The Express.
London, England, 1847-12-23 00:00:00

Oliver, the Protector's second son, at Marston Moor)
which was wanting to complete oar information as to
the fate of his children, and to ripply an explanation
of an allusion made by Cromwell in his letter to his
brollies-in-law, Colonel Valentine Walton, announcing
the diath of that gentleman's son, his nephew, from
W wadi received in Marston fight, and alluding to
"ay own trials this way." All these circumstances
taloa together (the strongest of them by far being the '
history which Thomas Carlyle gives of the letters
in introducing them to the reader) tend to throw a
perplexing doubt over the authenticity of the collec-
tion. There is a summary account of the way in
which these mysterious papers came to Carlyle's
knowledge and, ultimately, q copies only, into his
hands
Some eight or ten months ago came letters from an
unknown correspondent to " T. C." " setting forth, in
simple, ragged, and trustworthy, though rather pecu-
liar dialect " that the writer had in his hands a stock
lof strange, old, damp, and moth-eaten papers, relating
Ito Oliver Cromwell. Vaguely described, these papers
consisted of a journal of proceedings of the regiment
of Ironsides, from their " first mount," in 1642 till
the latter end of 1645, by one Samuel Squire, cornet
land afterwards auditor to the corps, interspersed with
I letters from Oliver himself and others. On the subject
of these papers the correspondent was painfully par-
sled. Part of his kindred, in those old times, had
been roundhead, part royalist, "of both which sort
plentiful representatives yet remained; at present all
united in kindly oblivion of those old sorrows and
animosities, but capable yet of blazing up into one
knew not what fierce contradictions, should the ques-
tions be renewed."
This puzzled "T. C.," as it may well puzzle our
readers. The notion of the old roundhead and royalist
ashes still smouldering in such life in the nineteenth
century, that any flinging on them of old moth-eaten
papers should waken the ashes into flame ! The corre-
spondent promised a speedy visit to town and to Car
lyle. A friend was meanwhile directed to visit this " re-
markable possessor of old manuscripts." The friend
did not just then visit the correspondent's localities.
The affair was pretty well forgotten, when in Jane
last came a packet by poet directed • to T. C.
In it lay the thirty-five letters of Oliver Cromwell,
now given to the world in Fraser for December, with
some explanatory extracts from the above-mentioned
journal. The reading of these letters induced in
T. C. " an earnest, almost passionate, recrest for a
sight of that old journal, by Samuel Squire, corset
and auditor of the regiment of Irons:des." By return
of post came a decisive answer to these earnest
prayers. The journal, letters and all, was reduced to
ashes. The wonderful unknown correspondent had
rushed up to town, transcribed the 3.5 letters,
gathered all the papers together, and sternly con-
sumed them with fire.
. .

The friend has since visited the mysterious corre-
spondent, and assures " T. C." that he is "a gentle-
man of honourable, &ink aspect and manners, still
in hie best years, and of robust, manful qualities." As
Dome abatement of wonder, the friend suggests that
""he bas lived, he and his, 300 years under the
shadow of a cathedral city : you know not what kind
of Sleepy Hollow' that is, and how Oliver Crom-
well is related to it, in the minds of all men and night-
birds who inhabit there."
Such, in brief, is the history of these letters. A
thousand questions rush thronging on the heels of it.
How does the correspondent escape all the appre-
hended consequences of publicity by supplying
copies, instead of originals. Surely, as far as the
letters go, they are as explosive, if set ap from the
correspondent's transcript or Mr. Carlyle's, as if
printed from the original " fist " of Auditor
Squire. And if the journal must perish, for
peace' sake, the MSS. of the letters at least, might
have been preserved for the purpose of much-required
verification. And all this, without dwelling upon
that monstrous fear of reviving a quarrel, dead at
least a century and a half, if we go back only to the
act of settlement.

