1302. The marriage ofRomeo MontocchiowithJuliet Capellettowas solemnized at the church of the Minorites, at Citadella. These were Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
1444. The university of Paris issued a circular addressed to all the French clergy, expressing the opinion of the church, that thefeast of fools, about the calends of January, was a well imagined institution, connected with Christianity, and that those who attempted to suppress it should be curst and excommunicate.
1513.John Medicielected pope and assumed the title of Leo X. From his grave appearance it was often said he seemed never to have been a child.
1544. Birthday ofTorquato Tasso, styled the prince of Italian poets.
1669. The memorable eruption of Mount Etna began at sunset.
1722.John Toland, a very famous English political, polemical and miscellaneous writer and antiquary, died at Putney.
1732.Peter Chirac, a French author and physician to the king, died.
1732.Kouli Khan, usurped the Persian throne.
1738. It was ascertained that 12,000 persons were convicted in London in a few months for selling gin without a license, and 3,000 paid a fine of £10 rather than be committed to the house of correction.
1744. Action off Toulon between part of the British fleet under Matthews and Lestock, and the combined French and Spanish fleets.
1797. Two discharged servants informed the police that Ladies Buckinghamshire, Luttrel and Stuart played faro, in consequence of which their ladyships were fined.
1800. The Royal institution of London for the promotion of the fine arts held their first sitting.
1808. Franklin, Chatauque, Cattaraugus and Niagara counties in the state of New York, erected.
1809.Hannah Cowleydied, aged 66. She was born at Tiverton, England, and distinguished as a poetress, and a dramatic writer.
1811. Badajos in Spain surrendered to the French under Soult. About 9,000 prisoners were taken, 170 cannon, 80,000 quintals of gunpowder, a large quantity of infantry cartridges, and two complete bridge equipages.
1812.Philip James de Louhterbourg, a distinguished landscape painter, died at London. He was born at Strasburgh, 1740, and studied under Casanova. He gained considerable reputation by his paintings at Paris, after which he went over to England. Here he got up under the name ofEidophusikon, a novel and highly ingenious exhibition, displaying the changes of the elements and their phenomena, in a calm, a moonlight, a sunset and a storm at sea.
1813. Action off Surinam river between the United States privateer schooner Gen. Armstrong, 18 guns, and a British 24 gun frigate. The privateer sustained the attack 45 minutes within pistol shot, and succeeded in escaping with the loss of 6 killed and 16 wounded.
1848.Henry Wheaton, an American statesman, philanthropist and classic writer, died at Roxbury, Mass.
1856. PresidentRivas, of Nicaragua, declared war against Costa Rica.
1470. Battle of Erpingham, in England, and defeat of the rebels under Sir Robert Welles.
1507.Cæsar Borgiakilled by a cannon shot before the castle of Biano. He was the natural son of Pope Alexander VI, and by him invested with the purple. He was a man of such conduct and character that Machiavel has thought fit to propose him, in his famous book, calledThe Prince, as a pattern to all princes who would act the part of wise and polite tyrants. He allowed no one to stand in his way to promotion from any scruples to removing them by the foulest means.
1578.Alexander Piccolominidied; author of dramatic and other pieces. He was the first who used the Italian language in philosophical subjects.
1581.William Fulkepreached a sermon within the tower of London in the hearing of such obstinate papists as were there imprisoned.
1612. The third charter of Virginia granted, by which new privileges and immunities were given for the encouragement of the colony.
1664.Charles II, of England, granted to his brother the duke of York, all Mattawacks, now Long Island; all Hudson's river, and all the lands from the west side of Connecticut river to the east side of Delaware bay, together with the royalties and rights of government.
1676. Action between the French fleet under Duquesne, and the Spanish and Dutch fleets under De Ruyter, who was mortally wounded.
1682. Chelsea hospital, England, founded.
1683. The first assembly of Pennsylvania was holden at Philadelphia, two years from the time that Penn obtained the charter.
1697.Ludovick Muggleton, a schismatic English tailor, died. He entertained notions peculiar to himself, and damned all who differed from him. He was pilloried and imprisoned, and his books burnt by the hangman.
1703.Aubrey de Veredied. His father was the valiant Robert de Vere, who married the daughter of a Friesland boor, named Beatrix Van Hemims. He was lord of the bed chamber to Charles I; was found so passive under Cromwell, that he escaped even the fine; conformed to the manners of the court of Charles II; went over from James II to William the conqueror; and was graceful in old age at the court of Queen Anne. He had been privy councilor to each of these sovereigns, and was hereditary lord chamberlain, senior knight of the garter, and premier earl of England.
1713.Steelecommenced his paperThe Guardian.
1716.Isaac Briandwas fined £2000 by the court of aldermen, London, for marrying Miss Elizabeth Watson, an orphan of 13 years of age and a great fortune, without their consent.
1761. The shock of an earthquake felt in Massachusetts and the adjoining states, at half past two in the morning.
1768. Six students of Edmund hall, Oxford, were expelled the university for methodism. Their crime was praying, expounding the scriptures and singing psalms.
1772. Montgomery (originally Tyron) county, N. Y., erected.
1775. The earl of Effingham resigned his command in a regiment ordered to America. He refused to bear arms against his fellow subjects in the colonies.
1780. The British garrison at Mobile, Capt. Durnford, capitulated to the Spaniards under Don Bernardo de Galvez. The garrison consisted of 284 regulars, 54 inhabitants and 51 armed Indians.
1797. The French under Serrurier crossed the Piave, having defeated the Austrians who opposed their passage.
1801. The British fleet sailed from Aboukir bay, Egypt, and the army under Abercrombie, having effected their landing, took up their line of march for Alexandria.
