The Question of the Bosphorus And Dardanelles

s, therefore, in favour of peace, and of advancing the Turkish policy by means of diplomacy. The encouragement given by the French Directory to the Poles, and the activities of Bonaparte forced the Tsar to abandon his pacific attitude. The Treaty of Campo-Formio (October, 1797) gave to the French the Ionian Islands; this cession, followed by the conquest of Malta and the Egyptian expedition, made France a menace to Russia who reserved to herself alone the right to interfere in the East. When, there- fore, the Sultan appealed to Paul for assistance,iF'w'£8 readily given. A fleet under Admiral Ouchakoff set sail for Constantinople, and, with the authorisation of the Porte, entered the Bosphorus (September 5, 1798). A Russo - Turkish convention was quickly drawn up (October), which was converted into the definitive Treaty of Constantinople (December 23, 1798)(). A few days later (January 5, 1799) England became a party to the treaty. This alliance between Russia and Turkey was to remain in force for eight years ; each undertook to protect the possessions of the other; Russia was'to furnish to the Porte a squadron of twelve vessels of the () Noradounghian, vol. ii. pp. 24?31; Martens, Recueil (1st ed.), vol. vii. p. 314. line, and if necessary an army of seventy-five to eighty thousand men, and Turkey was to provide for the maintenance of the whole. BTTlr'PiH'key agreed -als to the free passage of Russian warships through the Straits ? a provision e...