'Persia and the Persian Question by the Hon. George Nathaniel Curzon, M.P.' [‎577] (644/714)

THE ARMY
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follow his example. Then followed the short period of French
ascendency in 1807-8, and the mission of General Gardanne.
Napoleon having promised the fullest military assistance, the latter
brought with him a staff of seventy commissioned and non-commis
sioned officers, who set to work in Azerbaijan and Kermanshah in
the drilling and instruction of large bodies of troops, with whom
they attained some success. Of these the best known names were
those of Trezel, Bernard, Lamy, Bontems, Fabrier, lieboul, Verdier.
England having tardily awoke to the danger involved in this
rapid Gallicisation of the country upon which she had already spent
2 British suc ^ extravagant sums, Sir Harford Jones was sent out
officers, i n 1808 by the British Government to oust the French
and to negotiate a new treaty with Fath Ali Shah. In these
objects he was entirely successful ; and his treaty, which was
signed in March 1809, contained a clause providing for an annual
subsidy of 200,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , and as many British officers and troops,
free of charge, as were required. It was in fulfilment of this contract
that Sir John Malcolm, starting from India on his third mission
to Persia in the following year, took with him a number of Anglo-
Indian officers, who passed into the Persian service, and among
whom were included the distinguished names of Christie, Lindsay,
Monteith, and Willock. Sir Gore Ouseley, following Sir H. Jones
from England, in 1811, was also accompanied by some English
officers (one of whom was Major D'Arcy, afterwards D'Arcy Todd)
and a detachment of English sergeants of the 47th regiment, to dis
cipline the Persian infantry. Major Christie, of the Bombay army,
undertook the charge of the latter body, or serbaz ; Lieutenant Lind
say, of the Madras army, raised and commanded a corps of artillery,
and worked with the most untiring zeal under the li beral patronage of
Abbas Mirza. The latter, however, positively declined to humour his
officer's partiality for a shaven chin among the Persian artillerymen,
until one day a powder-horn exploded in the hands of a gunner and
blew off his beard, after which unmistakable admonition of Provi
dence, smooth chins became universal. Lindsay (afterwards Sir Henry
Lindsay-Bethune) for nearly forty years from this date filled an
important position in the Persian army, of which he subsequently
rose to be Commander-in-Chief. Standing 6ft. Sin. in height, he
reminded the Persians of their national hero, Rustam . In recog
nition of his services he was afterwards made a Baronet by the
British Government, and received the local rank of Major-General
vol . i. p p