Cover With Asian? Language - Could Someone Identify & Translate?

Hi everyone,

I've had the cover below for a while and I have no idea what the language is that is written in red pen. I've had a look at various Asian scripts but nothing looks close.

Does anyone know the language and might someone be able to translate what's been written?







Thank you for looking

Bobby DLR

*** Moved by Staff to a more appropriate forum. ****** Moved by Staff to a more appropriate forum. ***

I'd hazard a guess it is Nepalese but what it says is another thing!

Thanks Eiger, it may well be. At the very least, I think you're in the right part of the world. Goodness knows how many languages have fallen off the earth in the last 130 years, especially in northern India or even Tibet.

I was only guessing I had the second scan the right way around and I'm still not sure!

It's beautiful writing though isn't it? So much more to it than plain old English!

I do not know, though Nepalese is a possibility. In India alone, today there are 22 nationally recognized languages and I do not know how many others may be unofficially recognized or no longer in use since this cover was mailed. And there are other countries in addition to Nepal and India that have writing in this general style.

It's certainly some script from south or southeast Asia, but it doesn't look like Nepali to me. Nepali uses the Devanagari alphabet, which has that distinctive top bar (see the sample text on the Omniglot page), but the writing on this envelope doesn't have that. Of course, our guessing game isn't helped by the fact that handwritten script often differs dramatically from its printed counterpart.

Whatever it is, it seems to me that it was written later, presumably by the recipient, Abdub Pubfor, using the envelope as scratch paper. There's no need for that to have been written on mail within New South Wales!

Thank you folks. Amazing what a few fresh pairs of eyes can do.

I agree 100% with erilaz - the writing wasn't written by the sender.

I think the recipient is Abdul Goodfoor but it's been written as Gudfor. There is a mention of an unclaimed letter addressed to Abdul Goodfoor at Strawberry Hills (which is basically a part of Surry Hills) in 1892 in the New South Wales Government Gazette: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/...353/13087707

Our old newspapers have been digitised and are freely available. There is no other mention of Mr Gudfor/Goodfoor at all. A google search of both names produced zero results.

The address on the envelope is 10 Farnell Street. I have the Sydney directory for 1887 and sure enough, Farnell Street isn't in it. Isn't that always the way?

I'm starting to think the language is perhaps Dari. The search continues!

Thanks also to the mods for moving the topic

I don't see that, begins with perhaps an A (I'd go for Arundel Cres)
Any chance of a close up?

Streets in Surrey Hills =A

Alandale Street
Alastair Court
Albany Crescent
Albert Crs
Albert St
Albion Street
Alexandra Crescent
Allie Street
Amiens Street
Anderson Street
Arthur Street
Arundel Crescent
Austral Street

Burmese?

MO 373/32 ABDUL GAFOOR JEMADAR IO NYA 2/13 FRONTIER FORCE RIFLES BURMA MILITARY CROSS 22 JUNE 1944 18 MAY-22 JUNE 1944

http://www.hut-six.co.uk/WW2data/WO...20India.html

Close up of the address Rod:



I don't think the red handwriting is Burmese though.

The A of the name and the A of the street are different. I don't think that's a street or road starting with A

If anyone has the desire and perseverance to go through it, the National Library of Australia has an atlas of 50 detailed street maps of Sydney and its suburbs from 1888, digitized and online: https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1648738

Click on the "See records in this collection" link near the bottom of the page. There might be some street in there that no longer exists on our current Google Maps.

Excellent.

Taking away the scroll of the "S" flourish, perhaps a "P"

Solved:
10 Sandwell Street, Surry Hills
No longer exists

Sandwell street does however, see Google maps.

Well done Poirot :)