[ H. F. S. Morgan and Morgan & Co., 'Automobile Engineers and Agents'. ] Six letters (one by Morgan, one on his behalf and four by the company), responding to the complaints of Sir Richard Harington. With draft letter by Harington to the company.

The seven items in fair condition, on lightly aged paper. An interesting correspondence, casting light on the company's practices. Both the recipient, Sir Richard Harington of Ridlington (1835-1911), 11th Baronet, and his son 'The Judge' - Richard Harington (1861-1931), the future 12th Baronet - came from a legal background, adding an edge to the correspondence. The six letters total 9pp., 4to. The firm appears to have had a policy of retaining the original and sending out a carbon copy, as each of the letters consists of a carbon copy of manuscript. Each page on a separate leaf with the Morgan & Co. letterhead, featuring a grainy black and white photograph of the 'Morgan & Co. Garage and Motor Works'. The letterhead is headed 'Sole Agents for Darracq, Wolseley and Siddeley' and contains the disclaimer: 'Customers' Cars are driven by members of our Staff entirely at Customers' own risk.' The lettehead also states that Morgan & Co. are 'Official Repairers to the Automobile Club', with 'Cars for hire' and one of their two telegrams 'Rapidity, Malvern'. Seven of the nine leaves also carry the firm's oval blue stamp: 'Morgan & Coy. | Sole District Agents | Wolseley-Siuddeley & Rover Cars | Elastes Tubes Fitted | Malvern & Worcester'. The first letter, 2 January 1907, includes the following: 'We should be greatly obliged if you would inform us of the damage to your care by negligence in our garage, as we should like to investigate the matter. We expect our men to be very careful of customers cars & should at once dismiss a man who was found careless.' The second letter 7 January 1907, is three pages long, concerns complaints by Harington's son 'Judge Harington'. 'When the car came to us some repairs were ordered & necessary & we ought not to have allowed the car to leave our Garage before they were completed, but Judge Harington was so anxious to use the car that we sent it out & did hwat we could is it [sic] each night after its return working till 12.pm twice, but there was not time to do a thorough repairs then […] Our charge for hiring is £3. 2. 0. a day on which the profit is very small & even one day's loan of the car will more than balance our entire profit on the cost of Repairs […] It is possible that some nuts might have worked loose but we can assure you that everything was tight when the car finally left us. The Driver shd. Have seen to these at once. The Accumulator Box was broken when the car was not in our hands | We assure you that the piece of the Stepneywheel fitting (the metal) found in the Gear Box was not dropped in our Garage. The Box was only opened twice before it was discovered & each time under the supervision of our foreman.' The third letter, 15 January 1907, is a carbon copy of an ALS by Morgan himself. He is sending 'a price list of Elastes Tubes' (not present) and will give Haringotn 'a trial run' in a car fitted with them. He also gives advice regarding Harington's gears ('this is quite easy to alter but would take a few hours as the gear box has to be lifted, as I told your driver, we shall be pleased to do this free when you can spare the car for a day'. The fifth letter, 26 January 1907, is a two-page one written on Morgan's behalf, regarding disputes over the state of the car after its use by Harington's son. '[…] If your Son was away without the car the petrol was no doubt used for testing under repairs on that date, but if your Son had the car with him, our mistake must be in our books for which we must apologise. | In regard to the horse bulb, as it was lost while the car was being used by your Son we think he should be responsible. […]' The last letter, 29 January 1907, concerns Harington's son's driver: 'Judge Harington engaged Clark entirely on his own account Clark at that time having left our employ some considerable period. We merely gave Judge Harington Clark's address as a likely driver for him, & therefore no responsibility whatever is attached to us.' The seventh item is the corrected autograph draft copy of a letter from Harington to the company, 27 January 1907. signed with his initials. Closely written on 2pp., 12mo. In the letter Harington disputes the firm's position in their fifth letter. From the papers of the Harington baronets of Ridlington.