1807. British order in council, interdicting all trade between port and port in France.
1809.Gustavus Adolphus IV, king of Sweden, dethroned, and the reigns of the government assumed by his uncle the duke of Sudermania, afterwards Charles XIII. (By some authorities, March 15.)
1811. The French under Massena attacked at Redinha, Portugal, by the duke of Wellington, and compelled to fall back.
1813. Warren county, N. Y., erected.
1814. The allied British and Portuguese, under Marshal Beresford, took possession of Bordeaux in France, in the name of Louis XVIII.
1819.Robert Watt, author of theBibliotheca Britannica, died. His family were severe sufferers by the failure of Constable & Co., of Edinburgh.
1837.M. de Pradt, archbishop of Malines, died at Paris, aged 78. He bore a conspicuous part in the political history of France, was often employed in important missions, and was the author of many political publications.
1843.Littleton Hunt, aged 107, died at Guinett, Ga. When a soldier of the revolutionary army he was severely wounded at the battle of Eutaw springs.
1844.Edward R. Shubrick, a brave and accomplished American naval officer, died on board his ship, the Columbia, off the coast of Brazil, aged 50.
1846.Jonathan Elliot, a well known newspaper editor and political writer, died at Washington, D. C.
1854.Hugh Macphersondied, aged 86; for 61 years professor of Greek at the university of Aberdeen.
1857. Rail road accident on the Great Western railway in Canada, by which a great number of persons were killed at a bridge over the Des Jardins canal.
1857.John Johnson, an old revolutionary soldier, died in Alleghany township, Westmoreland county, Penn., aged 103. He served in the continental army during the whole of the revolutionary war; fought at the battles of the White plains, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, Stony point, Guilford court house, and Yorktown where Lord Cornwallis capitulated and surrendered to Gen. Washington, in all the battles and skirmishes of Gen. Anthony Wayne; and at the storming of Stony point by Wayne, he formed one of theforlorn hope.
565.Belisarius, a distinguished Roman general, died. He is memorable for his signal and momentous victories, and for his misfortunes. He was degraded to beg alms at the gates of Constantinople by the ungrateful emperor Justinian, to whom he had rendered the most important services.
1470. Battle near Stamford, England, in which Edward IV gained an important victory over his adversaries.
1493.Columbusarrived at Palos, from his first voyage of discovery.
1519.Cortez, on his expedition for the conquest of Mexico, landed at the mouth of the river Tabasco, and prepared to attack the town of the same name, in which about 12,000 warriors had assembled. Calling uponSt. Jago, he fell upon the Indians, who were repulsed.
1521.Magellandiscovered the Phillipine islands, on one of which he was killed by the natives.
1573.Michael de l'Hospital, chancellor of France, died. He was distinguished for the ability, integrity and mildness of his administration, which was cast in the midst of turbulence and faction.
1604.Arnaud d'Ossat, a celebrated French cardinal and statesman, died. HisDespatchesis highly recommended to the ambassador who hopes to succeed in his object.
1614.Bartholomew Legatburnt at Smithfield for the heresy of Arianism, under the reign of James I.
1676. Attack on Groton, Mass., by a body of 400 Indians, who had concealed themselves as usual in every part of the town during the night, in order to shoot down the inhabitants as they issued from their doors. The town was gathered into five garrisons, as those houses were called which were palisaded and otherwise protected from assault. Every man went constantly armed; and thus on a moment's warning, two of the enemy having been accidentally discovered, pursuit was made until they were drawn into an ambush and compelled to retreat. Another ambush in the meantime fell upon the opposite part of the town, and the flames arose from every unprotected building. Having pillaged every thing that fell in their way, and cast every indignity upon the bodies of their victims, they gave the garrison two or three volleys and disappeared. About 40 dwellings were burnt, with their outhouses; the town soon after broke up, and the inhabitants scattered to other settlements of greater safety.
1695.John de la Fontaine, the French poet, died. His compositions are characterized by a faithfulness to nature, and are totally unaffected.
1695.Peter Mignard, an eminent French painter, died. He was director and chancellor of the royal academy of painting.
1717.John Bell, the traveler, arrived at Ispahan, the residence of the Persian court, being in the retinue of the Russian ambassador, in the quality of physician. They were nearly two years on their journey from St. Petersburgh.
1726.Michael Bernard Valentin, a German botanist and professor of medicine at Giessen, died. He was an author on both sciences.
1775.George IIIgave his assent to the act restraining the commerce of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina.
1778.Charles le Beau, an eminent French scholar, died. He was professor ofbelles lettresat Paris, and author of a history of the lower empire, in 22 vols.
1779.Kerim Khan, king of Persia, died a natural death, an extraordinary circumstance in the modern history of that country. He was of the family of an obscure tribe of robbers, the Zunds of Kirdistan.
1781.Herscheldiscovered the planet which bears his name, then the most distant of all the known planets, its revolution round the sun occupying a period of not less than 83 of our years. He had devoted 18 months in surveying the heavens star by star, with a seven feet reflector when he made the discovery of this primary planet.
1798. The body of a hair dresser at Newport, England, was buried in the highway; reason assigned, his gluttonous eating, whereof he died.
1799. A fire broke out at Constantinople which destroyed 1300 houses, including the hotels of the British minister, and Austrian internuncio, and several other magnificent edifices.
1801. Battle near Lake Maadie in Egypt, between the British and French forces, in which the former were the greatest sufferers, losing 143 killed and 946 wounded.
1808.Christian VIIof Denmark, died. He may be said to have been virtually dead for many years.
