1 7 7 7 , ▁and ▁fear ful ▁of ▁French ▁recognition ▁of ▁American ▁independence , ▁the ▁Prime ▁Minister , ▁Lord ▁North , ▁had ▁Parliament ▁repe al ▁such ▁off ensive ▁measures ▁as ▁the ▁Te a ▁Act ▁and ▁the ▁Massachusetts ▁Government ▁Act , ▁and ▁sent ▁a ▁commission ▁to ▁seek ▁a ▁negoti ated ▁settlement ▁with ▁the ▁Cont inental ▁Congress . ▁ ▁The ▁commission ▁was ▁emp ower ed ▁to ▁offer ▁a ▁type ▁of ▁self - rule ▁that ▁Thomas ▁P own all ▁had ▁first ▁proposed ▁a ▁de cade ▁earlier ▁( and ▁which ▁later ▁formed ▁the ▁foundation ▁of ▁British ▁Domin ion ▁status ). ▁ ▁The ▁fact ▁that ▁the ▁commission ▁was ▁author ised ▁to ▁negoti ate ▁with ▁the ▁Cont inental ▁Congress ▁as ▁a ▁body ▁also ▁represented ▁a ▁change ▁in ▁official ▁British ▁government ▁policy , ▁which ▁had ▁before ▁then ▁been ▁to ▁treat ▁only ▁with ▁the ▁individual ▁states . ▁ ▁Histor ian ▁David ▁Wilson ▁is ▁of ▁the ▁opinion ▁that ▁the ▁war ▁could ▁have ▁been ▁avoided ▁if ▁the ▁terms ▁it ▁proposed ▁had ▁been ▁offered ▁in ▁ 1 7 7 5 . ▁ ▁Histor ian ▁Peter ▁White ley , ▁however , ▁notes ▁that ▁King ▁George ▁was ▁unlikely ▁to ▁agree ▁to ▁make ▁such ▁an ▁offer ▁then . ▁ ▁Commission ▁ ▁William ▁E den ▁organized ▁and ▁served ▁on ▁the ▁commission , ▁but ▁it ▁was ▁head ed ▁by ▁the ▁Earl ▁of ▁Carl is le , ▁and ▁also ▁included ▁George ▁John stone ▁who ▁had ▁previously ▁served ▁as ▁Governor ▁of ▁West ▁Florida . ▁ ▁Wal pole ▁remarked ▁that ▁Carl is le , ▁then ▁a ▁young ▁man , ▁was ▁"