63B. C.The Roman capitol fired during the night by an incendiary and consumed. The famoussibyline versesperished with it.
1189.Henry II, of England, died. He added Brittany and Ireland to his dominions, attempted to repress the ambition of the clergy, and died of a broken heart at the rebellion of his children.
1303.Benedict XI(Nicholas Bacosin), pope, died. He was the son of a shepherd, succeeded Boniface VIII, and was poisoned by his cardinals.
1439. The solemn act of reunion between the Greek and Latin churches subscribed in the cathedral of Florence, after a separation of 600 years, by the pope, the emperor of Constantinople, and principal members of both churches.
1483.Richard III, with his consort (Anne Beauchamp, widow of Edward, prince of Wales), inaugurated at Westminster. The train of the king was borne by the duke of Buckingham, that of the queen by the countess of Richmond, both of the opposing houses of Lancaster.
1553.Edward VI, of England, died of consumption, aged 16, and was succeeded by his sister Mary.
1568.John Oporinus, one of the most learned and eminent of the early German printers, died. He employed 6 presses and 50 men, and printed only his own works.
1583.Edmund Grindal, archbishop of Canterbury, died; an able theological writer.
1630. A fleet of 14 sail, with men, women and children, and provisions, intended to make a firm settlement in New England, arrived in Massachusetts bay. There were on board about 1,500 passengers of various occupations, principally from the vicinity of London; among whom was governor Winthrop and his lieutenant Dudley, with several other gentlemen of wealth and quality. The expense of this equipment and transportation was £21,200.
1653.Cromwell'sfirst parliament met.
1660.Charles II, of England, resumed touching for scrofula; placing his hands on the neck of the patient, the chaplain saying "He laid his hands on them and healed them."
1759.William Pepperelldied; an officer in the British service before the American revolution, and 32 years a member of his majesty's council. He was born in Maine, rose to the highest military honors, and in 1745 commanded the expedition against Louisburg, which was reduced. He was rewarded with the title of baronet of England.
1767.Michael Bruce, an elegant Scottish poet, died, aged 21.
1775. Congress issued a manifesto, setting forth the causes and necessity of taking up arms in defence of their rights, against England.
1777. Ticonderoga and mount Independence evacuated by the American general St. Clair, who retreated to fort Edward. At the same time the Americans at Skeenesborough were obliged to burn their vessels, and retreat to the same place. The British under Burgoyne had advanced their works so far as to threaten a complete inclosure of the continental army.
1779. Action off Granada between the British fleet, admiral Barrington, 21 ships, and French fleet, 27 ships, admiral d'Estaing. Although the French avoided a close action, it is supposed that their loss was 1,200 killed, owing to their ships being crowded with men. British loss 529 killed and wounded.
1781. Battle of James river; general Wayne with 800 men, intending to strike Cornwallis's rear guard, was deceived by a countryman, and met the whole army of 4,000 regulars, drawn up to receive him. He instantly attacked them and retreated. Cornwallis, from the daring singularity of the manœuvre, concluded it to be a feint to draw him into an ambuscade, therefore did not pursue him. Wayne, however, lost his artillery.
1782. Sixth action between the British fleet, admiral Hughes, and French, admiral Suffrein, in the night, in close action. Both fleets suffered much; French lost the Orient, crew saved.
1790. Some workmen engaged in digging near Donadea, Ireland, discovered a vault, 12 feet by 8, and 6 f. 3 in. deep, containing a stone coffin in which rested a skeleton measuring 8 feet 3½ in. in length, by the side of which was a spear 7 feet in length and two brass urns, having the sun and moon engraved on them in a most curious, though antique manner. The vault was seventeen feet from the surface of the ground and no clue could be found to the identity of the body, or the time of its deposit there.
1790.George Augustus Eliott, lord Heathfield, died. He gained much celebrity in the Prussian service, and during the seven years' war in Germany; but his constancy and talent in defence of Gibraltar during three years of constant investment, in which all the powers of Spain were employed, excited the admiration of the world.
1796.Adam Stanislaus Maruszewich, a Polish poet and historian, died.
1801. Action off Algesiras between the British and French fleets. A British 74 grounded and was captured.
1809. British sloop of war Bonne Citoyenne captured in 6 hours 50 minutes French frigate La Furieuse. British loss 1 killed, 5 wounded; French loss 35 killed, 37 wounded.
1809. Battle of Wagram, between the French army of 180,000 under Napoleon, and the Austrians under the archduke Charles, of about half the force. The battle commenced on the 5th, and was decided on the 6th. The Austrians were compelled to retreat, after having taken 7,000 prisoners and 12 eagles, and retired fighting three days in succession, leaving the field of battle covered with their slain. It is stated that 27,000 fell on both sides. The French reckoned their loss 15,000 killed, about 4,000 wounded. Of the Austrians 12,000 were wounded, and 20,000 taken prisoners; 19 generals were killed or taken, and 40 cannon lost.
1813.Granville Sharp, a learned English philanthropist, died. He interested himself in the abolition of slavery, and to his exertions "England owes the verdict of her highest court of law, that the slave who sets his foot on English ground becomes that instant free."
1815.Samuel Whitbread, member of the British parliament and one of the most extensive brewers in the world, died by his own hand.
1823.Pius VII(Gregory Barnabas Chiaramonti), pope, died. He was a prisoner under Napoleon from 1808 to 1814, during which time he rejected with firmness the offers of the emperor.
1835.John Marshall, chief justice of the United States, died, aged 80. He was an extraordinary man, and the object of universal respect and confidence, on account of his extraordinary talents, his unsuspected integrity, his exemplary private virtues, and his important public services, which by some are deemed second only to those of Washington. He wrote theLife of Washington, 5 vols.
1838.Alexander Aikman, late printer of theJamaica Royal Gazette, died. His exertions spread much light in that island.
1839. Great fire at Eastport, Me., by which the larger portion of the business part of the town was destroyed.
1849. Successful sortie of the Danes besieged in the fort of Frederick by the Schleswig Holsteiners, of whom 3,112 were slain and taken prisoners.
1851.David Macbeth Moir, a Scottish writer, died at Dumfries, aged 53. He was theDeltaofBlackwood's Magazine, to which he was long a contributor, and in whose pages first appearedMansie Wauch, which was long ascribed to Galt.
1857.John Lauris Blake, an American divine, died at Orange, N. J., aged 68. His principal work is aBiographical Dictionary, of which several editions were printed.
715B. C.Romulus, founder and first king of Rome, disappeared on thenones, during thequirinalia, in a chariot of fire,patriis equis, as he was reviewing his people. There seems to be no other way of explaining this account, than that he was a victim of some of the elements.
