Visited by Matthew Raper

In a letter dated June 25, 1723, James Jurin wrote to Leeuwenhoek, "As my Worthy & very particular Friend, Mr Raper, from whose hands you receive this, was going for Holland & was curious of waiting upon you, & being an Eye Witness of some of your Curious Observations."

June 25 in London was July 6 in Delft. If it took Raper a while to get the Delft, his visit to Leeuwenhoek took place in mid-July, just a month before his death.

It is unclear whether it was the father or son named Matthew Raper who visited Leeuwenhoek. The son was born in 1695 or, more commonly reported, 1705. The latter date would have made him 18 when he visited Leeuwenhoek. He was a natural philosopher who became a member of the Royal Society in 1754 and died in 1778.

His father Matthew Raper (1680-1748) was a businessman involved with the East India Company and the importing of Chinese silks.