* * * * *
Early in 1847 Carlyle received a communication from an unknown
correspondent, who professed to have in his possession a number of
letters written by Cromwell and other documents, which if genuine were
certainly of importance. As I published in the Historical Review for
April 1886 all the evidence which exists on the subject, I shall not
further dwell upon it here, except to say that I am not in the least
convinced by the arguments which have been put forward that the thirty-
five letters of Cromwell which Carlyle printed in Fraser's Magazine for
1847 were forged by his imperfectly educated correspondent William
Squire. Squire was living at Yarmouth at this time, and as FitzGerald
was frequently in his neighbourhood Carlyle asked him to endeavour to see
him and examine the papers which he professed to have. In reply to
Carlyle's letter he wrote as follows in February 1847.