1813.Edward Longdied. During a residence in the West Indies he collected materials for hisHistory of Jamaica, in 3 vols. quarto. It contains a large mass of valuable information, and many spirited delineations of colonial scenery and manners. He returned to England and spent the remainder of his long life in literary pursuits.
1815. The allied powers engaged to aid Louis XVIII and declared Bonaparte tobe without the pale of social and civil relations.
1815. GeneralJacksonhaving received the ratification of the treaty of peace, revoked his order relative to martial law, ordered a final cessation of hostilities, and granted a general pardon for all military offences. The British took with them 199 negroes.
1824.Sophia Lee, an English dramatic writer and poetess, died, aged 74. The profits of her comedy of theChapter of Accidents, were of great benefit to herself and sisters.
1835. A remarkable eruption of Vesuvius took place.
1845.John Frederick Daniel, who contributed so much to lighting the cities of Europe with gas, died of apoplexy while attending a meeting of the royal society, in London.
1848.Ambrose Spencerdied at Lyons, Wayne co., N. Y.; one of those jurists who gave such a preeminence to the supreme court of the state of New York.
1852. Ninety-five Americans who were engaged in the Lopez expedition against Cuba, and captured and sent to Spain, arrived in New York, having been pardoned by the queen and sent home.
1853. The funeral of MadameRaspail, at Paris was the occasion of a formidable socialist demonstration; 40,000 persons marching in procession to Pere la Chaise.
1854. A convention signed between England, France and Turkey, against Russia.
1855. The floor of the new town hall, at Meredith, N. H., gave way, while 800 persons were present attending an election; 300 were precipitated below, several killed and a large number had their bones broken.
1262.Hugo de St. Caro, a Dominican, died. He deserves to be placed in the first rank of sacred critics and patrons of literature. The Dominicans are indebted to him for their celebratedCorrectorium Bibliorium, and the first concordance of the Bible, that is of the Latin Vulgate; a comment on the old and new testament, and for the division of the Bible into chapters. He undertook to procure a union of the Greek and Roman churches.
1369.Peter the Cruel, king of Castile, killed. He manifested the most wanton inhumanity in his private and public life, by which he became odious to the people, and was killed by his brother.
1471.Edward IVof England returned from exile, and landed at Ravenspur; in his bonnet he wore an ostrich feather as prince of Wales; and his Fleming followers carried hand-guns, which is the first account of them in England.
1519.Fernando Cortez, having taken possession of the Indian town of Tabasco on the day of his landing in the country of Mexico, now marched out with his troops to a plain, where he was attacked by an immense body of Indians, who wounded above seventy of his soldiers at the first discharge of their weapons. The Spanish artillery did great execution, but when the cavalry came to the charge, the Indians, imagining the horse and rider to be one, were extremely terrified, and fled to the woods and marshes, leaving the field to the Spaniards.
1640.Manasses de Pasdied; a French general, distinguished for his valor. His abilities were equally displayed in the cabinet, as ambassador to the courts of Sweden and Germany. He died of the wounds he received at the siege of Thionville.
1644.Roger Williamshaving been sent to England as agent for Rhode Island and Providence, obtained of the earl of Warwick a patent for the incorporation of the towns of Providence, Newport and Portsmouth, with the power of governing themselves, but subject to the laws of England.
1660.William Ledra, a quaker, hanged by the puritans of Massachusetts, on conviction of having returned from banishment, to which he had been condemned for his faith.
1676. Attack on Northampton, Mass., by a body of Narraganset Indians, of Philip's party. The town had been fortified by palisades, set up a little while before for their better security against the savages. The Indians broke through these in three places, and succeeded in killing six persons and firing a few dwellings; but a company of soldiers being at that time quartered in the town, the enemy were speedily repulsed with the loss of many of their lives.
1710.Michael Begon, a Frenchavocat, died. He also distinguished himself in the marines, and as governor of the French West India islands.
1712.Mary, countess of Falconberg, daughter of Oliver Cromwell, died. She possessed great beauty, spirit and activity; and on the deposition of her brother, exerted herself for the restoration of Charles II.
1745. Fort Augustus blown up by the forces of the pretender to the crown of England.
1754.Peter Claude Nivelle de la Chausse, an admired French poet, died. Though favored by fortune, he preferredthe honors of literature to all other distinctions, and acquired celebrity by his dramatic pieces, which possess great merit.
1757.John Byngshot at Portsmouth. He served under his father admiral George Byng, and rose to the same rank himself. His attempt to relieve Fort St. Philip in Minorca proving abortive, when blockaded by a French fleet under La Glassionere, and his hesitation in engaging the enemy when a bold attack might perhaps have gained him the victory, excited the clamor of the nation against him, and he was doomed to meet the penalty of cowardice.
1758.General Wadedied. In 1715, he commanded against the forces of the pretender to the throne, and remained in Scotland as commander-in-chief after the war was ended. It was during this period that he cut the celebrated military road through the highlands, which facilitated the improvement and civilization of the country more than all the measures resorted to before the reign of George I. It was he who introduced the bill into parliament which disarmed and changed the dress of the highlanders.
1793. Battle of Tirlemont, in which the prince of Saxe Coburg defeated the French under Dumourier, who lost 33 cannon and 3,000 men.
1795. Action off Genoa between the British and French fleets, in which the latter were defeated, with the loss of the Caira, 80 guns, 3,000 men, and the Censeur, 74 guns, 1,000 men.
1799.William Melmothdied. He distinguished himself as the translator of the Epistles of Pliny and Cicero, and was the author of poems, letters and memoirs.
1800.Daines Barrington, an English lawyer, antiquary, and miscellaneous writer, died. He abandoned his offices, which he discharged with great dignity, to devote himself to literary pursuits, which he loved. His writings are numerous.
