INTRODUCTION OF EUROPEAN DISCIPLINE. 
213 
The serbaz or infantry were placed under the command of Major 
Christie of the Bombay army, an officer of the greatest merit, who 
inspired his troops with an esprit de corps, that manifested itself on 
many occasions. Abbas Mirza, who was partial to the corps disci¬ 
plined partly by the French, and partly by himself,* thinking that 
it had acquired more steadiness from its having been longer em¬ 
bodied than Major Christie’s, one day proposed a sham fight, in 
which he would lead his corps, and Christie his. They were 
drawn out, and the Prince’s troops attacked with great vigour those 
of Christie, who, however, ordering a charge of bayonets put the 
others to flight. Christie’s men, who perhaps did not fully under¬ 
stand that this was intended for play, and who had been warmed 
by their success, were heard to exclaim, “ Oh, that we had ball- 
“ cartridges !” 
The Prince complained to the Ambassador, that even now, the new 
system which he had introduced had a great many enemies, and the 
most powerful one was his brother Mahomed Ali Mirza, who had 
endeavoured to render him and his nezam (discipline) odious to the 
Persians, by attempting to show that in adopting the customs of the 
infidels he was subverting the religion of Islam, which to this day had 
been upheld by the same sword and the same discipline that had served 
Mahomed in its establishment. “ In order to counteract this,” said the 
Prince, “ I caused a passage in the Koran that is favourable to the im- 
“ provement of the means of attack and defence in the cause of religion, 
“ to be copied, to be sealed and approved by the chiefs of the law in 
“ Persia, and disseminated throughout the country.” 
The English officers who were employed in Persia, notwithstanding 
the Prince’s zeal for improvement, still found many impediments 
in their way, originating from the confined ideas which the Prince 
himself had of military science. The necessity of a strict subordination 
of ranks seemed to him incomprehensible. He did not see why the 
lieutenant, the serjeant, and even the common soldier, should be 
debarred the privilege of speaking to him upon matters of service; 
and why every thing should first be reported to the commanding 
