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several magistrates. Col. J. M. P. Legras cession of the lands northwest of the Ohio In the following April Congress acted as president of the court, and in some River. cases exercised a controlling influence over provided for the maintenance of a temporary its proceedings. Adopting in some measure government of that territory, which provision the usages and customs of the early French was on July 13, 1787, repealed, and in lieu commandants, the magistrates of the court thereof there was then enacted the famous of Post Vincennes began to grant or concede Ordinance for the Government of the Terri tracts of land to the French and American tory of the United States northwest of the inhabitants of the town, and to different civil River Ohio.

and military officers By this ordinance of the country. The there were to be ap commandant and mag pointed for the terri istrates, after having tory a governor and exercised this power three judges, the latter for some time, began to form a court and have common-law ju to believe that they risdiction. The gov had the right to dis ernor and judges were pose of all that large given authority with tract of land which certain qualifications had been granted for to enact laws until the the use of the French territory should have inhabitants of Post a population of five Vincennes Accord thousand free male in ingly the country was habitants of full age, divided between the when it was provided members of the court, that a General As and orders to that ef sembly should be fect entered on their elected with legisla journal; each member absenting himself from tive authority. The first judges the court on the day chosen for the North that the order was to west Territory were be made in his favor. JOHN CLEVES SYMMES Samuel Holden Par (Western Annals, sons, James Mitchell 698.) Other magis trates of this court were F(rancis) F. Bosse- Varnum, and John Armstrong; the last de ron, L(ouis) Edeline, P(ierre) Gamelin, P(ierre) clining to serve, John Cleves Symmes suc ceeded him. Those who thereafter served Querez. The decisions of the Court of Last Resort as judges under this ordinance were George in Virginia during the time this territory Turner, who took the place declined by constituted Illinois County of Virginia, are William Barton; Rufus Putnam, the one reported in the first few pages of 4 Call's made vacant by Samuel Holden Parsons; Joseph Gilman, who succeeded Putnam, and Reports, and include the case of Common wealth v. Caton, celebrated in constitutional Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr., the successor of Turner. history. By a process the details of which are well Parsons was born at Lyme, Connecticut, known, the State of Virginia on March 1, May 14, 1737, was graduated at Harvard at 1784, made to the United States a deed of nineteen, admitted to the bar, served eighteen