The Press. — London, England, 1857-05-09 00:00:00

452 place any proposition was made on either side to submit the meter to arbitration. One of the Fanama journals, however, properly suggests that, as an escape from the dif ficulty. In view of the relative strength and weakness of the two nations, and of the amicable relations that have hitherto subsisted b..tween them, Mr. !Weinman nifty still deem it an act of mingled generosity and policy to propose the submission of the matter to arbitration. The course of our Administration in this delicate matter becomes a most important question. The rupture between the two Governments is cer• tainly complete. PERSIA AND THE PERSIANS. LIEUTENANT-COLONEL SIR H. R.MLINSON, K.C.8., On Monday afternoon delivered to a numerous and fashionable audience, assembled in the lecture theatre of the United Service Institution, Whitehall. yard, a lecture on Persia and the Persians. Sir H. Rawlinson said, that Persia geographically considered was a country per se. I c was an immense piateau or tableland shut in between ranges of mountains on the north and the south-west, the former being a continuation of the Caucasus and the latter of the Taurus. This plateau sloped gradually towards the east, and its principal characteristic was that it was intersected by ranges of mountains, parts of the two great ranges which he had mentioned, having narrow valleys between them. Under these circumstances the general character of the country was necessarily one of ex treme sterility. The climate was sub,ect to varia tions from extreme cold to extreme heat. In the north the cold was greater than in England, while on the coast of the Persian Gulf the heat was more intense than that of India. Dwarf oaks grew along the mountains, but with this exception, and that of a strip of land along the banks of the Caspian Sea, the only wood to be found in Persia was grown in gardens, which, in the entire absence of hedges, were divided by mud walls. Rose gardens and nightingales existed only in the imaginations of poets. The prevailing evil of the country was the want of water, a want which was to some extent supplied by means of subterranean aqeducts, which were of great depth and twenty or thirty miles in length. These aqueducts had been introduced from Chaldea, they were called by a Chaldean name, and mention of them was found in the earliest Chaldean inscriptions. Near the northern frontier of Persia was a mountain called Ararat ; this, though long supposed to be so, was not really the Ararat of the Bible, on which the Ark rested, that mountain being, not in Armenia, hut to the north of Mosul. Under Ararat was a district of which the Russians were very anxious to obtain possession, not on account of its extent (because it was very small), but because tan au it passed all the European trade with Persia. Were Russia to obtain possession of this tract of country our trade with Persia, of the value of a millioa and a half or more annually, would have to pass through Russian territory, where it would be subjected to an almost prohibitory tariff. The centre of Persia was occupied by an immense salt desert, which was almost uninhabited. and in which it was scarcely possible that any population could be sup ported. The eastern province was well cultivated and well pe - ipled. The ethnic division of the exist ing population of Persia was into Persians and Turks, the later of whom were of the same race as the Osmanli Turks, and crossed the Oxus about 1,400 years ago; but there was a still more strongly marked division of the population into livers in houses and livers in tents. The latter of these classes devoted themselves almost entirely to pastoral pursuits, and lived upon the produce of their Hocks and herds, while the former were husbandmen, and supported themselves and their families by the cultivation of the soil. The pastoral tribes furnished the gi eater portion of the soldiers, and were superior both in mental and bodily quali ties to the dwellers in houses. They were compara tively honest, were certainly brave, and had many of the characteristics which were to he found among highland tribes in Europe. He then passed on to notice the Persian army, which, he said, consisted of four divisions—regulars, irregulars, artillery, and cavalry. The military service was held in but little esteem, because the men were but ill taken care of, their pay was small, and small as it was they often never received it ; that was, they were frequently five or six years in arrear. Commissariat there was none, and he had on some occasions seen the soldiers compelled to eat hips, grass, dry corn, or acorns. Notwithstanding this the endurance of the men was wonderful. Abbas Mirza performed a march of about 2,500 miles at the rate of 214 miles per day, and on one occasion when he (Colonel Itaalinson) dismissed a regiment the men walked to the r homes, 150 miles off, in three day s . Th e Persians certainly had greater power of endurance than any other troops in the world, and could, he believed, travel at the rate of 50 or 60 miles a day as long as ycu