1803.Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, died. He was born at Quedlinburg, 1724; studied the languages, became familiar with the classic writers, and formed the resolution of writing a great epic poem. In 1745 he studied theology at Jena, where he commenced in solitude the first canto ofThe Messiah. This work he finished about 1790. It procured him great celebrity in the north of Europe, so that he was received with great respect and veneration wherever he went. His funeral was attended by the principal men of Hamburg, in 126 carriages.
1813. Delaware river blockaded by the British ships Poictiers, Belvidere, &c.
1813. On this and the preceding day snow and hail of a red color, with much red dust and red rain fell over all Tuscany.
1823. GeneralDumourier, a name that fills some interesting pages of modern history, died in his 85th year, at Turville park, near London.
1835. Treaty with the Cherokee Indians, by which they ceded all their lands east of the Mississippi, and agreed to retire to a territory guarantied to them in Arkansas, in consideration of the sum of $5,262,251.
1836.John Mayne, a Scotch poet, died near London, at an advanced age. His chief poem isThe Siller Gun, four cantos.
1854. Steam boat Reindeer burst a flue at Cannelton, Indiana, by which 50 persons were killed.
1855. The new suspension bridge at Niagara falls crossed for the first time by a locomotive and train of cars.
44B. C.Caius Julius Cæsar, the Roman general, assassinated in the senate house. He perished at 5 o'clock in the afternoon by 23 wounds. As asoldier, he was unquestionably the greatest except one in the history of mankind; his character as acitizenis variously stated by different factions. He is said to have fought 500 battles, conquered 300 nations, taken 800 cities, defeated 3,000,000 men, and slain 1,000,000 on the field of battle.
35.Longinus, the penitent, who is said to have pierced the side of Christ, was killed at Cappadocia, probably in this year.
1079. A reformation in the Persian calendar effected by a general assembly of the Eastern astronomers. It is called the Gelalean era, but is only a renovation of that of Zoroaster, which had been neglected after the fall of the Magian empire.
1527. PopeClement VIIconcluded a treaty with Lannoy, viceroy of Naples, which the duke of Bourbon disregarded, and marched for Rome.
1573.Michael de l'Hospitaldied. Few French statesmen were more liberal than him. He narrowly escaped the Bartholomew massacre, and his daughter, who had embraced the reformed religion was saved by the widow duchess of Guise, who concealed her.
1617.Thomas Egerton, an eminent and learned English lawyer, died. He was chancellor under James I.
1655.Theodore Mayerne, an eminent physician, died. He was born in Switzerland, studied in France, and settled in England in the service of James I, where he died.
1660. Dr.Wren, bishop of Ely, released after fifteen years' imprisonment.
1665.James, duke of York, established at Gunfleet the first regular system of naval warfare in England.
1672. The famed act of indulgence, passed by Charles II, containing a clause for liberty of conscience.
1743.John Baptist Molinierdied; a distinguished preacher and theological writer of Toulouse.
1754.Denys Francis Secousse, a learned Frenchman, died. He was one of the first pupils of Rollin, and left the bar for the study of literature.
1781. Battle of Guilford court house, in North Carolina, in which 4,400 Americans, principally militia, under Gen. Greene, were defeated by 2,400 British regulars under Cornwallis. Loss of the Americans 400 killed; British loss 532 killed.
1784.Thomas Franklin, an English scholar and divine, died. He was possessed of no inconsiderable share of learning and poetical abilities, and was long a favorite in the literary world; translated Sophocles, Phalaris, Lucian and Voltaire, and is the author of a comedy and two tragedies, which were received with great applause.
1798. Chenango co., N. Y., erected; and the following year (1799) Oneida was formed.
1804. The Duked'Enghienseized by a party of French cavalry and hurried away to Paris, where he was tried in the night by a military tribunal, and condemned on vague and unsubstantial charges of carrying on a correspondence with the enemies of the republic, and shot immediately.
1809.Gustavus Adolphus IV, king of Sweden, arrested and deprived of his functions of government. (By some authorities, March 12.)
1818.Hector McNeil, a most deservedly popular poet of Scotland, died.Scotland's Scaithor theWaes of War, met with the unprecedented sale of 10,000 copies in one month.
1820. Maine entered the confederacy of the United States.
1823.John Jervis, earl of St. Vincent, an English admiral died, aged 90. He entered the navy at the age of 10, and gradually arose to the highest rank, and was raised to the peerage. His courage, skill and activity rendered him an admirable officer.
1838. The city of Bahia, in Brazil, taken from the rebels or insurgents, by the imperial troops, with loss of blood on both sides. The rebels fired the city; about 3000 of them were taken prisoners.
1839. Battle of Tuspan; the Mexican government troops, (Centralists) under Gen. Cos, defeated at Tuspan by the Federalists under Gen. Mexia, with a loss of 300 killed and several hundred prisoners.
1840.James Riley, an American sea captain, died at sea, aged 63. He is well known as the author ofRiley's Narrative, which contains an account of his captivity and sufferings in Northern Africa.
1856. The steam ferry boat, New Jersey, while crossing the Delaware from Philadelphia to Camden, took fire and a large number of persons perished.
404B. C.Athens was taken by Lysander and the tyranny of the 30 commenced.
37.Claudius Drusus Nero Tiberius, emperor of Rome, died. On his accession to the throne, he gave promise of a wise and happy reign, but soon became unrestrained in his conduct, and after a reign of 23 years, died in odium with the people.
455.Flavius Placidus Valentinian, emperor of Rome, assassinated. He was a profligate and licentious ruler.
