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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Letter, from Antoni van Leeuwenhoek to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Delft

Reference number: EL/L1/16

Date: 20 December 1675

Description

Signed autograph
Notifying the Royal Society about an error in experiments of evapourating vegetable infusions (EL/L1/11); observations of wine-vinegar; concerning Leeuwenhoek's invention of an areometer, although he saw that Robert Boyle had constructed a similar glass in an article in 'Philosophical Transactions' (volume 10, page 340)
Transcribed and translated in 'Alle de brieven van Antoni van Leeuwenhoek', edited, illustrated and annotated by Committee of Dutch Scientists, part 1, p 328
For summary see 'The correspondence of Henry Oldenburg', ed and trans by A Rupert Hall & Marie Boas Hall, vol 12, p 87

Reference number
EL/L1/16
Earliest possible date
20 December 1675
Page extent
3 pages
Format
Manuscript
Also available on Early Modern Letters Online
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Creator name

Antoni van Leeuwenhoek

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Citation

Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Letter, from Antoni van Leeuwenhoek to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Delft, 20 December 1675, EL/L1/16, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/el_l1_16/letter-from-antoni-van-leeuwenhoek-to-henry-oldenburg-dated-at-delft, accessed on 15 January 2025

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  • Early Letters

    Dates: 1613-1740

    The archival collection known as 'Early Letters' is composed of original manuscript letters sent to, or collected by, the Royal Society from English and foreign correspondents.

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