587B. C.The city of Jerusalem, with the temple, palaces and walls, razed to the ground, the inhabitants carried into captivity, and the entire Israelitish monarchy terminated (after it had stood 468 years from the accession of David), in the 11th year of Zedekiah, on the seventh day of the Hebrew monthAb. It is still observed as a day of lamentation.
1307.Edward I, ninth king of England, died in the 35th year of his reign, aged 69. He was distinguished for his wisdom and the equity of his laws, as well as for his military abilities. (SeeJan. 2, 1774.)
1415.John Huss, a celebrated German reformer, burnt by the council of Constance. He was the first opposer of the doctrine of transubstantiation, and the defender of Wickliffe.
1520. Battle of Otumba; the retreating army of Cortez being hotly pursued by the Mexicans, that general resolved to halt and risk a battle. The Tlascalan allies were of incalculable service to the maimed and wretched band of soldiers, who now faced about to resist the whole Mexican force, determined not to leave a trace of the Spaniards upon the earth. This battle lasted four hours; the Spaniards performed prodigies of valor, and were victorious. The cavalry penetrated the masses of Mexicans and struck down the chiefs when they began to give way, and the Tlascalans mowed down all before them with the arms which were thrown away by the fugitives.
1572.Sigismund II, king of Poland, died, and with him the Jaghellon race became extinct.
1573.James Borazzio Vignoladied; an eminent Italian architect.
1607. The national anthem,God save the King, written by Ben Jonson, and composed by Dr. Bull, firstvocalizedin Merchant Taylor's hall, by the choir of the royal chapel, the king being present.
1640. The inhabitants of Providence, 40 in number, united in forming a civil government, after their own model.
1647. Revolt in Naples against the Spanish authorities, headed by the famous Thomas Aniello (Massaniello) a fisherman.
1647.Thomas Hooker, an English dissenting divine, died. He emigrated to Holland to escape persecution, and thence to America, and settled in Connecticut. In 1647 he removed with his whole congregation to the banks of the river, and may be considered the founder of the town of Hartford. He was a rigid puritan, and a man of learning and talent.
1648. Battle of St. Neots in England.
1667. The British admiral sirJohn Harmandestroyed the entire French fleet, 33 sail, at Martinique, and left the vessels to rot on the strand.
1696. A party of French and Indians under count Frontenac left the island of Montreal to invade the country of the Five Nations with a great army. The expedition was unsuccessful.
1708.Conrad Samuel Schurtzfleischdied; professor of history, poetry and Greek at Wittenberg, and counselor and librarian to the duke of Saxe-Weimar.
1713.William Compton, bishop of Oxford, died. He was a dissenter, and took a conspicuous part in the politics of the day, particularly in the cause of William of Orange, whom he crowned.
1721. SirWilliam Keith, governor of Pennsylvania, held a council with the Indians at Connestogo.
1725. Treaty of Vienna between the emperor Charles VI and Philip V of Spain concluded by the baron de Ripperda, of Pragmatic sanction memory.
1776.Jeremiah Marklanddied; a very learned and acute English critic.
1777. Action between the United States frigate Hancock, 32 guns, captain Manley, and three British ships, under sir George Collier. The Hancock was captured; she wanted upwards of 60 of her complement, they being on board her prize, the British frigate Fox, which was soon after recaptured.
1779. British under governorTryonplundered and burnt at Fairfield, Conn., 2 churches, 82 dwellings, 55 barns, 15 stores and 15 shops; and at Green Farms 1 church, 15 dwellings, 11 barns, and several stores; and sailed thence to Norwalk.
1784. Fort Dauphin, St. Domingo, entered by a negro, Jean Francois, a lieut. general in the Spanish service, with several hundred men, who massacred the white French, about 771 in number. The town had been delivered to the Spaniards for protection, conditioned that the negroes should not be permitted to enter it.
1791.Thomas Blacklock, an eminent Scottish poet and divine, died. His talents and acquirements were the more extraordinary, when it is considered that he lost his eye sight at the age of six months, by small pox.
1797. Congress declared the existing treaties with France no longer obligatory.
1798.Washingtonappointed lieutenant general of the armies of the United States.
1799.William Curtis, a distinguished English botanist, died. His great work, theFlora Londinensis, gave him an enduring reputation.
1799. The Kennet and Avon canal in England was opened.
1808. Desperate action, at night, between the British ship Sea Horse and Turkish frigate Badere Zaffer, 52 guns and 500 men, and another Turkish ship of 24 guns. At daylight the Badere struck, having 165 killed and 195 wounded; the other escaped. Sea Horse had 5 killed, 9 wounded.
1809. Cuxhaven, a fortified town of Hanover, taken by storm, by the boats of a British squadron.
1809. St. Domingo surrendered to the British and Spaniards.
1814. The three estates of the British realm offer public thanksgiving at St. Paul's for the peace of Europe.
1814. The United States troops under major general Brown, attacked the British at Chippewa; the latter retreated, and in the evening the Americans occupied their works.
1816.Richard Brinsley Sheridan, an English dramatist, wit and orator, died. His dramas were undertaken for a subsistence; afterwards, for thirty-two years, he pursued a splendid parliamentary career, but died in great poverty.
1820.Pierre Louis Louvelexecuted for the murder of the duke de Berri.
1843.John Holmesdied at Portland, Me. He was the first United States senator sent from that state.
1844. The disgraceful riots of Philadelphia again commenced; many were killed.
1848.Julia Rush, widow of Dr. Rush, died, aged 90.
1848.Oliver W. P. Peabodydied; an accomplished scholar, and able contributor to theNorth American Review.
1849. During the week closing with this day, 21,297 immigrants arrived at the port of Quebec, Lower Canada.
1853. A plot to assassinate the emperor of France while on his way to the opera, was discovered. Many armed conspirators were seized near the theatre, of whom 21 were convicted on trial.
1854. Battle of Giurgevo; the Turks defeated the Russians, and drove them from their position, with a loss in the conflict of 1,700 killed and wounded.
1855.William Edward Parry, the noted Arctic explorer, died at Ems, aged 64. He succeeded in extending his expeditions beyond those of his predecessors, for which he received the parliamentary reward, and was knighted in 1829.
17. The isle of Thia, one of the scattered cluster called the Sporades, in the Grecian archipelago, rose brightly from the sea.
1117.Adam de St. Victoire, a French ecclesiastic and writer, died.
1174.Henry IIof England performed severe penance before the shrine of Thomas a Becket in the cathedral of Canterbury.
1497. The Indian expedition of Emanuel, king of Portugal, sailed from the Tagus. It consisted of three vessels, under Vasco de Gama.
1520. The retreating and almost annihilated army of Cortez entered the dominions of their faithful allies, the Tlascalans. Here the Spaniards rested to repair their fortunes, and the Mexicans meanwhile employed themselves in restoring their devastated capital.
