60 R Maclagaa— On Early Asiatic Fire Weapons, [jj 0i | 



pontum vi perrumpere vellent. 5?# It was from the Portuguese that Persia 

 had to obtain the assistance of guns. And twenty years before this, the 

 Spaniards were using artillery in Mexico, and cast guns there for them- 

 selves, f 



When, in the next century, Ormus was taken from the Portuguese by 

 the Persians under Shah 'Abbas the Great, with English assistance (1627) 

 the armament of the defenders was something considerable, according to 

 Herbert's account of it. " The brass Ordnance in the Castle and Rampires 

 were divided ; some say they were three hundred, others as many more : 

 Howbeit, our men say there were only fifty- three great brasse peeces mounted 

 foure brasse cannon, six brasse demicannon, sixteen cannon pedroes of brasse 

 and one of iron, 9 culverin of brasse, two demiculverin of brasse, three of iron 

 ten brasse bases, seven brasse bastels, some basilisks of 22 foot long, and 

 nintie two brasse peeces unmounted ; which I the rather name, in that the 

 Portugalls bragge they had small defence, and few Ordnance. "J At 

 this time guns, both large and small, were in use in Abyssinia, having been 

 introduced by the Turks and Arabs in occupation of various parts of the 

 east coast of Africa. § On the west coast of India also, at the same time, 

 some skill in the use of artillery had been acquired by people not otherwise 

 highly advanced. " Mallabar", says Herbert, "is subdevided into many 

 Toparchyes, all obeying the Samoreen, a naked Negro, but as proud as Luci- 

 fer." " By long warres, they are growne expert and orderly: yea know 

 how to play with Cannons, have as great store of Harquebuzes, and are as 

 well acquainted with the force of powder, as we or any other nation." || A 

 special ordnance department was instituted in India in Humayun's time 

 (when, as we have seen, artillery had come to play an important part),^[ pre- 

 paring the way for the more complete arrangements under Akbar, who paid 

 much attention to this part of his war equipment, and who was, himself, ac- 

 cording to Abul Fazl, an improver and inventor of matters connected with 

 this department. ## 



Persia continued to be backward in its artillery. In 1635, when Her- 

 bert was in that country, Shah Safi, grandson of 'Abbas the Great, being 

 king, the traveller writes, " In a common muster the Persian king can 

 easily advance (as appeares by roll and pension) three hundred thousand 



* Bellonii Observationes, 186. 



f Prescott, Conquest of Mexico, II, 266, 



% Herbert's Travels, p. 118. 



§ Letter a Annua di Ethiopia, Gasparo Paes, 1624. 



|| Herbert, 300, 302. This disregard of clothing, by even the king, was in the pre- 

 ceding century (1443) remarked upon by 'Abd-ur-Bazz&k, author of the MatUt us-sa'dain, 

 and afterwards by other European travellers, Dowson's Elliot, IV, 101, and Note. 



f Humdyun-ndmah. Dowson's Elliot V, 123. Tdrikh-i-Rashidi V, 133. 



** Elochmcmn's Ain-i-Akbari, Am 36, I ? p. 112. 



