Featured Interesting French Correspondence

Here you require permits for growing any kind of crop, I think.

In the early years of tobacco in Europe it was considered bad for your health and anti-social. In the Netherlands smoking tobacco was prohibited in churches, only cannabis, which was considered to be healthier, was allowed.

 

J'ai du Bon Tabac - I have good tobacco - child's song c1733

J'ai du bon tabac dans ma tabatière,
J'ai du bon tabac, tu n'en auras pas.
J'en ai du fin et du bien râpé,
Mais ce n'est pas pour ton vilain nez !

I have good tobacco in my snuffbox,
I have good tobacco, you will not have any.
I have some fine and well grated,
But it's not for your ugly nose!

 

A few years back the auction house I work for was consigned a box full of Civil War era documents. Some were very important & highly sought after because of who signed the letter or who the letter or document was referencing.

It took us several hours to sell all of these documents & I lost interest after about 30 minutes or so of selling a single sheet of paper at a time.

It dawned on me while standing there reading a document about something very mundane that this was what it was like back in the 1860's. You didn't just pick up a phone to call someone about something or even get into some type of vehicle to go talk to them about the matter.

You had to write a note or letter that had to be delivered to the person & then wait for that person to answer. This may have taken days or weeks to happen.

These people had far more patience than I will ever hope to have.

 

Different world. That's for sure!

 

What makes it even more surreal is all that correspondence was written by hand. No typewriters. It's hard to imagine now, but the typewriter was revolutionary.

 

5.Oisifs et vagabonds et voleurs (idlers, wanderers and thieves)

(listed, not for translation)

 

6. Carabiniers

(listed, not for translation)

 

8. Bulletins des lois (1800-1810)

(listed, not for translation)

 

9. Paul Cambon (French ambassador of entente cordiale fame)

(listed, not for translation)

 

10. Jean de Bonnefon (1900)

(listed, not for translation)

 

Now I've got Cher singing in my head.

"Gypsies. tramps and thieves....."

 

11. 1887 certification (of some kind!) by Salvador Casals, the Vicar of the Parish of San Agustin in Barcelona with notes/response by the French consul general.

Any ideas on what it is about?

 

12. Spanish: Fire damage certification 1879?
Felipe Camps y Comas, Ramon Bassols Hermanos?

 

Quite a collection, rhiw.
The second last one, by Salvador Casals, is also in Spanish.
@April07 and @Caribou's House have kindly offered their services for Spanish translations.

 

And here is one that looks both interesting and french.

Dr Charles Monot, 1830-1914, handwritten list of services and honorary awards (probably compiled mid 1870s by him)

 

Those Code Napoleon papers might sell handily; they're cool. The main market might be Louisiana lawyers, but you never know.