1524.James Verrazzanus, the Florentine discoverer, dated his letter to the kingof France from Dieppe, giving an account of his voyage along the coast of the United States, in which he is supposed to have visited the outer harbor of New York.
1533.Ludovico Ariosto, the Italian poet, is by some authorities said to have died on this day. (SeeJune 6.)
1550. The king of Denmark entered into a written contract to bind the Danish Bible in whole leather with clasps, for two marks Danish a copy and lodging; and to complete 2,000 copies in a year and a day. It was a middle sized folio, of 1,090 pages and sold for three rix dollars a copy.
1560. A peace between England, France and Scotland concluded.
1623.Gregory XV(Alexander Ludovisio), pope, died. He erected the see of Paris into an archbishopric, and assisted the emperor and the king of Poland in their wars.
1639.Bernard, duke of Weimar, a German officer in the 30 years' war, died, supposed to have been poisoned by Richelieu. With him fell one of the chief supports of the protestants.
1709. Battle of Pultowa, in Russia, between the Swedes under Charles XII, and the Russians under Peter the Great. The Swedes were entirely routed, and forced to take refuge within the dominions of the sultan of Turkey. The czar had his hat pierced by a ball, and prince Menzikoff had three horses killed under him.
1716.Robert South, a celebrated English divine, died, aged 83, and was buried with great honors to his memory. He shone as a polite scholar and a wit, and is famous for his controversy with Dr. Sherlock on the subject of the trinity. His sermons were published in 11 vols. octavo.
1721.Elihu Yale, the benefactor of Yale college, died. He was descended from an ancient and wealthy family in Wales; born in New Haven 1748; acquired an estate in the East Indies, and on his return was chosen governor of the East India company.
1738.John Peter Niceron, a popular French preacher, died; also author ofMemoirs of Men illustrious in the Republic of Letters, of which the 39th volume was finished in the year of his death. He addicted himself to laborious studies and had an extensive knowledge of ancient and modern languages.
1747. Unsuccessful attempt of the French and Spaniards to force the pass aux Exiles in Dauphiny; the chevalier Belleisle and 5,000 men were left dead on the field of battle.
1758. Battle of Ticonderoga, in which the British and provincial troops of 16,000 men under Abercrombie, were repulsed in attempting to storm the fort, then under the command of Montcalm. The British general was induced to this rash attack by the favorable report of the engineer, and from having learned that a reinforcement was expected from Canada. The French had felled a breastwork of trees in front of the fort with their branches pointing outward and sharpened, so as to form an almost impenetrable abatis: in this the assailants became entangled, and were exposed to a murderous fire. Abercrombie, finding the attack fruitless, ordered a retreat after a contest of near four hours. Nearly 2,000 of the British were killed or wounded. Of the Highland regiment nearly half were either killed or desperately wounded. The loss of the enemy, who were covered by their works, was inconsiderable.
1760. Action in the bay of Chaleur, between the British and French fleets, in which the latter were defeated with the loss of 3 large ships of war and 20 sail of schooners, sloops and small privateers.
1768. Thirty men boarded a schooner at Boston that had been seized by the officers of the customs, for having 30 hogsheads of molasses on board; they confined the officers and carried off the molasses.
1775. LordDunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, with his family, took refuge on board the Fowey, British man-of-war, at Yorktown.
1776. The Declaration of Independence of the United States proclaimed from the steps of the state house at Philadelphia, and read to the army in the city of New York.
1777. Battle of fort Ann; the British defeated the Americans under colonel Livingston, who retreated to fort Edward. The Americans lost 128 cannon and considerable stores.
1778. The French fleet under count d'Estaing arrived off the Delaware, having been at sea 87 days.
1779. The British under governorTryonplundered and burnt Norwalk, Conn. Two churches, 80 dwellings, 87 barns, 22 stores, 4 mills and 5 vessels were destroyed.
1784.Torbern Bergman, a Swedish chemist and natural philosopher, died. He was the friend of Linnæus, and an able and successful investigator of the secrets of nature.
1790.Renwick Williams, known in London as theMonster, was convicted of cutting the garments of Miss Porter. The judge reserved the case till he could determine whether the crime was felony or only a misdemeanor. Williams was a dancing master and for years a great nuisance in London.
1793. The dauphin,Louis XVII, taken from his mother and placed in the care ofthesans culottecobbler, Simon, under whose tender mercies he soon yielded up his life.
1797.Edmund Burke, a British writer, orator and statesman of great eminence, died. His complete works have been published in 16 vols. octavo.
1813. Outposts of the American encampment at fort George attacked by the British and Indians. A company under lieutenant Eldridge was sent to support the posts, but fell into an ambush, and after an obstinate struggle 13 were killed, 5 escaped; the remainder, including lieutenant Eldridge, were taken prisoners and put to death by the Indians with great barbarity. In consequence of this event and similar outrages, general Brown received into the service of the United States a party of Seneca and Tuscarora Indians, under young Cornplanter.
1814. The Americans under Gen.Scottsucceeded in throwing a bridge over the Chippewa, and compelled general Riall to retreat to Ten-mile creek. General Brown occupied the British works the same evening.
1822.Thomas Fanshaw Middleton, bishop of Calcutta, died. He was the first to hold that office, and was distinguished for talents and acquirements, zeal and fidelity.
1838. Treaty of peace concluded between Russia and Turkey.
1847. The canal from the Durance to Marseilles in France completed. More than one-fifth of its length is through the Alps in tunnels.
1848. To test the effect of an eclipse upon animals five healthy linnets were put in a cage together and fed; at the end of it three of them were found dead; a dog which had long been kept fasting, and which was eating hungrily when the eclipse commenced, left his food as soon as the darkness set in; a colony of ants which had been working actively, suddenly ceased from their labors at the same moment.
1850. The Alabama historical society was organized at Tuskaloosa.
1852. A destructive fire at Montreal laid waste a considerable portion of the city.
1853. The American expedition under commodore Perry arrived at Japan.
1856.Preston S. Brooks, indicted at Washington for an assault upon senator Sumner, was sentenced to pay a fine of $300.
597B. C.An eclipse of the sun, foretold by Thales.
518.Anastasius I, the silentiary, died; who from obscure birth became emperor of the East by marrying the widow of the emperor Zeno.
551. The city of Berytus overthrown by an earthquake. It gave birth to Sanconiatho, the Phœnician historian, about the period of the Trojan war, in the time of Hercules.
552. The Armenians commenced their era, Tuesday. The year, like the Noetic, consists of twelve months of thirty days, with an insertion of five, or (in leap year) six days, after the 5th of August, when their ecclesiastical year commences. In their correspondence with Europeans, they usually adopt, as in Russia, the old Julian style, and the months.
