land too far from the
settlements to be available, petitions followed for the restoration of the
provisions of June 20, and in 1791 the original location was decreed. By a
resolution of August 29, 1788, the governor of the Northwest Territory was
ordered to carry out the provisions of the acts of June 20 and August 28,
1788, respectively.(116)

The beginning of operations, in accordance with the acts just cited, was
delayed by the fact that the governor and judges, appointed under the
Ordinance of 1787, and who alone could institute government under it, did
not reach the Illinois country until 1790. In the meantime, anarchy
continued. Contemporary accounts give a good idea of the attempts at
government during the time, and the fact of their great interest, combined
with the fact that most of them are yet unpublished, seems to warrant
treatment of the subject at some length.

The court at Kaskaskia met more than a score of times during 1787 and
1788. Its record consists in large part of mere meetings and adjournments.
All members of the court were French, while litigants and the single jury
recorded were Americans. Jurors from Bellefontaine received forty-five
livres each, and those from Prairie du Rocher, twenty-five livres each.
This court seems to have been utterly worthless.(117) At Vincennes,
matters were at least as bad. "It was the most unjust court that could
have been invented. If anybody called for a court, the president had 20
livers in peltry; 14 magistrates, each 10 livers; for a room, 10 livers;
other small expenses, 10 livers; total in peltry, 180 livers--which is 360
in money. So that a man who had twenty or thirty dollars due, was obliged
to pay, if he wanted a court, 180 livers in peltry: This court also never
granted an execution, but only took care to have the fees of the court
paid. The government of this country has been in the Le Gras and Gamelin
family for a long time, to the great dissatisfaction of the people, who
presented me a Petition some days ago, wherein they complained of the
injustice of their court--in consequence of which, I have dissolved the old
court, ordered new magistrates to be elected, and established new
regulations for them to go by."(118) Upon the dissolution of the court,
Maj. Hamtramck issued the following:

"REGULATIONS FOR THE COURT OF POST VINCENNES.

"In consequence of a Petition presented to me by the people of Post
Vincennes, wherein they complain of the great exp