The Royal Society requested that Robert Hooke try to replicate Leeuwenhoek's observations
At their weekly meeting on October 15 (October 25 in Delft), the Royal Society discussed Leeuwenhoek. First, Hooke read Leeuwenhoek's letter of 1677-10-16 (AB 34) to William Brouncker. Note: Because England had not yet adopted the Gregorian calendar, this letter was read 9 days after it was sent from Delft, not the day before it was sent, as the dates would indicate.
Later in the meeting, the members asked Hooke to try where Grew had failed. They requested that Hooke make a microscope powerful enough to replicate Leeuwenhoek's observations.
Birch's History, vol. 3, p. 346:
Mr. HOOKE read a letter, which had been delivered him by Mr. HENSHAW, to whom it was sent by the president, in which Mr. LEEWENHOECK understanding, that Mr. OLDENBURG was dead, desired to know, to whom he might address his letters for the future; including several testimonials of his former experiments, and an account both in Dutch and Latin of some new observations.
The consideration of this was adjourned to the next meeting. And in the mean time Mr. HOOKE was desired to make a microscope after a way, which he proposed as very likely to do as much, if not in the same manner as that of Mr. LEEWENHOECK.
