A critical period now arrived with the news that the English Lower House had voted £6,000,000 sterling for military preparations, whilst the advance of the British fleet to the entrance of the Dardanelles led to the Russian occupation of several entrenchments within the neutral zone before Constantinople. Owing to the threatening attitude of England, delays took place in the treaty of peace, and Russia threatened to occupy Constantinople. The English Ambassador at Vienna remarked to the Roumanian Agent that his Government had no information about the Russian claims to Bessarabia, and pointed out that this question was of a very delicate nature, because Russia appeared to lay special stress on the retrocession of the districts, and also because of the unwillingness of other States to interfere between allies. Cogalniceanu laid two important Notes before the Prince on February 14, 1878, referring to the independence of Roumania, and addressed to the Powers and the Sublime Porte. The first Note referred to a former one of June 3, proclaiming independence, and at the same time requesting the Powers to abstain from recognising it until the decisive moment arrived. This had now occurred, and Roumania hoped that the Powers would now welcome her as worthy of admission to the great European family, seeing that she had sealed her independence with the sword. The Note concluded with the request that a Roumanian delegate might attend the approaching conference. The second Note, addressed to Constantinople, expressed a desire to resume friendly relations with the Porte, and referred briefly to the reasons which led Roumania to take part in the war. The voluntary recognition of the accomplished independence would create a firmer and more valuable bond of union between Turkey and Roumania than that which now belonged to the past. The preliminaries of the peace were signed at Adrianople on January 31, 1878, when the following conditions were agreed to: (1) Bulgaria to be formed into an autonomous tributary principality under a Christian Government. (2) The independence of Montenegro to be recognised. (3) Roumania and Servia to be independent and to receive an increase of territory. (4) Bosnia and Herzegovina to be granted an autonomous administration. (5) Russia to be indemnified for the expense and losses caused by the war.