Translation of old Chinese letter.

[entendre1]

thanks a lot for your help with this ...

 

[entendre1]

but ... how would this translate into English?

 

[entendre1]

up

 

[entendre1]

lungao

thanks for looking at this ... how about:

Lucky letter, pray it finds Uncle Ren Cao Tang Wan Cao Tang
Pass on to Tan Yi Du
Paid for and sent by Li Kong Hu from San Francisco

I was thinking that the difference is it is being sent to to one person (Uncle Ren Cao Tang or Wan Cao Tang) with the directions to send it on to another (Tan Yi Du).

 

[ccc]

To put it in an English way, it should look like...

To xzy (the final receiver of the mail)
C/O abc (who forwards to xyz)

 

[entendre1]

If it was written by a native English speaker, it would read:

To Tan Yi Du
C/O Ren Cao Tang Wan Cao Tang
From Li Kong Hu

But I want to make out the literal translation, keeping the flavour of the language in which it was written. I think I am satisfied with the following:

Lucky letter, pray it finds revered honourable Uncle Ren Cao Tang Wan Cao Tang
Pass on to Tan Yi Du
Paid for and sent by Li Kong Hu from San Francisco


Thanks to everyone for your comments, particularly lungao for helping me clarify the Ren Cao Tang Wan Cao Tang part (one and the same!). I don't see that there is a direct reference to a transfer of earnings. Wells Fargo also delivered mail in this period so I have to make the assumption that this was just a letter.

I am curious as to why you think the sender was a woman. The Victoria on the right was "via Victoria" as in the letter was sent by way of the city of Victoria. Doesn't the name Kong Hu sound more like a man's name? Also, doesn't the handwriting look more like that of a man? I know in English, one can usually tell the gender of an individual by looking at the handwriting.

Anyway thanks again!