inently in the diplomatic part of his mission; Colonel George
Cartwright, a soldier, well-meaning but devoid of sympathy and ignorant
of the conditions that confronted him; Sir Robert Carr, the worst of the
four, unprincipled and profligate and without control either of his
temper or his passions; and, lastly, Maverick himself, opposed to the
existing order in Massachusetts and convinced of the necessity of
radical changes in the constitution of the colony. Nicolls was liked and
respected; Cartwright and Carr were distrusted as soldiers and
strangers, and their presence was resented; whereas Maverick was
objected to as a malcontent who had gone to England to complain and had
returned with power to make trouble. When the colony heard of his
appointment, it sent a vigorous address of protest to the King. If
Clarendon expected from the last three of these men the wisdom and
discretion that he said were essential to the task, he strangely
misjudged their characters. He thought, to be sure, of adding other
commissioners from New England, but he did not know whom to select and
was fearful of arousing local jealousies. Yet considering the work to
be done, it is doubtful if any commissioners, no matter how wisely
selected, could have performed the task, for Massachusetts did not want
to be regulated.

The general object of the commission was "to unite and reconcile persons
of very different judgments and practice in all things," particularly
concerning "the peace and prosperity of the people and their joint
submission and obedience to us and our government." More specifically,
the commissioners were to effect the overthrow of the Dutch, investigate
conditions among the Indians, capture the regicides, secure obedience to
the navigation acts, look into the question of boundaries, and determine
the title to the Narragansett country, henceforth to be called the
King's Province. The commissioners were to make it clear that they were
not come to interfere with the prevailing religious systems, but to
demand liberty of conscience for all, though Clarendon could not repress
the hope that ultimately the New Englanders might return to the Anglican
fold. The secret instructions were even more remarkable as evidence of a
complete misunderstanding of conditions in New England. Clarendon wished
to secure for the Crown the power to nominate or at least to approve
the governor of Massachusetts, to control the militia, and to examine
and correc