The political rights of the great body of the people being thus disposed of, and a legislative barrier placed, as it were, against progressive popular improvement and enlightenment, a very complicated system of government was framed for the benefit of the privileged classes. “Besides the Court of Proprietors, invested with supreme executive authority, the president of which was the oldest proprietor, with the title of Palatine, there were seven other courts, presided over by the remaining seven proprietors, with the titles respectively of Admiral, Chamberlain, Chancellor, Chief Justice, High Steward, and Treasurer; besides the president, each of these courts had six councillors appointed for life, two-thirds, at least, of whom must be nobles.” There is something almost childish and ludicrous in the business of some of these supreme and pompous dignitaries of an infant settlement, the inhabitants of which lived in log cabins scattered through the wilderness. The Court of the Admiral had cognisance of shipping and trade; the Chamberlain’s, of pedigrees, festivals, sports, and ceremonies; the Chancellor’s, of state affairs and license of printing; the Constable’s, of war; the Chief Justice’s, of ordinary judicial questions; the High Steward’s, of public works; the Treasurer’s, of finance. “All these courts united,” says the excellent historian Hildreth, “were to compose a grand council of fifty members, in whom was vested exclusively the right of proposing laws, which required, however, the approval of a parliament of four estates, proprietors, landgraves, caciques, and commoners, to render them valid. “The four estates composing the parliament were to sit in one chamber, each landgrave and cacique being entitled to a seat, but the proprietors, if they chose, to sit by deputy. Four commoners for each county were the representatives of the commons; the possession of five hundred acres being, however, requisite to qualify for a seat, and fifty acres of land to give an elective vote. The proprietaries in their separate courts had a veto on all acts.” The people had thus no share whatever in the executive, judicial, or legislative authority. “The four-and-twenty colonies of each county were divided into four precincts, each precinct having a local court, whence appeals were to lie to the court of Chief Justice. Juries were to decide by majority.” To plead for money or reward in any court was denounced as “base and vile,” an enactment little in accordance with the interests of the lawyer.