To George Washington from General Henry Clinton, 9 June 1778
From General Henry Clinton
Head Quarters Philadelphia June 9th 1778
Sir
The Earl of Carlisle, Mr Eden and Governor Johnston, three of the Commissioners for restoring peace between Great Britain and America, are arrived in his Majesty’s Ship Trident and are come to Philadelphia.
Docr Ferguson, the Secretary to the Kings Commission, will be dispatched tomorrow Morning with a letter from their Excellencies to Congress. I am therefore to request that a passport from your Excellency may meet Dr Ferguson, who will be at your advanced post near Radnor about 10 OClock.1 I have the Honor to be Yr most obt humble Servt
H. Clinton.
Copy, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, DNA:PCC, item 152; copy, DNA:PCC, item 169; copy, P.R.O., 30/55: Carleton Papers.
1. The letter from peace commissioners Lord Carlisle, William Eden, and George Johnstone to Congress, dated 9 June, is in DLC:GW; for a transcription see , 15:135–37. GW forwarded it to Henry Laurens on 11 June. Adam Ferguson (1723–1816), a distinguished Scottish scholar and professor of philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, held moderate views on American affairs. In 1773 GW had purchased a copy of Ferguson’s Institutes of Moral Philosophy (see GW to Robert Cary & Co., 6 Oct. 1773). He nevertheless refused Ferguson’s request for a passport, and Congress approved his decision on 17 June (see GW’s letters of this date to Clinton, Ferguson, and Henry Laurens; William Eden to GW, this date; George Johnstone to GW, 10 June; Laurens to GW, 14 and 17 June; and , 10:71–72).