The Sun.
London, England, 1826-11-07 00:00:00

PERSIAN WAR.

In the present critical posture of affairs between the
Governments of Russia -and Persia, the following par-
ticulars, furnished to us from a highly respectable source,
may probably not prove unacceptable to our numerous
readers.
The Russian army of the Caucasus is under the com-
mand of the General Yermoloff, a brave and indefatigable
officer, and who has, for his second in command, a General
Williaminoff. The head-quarters of the army is at-the city
Of Teflis, the ancient capital of Georgia, and the govern-
ment - of which city is administered by an officer of the
name of Von Howen, a German by birth, and who is a
General Officer in the Russian service. The army of the
Caucasus is variously' stated in regard to numbers, but
may,:probably, be set 'down as amounting to 80,000 men ;
and they are certainly among the finest troops in the
Russian service, being for the greatest part composed of
the troops that were at Paris with the Emperor Alexan-
der, and who, conceiving most probably that they had im-
bibed,
during their residence in France, too manyfree ideas,
sent them to Georgia, to be as much as possible out of the
way. Though the pay of the officers is much superior to
that of the rest of the Russian army, they are very far
from being satisfied, as they look on their service as a kind
of banishment. The chief of the Etat Major is the Colonel
Kotzebue, an 'officer of Engineers, and son of the celebrated
German author. The staff of the army is very numerous,
and among it is a number of Georgian Princes, and men of
rank of that country, whom the Russian Government are
particularly careful of attaching to its interests, and who
are often intrusted with the command of the most import-
ant posts on the frontiers of the Russian and Persian do
minions.

That part of Persia nearest to the Russian possessions,
is the province of Erivan, which is under the dominion of
an officer named the Sardar, a powerful and warlike prince,
as he may be justly considered,. and who, though in a
manner subject to, and tributary to the Schah or King of
Persia, is of a very independent and spirited character, and
can be just barely said to acknowledge the Persian mo-
narch as his master.
The Sealer of Erivan resides at. the town of the same
name, a strongly fortified place, and which the Russians
will long have cause to remember with regret, they hav-
ing in former wars been repulsed in their attacks on it
with heavy losses.
The present .Schuh or King of Persia is named Putty
Ali Schell, a middle-aged roan; but much debilitated in
health and constitution : his eldest son, and who 'may be
considered as Prince Royal, which title is often given to
him, is named Prince Abbas Mirza, a sensible, and for a
Persian, a well-informed and liberal-thinking man, and
possessed of a warlike and matchless spirit. The usual re-
sidence of the Prince is at Tabreez or Tauris, a strongly
fortified town, and whose population is stated at 70,000 or
80,000 souls. _ _

It may be remarked here, that the name of Mirza is
very differently understood, according as it is placed before
or after a name : in the latter case it signifies a prince of
the blood royal; and placed before a name signifies no-
thing more than the English appellation of Mister, or the
French Monsieur.
The Persian Ambasiador, • Abool Hassan,. who was in
England some years since, was, by the Persians, called
Mirza Abool Hassan ; but since his return to Persia the
King honoured him with the title of Khan, or General;
he therefore has dropped the title of Mirza, and is called
Abool Hassan Khan, the title, in that country, being inva-
riably placed after the name. This personage is now in a
high confidential situation near the King's person, who
appears to hold him in high estimation.
There are very few Luropeans at this time in Persia,
and those chiefly English. The present resident at the
Court of that country is Major Macdonald Kinnier, an
officer in the service of the Ihmourable East India Com.
pany, and whom the King of Persia, after a good deal of
' hesitation, agreed to receive as Resident on the. part of the
Company, lie being extremely desirous that one should be
sent direct from the King of Great Britain. Capt. Henry
Willoch, an'olheer in the Company's service, acts as Se-
cretary of Legation : this is the same officer who formerly
held the situation of Resident, and to whom the King of
Persia behaved so exceedingly ill—indeed, so much so, as
to compel Captain Willoch to return to England at the
time he held the situation of Resident. Two medical of-
ficers of the Company's service, Drs. Cormich and Mac-
neill, who reside at. Teheran and Tabreez, the former place
being now the caPital, or rather the residence, of the Per-
sian King, being a paltry miserable town, chosen by the
King for his abode, while Nthan, the real capital, is left
abancloned, and going rapidly to decay.
Besides the.ahove English officers, a Major Willoeb, of
the Company's eayalry-, resides at Tabreez, and a Captain
Hart, of one of the King's regiments, which was lately on
duty at Bombay, is now at Tabreezetunl has the sole COM-
!mod of the army of Prince Abbas Mirza, which he has
brought to a high state of discipline in the European man-
ner. At Tubreez, also, resides an Englishwoman, a native
of London the daughter of an eminent gun-Maker, who is
Married i'o Persian of the name of M gahomet Ally, who
was sent to England some years since by the Prince
Abbas Mirza, to learn sonoi of the English mechanic arts,
and who since his return to Persia has been intrusted with
the superintendance of the arsenal of the Prince, who has
alSo in his employ a Scotsman, formerly a private in the
Royal artillery, who accompanied Sir Gore Ouseley in his
einbaosy to Persia, and who imperintends the construction
of the carriages for the artillery, and the casting 'of brass

ordnance.
Some Italian Officers are with the army of the Prince
Abbas MirZao and not a few Russians are also in the ranks
of the army: who, preferring the religion of Mahomet to
that of the areeh church, and the indulgence of having
more wives than they could have at home, have thought
fit to change both their allegiance and their religion.
The Persians are,.in appearance, attached to the Eng-
fish, and dislike the Prenelt net;at. A Dr. Schultz is now
in Persia, pn a four years' residence, haying been sent out
by the French Ciovernment for that length of On at its
expance. lie is e Prussian by birth, and his object, et
least his real one, for visitilig that country, is not accg-
rately ascertained.
A Major Monteith, of the Madras II:00100m is also at
this time in Persia, which he is making extensive surveys
of, for the information of 00 nit India Company,