arkable despatch to the British Minister, narrated in detail the
achievements of Gordon, and declared in graceful language that "not
only has he shown himself throughout both brave and energetic, but his
thorough appreciation of that important question, a friendly
understanding between China and foreign nations, is also deserving of
the highest praise." The Minister was requested to bring these facts
to the notice of the British Government, and it was even suggested by
the Chinese Prince that some reward that Gordon would appreciate at
the hands of his own Sovereign should be conferred on him, and would
be hailed with satisfaction in China. If I add to this list the sword
of Chung Wang, captured from one of his lieutenants, and presented
afterwards by Gordon to the Duke of Cambridge, the rewards of Gordon
from the Chinese are fully catalogued. At the hands of his own
Government he received for his magnificent service a brevet
lieutenant-colonelcy, and somewhat later the Companionship of the
Bath.

Gordon had kept a journal, which he sent home; but subsequently, on
finding that it was being circulated, he destroyed it. Of this fact
there is no doubt, and it is of course impossible to say whether it
contained more than the manuscript history of the Taeping war, which
he lent me in 1881 as "a trustworthy narrative" for the purposes of my
"History of China," and which was published many years later as a
separate volume. The authorship of that history is a matter of
speculation, but there seems little or no doubt that it was at least
compiled under Gordon's own direction, from the reports of his
lieutenants in China, and completed during his residence at Gravesend.

Of the true personal journal Gordon wrote in 1864: "I do not want the
same published, as I think, if my proceedings sink into oblivion, it
would be better for every one; and my reason for this is that it is a
very contested point whether we ought to have interfered or not, on
which point I am perfectly satisfied that it was the proper and humane
course to pursue, but I still do not expect people who do not know
much about it to concur in the same.... I never want anything
published. I am sure it does no good, and makes people chary of
writing."

The same feeling came out in his last letter to his mother from China,
17th November 1864: "The individual is coming home, but does not wish
it known, for it would be a signal for the disbanded to come to
Southampton,