With Gordon in China. Letters from Thomas Lyster. Edited by
E. A. Lyster. (T. Fisher Unwin.)—Thomas Lyster, a lad of Irish birth, obtained his commission in the Royal Engineers in 1857. He served at the Curragh for nearly three years, and at Gibraltar for about a year and a half. He was then ordered to China, where he became associated with Charles Gordon, then a Captain in the same corps, and conducting operations against the Tae-pings. A friendship sprang up between the two men, Thomas Lyster having been, it would seem, a high-minded young fellow, with a strong sense of duty. We do not learn anything new about Gordon ; the man has revealed himself to us in his letters with a completeness far beyond anything that we are likely to find else- where. Still, what we read here is interesting ; everything is in harmony with what we know of Gordon, though what may be 'called the " visionary " side of his nature is not to be seen. The editor has been under the difficulty of filling up a required amount of space with insufficient material. A number of quite trivial details from diaries, &c., are added. With Gordon in China is scarcely a descriptive title, as, though Mr. Lyster saw Gordon frequently, and was often with him, he did not serve continuously under him, nor does he give any professional estimate of his work.
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