1190. The Jews of York lawlessly massacred for their wealth by the citizens.
1286.Alexander IIIking of Scotland, killed. He succeeded his father, Alexander II, at the age of eight years. An enterprising and virtuous ruler; he introduced many good regulations of government, and under his sway the country seems to have enjoyed a tranquility to which she had long been a stranger. As he was riding in a dark night between Bruntisland and Ringhorn, on the banks of the frith of Forth, he was thrown with his horse over a precipice and killed on the spot.
1532.John Bourchierdied at Calais in France, of which he was the English governor. He translated Froissart'sChronicleinto English.
1621. The Plymouth colonists received the first Indian visit to their town. This was Samoset, sagamore of a country lying five days' journey from thence, called Patuxet. He informed the English that all the inhabitants had died of an extraordinary plague about four years before, and that there was neither man, woman or child remaining. Of course there was no one to dispute their possession.
1649. An army of 1000 Iroquois armed with guns fell upon the Huron village at the eastern extremity of the lake, and nearly massacred the entire population. The Hurons defended themselves bravely, but were forced to yield before the fire arms and superior numbers of the Iroquois, who lost more than a hundred of their best warriors. The French missionaries, Brebeuf and Lallemant, who labored withthe Hurons, were taken, and suffered death by torture.
1660. The long parliament dissolved by its own act.
1675. Under a pair of stairs in the tower of London two bodies were found, supposed to be those of Edward V and his brother, whom their uncle Richard III murdered nearly two hundred years before.
1680. The first assembly of New Hampshire met at Portsmouth; John Cutts first president.
1689. The Habeas corpus act suspended for the first time in England.
1691.Jacob Leisler, who had exercised the office of governor of New York nearly two years by the election of the freeholders and the consent of the British ministry, was barbarously executed by some malcontents, as a traitor.
1738. CaptainJenkins, the master of a Scottish ship, exhibited his ear in a piece of cotton, which he affirmed had been torn off by a guarda costa. This is alluded to by Burke as the fable of Capt. Jenkins.
1751.James Madison, fourth president of the United States, born.
1781. Action off cape Henry between the British fleet, admiral Arbuthnot, and French fleet under d'Estouches. Both sides claimed the victory. British loss, 30 killed and 73 wounded.
1781. French surrendered the island of St. Bartholomews to the British.
1782. Action off cape Spartel, between British frigate Success and Spanish frigate Santo Catalina, 34 guns. The latter was captured, having 25 killed. British loss 1.
1792.Gustavus III, king of Sweden, shot by Count Ankerstroem at a masquerade.
1795.Clausel, adjutant general of the army of the Eastern Pyrennes, presented to the national convention 25 pairs of colors and a standard taken from the Spaniards at Figuieres.
1797. Battle of Cainin in Italy. The French under Murat passed the Tagliamento and attacked the Austrians, who were driven from the village, where the archduke had established his head quarters.
1799.John Dussaulxdied. He distinguished himself in the war of Hanover under Richelieu, after which he devoted himself to literary pursuits. He took part in the French revolution, and was among the 73 proscribed deputies.
1799. A portion of the pavement in front of the Royal exchange, London, suddenly sank and a well of water was discovered which had not been used in 600 years.
1802. A military institution established by government at West Point, which was the origin of the present academy there.
1808.Joseph Bonomi, an Italian artist, died at London. He was distinguished particularly by his architectural knowledge and genius, was an associate of the royal academy, and patronized by Sir Joshua Reynolds.
1810. On a pane of glass at an inn near London, under this date, is the following inscription. "Thomas Mount Jones dined here, ate six pounds bacon, and drank nineteen pots beer." It is a question for discussion, whether in this frail memorial, the love of distinction and desire for fame were not as great as the love of brutal gluttony.
1813. CaptainBerresfordof the British ship Poictiers, 74 guns, demanded of the inhabitants of Lewistown, Delaware, 25 oxen and vegetables and hay, otherwise he threatened to destroy the town. The demand was refused.
1817.William Thompson, an industrious Scottish writer and compiler, died. He possessed ability, but his writings bear the marks of haste and want of care.
1838.Nathaniel Bowditchdied at Boston, aged 65. His father and ancestors in several generations were by profession shipmasters. Notwithstanding the very limited advantages of his education, and his laborious employment through life for the support of his family, yet by his extraordinary genius and economy of time, he made great acquisitions in learning and science, gained most of the languages, and made himself the most eminent mathematician and astronomer that America has produced. He published thePractical Navigator, a standard book; but the great work on which his fame will rest, is the copious and profound commentary upon theMechanique Celesteof La Place, of which he made the first entire translation, and published at his own expense in 4 vols. quarto; saying that he preferred spending a thousand dollars a year in that way to keeping a carriage.
1853.Anthony Dumond Stanley, an American mathematician, died, aged 42. Profoundly versed in the science, he had begun a series of works which would have placed his name high on the scroll of fame.
49B. C.Pompeyabandoned Italy, and took the sea with his legions, at Brundusium.
45B. C.Battle of Munda, in Spain, between the armies of Cæsar and Pompey, which decided the fate of the Roman republic. These men did not consider the Roman empire sufficiently large for two of them.
180.Marcus Aurelius Antoninus,surnamed the philosopher, died on an expedition against the Marcomanni. He was so extremely popular with his Roman subjects, that they placed him among the gods, and kept his statue in their houses.
464.St. Patrick, the tutelar saint of Ireland, died. He was carried away with many of his father's vassals by pirates, from whom he made his escape to Gaul and Italy. He received a commission from Pope Celestine to convert the Irish to Christianity, in which mission he was eminently successful.