1228.Stephen Langton, archbishop of Canterbury, died. He was a man of great abilities as a writer and a politician. He was nominated to the office of archbishop by the pope, 1207, which being considered as an usurpation of the rights of the king of England, lead to a quarrel between those dignitaries, which terminated disastrously to the king.
1386. Battle of Sempach, in the canton of Lucerne, which established the independence of Switzerland. Leopold II, duke of Austria, was killed in this battle.
1535.Anthony Duprat, a very eminent French statesman, died. He was president of the parliament of Paris, and a man who, to increase his fortune or enlarge his power, did not hesitate to sacrifice either fame or virtue.
1546.Robert Maxwelldied. He was chiefly instrumental in bringing and procuring the passage of an act in the Scottish parliament permitting the reading of the scriptures in the vulgar tongue.
1598.David Bouchard, governor of Perigord, killed at the siege of Lisle. He was a famous chieftain under Henry IV of France.
1669. The encenia, or dedication of the incomparable theatre at Oxford, endowed and founded 1664, by archbishop Selden. The first act held in a secular building was kept there on the same day. Wren adopted his ground plan from the theatre of Marcellus at Rome.
1693. The English or confederated army defeated by the French at Landon.
1742.John Oldmixon, an English historian and poet, died. He was a man of learning and abilities, but a violent party writer, and a severe and malevolent critic.
1746.Philip Vof Spain, died. His accession to the throne was opposed by the archduke of Austria, and gave rise to one of the most bloody wars on record.
1755. Memorable defeat ofBraddockon his march to fort Du Quesne. The English army of 1,200 was ambuscaded, the general having neglected all precautionsagainst such an event, and totally routed by the French and Indians, about 900 in number. Of 85 officers 64 were killed, and about half the privates. The remains of the army were brought off by Washington, who was the only officer on horseback that escaped.
1762. Revolution in Russia, followed by the abdication of Peter III. The empress Catharine was declared autocratrix, and Peter imprisoned, where he died seven days afterwards.
1762. A substance called honey dew fell in the neighborhood of Rathiermuc, Ireland, which loaded the trees and long grass in such a manner that quantities of it were saved by scoops.
1766.Jonathan Mayhewdied; a distinguished American clergyman, and missionary among the Indians.
1776. The leaden statue of George III, in New York, thrown down by the revolutionists, and sent to Litchfield, Conn., where the women manufactured it into bullets.
1781. CaptainEggleston, of Lee's legion, routed a British foraging party at Friday's ferry, Congaree river, and took 45 dragoons.
1785.William Strahan, an eminent Scottish printer, died. Having served a regular apprenticeship, he settled in London, where he rose to great eminence in his profession, and finally sat in parliament.
1790. Action off cape Musalo, between the Swedish fleet under the king in person, and the Russian fleet. It continued into the following day, and resulted in the destruction of 5 Russian frigates, 15 galleys, 2 floating batteries, 9 galliots, and 2 other floating vessels. The Swedes lost but one of their galleys burnt.
1794. Seventy-one persons were guillotined at Paris.
1805.George Wolfgang Panzer, a distinguished German bibliographer, died. He published a catalogue of all the works known to have been printed from the invention of the art of printing to the year 1536. The works in all languages are chronologically arranged, the place of printing given, also a short account of them, and the libraries and publications in which they are contained.
1806. Confederation of the Rhine signed at Paris, between Bonaparte and several of the smaller German states, who placed themselves under the protection of France, and renounced their connection with the German empire.
1810. The kingdom of Holland annexed to France; Amsterdam to rank as the third city in the empire, Paris being first and Rome second.
1814. United States army under general Brown left Riall's works on the Chippewa, and pursued the British to Queenstown, and encamped there.
1816. Rio de la Plata declared itself independent of Spain, and took the title of the United Provinces of South America.
1818.Richard Beatniffe, the well known author of theNorfolk Journal, died at Norwich, England.
1830. Erzeroum, the capital of Turkish Armenia, surrendered to the Russians.
1831. The Belgian congress acceded to the articles agreed on at London by the plenipotentiaries of the five great powers, and declared Leopold of Saxe-Coburg king of Belgium.
1838.Robert Grant, governor of Bombay, died; a man greatly respected for his talents and his public services.
1843.Washington Alston, the great historical painter of South Carolina, died.
1850.Zachary Taylor, president of the United States, died, aged 65. He was a general in the United States army, and won laurels in the Mexican war.
1853.Charles Caldwell, a medical writer and teacher of great celebrity, died at Louisville, Ky., aged 90.
1854.Richard Shubrick Pinckney, a naval officer of the United States, died at Charlestown, S. C., aged 57. He entered the navy in 1814, and was engaged in the operations against the Algerine pirates of the Mediterranean, where he was severely wounded. He commanded the Decatur during the Mexican war.
70. Conflagration of the second temple of the Jews, in the night following the ninth day of Lous (Ab) the second year of Vespasian.
138.Publius Ælius Adrian, emperor of Rome, died. He was a renowned general and great traveler; and on a visit to Britain built the British wall, extending from Newcastle to Carlisle, 80 miles in length.
983. PopeBenedict VIIdied.
1024.Benedict VIII, pope, died. To the arts of the politician he added the valor of the warrior, and exterminated the Saracens who invaded Italy. He also defeated the Greeks, who were ravaging Apulia.
1212. Burning of London bridge, when 3000 persons inhabiting that borough perished in the flames.
1440. An anniversary was held in Haarlem for two days, commemorating the invention of printing on movable wooden types in this year, by Lawrence Coster. The emblems on his monument are abranch of beech, a winged A, a wreathed snake and a lamp. It was also celebrated by the printers of Dortrecht and Rotterdam.
1460. Battle of Northampton, England; the forces of Henry VI defeated by earls Warwick, Salisbury and March, with great slaughter among the gentry and nobility on both sides, and Henry was taken prisoner.
1472. The siege of Beauvais, France, raised by Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, who had invested it with an army of 80,000 men. An anniversary is still held on this day in memory of the heroine Jeane Hachette, and her regiment of women, who signalized themselves at this famous siege.
1559.Henry II, of France, died. He was a persecutor of the protestants, and during the thirteen years of his reign, much embroiled in war. He recovered Calais from the English, and was wounded at a tournament, of which he died. (SeeJune 26, 1574;29, 1559.)
1579.William Whittingham, dean of Durham, died. He was one of the translators of the Genevan or German Bible, usually called theBreeches Bible.
1584.William I, prince of Orange, assassinated. He is styled the father of the Dutch republic, having brought about the union of the provinces. He was shot in the breast with three balls by an assassin supposed to have been employed by the king of Spain, who claimed the sovereignty of the Netherlands.
1634.De Vriessailed from the Texel in the ship King David, 14 guns, with 25 head of cattle, and 30 planters, intending to form a colony on the coast of Guyana.
