Matters were brought to a climax in 1904, during the Russo-Japanese War, through the cases of the _Peterburg_ and the _Smolensk_.[133] On July 4 and 6 of that year, these vessels, which belonged to the Russian volunteer fleet in the Black Sea, were allowed to pass the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, which are closed[134] to men-of-war of all nations, because they were flying the Russian commercial flag. They likewise passed the Suez Canal under their commercial flag, but after leaving Suez they converted themselves into men-of-war by hoisting the Russian war flag, and began to exercise over neutral merchantmen all rights of supervision which belligerents can claim for their cruisers in time of war. On July 13 the _Peterburg_ captured the British P. & O. steamer _Malacca_ for alleged carriage of contraband, and put a prize-crew on board for the purpose of navigating her to Libau. But the British Government protested; the _Malacca_ was released at Algiers on her way to Libau on July 27, and Russia agreed that the _Peterburg_ and the _Smolensk_ should no longer act as cruisers, and that all neutral vessels captured by them should be released. [Footnote 133: See the details of the career of these vessels in Lawrence, _War_, pp. 205 _seq._] [Footnote 134: See above, vol. I. § 197.] This case was the cause of the question of the conversion of merchantmen into men-of-war being taken up by the Second Peace Conference in 1907, which produced Convention VII. on the matter.[135] This Convention, which is signed by all the States represented at the Conference except the United States of America, China, San Domingo, Nicaragua, and Uruguay--but Nicaragua acceded later--comprises twelve articles; its more important stipulations are the following: No converted vessel can have the status of a warship unless she is placed under the direct authority, immediate control, and responsibility of the Power whose flag she flies (article 1). Such a vessel must, therefore, bear the external marks which distinguish the warships of her nationality (article 2); the commander must be in the service of the State concerned, must be duly commissioned, and his name must figure on the list of the officers of the military fleet (article 3); and the crew must be subject to the rules of military discipline (article 4). A converted vessel must observe the laws and usages of war (article 5) and her conversion must as soon as possible be announced by the belligerent concerned in the list of the ships of his military fleet (article 6). [Footnote 135: See Wilson in _A.J._ II. (1908), pp. 271-275; Lémonon, pp. 607-622; Higgins, pp. 312-321; Dupuis, Nos. 48-58; Nippold, II. pp. 73-84; Scott, _Conferences_, pp. 568-576; Higgins, _War and the Private Citizen_ (1912), pp. 115-168.]