'Report on the Persian Army' [‎36r] (71/170)

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Flandin has given nmcli information on the Persian army
for the period 1840-42 in his work, “ Voyage cn Perse,” but as
most of his information is practically the same as that given by
Colonel Stuart and others for the period 1834-38—no progress
having been made—it will not be necessary to (juote all of it,
and 1 shall give only a port:—
“ It was in the camp at Isfahan that we saw for the first time in Persia
an appearance of an ai’my, or something resembling regular regiments. The
clothes of the men were all in rags ; but they had belts, which once were
white, and on them was hanging a scabbard for the bayonet. The muskets
were mostly without flints, or ev r en without their powder pans. The men
were commanded by officers as miserable as themselves, and their whole in
struction seemed to be how to carry and present arms. These were the
debris of the battalions entrusted to the “Talimjis” (instructors) of the
Indian army. Only some primitive exercises, useless in battle, have been
kept up. The blue tunic of the French has been substituted for the English
red coat, and further, to make the force useless for any serious service, it has
been armed with English muskets of very inferior make. These arms were
so bad that they lost, in a short time, their powder pans, and the bayonets
were so badly fitted that the soldiers during the siege of Herat had to tie
them to their muskets with their handkerchiefs. These are the battalions
called ‘ guards.’ The line regiments garrison the principal towns of the
provinces, and are distinguished from the guards by having blue or yellow
tunics. All the battalions have fifes and drums ; only one battalion of the
guards has a band, which plays some marches to the tune of national airs
arranged by Germans and Italians. The uniforms of the officers are simple—
tunics of the same colour as those of their men, buttoned all the way up,
large boots, and a Persian sword. Only colonels wear epaulettes. The
artillery is organised as‘light.’ The pieces are G and 8-pounders, and the
gunners are mounted and are armed with English swords. The artillery
uniform consists of a thick cloth tunic of dai'k blue, with red facings, blue or
white cotton trousers, and large boots. Their heads are covered with enor
mous hats of black or grey sheepskin with long wool. The officers are
distinguished from the privates by gold braided tunics and three rows of
buttons ; they also wear epaulettes, but these do not show any distinguishing
marks, and I have seen a captain wearing the enormous epaulettes of a
Itussian colonel.
The Persian possesses the natural qualities which make a good soldier,
intelligence, bravery, sobriety, and endurance, but he is altogether without
the knowledge necessary to make him redoubtable to his neighbours. The
system of conscription based on individual chance is unknown in Persia.
Recruiting is left to the good-will of the citizens, or, more often, to the
discretion of the governor. When the Shah requires soldiers he sends
firmans to all the provinces with the number of men each province must
furnish, and according to requirements from 1 to G per cent, of the men
are enrolled. Only one son in each family is supposed to serve the army.
The Persian soldier serves during his Avhole life unless the Shah dismisses
him. During marches the troops live at the expense of the inhabitants. The
treasury supplies the salaries, but it sometimes happens that the pay of the
soldiers is worth only half by the time they get it, and then only after
waiting for it a long time. I have known a regiment which received no pay for
two years. Sometimes the unhappy men, forced by misery, are guilty of
Government. Not getting any assistance, he at last determined to seek his
fortune in Lahore, and, leaving France in 1845, proceeded to Baghdad,
travelled thence in disguise through Persia, and until the following year
unsuccessfully attempted several times to passthrough Afghanistan. Finally
he was forced to return to Persia, and after a short residence in that country
in a private capacity, was appointed Juge de Paix in Pondicherri. Some
years later he became Sub-Governor of Chandarnagor, where he was, I
believe, until his death about twenty years ago.