807. A large spot noticed upon the sun's disc, which continued there eight days.
1072.Adalbert, archbishop of Bremen, died. He became very powerful in Denmark, and even obliged the king to divorce his wife Gutha, because she was somewhat allied to him. Though intriguing and violent, he possessed some good qualities, and formed many wise regulations in civil and ecclesiastical affairs.
1562.Diego Esquivel Alava, a learned Spanish bishop, died. He was at the Council of Trent, and published a work on councils.
1565.Alexander Ales, a Scottish theologian, died. He first opposed the tenets of Luther, but afterwards embraced them, and suffered persecution. He wrote commentaries on some of the books of the old and new testament.
1632. Treaty of St. Germain, by which Canada and Nova Scotia were restored to the French. The capture of Quebec was unknown at the time peace was re-established, or perhaps those territories would not have been so generally given up.
1634.Thomas Randolph, an English poet, died. He was the friend of Jonson, and his works have been several times reprinted.
1640.Philip Massinger, an English dramatic poet, died. Some of his comedies still keep the stage. He was courted by the wits and learned men of his time.
1657. An offensive and defensive league concluded between France and England.
1676. Warwick, R. I., destroyed by the Indians. Only one house was left unburnt.
1677. Valenciennes, in France, taken by assault by the army under Louis XIV, in person.
1681. The members of the English parliament from London came to Oxford, the place of their meeting, armed and with ribbons on their hats inscribed with "No popery, no slavery."
1695.Augustin Lubin, an Augustine friar, died. He was geographer to the French king, and author of various works.
1715.Gilbert Burnet, bishop of Salisbury, died. He was a zealous promoter of the revolution in England, which placed the present family on the throne, and of which he wrote the history.
1740. Mrs.Stevensreceived £5,000 from the English parliament for making public her medicine for the stone.
1741.John Baptist Rousseau, an eminent French poet, died. He possessed a fine genius, but an unhappy temper embittered his life by stimulating him to abuse those whose friendship would have procured him a place above dependence.
1767. Birthday ofAndrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States.
1776. Boston evacuated by the British. By four in the morning the king's troops, with those Americans who were attached to the royal cause, began to embark, and before ten all of them were under sail. As the rear embarked, General Washington marched into the city, where he was joyfully received as a deliverer. The British left 250 cannon and 25,000 bushels of wheat.
1781.Johannes Evalddied: the most distinguished poetical genius of Denmark, in the eighteenth century. Being left to his own reading by his tutor, his imagination was captivated withTom JonesandRobinson Crusoe. Proposing to himself the latter hero for a model, he eloped at the age of thirteen with a view of proceeding to Batavia, but was overtaken, and his project frustrated. He next conceived the scheme of entering the Prussian army, and enlisted at Magdeburg; but being received only as a foot soldier, instead of a hussar, he deserted to the Austrians. On quitting the army he devoted himself to the study of theology, but having suddenly become violently enamored with a young lady, who regardless of his passion, bestowed her hand on another, a permanent melancholy settled upon his mind, and under this influence he took up his pen. His first workFortune's Temple, a vision, at once stamped his reputation. In 1772 he executed his literary chef-d'œuvre,Balder's Död, a drama of extraordinary poetical beauty, and greatly superior to anything which had then appeared in the Danish language. His after life was embittered by poverty and sickness; and it was under the hospitable roof of Madame Skou that he breathed his last, after having been confined to his bed or armchair two years, and almost deprived of the use of his limbs.
1782.Daniel Bernouilli, a German philosopher, died. He studied medicine as a profession, but was at the same time engaged with mathematics. At the age of twenty-four, he was offered the presidency of an academy at Genoa, but gave the preference to an invitation from St. Petersburgh. He returned to Basle in 1733,where he spent the remainder of his days, so much respected by the inhabitants, that to bow to Daniel Bernouilli, when met in the street, was one of the first lessons which every father gave his children.
1790. The government of France issued assignats to the amount of 170,000,000 francs. This system of assignats, while it gave more strength to the public, yet was the source of more private suffering than any other measure during the French revolution.
1793. Battle of Neerwinden, or Linden, between the French under Dumourier, and the Austrians under Coburg and Clarifayt. Dumourier was obliged to retreat.
1794. French sloop Avenger, 16 guns, taken by Admiral Jervis's squadron off Martinique.
1795. A number of the Parisians complained to the national convention of thescarcity of breadin Paris.
1798.Thomas Jackson, an English actor, died. His epitaph is ingenious: "Sacred to the memory of Thomas Jackson, comedian, who was engaged 21st December, 1741,to play a comic cast of charactersin the great theatre, the world; for many of which he waspromptedby nature to excel. Theseasonbeing ended, hisbenefitover, the charges all paid, his account closed, he made hisexitin thetragedy of Deathon the 17th of March, 1798, in assurance of being called once more torehearsal, where he hopes to find hisforfeitsall cleared, hiscast of partsbettered, and his situation made agreeable by him who paid the greatstock debt, for the love ofperformersin general."
1799. The French army arrived before St. Jean d'Acre, and to their no small chagrin and astonishment, beheld the town prepared for a siege, and the English colors flying in the harbor.
1800. The British ship Queen Charlotte, 110 guns, destroyed by an explosion off Leghorn. More than 800 persons perished with her.
1806.William Rowley, an eminent British physician, died. He was a man of great skill and experience in his profession, and his benevolence and humanity were conspicuous; yet was he one of the most obstinate opponents to the introduction of vaccination as a preventive of small pox that ever impeded the might of his authority to that experiment.
