'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎136v] (277/610)

peace of Gulistan in 1813, had less need of British assistance.
In 1815 a dispute arose between Britain and Persia about the
continuance of the subsidy with the result that most of the
British officers and all the non-commissioned officers were with
drawn. A few, however, remained and a Major Hart exercised
great influence in Persia until his death in 1830. Some French'
officers also were employed after 1815.
In 1834 a second attempt was made to organize the Persian
army by British instructors and a large and well equipped
detachment of officers and non-commissioned officers arrived'
at Tehran from India a few months before the death of Path
All Shah. Their presence secured the peaceful accession oh
Muhammad Shah, but his attack on Herat in 1838 caused a
rupture between Persia and Great Britain and all the British
officers left Persia. Their position had been rendered un
comfortable owing to the arrogance of the Shah and to their
having no control over the pay or promotion in his army. French,.
Italian and Austrian officers followed. All had disappeared'
by 1861 when Nasir-ud-Din Shah applied for British aid but
without result owing to a dispute about the incidence of expense.
A further request made by him in 1870 was refused on the
ground that Persia was fighting Afghans and Baluchis who-
were allies of Great Britain.
Austrians were again employed in 1879 but they quarrelled'
among themselves and failed to achieve any result.
This year also marked the beginning of the Cossack brigade
under Russian officers, which, owing to the pressure Russia
has been enabled to exert on Persia, has been the most longlived
of all these military experiments made by foreign officers in
Persia. Russian policy, however, was to train the Persian
Cossacks sufficiently to serve as a useful tool for furthering
Russian control over Northern Persia, but not to make them an
efficient fighting force, which, should it turn “Nationalist."'
might stand in Russia’s way. In November 1920, at the instance-
of the British, the Russian officers and non-commissioned officers
were dismissed by the Persian Government.
In 1911 Sweden was invited as a neutral power inoffensive-
to either Russia or Great Britain to provide officers to form
a Persian Gendarmerie. This force expanded rapidly from
1911 to 1914, but on the outbreak of the European war the
regular Swedish officers were withdrawn to Sweden. They were
succeeded by non-regular officers and in 1915 most of the Gen
darmerie went over to Turks and Germans.
1 See Chapter I, p. 37. The resuscitated Gendarmerie is described below-