reply. He wrote,

"My lord; the official despatches to which you refer me,
contain nothing more than offers of pardon upon submission.
Directing pardon to be offered to the colonies, who are the
very parties injured, expresses indeed that opinion of our
ignorance, baseness, and insensibility which your uninformed
and proud nation has long been pleased to entertain of us.
It is impossible that we should think of submission to a
government that has, with the most wanton barbarity and
cruelty, burnt our defenseless towns, in the midst of
winter, excited the savages to massacre our farmers, and
our slaves to murder their masters, and is, even now,
bringing foreign mercenaries to deluge our settlements with
blood."

I have not space to copy the remainder of this admirable letter. It
was delivered to Lord Howe, on board his flag ship in New York harbor,
ten days after its date. As he read it his countenance expressed
surprise, and almost his only remark was, "My old friend has expressed
himself very warmly."

A few weeks later this good natured but weak man paroled General
Sullivan, who was a prisoner of war, and sent him to Philadelphia,
with a message to Congress which Lord Howe cautiously declined to put
upon paper. General Sullivan reduced the message to writing and
presented it to Congress. It was in substance as follows:

"The government of England cannot admit that Congress is a legitimate
body, to be recognized by any diplomatic relations whatever. It is but
a tumultous assembly of men who have treasonably conspired against
their lawful sovereign. Still the government is willing that Lord Howe
should confer with some of the members of congress, as private
gentlemen, to see if some terms of accommodation cannot be arranged."

After much and earnest discussion, in which a great diversity of
opinion prevailed, it was voted that General Sullivan should inform
Admiral Howe, that a committee of three would be sent to ascertain
whether he "has any authority to treat with persons, _authorized by
Congress_ for that purpose."

Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Edward Rutledge composed this
committee. An antique house, nearly a hundred years old, formerly the
abode of wealth and splendor, which stood in a green lawn, but a few
rods from the beach on the western shore of Staten Island, was chosen
as the place for the conference. A two days' journey conveyed