'Report on the Persian Army' [‎46v] (92/170)

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one cavalry, one artillery), and they arrived at Teheran in
March, 1882. They had not been permitted to retain their
officer’s title while in Persian service and never attained the
social standing of their predecessors. The non-commissioned
officers were too young and could not obtain any authority or
influence over the soldiers. The two cavalrymen found their
field of operations occupied by the Russian Cossacks, and left
Persia at the end of their contracts without having done any
work at all; the other three officers renewed their contracts tor
three years, and of the non-commissioned officers only one
remained. Major von Staudach, a member of the mission of
1878, returned in the early part of 1882 and entered Persian
Service, and two other members of the mission (Captain
Krauss ot infantry and Captain Wagner von Wetterstaedt of
artillery), having retired from the Austrian service, now also
returned to Persia and were engaged as instructors. The
Persian authorities made little use of them. They gave one
battalion, or sometimes two, to each infantry officer and
. expected him to turn it out in a short time in a state of
efficiency, but the drilling was done by Persian instructors who
had learned their work under the previous mission. The
Austrians only exercised a kind of police supervision to see
that the Austrian regulations were more or less kept up, but
were in no way responsible for the efficiency of the battalion,
held no command, and had no influence on organisation,
unitorms, duration of service, promotion, etc. The Austrian
“ Internationale Revue ” said that it was to be regretted that
these instructors had been the possessors of the fatal legacy
left by previous missions, and added:—
“ Personal ami official differences and quarrels between the officers began
on the day of their arrival in Persia, and have now, after four years’ residence,
not ended. It is evident that this state of affairs will not aid in raising the
prestige of the Europeans in that country. The duties of the instructors are
perfectly equal, yet their ranks and pays vary considerably. Of the six
Austrian instructors now in Persia, two are generals of the second class, two
are generals of the third class, and two are colonels. Three, who were
members of the previous mission, possess the “ Lion and Sun ” of the second
class, while the others have only the third class. These unequal distinctions,
as well as the unequal pays, do not depend upon special or distinguished
services, but are mostly due to a clever exploitation of accidental and favourable
circumstances, and cause many difficulties.”
So fiir the “ Internationale Revue,” but before reverting to
other matters, it will here be appropriate to conclude with the
Austrian officers. In addition to the officers mentioned in the
“ Internationale Revue,” there were the bandmaster and one
non-commissioned officer (Mottes). The latter, through the
more or less mysterious influences which play so great a part
in Persia, quickly rose to the rank of colonel, then became an
officer of the night-watch of the city under the Chief of the
police, and finally, a general of the* first class. In 189() he
was sent by Naib es baltaneh, Minister for War, on a mission
to \ ienna for purchasing discarded Werndl rifles and ammuni
tion from the Austrian Government. This was against the