The Thomas A. Edison Papers Digital Edition

Transcription

Letterhead of the Edison United Phonograph Company 
Monday morning 26th December 1892. 
S. F. Moriarty Esq: Paris. 
Dear Sir, 
A cable arrived for you late on Saturday evening, and I at once re-cabled it to you in Paris. I presume you would receive it Xmas morning. I now enclose you the original message.  
With regard to letters in this morning, there is not a heavy mail. There are two private ones for yourself, which I enclose you herewith. The others include a letter from Mr Morison, merely acknowledging two letters we sent him, and a reply from Messrs Baily & Grundy of Cambridge to whom you will remember you instructed me to write and ask if the proposed exhibition for which they desired the Phonograph was a private entertainment or a public one, that is to say if money was charged for admission. Their reply this morning is to the effect that the [instrument?] is wanted by the Mayor of Cambridge for an “At Home: on the 18th January. They ask us “to quote lowest price for the hire for that evening, including attendant”. Unless I hear from you by first post Wednesday morning I will forward this application to Mr Crowe, as per your instructions, as the occasion of exhibition appears to be for a private home party.  
Mr Morison forwards us a letter received by him from the North American Phono: Co:, and addressed to them by a Mr J. F. Hammond of Hotel de Rome III, Rue de Saint Lazare Paris. Mr Hammond asks for a “prospectus” of the phono: and for particulars as to price. He also asks for particulars of “Tainters Phonograph”. As you are in Paris you may care to attend to the above enquiry direct, the more so as the name of the applicant seems familiar, and if I mistake not his initials agree with those of the inventor of the “Hammond” type-writer. This may be a delusion on my part however. If you do not wish to be troubled with this matter however, please drop me a post-card or a line and I will reply in the usual terms. 
Although in my letter to Major Sangster, written under instructions from you, I requested him to send his reply direct to you, he has not done so as I have received his reply addressed to myself, and which reads as follows:- 
“In reply to your letter of 21st inst: I beg to state that I quite understand the terms of the notice given to me verbally by Mr Moriarty and expressed in your letter. 
I do not however admit Mr Moriarty’s authority in the matter and until I hear officially from the Secretary of the Board or from Col: Gouraud by whom I was first engaged, I can only accept such notice under protest. 
I am obliged to Mr Moriarty for his offer to pay me three months salary at once, but I prefer to receive the salary as it becomes due”. 
From the above you will see that Major Sangster still holds out and evidently intends to come here as heretofore.  
Before the end of the holidays however I will see that no important papers are about him, in case of any emergency.  
That is all that I have to report on this morning.  
The weather in London is bitterly cold, a hard frost prevailing but so far no snow. 
Yours faithfully, 
Geo Monro