'Report on the Persian Army' [‎49v] (98/170)

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political reasons and composed of few commissioned and a con
siderable number of non-commissioned officers of any European
power, not for one or even three years, but for at least ten, and
fully supported by the Persian authorities, the Persian army
would become an important factor in any future European war
in the East, “ but as long as the whole administration remains
rotten at the core, and the army is regarded as a profitable
source of plunder for embezzling officials, instead of an instru
ment of national defence and an outlet for the manhood of the
nation, so long will disgrace attend the Persian arms, and the
Lion and Sun be no more than a boastful symbol of disaster.”
APPENDIX.
Military Pays, Ranks, Titles, and Decorations.
The Persian soldier’s pay, expressed in tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , is at present
practically the same as it was fixed originally in 1810, 7 to 14
tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. per annum per man. But a toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. was then represented
by 10 big silver coins each worth nearly two shillings of our
money, and had a value of nearly one pound sterling. The
purchasing power of the toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. was considerable and quite
sufficient for buying food to keep a family for a month. About
forty years later the toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. was represented by ten pieces of
silver worth about a shilling each and had a value of about half
what it was before. Commodities were still cheap in Persia,
and the toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. could buy half what it bought forty years
before. In consequence of further reductions in the weight of
the coin which represented the tenth part of a toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. (the
modern Kran) and the great fall in the price of silver, the value
of the toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. was still further reduced and is at present less
than four shillings, and its purchasing power has decreased in
the same proportion. The pays of the officers, in tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , have
also remained the same, and the result is that officers and men
actually get only one-fifth of the pay which they originally
were intended to have. In 1810 the pays of the colonels of
line, guards, and artillery were 800, 500, and 000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. re
spectively, or £287 to £575, but they are now 400 to 500
tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , or £80 to £100. The privates had 7 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. in the line,
12 in the guards and artillery, or £0 14s. and £11 10s. ; they
now have 7 to 14 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , or £1 8s. to £2 IGs. The daily
rations are the same as they were ninety years ago, but as
they are frequently compounded for in cash at rates which are
much below the current bazar prices, the soldier loses on them
also.
Before the institution of a regular army the officer's were
known by appellations which indicated the number of men