements. At the age of 22, he was awarded gold watches for creating a cheap electric machine. In 1813, he visited England, where he descended to the sea floor in a diving bell. After studying the manufacturing industry, he aimed to modernize it in Russia. An academic in technology, he worked with Austrian engineer A. Gerstner on the project for the first Russian public railway.

He organized several industrial fairs in Moscow. Together with two English students, an inventor of the barometer, and local guides, he attempted to conquer Mont Blanc, but they were stopped by an avalanche. The scholar was also interested in the history of telegraphy and photography. In 1839, he brought the basics of cinematography from England to Russia.

Hamel, as an enlightener and enthusiast, always kept up with the latest scientific discoveries. His interests were not limited to technology. For example, his surname is immortalized in the species name of beetles from which red dye was obtained, studying the Ararat cochineal.

The encyclopedic scholar passed away in 1862. His nephew V. Hamel transferred all collected documents related to his famous ancestor to the library of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences.