'A second journey through Persia, Armenia, and Asia Minor, to Constantinople, between the years 1810 and 1816. With a journal of the voyage by the Brazils and Bombay to the Persian Gulf. Together with an account of the proceedings of His Majesty's embassy under Sir Gore Ouseley, Bart. K.L.S. With two maps, and engravings from the designs of the author.' [‎185] (228/516)

BATTLE AT SULTANBOOT.
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him: for one of the first qualities which they require in a monarch,
is reshadet, or courage, but that sort of courage which is allied with
tyranny.
Fear of the Russians was their strongest feeling; and the great object
of their politics with that power was to get a restoration of Georgia.
The war that was carrying on between them, however, consisted more
of predatory incursions on the part of Persia, such as the Scythians are
recorded to have made than of regular warfare. We had a specimen
of this policy not long after our arrival at Teheran ; for one morning, in
great agitation, the Grand Vizier's confidential secretary, attended by
Mirza Abul Hassan Khan, came to announce to us a great victory
gained by the Prince Royal over the Russians. Their account of it
was, that the Persians had killed 2000, taken 5000 prisoners, and 12
guns, and had possessed themselves of the town of Shisheh. We soon
after heard the real truth, which reduced their account to 300 killed,
2 guns taken, and 500 made prisoners. Upon questioning them why
they exaggerated so much, when they knew how soon the falsehood
must be discovered, they very ingenuously said, " If we did not know
" that your stubborn veracity would have come in our way, we should
" have said ten times as much. This is the first time our troops have
444 made any stand at all against the Russians; and you would not
44 surely restrict so glorious an event in our history to a few dry facts ?"
The circumstances which led to this victory are as follow:—The
Prince Royal had seen with sorrow an immense population of his wan
dering tribes emigrate from his provinces to those of the Russians, and
his object was to compel them to return. He collected his army at
the end of January, and marched towards Mogan. It consisted of
9000 men, according to the Persians ; of 14,000 according to the Eng
lish officers who were employed in it. Part was composed of undis
ciplined Tuffenkchees, the common infantry of the country, and part of
Serhaz, troops disciplined by European officers. There was also a body
of undisciplined cavalry, as well as a corps of flying artillery, with
* Herodotus, Melpom. xvi.
b b