'Report on the Persian Army' [‎30v] (60/170)

50
In order not to interrupt the history of the second British
military mission to its end I have gone ahead of events, and
must now go back a few years to record the doings of the
Persian army.
Fath AH Shah died at Isfahan on the 22nd of October, 1834.
The Crown Prince in Tabriz was without money, and his troops
had not received any pay for three years, but with the aid of
Sir John Campbell, the British representative, and Sir Henry
Bethune (“ Lindsay Sahib ”), who had returned to Persia, all
difficulties were soon overcome.* Bethune was placed in com
mand of the troops, and, with Shee as an able assist ant, safely
and expeditiously conducted the new sovereign, Muhammad
Shah, to the capital and seated him upon the throne. (The
Shah left Tabriz Kith November, 1834, arrived at Teheran
21st of December, and was enthroned 2nd January, 1835.)
A Frenchman, named Colombari, who entered Persian ser
vice in 1833 and later became a colonel of artillery, states in
the “Spectateur Militaire, Paris, 1853,” that Muhammad Shah
reached Teheran accompanied by 40,000 irregular horse, 24
guns and 400 artillerymen, and six battalions of infantry. The
Governor-General of Lars, Husain Ali Mirza, Firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). Firma, a
son of Fath Ali Shah, had already the year before refused to
forward the provincial revenues—in fact, it was with the inten
tion of bringing his son to reason that the aged Shah under
took the voyage which caused his death—and was now in open
revolt. He had the Khutbeh (the Friday public prayer) read
and coins struck in his name (“ Tarikh i No ”), and threatened to
capture Isfahan with an army of G,000 men. The Shah
appointed Firuz Mirza (afterwards Nusret ed Dowleh, Firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’).
Firma) Governor of Fars, and that prince, accompanied by
Manucheher Khan, Motamad ed Dowleh, as Vizir, and 2,000
men and 1(> guns in command of Sir Henry Bethune and
Colonel Shee, left Teheran without delay and reached Isfahan
by forced marches just in time to save it. With some slight
reinforcements the Shah’s troops then proceeded towards
Shiraz, defeated the troops of the rebel prince between
Komisheh and Maksudbeggi on the 28th February, and a few
days later entered the capital of Fars without opposition.
Firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). Firma and his brother were arrested and sent to
Teheran.t The brother was blinded before reaching the
capital, and Firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). Firma died of cholera shortly after.
* According to George Fouler, Sir John Campbell advanced £*20,000 to
the Shah, and by personally superintending work at the arsenal, in charge of
Mr. Nisbett, for placing the artillery in a state of efficiency, reviewing the
troops, paying each man £3 and promising to pay the balance of the arrears
on arrival at Teheran, was of the greatest assistance. Fowler adds that the
activity and energy shown by Sir John almost made one believe that he
intended conquering the throne for himself and his descendants. Sir John
accompanied the Shah to Teheran.
t “Tarikh i No : ’ here relates that after the defeat of the Firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). Firma’s
troops near Maksddbeggi, where Hasan Ali Mirza, his brother, commanded,
some of his sons and a part of his harem tied vid Bushire to Turkish territory
(three sons afterwards going to England), but Firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). Firma, believing in a