pleased. The army as now con. stituted owed its existence entirely to the exertions of the British Government, which, about 50 or 60 THE PRESS. years ago, feeling the importance of making Persia a defence for India, supplied the troops with arms and sent out British officers to train them. The number of regulars was now about 60,000, but these were distributed all over the country, and he doubted whether more than 20,0(X) or 30,009 could be brought together at one spot. These, although good men, were so badly commanded, badly fed, and badly clothed, that they would be formidable to no European army, least of all to a British army. The irregulars were armed chiefly with those famous guns of which we heard so much in the Atlghan wars, and with swords, made chiefly in Kliurassan, which had a marvellous temper, and for which they sometimes gave as much as VOL Their most efficient arm, however, was artillery, and for the orgenisation of this they were indebted to English officers. Their cavalry was also very effec tive, and theirs was the only army in which you could see 3.000 or 4,030 men in chain armour. The Kuords generally wore such armour, and found it of great advantage when they were not opposed to troops who used firearm , . About 50 years ago Persia could have brought 100,000 or 150,090 horse men into the field, but owing to the measures which had been taken to diminish the power of the chiefs, who used to breed horses for their fcllowers. she could not now muster more than 20,000 or 30 000.. Having thus noticed the geography, the people, and the army of Persia, colonel Rawlinsou then proceeded, in conclusion, to consider the strength of Persia with regard to the late Gr any other war. We were, he said, accustomed to underrate the difficul ties of a war with Persia. The only expedition with which we could compare an invasion of Persia was the expedition into Affghanistan, the difficulties of which would, he believed, be infinitely surpassed by those with which we should have to contend in Persia. In Affghanistan we had the advantage of illimitable means of transport, having obtained 70,000 camels from the North West Provinces and Scinde ; we had at Ferozepore a tolerably favourable base for our operations; we had in the invaded country two or three rival classes of inhabitants, from some of whom we obtained assistance; and the passes were not nearly so formidable as those of Persia. The Khyber, and the other great Affghan passes, were merely defiles, cutting the mountain chains at right angle: in such a manner that if you hail possession of the heights on either side the passage of your column was perfectly secure. The Persian passes were quite different. There were no ravines running between mountains, but, instead, you had to ascend sheer precipitous ranges sometimes by a zigzag, sometimes along an exposed slope or shoulder, with no possibility of protecting the column, which must fight its way ya:d by yard and foot by toot. It was impossible to cross the moun tains with artillery or regular troops, and the way round them was too long. The only side from which Persia could he invaded with a chance of success wns from the Turkish dominions, by the road from Bagdad ; and if Turkey was a neutral, we could not use her territory as a base. The passes he did not think we could force with an army of less then 30,000 or 40,000 men, and, as there were no divisions among the inhabitants of Persia like those which existed among the population of Atlghanistan, we should receive no supplies from them, and it would be impossible to support so large a force by means of foraging expeditions only. From all this it would be seen that war with Persia would be attended with great difficulties. Persia could never be a rich producing or manu facturing country, but he believed that it would one day be turned to great account ar a nursery for soldiers. As a man the Persian was superior to any other Asiatic,or cyan to a Russian, and as European power became developed in the East the military resources of Persia must be called into activity. As no more formidable engine could be launch d against our power in India than a Pet sian army commanded by Russian officers, so we c ,uld have no more efficient defence for that power than such an army officered by Englishmen and acting in our interest. It was quite clear that it wits the interest of the Persians to side with us, because, if they became the vanguard of a Russian army, they must lose their independence, while, for the defence of our possessions in India, their independence was an important element; the more independent they were the better bulwark they would be for India. He therefore hoped that Persia would see her own interest in allowing us to return to the policy which had guided us for the last forty or fifty years—maintaining that her strength was our strength, and looking upon her as the best bulwark against Russia. ANOTHER TERRIBLE EXPLOSION occurred in the neighbourhood of Wolverhampton on Tuesday, at Ettingshall, near Bilhton. A blast furnace in Messrs. Riley's Iron Works suddenly exploded, killing two men and a boy, and seriously burning and injuring five more. On the same day a locomotive engine cn the North Western Railway, while standing at Edge hill, near Liverpool, suddenly blow up, killing the driver and fireman. SATURDAY, Court ant( fastion. Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by his Royal Highness the Prince Consort, the Princess Royal and the younger members of the Royal Family, left town on Thursday morning for Osborne, wnere the Royal party arrived safely, shortly after two p.m. H.R.H. the Prince Consort left Osborne at an early hour on Friday morning fur Windsor, to attend the funeral of H.R.H. the Duchess of Gloucester. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales remained in town, to attend the funeral of H.R.H. the Duchess of Gloucester. The Earl and Countess of Derby remain for the present at Knowsley. The Mulit lion. B. Disraeli and Mrs. Disraeli have arrived at Grosvenor gate, trom ilughendon manor, Bucks. The Right Hon. Sidney Herbert, M.P., and Mrs. Herbert have arrived in town from Wilton-house, Wilts, for the season. The Hon. Mr. and Mrs. Vernon have arrived at the St. George's Hotel. Volittral. A Counr OF PravY COUNCIL wag held at Bucking. ham Palace on Wednesday evening at six o'clock. The Council was attended by his Royal Highness Prince Albert and all the Ministers. At the Council, Mr. John Evelyn Denison, Speaker of the House of Commons; Sir John AVNeill, er.C.B ; and Mr. Frelerick Peel, by cornmeal of the Queeo, were sworn of her Majesty's most Hon. Privy Council, and took their places at the Bard. The Royal Speech was also read and approved. Her Majesty gave audiences to the Earl of Clarenchn, Viscount Palmerston ' and Earl Granville. CABINET COUNCILS were held at the official resi• dence of the First Lord of the Treasury on Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and We Inesdayin the week. Sin K. PEEL has resigned his office as Lord of the Admiralty. Mr. F. Peel, having failed to obtain re election, has been compelled to leave the War Department, and is succeeded in office by Sir John ltamsden, who will move the estimates. THE LIVERPOOL FINANCIAL REFORMERS have pub lished an address to the representatives of the people, pointing out their duties in Parliament, and requesting them to direct their attention to such measures as will remove the anomalies of the existing electoral system, secure a true and free representation to the people, and render the representatives more responsible to the represented than they are at present. The Liverpool Reformers also deprecate Lord Pal merston's system of foreign policy, and call upon members to resist the present " unconstitutional usurpation of the privileges of the House of Com mons," by which war is declared and concluded and millions of the public money warted wiihout the expressed sanction of the House of Commons. Thu address then suggests the following remedies with reference to the public expenditure : First, a standing finance committee in the House of Cotnmons, invested with sufficient powers to superintend effeeti..ely both the preparation of the estimates of the public service and their application when voted; secondly, the enforcement of an honest and intelligible systein of public book keeping, in lieu of tlv. , present jitnible of mys• teries entitled the "finance ace 'Lints;" and, thirdly, the establishment of a prompt, eff..ctive, and independ nt system of audit, such as prevails in France and ot.itr countries. The reduction of the present enormous expenditure of the country and a thorough revision of taxation are also pointed out as subjects eminently worthy of attention ; and, among a great many abolitions, such as of the Bank of England and the Hudson's Bay Company, long sittings of Parliament and Govern ment deckyar Is, dm., suggests the following as the most important : At present the great burden of taxation presses u 01 comm.•rce, manufactures, and industry, while realist d property, which derives nearly all its value from their prosperity, eseapes comparatively untouched. You arc aware how the land tax imposed ►n the reign of William 111. as a just equivalent for the conditions on which land was originally held has been frittered away; and you must see how monstrously unjust it is that this tax should now be in some places many shillings, in others only the frac tion of a farthing in the pound, and in others nothing at all. We believe it perfectly possible, by an equitable system of direct taxation, abolishing customs and excise duties altogether, or retaining only a few of them, to raise the present amount of revenue, or even a much greater sum, with far less pressure on the country, and at much smaller cost of collection, than under the present system. We also believe that if such a change were made scarce!) , any bounds can be set to the development of the national resources which it would permit, or to the benefits which would How from it to all classes of the community. We therefore commend to your most serious consideration the necessity of rigid economy in the public