62 MILITARY SCIENCES. 



Since the time of Mahmoud IL, the Turkish government has been con- 

 stantly striving to perfect its military system, and bring the Turkish army 

 nearer and nearer to the European organization. At the death of Mah- 

 moud II., the army consisted of 50,000 regular troops. To these could be 

 added 109,700 men of the reserve (Retif), which they had sought to form 

 after the manner of the Prussian. In the year 1843 these Retifs were dis- 

 banded, and in their stead more regular regiments were formed. Besides 

 these there were, in 1829, 10,000 Topdschis, or artillerists, after the old 

 mode, miners {Laghumds chiller), bombardiers {Kumharegdschiller), and 

 5,000 Spahis, and other irregular troops. These, with the exception of the 

 Spahis, yet exist, and by means of them the army can be increased to 

 200,000 men. The irregular troops are arranged in squads of 60 men, 

 under command of Boluk Baschis ; they arm themselves, the infantry with 

 muskets without bayonets, and short sabres ; sometimes, also, a small iron 

 cuirass, inlaid with gold, silver, or copper. The cavalry consists mostly of 

 Asiatics ; they have long muskets and Turkish sabres, and their mode of 

 fighting is the modern Greek. For attacks in line they are unfit. Since 

 1840, the following improvements have found place in the regular army, 

 after the doing away with the reserve. Eight new infantry regiments 

 have been formed, and the artillery so increased, that two guard and four 

 line-infantry regiments were stationed in Constantinople, and the present 

 strength of the standing army can be put at 100,000 men. 



The Seraskier commands the army ; the Guard, which is independent of 

 this, is commanded by a Beglerbeg Vizier, with the title Muschirci Esakirsi 

 Chassai. For the cavalry and the infantry, the French tactic ; for the 

 artillery, the Prussian is used. The infantry is called Piade, the cavalry 

 Suvarri, the artillery Topdschi. The general of an army corps, or General- 

 in-Chief, is called Muschir, or Pasha of Three Horse Tails ; pi. ^4:, Jig. 2, is a 

 view of the encampment of a Pasha of Three Tails, as it was in 1840. In 

 the foreground is seen the Pasha {jig. 3) with his suite, to whom the body- 

 guard pays the usual honors. The divisions are called Feriks, and the 

 chiefs of divisions Feriki Pashas of Two Tails. A brigadier general, Liwa 

 Pasha {fig. 1), bears one tail. The regiment is called Alai ; its colonel, Mir 

 Alai, has under him a lieutenant colonel, Kaimakan Beg. Each regiment 

 consists of four battalions (Tabur), each under a major (Bim Baschi, com- 

 mander of a thousand). The battalion has eight companies, of which four 

 are always marksmen. The company is commanded by a captain (Jus Baschi, 

 commander of one hundred), and is divided into ten squads, each under a 

 non-commissioned officer (On Baschi). The sergeant (Utsch Baschi) has 

 two On Baschi under him. In the infantry each company has two lieute- 

 nants (Mulassim); in the cavalry four. The rank and file are called Nefer, 

 the music Mehterchane. The armament is European ; the infantry have 

 bayonet-muskets, the subaltern officers sabres like the German, the staff- 

 officers the old Turkish sabre. The cavalry have lances fourteen feet in 

 length, with red pennons, sabres, and two pistols ; the saddles are a combi- 

 nation of Hungarian and English, with German stirrups ; blue shabracks 

 with red binding. The uniform is dark-blue, with red collar. Privates and 

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