Browsing: Papers of John Adams, Volume 6

1. JA's reference is to the Carlisle Commission, headed by Frederick Howard, 5th earl of Carlisle, and including William Eden, George Johnstone, Adm. Richard Howe, and Gen. William Howe. William Howe was, however, replaced by Gen. Henry Clinton, the new commander in chief, when the Commission reached America. The Commission, created by Parliament in March, arrived at Philadelphia on 6 June. JA's confidence in the ultimate failure of the Commission was well founded, for by the time of its arrival in America the Franco-American treaties had made Americans much less willing to negotiate; and the inability of the British {p. 53} Commissioners to acknowledge American independence made negotiations impossible. This was clear in the response of the congress of 17 June to the Commissioners' initial overture of the 11th (Alan Valentine, Lord North, 2 vols., Norman, Okla., 1967, 1:529–532, 535–536, 538–542; James Lovell to JA, 29 April, note 2, below; JCC , 11:615).