'Report on the Persian Army' [‎15v] (30/170)

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used them less thfin the I urks. Artillery was seldom employed,
and 1 )r. Olivier believed that there was none of it in the two
expeditions which Agha Muhammad Khan made to Tiflis and
Mashhad. Their firearms were long muskets, mostly matchlocks,
which in firing were supported by a fork fixed to the barrel
with a pivot. This weapon was only used by the infantry, but
some horsemen carried a carbine, which, however, like the
r l urkomans of twenty years ago, they fired only once during
an engagement, the process of loading probably being very
lengthy and laborious. Most of the cavalry was armed with
a lance, a long and very much curved sword, “its cutting
edge inside,” a club, and a number of other weapons attached
to the saddle, and two pistols in the belt. Nearly all still wore
coats of mail, armlets, steel helmets, and some used small shields.
The tribes residing east of the Caspian, Turkomans and Uzbegs,
had no firearms, but used light bamboo lances with sharp steel
points with great effect, and bows and arrows. In the use of
the latter they were also very skilful both when attacking and
retreating. When retreating they reclined on the back of the
horse, resting their head on the crupper, and discharged the
arrow on the pursuing enemy while the horse was in full gallop
the warfare of 2,000 years ago. The whole forces of Agha
Muhammad Khan did not exceed 70,000 or 80,000 men, and his
revenues were so small that he could not maintain his army
for more than six or seven months a year, and that only on
the condition of his being successful and obtaining plunder and
spoil from the vanquished foe. His troops were so badly
armed and so little disciplined that Dr. Olivier had not the least
doubt but that the Shah would be beaten by the Russians in
the very first engagement.
Scott Waring, in his “ Tour to Shiraz ” (London, 1807), gives
a description of the Persian army as it was in 1802, when Fath
Ah Shah had been four years on the throne. He'Vas told that
all the troops were immediate servants of the Shah. Some of
the khans were chiefs of tribes. Tribes were usually in the
Shah’s service, but their chiefs were not feudatories, for they
weie regularly paid and liable to be dismissed at the discretion
of the Government. J lie troops were generally quartered in
the district where they had been levied, but to ensure their
obedience to the Shah’s commands, either the chief or his son was
kept at Court as hostage. The principal military force was tho
cavalry. The troops were clothed, horsed, armed, etc., at the
Niahs expense, and the pay which they received was 10 to
15 Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. a year. In addition to their pay they had an
allowance of barley and straw for the horses, and of wheat, rice
and butter for themselves. They also received a present but
this Scott Waring believed to be uncertain. Considering the
value of money in Persia, then four or five times greater than
m England, he calculated that the pay and allowances of a
hoi soman amounted to about 50 or (10 guineas a year Tho
officers were said to receive their pay regularly, and he was told
that the troops also were paid regularly once a year, or, some-