Never, certainly, did interesting papers come be-
fore the world with such a suspicious parentage.
Even now, it requires all our faith in Carlyle's re-
markable veracity, to believe that his' tale has any
more truth in it than dfartinus Seribkrus. And if he
be ever so truthful,is he beyond being taken in? An-
other momentous question suggested by such a story.
Bat there the letters are. If true, of great though
minute interest, for the light they throw on Oliver
and his doings in that dark gap between 1641 and
1643. If false, carious for their skilful imitation of
the familiar style of the 17th century, and their
clever adaptation to Carlyle's cherished ideal of
Cromwell, as the last embodiment of faith and justice
the world has seen in a heroic form. We confess our-
selves at a loss to decide the question " genuine or
forged ?" even to our own satisfaction.
And on this wt of the subject we shall say no
more, but introduce our readers to the letters.
The first of them is dated March, 1641. Puritan
Oliver St. John, Cromwell's cousin, was made solid-
tor-general that year, in January. Negotiations had
been going on between the King and the puritan
leaders. There was a move towards an impossible
coalition. The March letter must have been written
in the midst of this to the Committee Association, at
Huntingdon. It exhorts to pmN• •
London, March, 1641.—Dear is not Improbable that
Ole king may go through Huntingdon oa his way to Stamford. Prey
keep all steady, and let no peace be broken. Beg a all to be silent,
or it may mar our peaceable settling this sad badata Such as are
oa the cowry array bid go; all of you protect, at coot of life, the king
from harm, or foul usage by word or deed, asps' low the saw.—
From yours' falthfally, Our= Carnegau.
In !Kay, Strafford is tried, sentenced, and executed;
in November, came the Irish rebellion and massacre.
Twelve bishops are committed to the tower in De-
cember that year, and the apprentices are clamorous
in palace-yard, with sword and pistol parade. Their
" petition and remonstrance " imitation of the
Commons.
In 1642, the King has sent off the Queen with the
crown jewels to pawn in Holland, and get arms with
the money. The parliament and he are treating. Both
are taking measures to raise men and money. Well
may Oliver write in May that year :
ass layeez Moods that we bare made op ear demos& to tho
restrei el the say, sod traintanda of the counties' militia, also all
Sorel Mt Wall I mad, with Ood's aid, we wth base them U be (Lao
kistAllbs r diftis. For he to more shifty every day. We must
do mere elm earls h
e. e does that which Ss right In the eight of Ood
ad Era to bleptepl
The parliament militia is fast enlisting--arms are
wanting and bullets. Oliver is at head quarters to
send the one, and suggest a profane and puritanic
ammo @Reapply of the other, with good exhortation
textrace, in letter No. 4, "to the committee of
at Cambridge."
Labs. Sum id 1042.—Cimerra, I hare NM rats Bebbafe
Ma Wm yea Mew ed. Ma Err get red al pen SW; Ole
*mho Me ewe* ma tr epee ea Mr I We MR ere dr Lard.
Heel wed year ram them cerd Fir r dra am,
dad; Oa ills* eft at lir% rem ;be re ream remet,
self we sec ge erthateM set tom le ear W- ~
Idea be ie.
lac leres Ni.yea set ears hem this Padre; (I) r Illerdird.
Let Orr Mg mil MOON, ere shoat, ar they Mt, Ma abeam
Ore dry wrests wr err prey. V. aye Wet mos am id to
err tree Isedkr mem Far brod well Wear lees of am err I
mere yea Yew we Mare malt re Sri resirla mile le ream
TM Lied helps& dm woe Mel lie orrerheerie ; dreg
Me re pet morel la mil inter aft whist amot mem Mee
drellere BMW OW IS tt w be let Millet sri Nets I
Pry ter up re doss der I awl le ever, if it Mar God, mu
reesseee Welmilar. Ima VS thee, yaw rem sea ven-
wer co. se
n.
There is appended to this Whir a curious note
relative to the raising of the Ironsides. On the Stepe-
lands was Oliver's grazing-farm et St. Ive's.
resimat of horse. CM Meld as Mud Meted ;
temptier.ol. Crumrl's troop ed Ohm ireserm Weser W to 40
=lndy pm ma or v/omelileihersir ; the Memel
dim ,• I rem re Mug el baridrailed Mem who
tlI se he ter Om mil se millera erism hrepit•
ell Set Me Maeda Me Tram, mad Ibillseivie bens& elen
lam Sr erkteated Trish% or Mark& TM wore
SY berm
tratires seer Mims NM erie erwelayfreeheidare; eat so de
wow, se yea es me may me soy= cheer bed nee WO hot
also mild by him, who did err
The battle of Edge-hill was the first " clear burst-
ing into flame of all those long-smouldering ele-
ments." It was fought on Sunday, October 23,
1642. In the letters from this date, Oliver shows
himself the prompt practical cavalry officer, neglect-
ing no detail, seeing to everything, arms, horses, and
movements; overlooking no breach of discipline,
tolerating no paltering or chilly-slially in suspected
royalist, or puritan soldier, or committee-man. For
example !
exurb, the day, 11 Norertser, 1642.—Deer Pried,—LM the
raw see to the Hoesidgeer. I Ism Mee me, rimy ere ebramtd.
If area hes sot gad empers, hoarred berm hele se
I prey yea orbs Wie :—eal lebeirreagh IMU els Tit
mar •ft rof bet de sot mem the Mi.—Wm year hieri. O.C.
Ted WA wr arit Mr ids rea est blit's Per wirer me mss
tire. U ret pen as ay Drag' hew ere ree Lies : ay
hoses to atm rya; mats me emir ; de used Mem et
Made, or I MU le erm—lf yoa piers ride cow to rd
order the mrstrim al chose rtim) Soar Troop,—l beer tbey
bow lee no More Orb &Sep he. Bid P Mee my
who earl; ray tie ea order, sad Mr Me Ma
Em SS dersary, 1642.—ida—diree leo ems is, rid I
went yea tl my Ilea le Mum Ws res le re, es I mat te see
himu Ted Whir zed Mama sin I mat them M sere rie ems
de set May. I hoe m ante d Ike ma marry but: tea
he ter we I met re bre tt.
Agaii I

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