1808. Rupture of the negotiation at Washington between the British minister and the American government.
1811. Charles IV, of Sweden, resigned the government of his kingdom in favor of his adopted son, Bernadotte.
1828.James Edward Smith, an eminent English naturalist and physician, died. He was one of the founders of the Linnean society, and published several valuable works on natural history and botany.
1843.George Turner, aged 93, died at Philadelphia. He was a native of England, but joining the American revolutionary army, he distinguished himself in many severe actions and endeared himself to Gen. Washington.
1849.William II, king of Holland, died.
1855. The French and Russians at Sebastopol contended fiercely for the rifle pits which the latter had established between the French advance and the Mamelon.
251.St. Cyril, archbishop of Jerusalem, died.
979.Edward the Martyr, died. He was the son of Edgar, and succeeded his father as king of England at the age of 15. The young king paid little attention to any thing but the chase; and hunting one day, he got separated from his attendants, and repaired to Corfe castle, where his step-mother, Elfrida, resided. Having procured a draught of liquor, he was drinking it on horseback, when one of Elfrida's servants gave him a deep stab behind. He immediately spurred his horse, but fainting from loss of blood, was dragged in the stirrup till he died. The pity caused by his innocence and misfortune induced the people to regard him as a martyr.
1350. In the national roll of accounts for glazing St. Stephen's chapel, Westminster, Edward III ordained that the wages for artists be from 5d. per day to one shilling, except for John Barnaby, his wages should be twopence.
1552.Mauriceof Saxony took up arms against the emperor Charles V.
1629.Charles James, prince of Great Britain, born, baptized and died.
1629.Charles I, of England, issued a proclamation that he would account it presumption in any one to prescribe a time for him to call a parliament.
1635.Patrick Forbes, a Scotch prelate, died. He was a great and a good man; a benefactor particularly to Aberdeen university, of which he revived the professorship of law, physic and divinity.
1696.Bonaventure Baron, professor of divinity at Rome, died. He was a native of Ireland, but spent 60 years of his life in Rome; and was a learned and voluminous writer.
1718.Mary Wortley Montaguemade the first experiment of inoculation for small pox upon her own son at Belgrade, in Turkey. It was tried in England upon criminals, with complete success, about nine years after. This disease first made its appearance at Mecca, where it is statedto have destroyed the invading Ethiopian army, and thus terminated in 360, what is denominatedthe war of the elephant.
1728.George Stanhope, an able English divine, died. His theological works were numerous and popular.
1741. Conflagration of the chapel and buildings in the fort at New York, which was followed immediately by thenegro plot.
1745.Robert Walpoledied, aged 69. He became heir to the family estate by the death of his elder brother, and in the jovial life of a country gentleman, soon lost his early inclination to literature. In 1700 he was returned to parliament, and warmly espousing the whig interest, rose to a high promotion in the offices of the government, and in 1742, was created earl of Oxford, on his resignation of the premiership. He is the reputed author of the saying that "all men have their price."
1754. The first theatre established in the city of New York, closed with theBeggar's Operaand theDevil to Pay, when the following notice appeared in the prints, which managers now-a-days have little occasion to repeat: "Lewis Hallam, comedian, intending for Philadelphia,begs the favorof those who have any demands against him to bring in their accounts and receive their money."
1766. Stamp act repealed by the British government, reserving however, the right to make laws binding on the colonies in all cases whatsoever. News of this repeal excited great joy in America, where it was celebrated by the ringing of bells, fireworks and festivals.
1768.Laurence Sterne, an eccentric English author and divine, died. His romance ofTristram Shandyand theSentimental Journey, are well known.
1775. British Gen.Gageseized 13,425 musket cartridges and 3000 pounds of ball, all of it private property, stored on Boston Neck.
1776. The British troops having evacuated Boston, Sir Archibald Campbell, unaware of this movement, on entering the harbor with 1700 men, was made prisoner by Washington.
1780. Congress resolved to call in by taxes in one year and burn all the continental money emitted prior to that time, and to issue ten million dollars new money, redeemable in specie within six years.
1781.Anne Robert James Turgot, an eminent French statesman, died. He studied divinity, but his talents recommending him to the notice of the government, he was appointed to a civil office, where he displayed so great ability that he was appointed comptroller of the finances. His measures were grand, liberal and useful: but being ridiculed by the profligate and the vicious, who rioted on the miseries of the people, he retired from public life.
1796. Steuben county erected in south western New York.
1797. Palma Nuova, a frontier town in Italy, evacuated by the archduke Charles, who had wrested it from the Venitians only ten days before. The French under Bernadotte and Serrurier, on entering it found 30,000 rations of bread, and a million quintals of flour.
1805.Bonaparteassumed the title of king of Italy.
1814.John Vint, editor of theIsle of Man Gazette, and a distinguished philanthropist, died.
1817. An earthquake in Spain, Portugal, and Sicily, destroyed whole villages.
1817.Charles Combedied; an eminent English physician and critic, and highly distinguished as a medalist.
1836.Abate Fea, a celebrated archæologist, died at Rome, aged 88. He is known as the translator of Winckelman.
1839. The Chinese imperial commissioner, Lin, issued a proclamation at Canton, ordering the foreign opium dealers to deliver up all the opium in their possession, to have it burnt and destroyed, and forbidding its importation to all eternity, under pain of death.
1840. Dr.Parish, favorably known to the medical world, died in Philadelphia.
1846. First steam boat arrived at Austin, Texas.
1846.William M. Crane, of the United States navy, died by his own hand.
1848. The emperor of Austria published by proclamation, at Milan, abolition of censorship, and a convention of the states. But the people wanting more, troubles began.
1854. A terrible gale at Albany, N. Y.; fifty houses unroofed, many chimneys and walls blown down, and great damage done.