1680.Lewis Moreri, a learned French writer, died, aged 37; author of the great historical dictionary, which appeared 1674, and was afterwards enlarged to 10 vols. folio, and greatly improved in the numerous editions it underwent.
1683.Francis Eudes de Mezerai, a French historian, died. He entered upon the laborious character of historian of France at the age of 26, and his work was received with universal applause. Several other books were also published by him, reflecting great honor upon his integrity, candor and faithfulness.
1686.John Fell, an English prelate, died. During the civil war he bore arms for the king, and lost his offices by his loyalty. He was distinguished for learning and assiduity, and published many excellent works.
1688. The city of Smyrna in Asia destroyed by an earthquake.
1689. "Here lyeth the Body of Mr. David Gardiner, of Gardiner Island, deceasedIvly 10, 1689, in the Fifty-fourth year of his Age. Well, sick, dead, in one hour's space. Hartford, Con." He was the first white child born in Connecticut.
1704. The fortress of Gibraltar in Spain taken by the British.
1733. Nearly 800,000 quarters of grain exported from England to Portugal; cost, £1,000,000 sterling.
1767.Alexander Monroe, a Scottish physician, anatomist and writer, died. HisOsteologyhas been translated into several languages.
1776. New York declared an independent state.
1777. Major-general Prescott, commander of the British army at Newport, surprised at night in his quarters, and carried off by a party of 40 Americans.
1780. French fleet under admiral Ternay, arrived at Rhode Island, having on board 6000 French troops under count Rochambeau, intended for the American service.
1791. Battle of Maclin; a body of 70,000 Turks under the grand vizier, defeated by the Russians. The Turks lost 4000 killed, and the whole of their camp; 30 cannon, and 15 standards were taken. The flower of the Asiatic troops, with their chiefs were in this battle.
1792.Chabanon, a French dramatist and translator, died. His best works belong to a species of criticism which is characterized by learning and taste.
1794. Battle in India between the British army, and the Hindoos under Viziaram Rauze, rajah of Vizigapatam. The rajah and most of his officers were killed; British loss 10 killed, 50 wounded.
1796. Island of Elba seized by the English under Duncan and lord Nelson.
1799. The French underLa Grangesurprised the Mamelukes at Sababier, in Egypt, took their baggage, 50 horses and 700 camels.
1799. Action between American ship Planter, captain Watts, 18 guns and 43 men, and a French privateer of 22 guns, which was beaten off "after an action of 5 glasses." Two female passengers, Mrs. MacDowell and Miss Mary Harley, dressed the wounded and supplied cartridges. The Planter had 4 killed, 8 wounded.
1804.Francis Ambrose Didot, a learned and ingenious French printer, died. He made some important improvements in the printing press and paper mill, and is supposed to have hastened his death by a too close application to the revision of an edition of Montaigne's works.
1810. Ciudad Rodrigo surrendered to the French under Massena, with a garrison of 6000, after having been bombarded 25 days, a great quantity of artillery,ammunition and rich stores were taken. This fortress was built by the Spanish as a rampart against Portugal, from which it is distant only 8 miles. (SeeJan. 19.)
1810. Holland incorporated with the French empire, by which all the 17 provinces of the Netherlands were united under the dominion of Napoleon.
1826.Luther Martin, an eminent lawyer and one of the delegates from Maryland in forming the constitution of the United States, died, aged 82.
1828.Louis Augustin Guillaume Bost, a well known French naturalist and professor at the Jardin du Roi, died.
1834. Abolition riots in New York.
1850.James Lovel, oldest member of the society of the Cincinnati, died at St. Matthews, S. C., aged 92.
1852. A fire in Boston destroyed the Mariner's church, the Sailor's home, the Boylston school house, and many dwellings and stores.
1855. The British bombarded the Redan tower at Sebastopol, for one day.
1856.John Locke, an American physician and naturalist, died at Cincinnati, aged 64. He was a native of Maine, but spent a considerable portion of his life in Cincinnati; was connected with the geological survey of the state, and of lake Superior, and seems to have had a knowledge of various other sciences.
472.Procopius Anthemius, emperor of Rome, murdered. He acquired the title of Augustus by his valor. Ricimir, a general to whom he had given his daughter in marriage, burst the gates of Rome, and imbrued his hands in the blood of his father-in-law, while his barbarian followers were indulged without control, in the three-fold license of murder, rapine and indiscriminate pillage.
1103.Eric(the good), king of Denmark, died at Cyprus.
1191. Acre, in Palestine, surrendered by the Saracens to the crusaders under Richard of England and Philip of France, who had besieged it two years. Nine battles were fought in the vicinity of mount Carmel, with such vicissitudes of fortune, that in one attack the sultan forced his way into the city, while in a sally the Christians penetrated the royal tent. There were slain, by the computation of the minister of Saladin, 100,000 Christians.
1450.Jack Cade, an Irishman who headed a rebellion in England, was slain near Lewes, and his head placed on London bridge.
1576.Martin Frobisher, the navigator, descried Friesland "rising like pinnacles of steeples and all covered with snow;" and entered, with his two small barks, the strait which bears his name.
1628.William Danieldied; a famed Greek and Hebrew scholar, translator of the New Testament and liturgy into Irish.
1708. Battle of Oudenarde, in Belgium, between the French and the allied army under the duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene. The French were defeated with the loss of 15,000; loss of the allies 5000.
1724.Mary Manleydied; an English authoress, of considerable reputation as a writer, but of a wanton and licentious character. She wrote principally plays and romances.
1754. The Indians, who had been assembled to attend the congress of the colonies at Albany, were dismissed apparently well pleased and had engaged their coöperation with the colonies against the French. One of the sachems chalked out a sketch of the interior forests, rivers and lakes, with a clear discernment of their relations, and made the judicious remark, that Louisburg was one key of the inland country, and New York another, and that the power which had both, would open the great chest, and have Indians and all.
1763.Peter Forskaldied; a celebrated Swedish naturalist and oriental traveler.
1764.Andrew Cantwelldied; an Irish practitioner and writer on medicine of considerable abilities.
1782.John James Flipart, a French engraver of great merit, died.
1782. Savannah, Georgia, evacuated by the British, and taken possession of by general Wayne.
1789.James Necker, the prime minister and great financier, ordered to leave France.
1797.Charles Macklin, an Irish actor and dramatic writer, died, aged 107. His name was M'Laughlin, which he changed for one more euphonious. His last performance was at the age of 90, when his memory failed him, and he took leave of the audience forever. His comedies still keep the stage.
1804. A duel fought between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, at Hoboken, opposite New York. On the first fire Hamilton fell mortally wounded, on the same spot where, a short time previous, his eldest son had been killed in a duel. He lingered until the afternoon of the following day, when he expired.
