Papers of John Adams, volume 18
th.June 1786
The General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church acknowledge themselves greatly obliged to your Excellency, for your kind attention to their religious concerns, in forwarding their endeavours to obtain Consecration for Bishops, and such a succession in the Orders of her Ministry as is most conformable to their Principles, and agreeable to their wishes.
Having instructions, from the Convention, to transmit, to your Excellency, their Vote of thanks, I do myself the hoñor, now, to inclose it.
With the greatest respect for your Character, both private and publick, I have the hoñor to be, Your Excellency’s, most humble / and Obedient Servt.
t.
th.1786
In Convention
Resolved that the Thanks of this Convention be given to his Excellency John Adams Esqr. Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of
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Great Britain, for his kind attention to the concerns of this Church, and that the President be desired to transmit the same.
Extract from the Minutes
s.Hopkinson Secr
y.
RC and enclosure (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Excelly. John Adams Esqr.” Enclosure filmed at 24 June.
This resolution was adopted at a general convention of the American Episcopal Church that met at Christ Church in Philadelphia between 20 and 26 June. At the same time that it voted its thanks to JA, the convention also recognized the assistance given by Richard Henry Lee, John Jay, and Richard Peters (Journals of General Conventions of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the United States, 1785–1835, ed. William Stevens Perry, Claremount, N.H., 1874, p. 43). Peters, former secretary of the Continental Board of War and Pennsylvania member of Congress, facilitated the ordination of American bishops during a visit to England in 1785 (
DAB
).