PURCHASE OF CAMELS FOR MILITARY PURPOSES. 221 



History of Nadir.) Besides a large number of dead, the Persians lost, 

 with all their baggage, a number of zemboureks.* 



Far from being discouraged by this defeat, the Eegent reorganized 

 his army, cast at Hamadan new falconets for his dromedary artillery, 

 collected his siege artillery which was scattered through the different 

 towns of Persia, and in less than three months was in condition to 

 renew the war, and descended into the plains of Bagdad with an army 

 more numerous than his first. This time the Ottoman army was, in its 

 turn, completely beaten, and the celebrated Topal-Osman lost his life. 



As we have seen, the Regent, Tahmasb-Kouli-Khan, had always in 

 the train of his army a large number of these falconets, which, from 

 his time, were called zemboureks, f and which rendered very import- 

 ant services, especially in 1733, at the siege of Guendje, and in 1734, 

 at the battle of Bagavend, near Erivan. A Persian author relates 

 that, in this action, the enemy's army was 120,000 strong — about 

 eight men to each Persian. 



After this last campaign, the Regent, Tahmasb-Kouli-Khan, was pro- 

 claimed King by the unanimous voice of his council and of the nobles 

 of the kingdom. H^ resumed his old name of Nadir, and became 

 Nadir-Shah. The ceremony of crowning scarcely terminated, he 

 marched against Kandahar, and he seized it, with no other artillery 

 than that of the zemboureks, while awaiting the arrival of his siege 

 guns. He surrounded the town with towers so well connected by 

 means of curtains and mounted with falconets, that the besieged were 

 cut off from all communication with the country. 



When Nadir-Shah presented himself before Delhi, his whole artil- 

 lery consisted of only 12 guns | of heavy calibre, and 250 zemboureks. 

 I give an extract from a letter written by the King to his son Riza- 



* Report of Topal-Osma-Pacha : "We remained masters of cannon and of a large 



number of falconets." It it is to be remarked that he does not state the number of cannon, 

 for the reason that there were none of them on the field of battle, but only before Bagdad, 

 and that their number was unknown to him when he despatched his messenger to announce 

 the happy news to the Sultan. 



Another account, coming from Turkey, said : " the Persians left upon the field of battle a 

 great many small cannon which, apparently, are of the kind that the Persians mount upon 

 camels, and of which the ball weighs about a pound ; they are fired from the camels kneeling." 

 {History of Persia, by Mamye Clairac.) 



tThe Turks have attempted several times to form a corps of zembouretchis. One of these 

 attempts, in 1825, is related by Jontanier in the first volume, page 156, of his " Voyage en 

 Orient." On his way to Sivas, the governor, Mehemed-Pasha, invited him to a fete, which 

 ended, as they always do in the east, with a military review . He says : " when we entered 

 the Pasha's house, I was not a little surprised to see one of the Persian cannoneers, called 

 zembouretchis, who manoeuvred small pieces of artillery carried on the backs of camels. His 

 uniform was complete, even to the little brass plates. Small flags were fastened upon the 

 humps of the four camels intrusted to his care. As he recognized me, he called me to wit- 

 ness that in the equipment of his pieces he had conformed strictly with the Persian system. In 

 consequence, this Persian was treated at court with a consideration beyond his condition. He 

 was a great talker, and, in his character of soldier, chose his subjects ef conversation in the 

 last campaign in which he had served, and in which the Turks had been beaten. " 



t These even were left behind at Ambale [twenty-five leagues from Kainal] with the bag- 

 gage and the sacred harem, under the care of Feth-Ali-Khan, the afchar, master of the 

 heavy artillery. 