1807.Michael Nekititch Minaview, a Russian author of much distinction, died. One of his most admired productions isOskold, which describes the march of the northern nations against Constantinople.
1809. Battle of Znaim; the Frenchunder Marmont, duke of Ragusa, defeated the Austrians, took 2 standards, 3 cannon and 3000 prisoners.
1811. Earthquake at St. Michael's one of the Azores; an island was formed where the water had been 30 fathoms in depth.
1812. United States frigate Essex captured a British transport with a detachment of the first regiment of Royal Scots on board.
1813. Blackrock taken by the British, who burnt the barracks, blockhouse, and other buildings, spiked several cannon, and took off a quantity of provisions, leaving on the shore a part of their killed and wounded.
1814. United States brig Rattlesnake captured by a British 50 gun ship. The Rattlesnake had some time previous thrown overboard all her guns except two, to escape another British man-of-war.
1814. The fort at Eastport, Moose island, mounting six 24 pounders, commanded by major Putnam with about 80 men, surrendered to a large British force. In consequence of this capture, the whole of the islands in Passamaquoddy bay fell into the hands of the enemy.
1818. The use of the French language in judicial proceedings and by the public authorities abolished in the Netherlands, only allowing advocates to make use of it for a certain time.
1853. An earthquake destroyed the city of Teheran, the capital of Persia, having a population of 60,000.
1853.Samuel Appleton, one of the most opulent, benevolent and public spirited citizens of Boston, died, aged 87. His charitable donations for many years exceeded $25,000 per annum.
100B. C.Birthday ofJulius Cæsar, the Roman emperor. Pliny says of him that he could employ at the same time his ears to listen, his eyes to read, his hand to write, and his mind to dictate.
1174. KingWilliamof Scotland taken by the famous chief-justiciary, Glanville. This success of the arms of king Henry has been attributed to his having, on the Thursday previous, done penance at the tomb of Thomas a Becket.
1191. The Christians took possession of the city of Acre. The two western kings planted the royal standard each in his own portion of the conquest, and divided the booty of the Saracens between them.
1212. The Christians defeated the Moors at Toulouse.
1536.Desiderius Erasmus, the celebrated Dutch philosopher, died. He was the most learned man of the age in which he lived, and greatly contributed to the restoration of learning in Europe. TheNew Testamentin Greek (of which he was the first actual publisher, 1516), written with his own hand, is, with other relics, including his sword and pencil, to be seen at Basil, where he died.
1543. Marriage ofHenry VIIIwith the protestant lady, Catharine Parr, his sixth queen. Kate was adoctor, and a lover of learning; and survived the queen-killer.
1566. First stone of the walls of the Tuilleries at Paris laid, in the presence of Charles IX and his mother, Catharine de Medicis. The site of this famous palace had been occupied by a manufactory.
1581.Maurice Chaunceydied at Paris; a French historian prior of the Carthusians, and confessor to queen Mary.
1609.Hudsonhaving continued his course westward for some days, first obtained sight of the American continent, and on the 17th, the fog having cleared up, ran into Penobscot bay, in the state of Maine.
1625.Paul Beni, a learned Italian author, died. He censured the dictionary of the della crusca academy at Florence, and refuted its opinions in his defence of Tasso and Ariosto. His works were collected in 5 vols. folio.
1676.Henry Stubbe, a learned English author, drowned. His writings are very numerous and instructive, and evince great research; at the same time they abound in abuse, satire and malevolence.
1691. Battle of Aghrim in Ireland; the French under Gen. St. Ruth defeated and himself killed by the forces of William III under Gen. Ginckle. Of the French and Irish catholics 4000 were slain and 600 taken, with their baggage, artillery, &c.; English lost 800 on the field.
1691. CardinalPignatellielected pope, and took the name of Innocent III.
1712.Richard Cromwelldied, aged 82. He assumed the protectorate of England on the death of his father, but found himself inadequate to sustain the office, and resigned it to retire to more peaceful pursuits. He inherited little of his father's ambition.
1637.Johnson, "a stranger in London," addressed Cave, editor of theGentleman's Magazine, "having observed in his papers very uncommon encouragement to men of letters." In this letter he proposed a translation from the Italian of Sarpi.
1730.Lawrence Corsineelected pope, the conclave having sat four months.
1776. LordHowearrived from Europe with a formidable squadron and 30,000 men, chiefly Hessians, and joined his brother Gen. Howe on Staten island.
1776. Capt.Cooksailed on his third and last voyage of discovery.
1779.Biœrnstahl, a learned Swedish professor of the oriental languages, died at Salonica in Turkey.
1780.Sumpterwith 133 men attacked and defeated a detachment of British at Williamson's plantation, South Carolina.
1791.Baba Mahomet, dey of Algiers, died, aged 80. He was one of the most singular characters of the age; raised himself from a common soldier to the throne, and governed a nation of barbarians more than 25 years with uncommon reputation. He was succeeded by Sidi-Hassan, his prime minister, whose succession was accomplished, for the first time, without bloodshed.
1793. The first official trial of the Clauda Chappe telegraph was made with complete success; transmitting despatches forty-eight leagues in 13 min. 40 sec.
1794. Battle of Edikhoffen commenced, which continued three days. The French lost 1000 killed, and 6000 prisoners fell into the hands of the Prussians; notwithstanding which the French finally obtained the victory, and obliged Moellendorf to retreat 60 miles.
1796. Ninety-four prisoners taken by the Algerines on board American vessels, were redeemed by the United States consul at Algiers.
1798. The knights of St. John at Malta surrendered to Bonaparte. They had possessed the island nearly 270 years, and under them it had risen from a state of destitution to a place of great opulence and luxury; and the military works which remain to this day, are a monument of their perseverance and power.
1801. Action off the coast of Spain between the British fleet, 5 sail of the line, and the combined French and Spanish fleet of 13 sail, and a considerable number of gun boats. Two of the Spanish ships, of 112 guns each, blew up, another of 74 was taken, and the remainder made their way into Cadiz.
1803.Charles Jordandied in Anson county, North Carolina, aged 114. His favorite amusement was hunting, and only four days before his death he killed two deer at a shot.
1804.Alexander Hamilton, an American statesman, died of a wound received in a duel with Col. Burr. Hamilton was born on the island of St. Croix 1757, and came to New York in 1773. At the commencement of the war he joined the army, and was an aid-de-camp to Washington, and afterwards a major-general. He continued in the service until the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, where the troops under his command stormed and took the British works. He afterwards commenced the practice of law in New York, and rose to the highest eminence in the profession. He was appointed secretary of the treasury under Washington. As a statesman and a financier he revived the public credit, and placed the United States revenue on a permanent footing. Of all the coadjutors and advisors of Washington, Hamilton was doubtless the one in whose judgment and sagacity he reposed the greatest confidence, whether in military or civil career; and of all the American statesmen, he displayed the most comprehensive understanding and the most varied ability, whether applied to subjects practical or speculative. A collection of his works was issued in New York some time after his death, in 3 vols. octavo.
