His first contribution was 'On Polarisation of Electric Rays by Double
Refracting Crystals.' It was read at a meeting of the Asiatic Society of
Bengal, held on the 1st May 1895, and was published in the Journal of
the Society in Vol. LXIV, Part II, page 291. His next contributions were
'On a new Electro polariscope' and 'On the Double Refraction of the
Electric Ray by a Strained Di-electric.' They appeared, in the
_Electrician_, the leading journal on Electricity, published in London.
These 'strikingly original researches' won the attention of the
scientific world. Lord Kelvin, the greatest physicist of the age,
declared himself 'literally filled with wonder and admiration for so
much success in the novel and difficult problem which he had attacked.'
Lord Rayleigh communicated the results of his remarkable researches to
the Royal Society. And the Royal Society showed its appreciation of the
high scientific value of his investigation, not only, by the
publication, with high tributes, of a paper of his 'On the Determination
of the Indices of Electric Refraction,' in December 1896, and another
paper on the 'Determination of the Wave-length of Electric Radiation,'
in June 1896, but also, by the offer, of their own accord, of an
appropriation from the Special Parliamentary Grant made to the Society
for the Advancement of Knowledge, for continuation of his work.
In recognition of the importance of the contribution made by Prof. Bose,
the University of London conferred on him the Degree of Doctor of
Science and the Cambridge University, the degree of M.A., in 1896. And,
to crown all, the Royal Institution of Great Britain--rendered famous by
the labour of Davy and Faraday, of Rayleigh and Dewar--honoured him by
inviting to deliver a 'Friday Evening Discourse' on his original work.
It would not be out of place to observe that the rare privilege of being
invited to deliver a 'Friday Evening Discourse' is regarded as one of
the highest distinction that can be conferred on a scientific man.