Lalib Mohan Dey to H. Poincaré

The 26th May, 1909

40-B, Soolay Pagoda Road,

Rangoon British Burma

To Professor Jules-Henri Poincaré, Math. D. 63, rue Claude Bernard, Paris.

Dear Sir,

I have the honour to inform you that this morning I received a fine portrait of yours together with a copy of “The Future of Mathematics”, which you have been so kind as to present me. Many thanks for your kind presents, which shall be gratefully remembered.

So, I have now before me the portrait of one of the greatest mathematicians for all times, together with what he has got to say on the future of this great Science of which he has been the great Master for a number of years and I hope if all the mathematicians are to elect a President, I do not think any one will have larger number of votes than yourself. Your position in the history of mathematics has been determined once for all. But this is not all : I Do not know the name of another scholar who would be equally respected by a pure mathematician and a mathematical physicist so vast have been the extension of Pure Mathematics and Natural Philosophy of recent years and yet only the other day I found in my scientific journal Nature that you are still writing on the interpretation of Fredholm’s equations in physical sciences and papers of great merit on Hertz’s waves in electric theory were read before the Paris Academy of Sciences.

One more word and I have done: has there been any movement in Paris to get your Collected Mathematical Papers published? If so may I ask how far the work as advanced at present ?

With the highest respect
I beg to remain yours sincerely
Lalib Mohan Dey
40-B, Soolay Pagoda Road,
Rangoon, British Burma

ALS 2p. Collection particulière, Paris 75017.

Time-stamp: "28.09.2014 20:57"