'Report on the Persian Army' [‎38v] (76/170)

66
played were, as the author of the “ Tarikh i No ” states, “ won
derful.” When the news of Muhammad Shah’s demise reached
Tabriz, the Crown Prince, now become Nassir ed din Shah, had
no funds whatever, and his available forces consisted of two or
three badly-equipped battalions in arrears of pay, but Muham
mad Taki Khan enabled him to leave Tabriz eleven days later
accompanied by 14,000 men and some guns.* Various bodies
of troops joined on the road, and the Shah arrived on the 20th
November at his capital with the imposing force of 40,000 men.
Hajji Mirja Akassi, who had been driven out of the capital the
day following^ the Shah’s death and retired since then into
sanctuary at Shah Abdulazim, was allowed to go to Kerbela,
where he died three months later. Muhammad Taki Khan
was now appointed Prime Minister, with the title of Amir
Nizam, and as a further mark of favour and gratitude, the
Shah gave him his sister in marriage and there were public
festivities foi a week. A fortnight after this the indefatigable
Amir Nizam despatched a well-equipped f< rce of 8,000 men
and 18 guns, under the command of Sultan Murad Mirza
(afterwards Ilissam es Saltaneh) to Meshed, where the Salar
(son of 4 .u Muhammad Khan, Asaf ed dowlehj had revolted
and defied the authority of Hamzeh Mirza (afterwards
Hishmat ed dowleh), the Governor of Khorassan. The serious
tioubles which broke out in other provinces, notably in
Mazandaran, Isfahan, \ezd, Kerman, and Pars, were quelled in
a short time, and by the middle of 1849 order was restored
throughout the Shah’s dominions, excepting in Khorasoan,
where the Salar’s revolt continued until his capture and
execution (29th April, 1850). These successes over local
pretenders and undisciplined, badly-armed rabbles did not
make the Amir Nizam lose sight of the fact that the army
required reform, and as an important step towards this object
he decided to establish a military college for the education of
officers. The Shah too now took great interest in military
matters and fully supported his Prime Minister’s schemes.
During the next two years there was much military activity,
and the Persian annals record a goodly array of results. The
most important were the following:
Ihe existing battalions of infantry were brought up to their
full complements and sixteen new battalions were formed. All
battalions were properly named and numbered and divided into
Inmans (divisions) often battalions each, and every tuman had
a special flagon which the names and numbers of the battalions
composing it were painted. The sixteen new battalions were
the following:—
r ? ? 8 hat the ( ’ reek Hrm of RaUi Brothers, then establishes
Si, T J ’ by a<iv 'T' !Ug a few thou8aud tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. . “ Six months late
1 the :u ' c ° ni p™ied by a rich present. On th
othp, ‘ Tl ^ Wn J k" xr ' 1S 'T nt ]} y Nassir ed din, the Prince ’; on th
other : This is sent by Nassir ed din Shah.”