1807. Ratification of the peace between Bonaparte and the king of Prussia at Tilsit.
1812. The United States frigate Constitution completely manned and equipped, under the command of Com. Isaac Hull, left Annapolis in Chesapeake bay, for New York, and made a singular escape from the British squadron, consisting of a sixty-four gun ship, three frigates and a schooner, by running into Nantucket harbor. She was chased sixty hours, and escaped bykedging, an invention of Chas. Morris.
1812. Gen.Hull, with an army of United States volunteers invaded Canada.
1814.John Swift, a revolutionary soldier and brigadier general in the United States army, killed whilst reconnoitering the British positions at Queenstown. He had surprised an outpost, and was most basely shot in the breast by a soldier who had begged and received quarters. Swift however, killed the soldier himself.
1816. A slide from the bank of West Canada creek, near the village of Herkimer, carried nearly five acres of land into the creek.
1816. A dreadful storm burst upon the town of Worchestz, in Hungary, which injured every house in the place; damage estimated at four millions of florins.
1823. The Diana steam boat, built at Kidderpore, near Calcutta, launched; and on the same day she made her first voyage on the Ganges between Calcutta and Chinsoorah in six hours and a half. This was the first appearance of these boats in the east.
1832. The monolithic column, in honor of Alexander of Russia, was debarked at St. Petersburg. It measures 12 feet in diameter at the base, and is 84 feet in length; being the largest pillar of modern erection. It was raised upon its pedestal in September following.
1836.William Murraydied near Jonesborough, Tenn., aged 111.
1838.John Jamieson, an eminent Scottishseceder, died, aged 80. He is the author of several theological and miscellaneous works, and of a celebratedEtymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language.
1841.Wm. James McNeveen, so celebrated as a physician and author, died at New York.
1851.Daguerre, inventor of the daguerreotype, died at Paris, aged 61.
1854.Louis Dwightdied at Boston, aged 61. He was a native of Stockbridge, Mass., and graduated at Yale college in 1813. On the formation of the Prison discipline society, he was appointed corresponding secretary, and devoted the remainder of his life to the promotion of the interests of this important institution of public economy and Christian philanthropy.
1855. A convention of the friends of slavery was held at Lexington, Mo.
1855. A mob at Jonesville, Mo., seized a prisoner whom a jury had found guilty of murder, for which the statute punishment was imprisonment for life, and hung him on a tree.
1856. The Crimea was evacuated by the last of the allied forces of Great Britain and France.
1856. The submarine telegraph cable was laid across the St. Lawrence gulf, from cape Race cove, Newfoundland, and Ashby bay, cape Breton, a distance of 85 miles, and messages transmitted from place to place.
325. The first œcumenical council, that is, council of the whole habitable earth, assembled at Nice, now Isnick, in Bythinia, where 318 fathers of the church subscribed the ordinances regulating the festival of Easter, and establishing the Godhead, in opposition to the dogmas of Arius.
573. PopeJohn IIIdied.
1024.Henry II, emperor of Germany, died. He was successful in arms against the Greeks and Saracens, whom he drove from Calabria, restored peace and tranquility in Italy and Germany, and increased his popularity by various deeds of benevolence and kindness wherever he went.
1377. Isle of Wight taken by the French and plundered.
1568.ElizabethcommittedMaryqueen of Scots to the castle of Bolton, a prisoner.
1571.George Fabricius, a learned German poet and historian, died, aged 55.
1621.Thomas Hariot, an English mathematician, died. He accompanied sir Walter Raleigh to America, and wrote an account of Virginia. It is said that Descartes drew from his works many of his improvements in algebra.
1629.Gaspard Bertholin, a Swedish physician and divine, died. He is said to have learned to read perfectly in 14 days at the age of 3, and to compose with correctness Greek and Latin orations at the age of 13. His works are on anatomy, metaphysics, logic and rhetoric.
1637. Battle with the Pequods, in which the last body of that formidable tribe was exterminated. They had secreted themselves in a swamp near where Fairfield now stands, in Connecticut; when some of the rangers who were in pursuit of them discovering their lurking place, rushed in upon them, in defiance of their arrows, and the hazard of being swallowed in the miry bogs. After a fruitless parley, the Indians refusing to come to terms, the soldiers were ordered to cut through the swamp with their swords, in order to hem them in, till they were begirt in a narrow space and remained all night sorely galled by the fire of their besiegers. Taking advantage of a dense fog, some of the stoutest made their escape, leaving the rest to the mercy of their conquerors. They were discovered in the morning sitting in crowds, sullenly refusing to ask for their lives, and were shot by dozens or cut in pieces. The male children which were taken were sent to the Bermudas, and the females distributed to the English towns. This overthrow of a great and powerful nation, cast a terror upon the arms of the colonists, which brought other tribes to a lasting peace.
1650. Dr.Levins, a civilian, was hanged for having in his possession blank commissions from Charles II, against the commonwealth.
1677.William Berkeley, governor of Virginia, died in England, after having administered the office nearly 40 years. His measures were generally bigoted and revengeful.
1730.Elijah Fenton, an English poet and divine, died. He assisted Pope in the translation of theOdyssey.
1750. The excessive heat of the weather at this time caused the fish in the Thames to assemble in shoals under the bank, where they were readily caught.
1759. Battle of Zullechan, in which the Prussians were defeated by the Russians.
1762.James Bradley, an English astronomer, died. He made some important discoveries, and greatly improved the instruments which enrich the celebrated observatory at Greenwich.
1772. CaptainJames Cooksailed on his second voyage round the world.
1774.Charles Frey de Neuville, a French Jesuit, died, aged 81. He was long known as an eloquent preacher; but on the suppression of his order he retired into privacy.
1774.William Johnson, Indian agent, died at his seat near Johnstown, during the sitting of a convention at his place. He was a man of stern and determined purpose, but urbane and conciliatory when necessary, and held a greater controlling influence over the Indians than any other individual since the settlement of the province.
1785.Stephen Hopkins, a signer from Rhode Island, died. He was a man of learning and a powerful speaker. His signature to the declaration is indicative of a tremulous hand, owing to a nervous affection, which compelled him, when he wrote, to guide his right arm with his left.
1788. An extraordinary and destructive hail storm happened in France, converting many of the richest autumnal prospects into arctic desolations.
