"بلاد فارس والشأن الفارسي من إعداد السيد المحترم جورج ناثانييل كورزون، عضو البرلمان." [‎٦‎٠‎٠] (٧١٤/٦٦٧)

600
PERSIA
Army reform lias been essayed by the present Shah, but has
shared the same premature fate as have the majority of his ill-
Army digested undertakings. The Amir-i-Nizam, whom he
reform p ut to death in 1851, had turned his statesmanlike atten
tion to the military, in common with the other resources of the
country; and, had he lived, the army of Persia might to-day have
been a very different body to that which it is. Again, in 1875 the
Shah, under the influence of the powerful minister, Mirza Husein
Khan, who then guided his counsels, promulgated what we should
describe as a new army warrant, containing the most extensive
reforms and involving a practical reconstruction of the entire army.
Conscription was ordered, and the term of compulsory service fixed
at twelve years. A permanent peace-strength of the army was
instituted; promotion according to length of service was guaranteed;
and provision was made for regular payment and retiring pensions!
In common with most reforms in Persia, these salutary measures
i ( man led a dead letter, and have never been carried into execution
The old haphazard system continues, and will survive till it crum
bles under the iron heel of a conqueror.
In 1886, the Persian Army List gave the territorial distribution
Territorial ^ ie re §^ men t s the line as follows. Allowance must
distribu- be made for the customary exaggeration, the maioritv of
the regiments being unmobihsed.
Name and District of Regiment Garrison stations
I Tabriz, Teheran, Mian-
^6 Azerbaijan Regiments (nominally 800-1,000, really 1 doab, Ardebil,Sui Bulak
600-700 strong) i Meshed> the Russian
t o i^u r> • , ^ . ' and Turkoman frontier
12 Khorasan Eegiments (Karai-Turshiz, Bostam, Sem-\
nan, 2 Kain, 3 Kerman, and 3 regiments of Tvfan- | Astr abad, Kain,
gehis, 1 Kerman and Eehichi, 1 Astrabad, and 1 f JvTasrataba<3 ' Teheran,
Meshed) .... ' Beluch frontier
7 Mazanderan Regiments Astrabad
1 Gilan . ..
. iiiizeli
o Isfahan Isfahan and Mohammerah
o Khamseh. . at i ^ j rr i j .
. ^ Meshed and Kelat
4 Demavend
o Kazvin . . ^ .
. Tr Teheran
ermanslmh Kurdish frontier
' ezzdz an< ^ Ferahan Bushire, Bunder Abbas
Gerrus, 1 Kamareh, 1 Gulpaigan, 2 Luristan, ]
Malair, 1 Nihavend, i Hamadan, 1 Kurdistan . Shiraz
Ihe pet sonnel of the artillery is officially supposed to consist of
teen battalions, and of the following regiments, more than half