'Persia and the Persian Question by the Hon. George Nathaniel Curzon, M.P.' [‎529] (592/714)

THE NORTH-WEST AND WESTERN PROVINCES
by Englishmen. The military contribution of the province
nominally now as follows :—
Infantry
Three ' Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. ' or Divisions
First Division, consisting of eleven battalions, eight of which have a
strength of 1,000 men, and three of 800 men each
Second Division, consisting of eight battalions, four of which have a
strength of 1,000 men, and four of 800 men each
Third Division, consisting of ten battalions, two of which have a strength
of 1,000 men, and eight of 800 men each
(Of these battalions three are recruited in the Government of Hamadan,
but are included in the Azerbaijan army).
Total
Cavalry
Inegulai (i.e. effective but not mobilised): from each district 200 to
400. Three regiments alone—with an average of 350 each—are uni
formed and disciplined, or can therefore be considered mobilised ;
the remainder are simply mounted men ' _ 6 80()
Artillery
Twelve battalions, each consisting of 400 men (formed, if required, into
batteries of four guns each, drawn by horses and manned by sixty
men, or into mountain batteries of four guns each, carried on
mules)
Infantry 26)000
Cavall 7 6,800
Artillery 4)800
Grand total . . 37,600
Of the infantry and artillerymen it may be said that they are
indisputably the best soldiers that Persia possesses. Both are drilled
Drill and f rom time to time, and have uniforms (not an invariable
armament appurtenance of the Persian soldier) and a certain ac
quaintance with discipline. They are called out perhaps once in
three or four years for a period of six months, being the rest of the
time at their homes. Certain of the battalions, however, as will
have been seen in my chapter upon Khorasan, are embodied for a
longer period, two or three years, and are sent to garrison Meshed,
Kerman, and other distant parts of Persia, whose local levies are
either untrustworthy or are not endowed with military instincts.
Hie cavalry horses are small, but of a strong and wiry stamp ; and
the men are born riders, and could be made into excellent light
cavalry. A portion of the infantry and cavalry are armed with
breech-loading Werndl rifles, and some of the batteries of artillery
V0L - !• MM