2110-7-8-17

Oliver Baldwin

Villa Aurelian, Parc Gatliff, Alger.

6.2.35

Dear Buchan

My mother, with magnificent wisdom, sent me your 'Cromwell' for Christmas, & having read it, I want to tell you what a fine & scholarly piece of work I think it. Perhaps my greatest delight in it was to discover with certainty that O.C's character was not in the least like Tom Rosley's, & that the latter's new-found interest in the former could not have been caused by a desire to emulate the great man in all things. I admired the architecture of the book so much & the apparent ease of the continuity. Go on writing nice books like that & I will forgive your following of the Lossiemouth monster, who, I see by my papers, is rarely seen in Parliament these days. Somebody wrote me & said there was a possiblity of a Labour Government next year. Can't you put it off till Clynes & Fred Roberts & a few more are dead? I am in despair about France. She really is in a pitiable state of funk & putrefaction & her real troubles are only beginning. Over here the Government is strangely bare-faced. In any native election where their man is likely to be beaten they change the voting districts for the election & put any town or village where their opponent is strong into the neighbouring voting area. When in spite of this their man is beaten, they automatically annul the election of the winner on the grounds of bribery & put their own

man in instead. The tribunal that decides this consists of a magistrate & a representative of the Government-General. The result is people are not voting. What will happen next remains to be seen.

Give my greetings to my old friends in the smoking room & thank you again for having written the best Cromwell so far.

Yrs very sincerely Oliver Baldwin