negotiated another treaty, much like the preliminary one except for
added details about the nature of British assistance, 'Abbas's endorse-
ment of the treaty, and his recognition as heir apparent.^18 Ouseley
remained in Iran through the end of the war with Russia and had
considerable influence on its outcome.
Fath 'Ali would not have consented to renewing his alliance with
Britain unless that country promised to aid him in the war against
Russia. This meant Britain, or more precisely the company, was com-
mitted by treaty to provide officers and weapons for a Western-style
army and a subsidy to pay for it. One of the few points on which
Jones, Malcolm, and Ouseley agreed was that the assistance was not a
good idea. They felt that the Iranian soldiers could be very effective
using their traditional cavalry methods while members of a Western
style army would need a long period of training before they could be
ready for active duty. However, they all reconciled themselves to the
project, which the shah and 'Abbas believed indispensible.^19
The two main differences between the military reforms directed
by the French and the British were that the efforts of the British
were on a larger scale and produced troops who played an important
role in the last battles of the war. The subsidy from the governor-gen-
eral was a major asset. This paid the salaries of the new army's offi-
cers and men and of the fifty or so British instructors and artisans.
It also paid for a large quantity of weapons and related military sup-
plies. By the close of the war, Iran had received some 16,000 muskets
and 20 cannon, as well as 1,000 sabers sent as a gift from Malcolm to
'Abbas. In addition, the British manufactured gunpowder, gun car-
riages, and other items in the Tabriz citadel. The advisers also built or
reinforced a number of fortifications. The appearance of the new
army was changed. The infantry uniform closely resembled the hybrid
style of the French-trained soldiers, except for a change in color, but
the artillery was clothed in the British style. (In the process, the British
hoped to do their own business interests a service by having the new
army clothe its soldiers in British woolens.) The soldiers were required
to be clean shaven, an unpopular symbolic break with Iranian prefer-
ence that even 'Abbas opposed until he witnessed an accident in
which a soldier's beard was ignited by a spark from a gun. The British
also trained a fife corps, which became quite adept at playing English
dances, much to the shah's delight.
Not everything went smoothly. In addition to the basic problems
that the French had also confronted, the British also faced some
problems peculiar to their circumstances in Iran. First of all, the
French-trained units were still in existence and bitterly resented the
France and Britain in Iran 135