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

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.