On this day in ...... 1809, at what is now Çanakkale, Turkey, delegates from Britain and the Ottoman Empire signed Treaty of Peace, Commerce, and Secret Alliance commonly known as the Treaty of the Dardanelles, named after the Turkish strait depicted at right. Ratifications would be exchanged in July of the same year. The pact provided inter alia for an end to hostilities between the 2 powers, restoration of seized property, establishment of diplomatic and trade relations, and a British promise to support the Ottomans in the event of an attack by France. A point of treaty-drafting interest:
[T]he treaty is of particular interest because of its language. Normally, treaties are drawn in the language of the parties negotiating them. Because the Ottomans had a limited knowledge of English, however, they insisted that the treaty be drawn in Turkish and French, with which they were much more comfortable. This was a matter of some discussion in the foreign office, but the Ottoman position prevailed.
