ORY BILLS.

Commissioners appointed under Lord North's conciliatory bills, arrived
in the Delaware on the 6th of June. These commissioners were Lord
Carlisle, Governor Johnstone, and Mr. Eden, who lost no time in making
known their commission. They applied to Washington for a passport for
their secretary, Dr. Adam Ferguson, to enable him to lay some overtures
of the commission before congress. Washington, however, refused to
grant this passport, and he forwarded the letter of the commissioners
to congress by the common military post. After deliberating on
the communications for some days, congress replied to the king's
commissioners through their president, that the act of parliament, the
commission, and the commissioners' letter all supposed the people of the
American states to be still subjects of the King of Great Britain, and
were all founded upon an idea of dependence. This was represented as a
mistake. The Americans, they said, were a free people, and congress were
ready to enter upon the consideration of a treaty of peace and commerce,
not inconsistent with treaties they had previously contracted, whenever
the King of Great Britain should show a sincere disposition for that
purpose; the only proof of which would be an explicit acknowledgment of
their independence, and the withdrawal of all the troops and the fleets
from the United States. The truth is, the commissioners arrived too
late to effect any conciliation. Silas Deane had previously arrived from
Paris with the French treaties ratified, and with abundant assurances of
assistance and co-operation, and the Americans were thereby confirmed in
their resolution to obtain their absolute independence. In addition to
his public exertions as a commissioner, Governor Johnstone endeavoured
to gain over some of the members of congress and other persons of
influence, by opening a private correspondence with them. But this
was discovered, and the result was, that his letters were laid before
congress, and a resolution was passed to the effect that it was
incompatible with the honour of congress to hold any further
communication with that commissioner. The commissioners next attempted
to separate the people from their leaders by a manifesto declaring
pardons to all who should within forty days withdraw from the service of
congress, and proffering peace with peculiar privileges to the colonies
collectively or separately, which should return to their allegiance to
the Brit