‘GAZETTEER OF PERSIA VOL. I Comprising the Provinces of ASTARÁBÁD, SHÁHRUD-BÚSTAN, KHÚRÁSÁN, AND SÍSTÁN’ [‎271r] (548/722)

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towers of the arg. Their watchword is c hazir/ or c ready/—which they
continually pass from one to the other.
“ Besides this bodyguard of twelve thousand, the king has three thousand
ghulams, or slaves, who are horsemen, and always attend him when he makes
an excursion. All these people, both horse and foot, are paid, fed, clothed,
armed, and mounted, at the king s expense. c Grhulam J (slave) is here figura
tively used to express their devotion to the king's service; for they are not
in reality entered into a state of servitude by actual purchase—on the con
trary, they are particularly honoured by the king.
Military Resources of Persia .— (Goldsmid: 1879.)
Extract from Watson's History of Persia published 1866: “The mili
tary force of the country consists, in theory, of 160,000 men, infantry, cavalry,
and artillery; the greater proportion of this number being regular infantry,
ihe cavalry is nearly all irregular, and is in general only called on for local
service under the chief of the particular district where it is raised. The
Shah's bodyguard consists of two regiments of regular cavalry, of about
800 men each, more or less. There has been lately raised another small
troop of bodyguards known by their accoutrements of silver. The irregu
lar cavalry are variously habited, according to the custom of the country
whence they are drawn. One small company in Kurdistan is clad in mail
and complete armour. There are about 5,000 artillerymen in the Persian
army; and this branch of the service is by .no means badly organised. It
is their artillery that gives the Persians the advantage in their contests
with the Turkuman tribes."
Mr. Watson’s opinion of the material of the troops is most favourable;
but he condemns the prevalent system under which they work. Pie thinks
the men hardy, patient, enduring, frugal, and sufficiently brave. His testi
mony to their treatment is the same as that of all who have spoken on
the subject from personal knowledge. Pay is always kept in arrears,—
generally for two or three years ; and when issued, it is reduced from its legi
timate amount by the exactions of the distributing office, from the sarhang,
or lieutenant-colonel, downward. The native officers are, as a rule,
incapable and ignorant of military affairs; and the European drill in
structors, whatever their local rank, have no actual command in the native
army. The service is not a popular one, and could not be provided for at
all but by compulsory enrolment.
The Shah introduced conscription instead of irregular levies in July 1875.
Introduction of con- Service of twelve years was substituted for life service.
scription. •
In November 1875, owing to the influence of the muslnr-ud-daulah, a
new system of regulations was introduced, contain-
New terms of service. j n g. following provisions
(1) The soldier’s pay was only to be mulcted by order of the minister
of war.
(•2) A liberal scale of promotion by length of service was established for
all ranks ; promotions and pensions for wounds to officers; medals to privates
for a first act of gallantry, and for a second increase of pay ; pensions to the
families of officers; increase of pay to privates on reenlistment. As before,
the organisation is by provinces, tribes, and districts,—the province furnishing
several regiments, the tribe one or two, and the district one battalion only;