1793.Jean Paul Marat, a notorious leader of the French revolution, assassinated. He was a humble physician in Paris when the storm of anarchy burst forth, and became the most insatiable advocate of human slaughter of all the blood-thirsty demons by whom he was surrounded. He endeavored to get up a general massacre, and publicly demanded 270,000 executions.
1795. Action between the British fleet, admiral Hotham, and the French fleet. French ship Alcide struck, but took fire and blew up with several hundred of her crew on board, who perished.
1807.James Bernouilli3d, a Swiss astronomer, died. He was one of an illustrious family of scientific men.
1809. Senegal, in Africa, taken by the British.
1810.Francis James Jackson, British minister, burnt in effigy before the door of his lodgings in Albany.
1813. A British fleet of 11 ships, captured and plundered Portsmouth and Ocracoke, in North Carolina, and took the privateers Anaconda of New York, and Atlas of Philadelphia, then lying in port.
1831.James Northcote, an English artist of some celebrity, died in Argyle st. London.
1843.John Rowan, an eminent statesman and jurist, of Kentucky, died at Louisville.
1851.John Lingard, the well known catholic historian of England, died at Hornby, aged 82.
1854. San Juan bombarded by the United States sloop of war Cyane, captain Hollins; and a party landing from the sloop burnt the entire town, with the exception of two small buildings. A demand had previously been made upon the authorities, by Capt. Hollins, for satisfaction for alleged injuries, but without effect. A considerable portion of the property destroyed belonged to Americans. One British vessel of war in the harbor protested against the act.
1854. Battle of Gaymas, between some Frenchmen under count Raousset de Boulbon, and the Mexicans under Col. Yanez. The former were defeated, the count taken prisoner, and shot on the 12th August.
1854. A riot occurred at Buffalo growing out of street preaching.
66. It was on the 14th ofLous, during the festival of Zylophory, or wood carrying, at Jerusalem, to feed the perpetual fire at the sacred altar, that the zealots destroyed the house of Ananias the chief priest, and the palaces of Agrippa and Berenice, with all the public archives, containing the bonds of debtors, "the nerves of the city."
1099. Jerusalem taken by the crusaders.
1420. Battle of Prague; 4000 Hussites under their celebrated leader Zisca, repelled the Bohemian army of 30,000 under the emperor Sigismund.
1514.Christopher Bainbridge, an English archbishop, poisoned at Rome. He was the envoy of Henry VIII to the pope, where he distinguished himself.
1584.Balthazar Gerard, the assassin of William prince of Orange, whom he shot through the breast with a pistol as he was going out of his palace at Delft, was executed in the same manner asDamiens(q. v.) and died, in his own conceit, a martyr of the church of Rome.
1675. Mendon, Mass., attacked by the Nipmuck Indians, and several persons killed. Mather says: "blood was never shed in Massachusetts, in the way of hostility, before this day."
1678. The expedition under M. de la Salle set out from Rochelle, consisting of thirty men, among whom were pilots, smiths, carpenters, and other useful artists.
1683.Mustapha, the grand vizier, sat down before Vienna with an army of 150,000 Turks, and opened the trenches.
1694. Bombardment and destruction of Dieppe, in France, by the English.
1699.William Bates, an English non-conformist divine, died. He was chaplain to Charles II, a man of great learning, and the intimate friend of the first men of the kingdom.
1711. The prince of Nassau, stadtholder of Friesland, was drowned in his coach while ferrying over the Hollandsdiep, near Moerdyk.
1719.Bell, the traveler, left St. Petersburg with Ismayloff the ambassador and anumerous retinue for China. They took the route by Moscow, Siberia and the great Tartar deserts, and did not reach Pekin until sixteen months after their departure from the Russian capital, having undergone great fatigue during the journey.
1741.Edward Synge, an Irish bishop, died. He distinguished himself for above twenty years as an active and laborious parish priest; and his tracts, written in a popular style, have been considered of so much value as to require frequent editions.
1742.Richard Bentley, a celebrated English divine and classical scholar, died. His editions of the ancient classics procured him a great reputation for learning, but they were made the medium for retorting upon his contemporaries, who assailed him on all sides.
1748. An eclipse of the sun observed at London. 10 digits eclipsed, and Venus seen in a crescent form through a telescope.
1762.Peter III(Fedrowitch), emperor of Russia, died in prison. He acquired the enmity of the nobility and clergy by trenching upon their privileges, and introducing foreign customs, and was hurled from his throne by a conspiracy, after a reign of six months, and probably murdered.
1766. The grand junction canal commenced, uniting the Trent with the Mersey, and opening a water communication with both the east and west coasts of England. This great improvement was originated with Brindsley, who is represented to have "handled rocks as you would plum pies, and made the four elements subservient to his will."
1774. CaptainFurneaux, who sailed in the discovery ship Adventure with captain Cook, returned with the ship, having reached 67° 10´ north, and circumnavigated the globe.
1776.Washingtonrefused to receive a letter from lord Howe, addressed to "George Washington, Esq.," and afterwards another addressed to "George Washington, &c., &c., &c." The British lion, on further study, gave his message the proper direction.
1780.Charles Batteux, a French philosopher, died; eminent for his erudition and his private virtues, and author of several works on classical literature.
1788. Congress ratified the constitution framed by the convention of which Washington was president, and it went into operation the ensuing March.
1789. Marquisde Mirabeau, an advocate of Quesnay's sect of political economists, and author ofAmi des Hommes, died. He was father of the fiery orator, count Mirabeau.
1789. Destruction of the Bastile, at Paris. This awful fortress of despotism, of which the name had for ages inspired terror, and which had withstood a vigorous siege about two centuries previous, was invested by a mixed multitude of citizens and soldiers. De Launay, the governor, displayed a flag of truce and demanded a parley, but abusing the confidence which that signal inspired, he discharged a heavy fire of cannon and musketry on the besiegers. This act of treachery, so far from intimidating the people, inflamed their rage and rendered them desperate. They renewed the attack with frenzy, and carried the prison by assault. The governor was seized and massacred, and his head carried in triumph through the streets. The Bastile was razed to the ground, and with it the despotism of the French monarchy fell prostrate in the dust. It cost 200,000 livres to demolish this edifice to its foundations, and the materials were sold for 36,000.
1790.Gideon Ernest Laudohn, an Austrian field marshal, died. He was commander-in-chief of the Austrian forces, and so high was his reputation, that Frederic the Great of Prussia admitted that he feared nobody so much as Laudohn.
1790. Grand national confederation of France, at Paris, in the field of Mars, when the civic oath was administered. Accommodations were made for exhibiting at one view 350,000 persons on this occasion, in a vast amphitheatre.
1791. Commencement of the Birmingham riots, which were occasioned by the celebration of the anniversary of the French revolution, by some private individuals. The destruction of property was very great; Dr. Priestly's house, library, manuscripts and philosophical apparatus were totally consumed.