Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1842-10-13
REVOLUTIONARY ITEMS.

pulmonary war III specie Is over Oilt Hull
bred and thirty-fiye millions Of dollars.
To meet this immense charge Con-
gress issued from l776 to 1871, $751;
ATE, 54l Of continental paper money,
which during that time deprecated
nearly two-thirds Of its value. In adj
dition to this, Congress obtained loans
from France and Holland, from the
former of tWenty-one million livres or
I s., 878, 8G6, and from the latter Of
twenty-five millions Of livres Of $4,
074,073. The first loan was in 1778,
the last in 1888.
The first President of the old Con-
gress was Peyton Randolph of Virgin
/ ia, chosen September 9Th, 177A.
The last was also Virginial-Cy-
rus Griffin, elected January 22d, 1888.
The oldest Of the signers ofthe Dec
laration Of Independence, was penfa-
min Franklin, who was then 10. The
youngest signer was Edward Rutledge,
Of South Carolina, who was 81
Thomas Lynch, from South Carolina,
was also but 81 years old.
The average age ofthe sighers, leaE-
ing out three whose ages are not known,
/ is fraction short Of III, showing that
as body they were net 50 young as
Ito be impetuous, and carried away by
The ardent feelings ofyodth; nor yet. SO
! old as to be obstinate and inert: but
/ in that prime and vigorous manhood,
when the balance of the physical and
mental powers is best sustained, and
when the mind is fully matured by ex-
perience and disciplined by study
Twenty-one of the IS lived quarter
of a century after the 4th Of July, IT'S.
Three of them survived to a full half
century from that date. -Four were
upwards of go years old at their death,
Button Gwinnett of Georgia, was the
first who died after the Declaration at
the age of As. Charles Carroll was
the last of that illustrious band, and
died in 1893, 1--WE believe, aged &c..
The first State Constitutions were
adopted BY the following colonies, be-
fore the Declaration Of Independence.
.
New Hampshire, January 9th, 1776.
South Carolina, March oath, do.
Virginia, June 29lh, do.
/ New Jersey, July Cd. do.
'fhe remainder of the cold Thir-
teen'' adopted their Constitutions as
follows:
Maryland, August IA, 1776.
Pennsylvania, September, ITS.
| Georgia, February 5, TIT.
New York, April, 1777.
Massachusetts,, March, 1880.
i Vermont, July 4, 1886.
The Constitution of the United
States was adopted BIZ the Convention,
of which George Washington was
President, on the 18th of September,
(. 1851. 1t was ratified by Congress-,
July l4th, 1888, and went into opera
ton on the first Wednesday of March,
1889. It was adopted by the several
States ii the following order and time;
the assent Of nine. States was required
before its adoption BY Congress:
Delaware, December 18th, 1887,
without any amendments.
Pennsylvania, December 18th, 1887,
without amendments.
New Jersey, December 18th, 1887,
without amendments.
Georgia, JANUARY I'd, 1883, without
amendments.
Connecticut, January 9th, 1888,
without any amendments.
Massachusetts,, February 18th, 1888,
amendments recommended.
: Maryland, April 2Sth,} 1888, with
out amendments.
! South Carolina, May ed, 1883,
amendments recommended.
New Hampshire, June 2lst, 1883,
amendments recommended.
Virginia, June 9th, ITS, amend
ments recommended
i New York, July Goth, 1888, amend
ments recommended
: North Carolina, November 2lst, IT.
fS9, amendments recommended.
Rhode Island, May Goth, 1870, a
4 mendments recommended.
1 Vermont, January 10, 1871, without
amendments.
; Should it be objected to the frequen-
i CIV of our statistical details, that they
; consume too much time and attention,
j we would answer, with the excellent
Bishop Fleetwood-"That the obser-
walton Of such little things, as some
would call them, may be OF good use In
/, the consideration Of greet affairs.
Savannch Gecrgian.