pointment of such commissioners has been found.
Congress considered Carbonneaux's petition early in 1785. In November of
the same year comes a record of the anarchy in Illinois. This was
addressed to George Rogers Clark, who was the hope of the people of that
neglected country. The commandant at St. Louis is afraid of an attack from
the Royalists at Michilimackinac, or he has given orders for all the
people in that place to be in readiness when called on, with their arms.

"The Indians are very troublesome on the rivers, and declare an open war
with the Americans, which I am sure is nothing lessened by the advice of
our neighbors, the French in this place, and the people from
Michilimackinac, who openly say they will oppose all the Americans that
come into this country. For my part, it is impossible to live here, if we
have not regular justice very soon. They are worse than the Indians, and
ought to be ruled with a rod of iron."(90)

During the year 1786, George Rogers Clark was the chief factor in Illinois
affairs. He was regarded by the people as their advocate before Congress.
In March, seven of the leading men of Vincennes, at the request of the
French and American inhabitants, sent a petition to him asking him to
persuade Congress to send troops to defend them from the Indians, and also
saying: "We have unanimously agreed to present a petition to Congress for
relief, apprehensive that the Deed we received from an office, established
or rather continued by Colo Todd for lands, may possibly be a slender
foundation; so that after we have passed through a scene of suffering in
forming settlements in a remote and dangerous part may have the
mortification to be totally deprived of our improvements."(91) In June,
seventy-one American subscribers from Vincennes, "in the County of
Illinois," asked Congress to settle their land-titles and give them a
government. They held land from grants from an office established by Col.
Todd, whose validity they questioned. The commandant and magistracy had
resigned because of the disobedience of the people. There was no
executive, no law, no government, and the Indians were very hostile.(92)

Clark was not unmindful of the needs of the people. He wrote to the
president of Congress: "The inhabitants of the different towns in the
Illinois are worthy the attention of Congress. They have it in their power
to be of infinite service to us, and might act as a great barrier to the
frontier, if