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CHAPTER XXI.

Of the Military Force.

y enquiries to ascertain the regular military force of the Persian empire proved very unsatisfactory; indeed, I met with few who possessed any information on this subject.

All the troops in Persia are the immediate servants of the king. Some of the principal Khans are Sahibi taefus, which signifies, that they belong to particular tribes, of which they are considered to be the head. These tribes are usually in the king's service; but these chiefs are not feudatories, all of them being regularly paid, and liable to be dismissed at the discretion of government. These troops are generally quartered in the district to which they belong; but to insure their obedience to the king's commands, either their chief or his son is usually kept at court.

The military force of Persia consists chiefly of cavalry; and it is only when they are going against a fort that they make use of infantry. The troops are clothed, furnished with horses, arms, &c. at the expence of the king: and the pay which they receive is from ten to fifteen Toomans a year; in addition to this, they are supplied with Suroosat, an allowance of barley and straw for their horses, and wheat, rice, and butter for themselves. They receive also something under the head of inam, a present; but this I believe to be very uncertain. This pay, however, is very great; for when we consider the value of money in Persia (which I look upon to be four or five times greater than in England), and the supplies which

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they receive, it will appear that their yearly pay amounts to fifty or sixty guineas.

This force is divided into regiments of one thousand men, commanded by a Membashee; then into hundreds, over whom is a Yoozbashee; and then into tens, under an Ounbashee; these officers receive regular pay from the king. The Khan commands the whole; and it depends upon the will of the king to what number it shall amount. Whenever a body of men is enlisted into the king's service, their own names, and that of their father's, and their ages, &c. are written down in a general muster-roll. Should any one of them die, information is immediately given to the officer who keeps the rolls; and it would be with extreme difficulty, and much hazard, that a chief could keep a smaller number of men than his prescribed quota. If he dismissed any of the original number, he would be instantly detected, by their making a com-. plaint to the king; and if he delayed filling up the vacancies caused by deaths, the Umbardar, or officer who supplies the troops with provisions, would discover the imposition. Nor can the commander keep back any of their pay, for it would be immediately known to the troops, who would either depose him, or forward a representation to the king.

The troops are paid once a year, sometimes every three months; but as they are supplied with most of the things they require, and are furnished with houses when abroad, they do not suffer much from the length of their arrears. I can hardly say any thing of their discipline, for there were but a very small number at Sheeraz on whom I could form any judgment. Those that were there appeared to be wholly undisciplined, seldom going through any other manœuvre than charging in a promiscuous heap, and halting in detached bodies of four or five, often at the distance of many yards, in every direction from each other. They then amused themselves with skirmishing with each other; but the manœuvre they

commonly practised, was galloping full speed, stopping their horses with a sudden jerk, which nearly threw them backwards, then turning round on their saddle, and discharging their carbine at their supposed adversary.

If we were to attend to the natural prejudices of the Persians, we should entertain no unfavourable opinion of the valour and discipline of their troops; but if we estimate their courage by the resistance which they make against victorious troops, or by the losses they sustain, I fear that they will greatly resemble the armies of the Italian states, who fought whole days without losing a single

man.

As the infantry are seldom employed in any kind of service, they are, I suppose, much worse than the Persian cavalry. There was an instance some time ago at Bushire which may serve as a specimen of their proficiency in military affairs. A salute was to be fired, and as the guns were not shotted, they conceived that they might discharge them without any danger to the people who were crouded about them. They fired the guns, and several persons were killed on the spot.

The infantry are generally employed at sieges, where it is their business to fire off a piece of cannon once an hour or so; and as long as they hit the wall, they are considered to be well qualified for effecting a breach. If there are infantry and guns, a body of bildars (pioneers) accompanies the army; but as I have before remarked, the services of the infantry are seldom required.

In drawing out the lines of their camp, posting centries, and sending out picquets, they imitate the armies of European states; their camp, however, generally forms a circle. The Persians have in general been successful in their wars against the Turks, and in their irruptions into India; and, in consequence, they are impressed with very ridiculous notions of the superiority of their arms. They conceive it impossible for infantry to resist their charge; if it be

like what I saw them practise, nothing could be more easy; but, happily for them, they are not likely to be opposed to the steady discipline and determined bravery of European troops.

When the king puts himself at the head of his army, the different Sur-kurdus (chieftains) are ordered to assemble their troops; and the king, having pledges in his hands for the fidelity of his soldiers, is certain of having an army of fifty or sixty thousand men in a few days. Besides these troops, there is another body called Gholam Shahees (slaves of the king), and who are considered to be the choicest troops in the empire. They have charge of the king's person, receive greater pay, and are clothed in a more expensive manner than the regular cavalry.

These may be about twenty thousand; but the flower of this corps is formed into a body of about four thousand, who are distinguished by the excessive richness of their dress, and the insolence of their behaviour.

The length of the Persian marches is surprising; they think nothing of forty or fifty miles a day; and it is a circumstance well known, that they have, on urgent occasions, marched at the rate of seventy miles for three days together. They march of course without baggage, but the usual rate that caravans travel in Persia is not less than thirty-five miles a day.

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CHAPTER XXII.

On the Revenue.

Ir is extremely difficult for a traveller to inform himself perfectly of the revenues of a country, but particularly of a country like Persia, where the method of collection is both in kind and in money, and where the revenues are not regularly realized. You can only get information from a few, and those few are seldom willing to give it. I shall therefore briefly enumerate the different kinds of lands they have in Persia, and the methods they take for realizing the rents and taxes. At the same time I beg it may be remembered, that I only relate the manner in which the land is at present held in Persia, without making any reference to the accounts which have been given on this subject.

There are two grand divisions of land in Persia; the one called Shahee, the other Urbabee. The former is land belonging to the king, the latter the property of the subject. One eighth of the lands in Fars and Irak is probably possessed by the king, the remainder by his subjects. The produce of these lands are subject to two divisions, the one called Nuqd, and the other Jinsee; or, in other words, the former yielding produce for manufacture, as cotton, silk, &c. and the latter crops of grain.

Those who cultivate land belonging to the king, either Nuqd or Jinsee, pay a rent of half the produce, besides the deduction which is made on account of seed; the king, however, supplies cattle for drawing water, and digs wells at his own expence. This method of

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