Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1845-05-15

VOTED provinces. In their view thu
continent embraced only themselves
Their congress was the continental con
j gress, their army the continental army
as distinguished from theprovincial con
crosses and troops. When they de-
clared their independence, they did II
as the United States of America. They
afterwards formed their confederation
and their constitution under the same
title. There were then no other STATES
In America. The severance of Spain
from the Indies, with the different po-
litical subdivisions of our hemisphere,
consequent upon that event, has long
since deprived this phrase of all terri
torial signifcancy. 10 avoid confusion
in geographical statistics, scientific
writers have, therefore, of late resorted
to the term sAnglo-American' to dis
tinguish the inhabitants of the United
States, from other people of America,
while the absurd phrase of Yankee
dom, introduced by the eccentric Car
lyle, has found some to adopt it abroad.
The following extract from distin-
guished work of science sufficiently sets
forth the reason why geographers have
been driven to the use of that phrase
Anglo-American.'
Cone Of the most distinguished ge-
ographers Of the Union, Mr.. Tanner,
correctly remarks, that this confedera-
ton offers the geographical anomaly of
an immense country, without a proper
name. In fact, we find United States
In Europe, Iii the Ionian Islands-sU-
nited States in North America, in the
considerations Of Mexico, and Central
America--sUnited States in South A.
merica, in the ci-deuant vice-royalty of
Rio de la Plata; and we are on the
point Of seeing others spring up, by the
division of the Republic of Columbia.
We had made the same remark long
ago; and for some years we have pro-
posed the names of Anglo-Ame'ican
Confederation, and Anglo-Americans,
to designate the soil and the inhabitants
OF this important part ofthe new world.
These denominations, based principally
upon the origin of the great mass of the
inhabitants, have been already adopted
In many works of merit, and we think
We can, without inconvenience, use
them Professionally, until it shall please
| Congress TO give them a convenient
name. '-Balbi, &c.
The term Anglo-Amerlcan, tho thus
adopted, for want Of better, by high
authority, has never been too popular
With our countrymen, nor can it be said
to meet the desideratum sought for in
works of science, as it is already appro-
priated, il political sense, by the CO.
lonies of Grent Britain, upon THIS con.
tinent. In this emergency, geography
IS compelled to look to its own resour-
ces for a proper expletive, to define that
part of America to which the United
States belong.
To the Alleghanian or Allegheny
ridge, our country is indebted for a
great part of its beauty and healijful-
ness. If it had not been raised as a
barrier to the waters Of the west, now
turned southwark to the gulf of Mexi-
co, the rivers from the Rocky Mount.
aims, swollen by the intervening streams,
would have found their way to the sea
across the continent, and made the At
lantlc States low and unhealthy, like
the country on the Amazon and Orono-
co. 1t also binds the country together
as with a band ofiron. By turning the
waters Of the Mississippi valley into
one channel, and thereby creating po-
lltical necessity that they who inhabit
the upper regions and sources of the
rivers should command their outlet, it
makes it impossible for any portion of
the valley to separate itself from the
rest, while the seaboard is too narrow
anc too dependent upon the interior to
maintain separate political existence.
1.-THE Alleghanian ridges had extended
further north, SO as to turn the St Law
renee southwark, Canada would long
ago have been part of this confedera-
ton. That part of America, therefore,
which we inhabit, is in fact, whatever
we may choose to call it, ALGHANE-
AN AMERICA.
The Alegevi, Talagicoe, Allaghenis,
Al-gah neuh, or Alghanians, as the
word is spelt by different writer's, seem
at one time to have extended them
selves over all the intermediate country
between Maine and Mexico, and Ale
gan county, in Michigan, preserves in
the northwest the root of the same
word which may be traced at the other
extremity Of The Union, IL The 'ralada-