4 e 
Ory eae 
Slee Be 
251 
AY 1 Sd eh Oger Eh Siieas. 
BY 
MPASI ORR Jia Hes MEAGNG SEL Ose De rynAn, 
Havine recently returned from a visit to Persia, I have put together a 
few facts connected with its present military condition which may be of 
some small interest. 
The Persian army may be divided into two classes, the regular and 
the irregular forces ; the former class comprise all three arms, infantry, 
cavalry and artillery, organized and trained to a certain extent on the 
model of Huropean armies, while the latter consists of tribal levies of 
infantry and cavalry. From a military point of view the people of 
Persia may be considered to consist of two main groups, the Persian 
speaking people, who form the larger proportion of the population, 
and those of Turkish origin who are to be found for the most part in 
Azerbaijan and the north-west portions of the country. The latter 
are the direct descendants of the Turks, who many centuries ago over 
ran all Western Asia and who are consequently of the same stock as 
the Turk of Europe of the present day, the language differing but 
slightly. ‘These Turks are considered to produce the best military 
material in the country and the martial instincts and traditions which 
they inherit from their Turkish ancestors are of a high order and such 
as have given them a reputation for fighting qualities which they 
have long upheld. In the matter of their physique nothing more could 
be desired, a more powerful or hardier set of men are not to be found 
elsewhere, and a comparison of physique between the Persian and 
Russian soldier is decidedly in favour of the former. 
The regular army may be put at 25,000 men, though on paper it is 
probably shewn at more than double that number, but in Persia 
accuracy is not considered an essential virtue and but little reliance can 
be placed on official returns, especially where the dignity and importance 
of the State demand that numbers should be made to appear as large 
as possible. From the number of regiments to be seen in Tehran one 
may compute the garrison of regular troops in the city to be not under 
4,000 men, the greater portion of which may be seen daily at drill on 
the large parade ground, which at the hour of morning parade is one 
of the most interesting sights in Tehran. 
The garrison parade ground of the capital of Persia is a noble 
specimen of its kind ; it is a square with sides about five hundred yards 
long and enclosed by high walls which are ornamented in an artistic 
manner by a number of alcoves or recesses. The square is entered by 
several gates, the main gateway has an effective appearance and it is 
6. VOL, XXIII. 