1856.Henry Pottingen, lieutenant general in the East India company's service, died aged 67. He distinguished himself in the Afghanistan war, and settled the opium difficulty with the Chinese.
1856. The Cunard steamer Curlew, from Halifax, ran on a reef north of the Bermudas, and was lost, with a part of her mail.
720.B. C.The first eclipse of the moon on record (by Ptolemy) happened on this day.
478.B. C.The history of Herodotus terminates with the siege of Sestos.
235.Alexander Severus, emperor of Rome, murdered by his soldiers. He wasa Phœnician by birth, led an exemplary life, and governed ably both in peace and war.
717.Chilperic, king of France, surprised in his camp, in the forest of Arden, by the duke of Austrasia, afterwards Charles Martel.
1355. Pressing for seamen to man the English navy, commenced in the reign of Edward III.
1521. Insurrection and massacre in the island of Majorca, in the Mediterranean sea.
1584.Iwan IV, Vassilivitz, first czar of Muscovy, died. He was denominated by the Russians the terrible, and by foreigners the tyrant.
1621. The complaint against lordBaconfor corruption, drawn up by Sir Edward Coke and others, presented to the house of lords. The chancellor was sick, but addressed a letter to his peers, requesting them not to prejudge his case from "any number of petitions against a judge that makes two thousand decrees and orders in a year; but that he may answer them according to the rules of justice, severally and respectively."
1626.Peter Coton, a French Jesuit, died. He was confessor to Henry IV, whose confidence he possessed, and it was a common expression that the king was good but that he hadcottonin his ears. He was distinguished for eloquence and zeal.
1628. Patent for Massachusetts sold to Sir Henry Roswell, Sir John Young and "four other associates in the vicinity of Dorchester, England."
1631. The original patent of Connecticut made by Robert, earl of Warwick, to William, Viscount Say and Seal, Robert lord Brook and their associates.
1643. Battle of Hopton-Heath, between the forces of Charles I, and those of the parliament, in which the latter were defeated with the loss of a great part of their artillery.
1643.Spencer Compton, the friend of Charles I, killed at the battle of Hopton-Heath. He was the only son of William, first earl of Northampton; and refusing to accept quarter, was despatched by the parliament forces.
1687.Daniel Gookindied; for many years superintendent of the Indians in Massachusetts, whose interests he watched with so much zeal as to draw upon himself the abuse of the populace, whose outrages he constantly opposed. He published some historical collections of the Indians in New England.
1688.John Denham, one of the minor British poets, died. He was born at Dublin, in 1615, and first became known in 1641 by his tragedy ofThe Sophy. In 1643 appeared his first addition ofCooper's Hill, a justly celebrated poem, of which Dryden says, for majesty of style is, and ever will be, the standard of good writing.
1691. Col.Henry Stoughterpublished his commission from the Duke of York, appointing him governor of the province of New York.
1711.Thomas Ken, chaplain to Charles II of England, died. He survived several reigns, and in all, his firmness and consistency, added to his piety and learning, procured him respect and patronage.
1719. An extraordinary meteor seen from all parts of Great Britain about 8 o'clock in the evening. Its light exceeded that of the sun at noon-day. It exploded over the sea near the coast of Britany, at an altitude it is supposed of about 30 miles. It broke like a skyrocket into sparks of red fire, and was succeeded by a tremendous report.
1736.Nicholas Hawksmoor, died; an English architect of fame, pupil of Sir C. Wren.
1755. A cluster of houses in the village of Bergemoletto, near Piedmont, Italy, was overwhelmed by two vast bodies of snow that fell from the neighboring mountain. Three women, the only occupants of the houses at the time of the catastrophy, were dug out alive seven days after.
1759.Nicholas Verdier, a French anatomist, died. His character as an author and a man, are entitled to respect.
1781.Cornwallisretreated from Guilford court house, where he had defeated Greene on the 15th; leaving at the quaker meeting house all the wounded Americans he had taken, and about 70 wounded British officers.
1786.Hugh Pelliser, an English admiral, died. He was at the storming of Quebec; and at the battle of Ushant, 1778, on which occasion a dispute between him and admiral Keppel saved the French fleet from destruction.
1788.Francis Joseph Desbillons, a French Jesuit, died. He devoted many years to study, and at the abolition of his order published hisFables, and some other works, and left in manuscript a history of the Latin tongue.
1796.Stephen Storace, an English music composer, died. His productions are confined to the drama, and are remarkable for their spirit.
1797. Gradisca, a strong town in Austria, capitulated to the French under Bernadotte and Serrurier; 3,000 prisoners, 60 cannon and 8 standards fell into the hands of the French.
1801.Novalis, (the literary name assumed by Frederick Von Hardenberg,) died. He belonged to the religious society of Hernhutters.
1808.Charles IV, abdicated the throne of Spain in favor of his son Ferdinand VII.
1809.Gustavus Adolphus IV, the deposed king of Sweden, signed a formal deed of abdication. He assumed the title of count Gottorp.
1812. Constitution of the Cortez signed and proclaimed in Spain.
1814.Simon Snyder, governor of Pennsylvania, rejected the bill establishing 40 banks. It however became a law, two-thirds of the legislature having agreed to it.
1814. Rheims, in France, taken by the Russians.
1842. First newspaper at Flushing, Long Island.
1853. Nankin taken by the rebels; the Tartar garrison of 20,000 men massacred, except 100, who effected an escape.
1853. Battle of Donabew, Burmah; the British under Gen. Cheape defeated Mea Toon.
1855. An explosion took place in the Midlothian coal pits in Virginia; of fifty persons in the pits 35 were killed and 10 wounded beyond recovery.
268.Publius Gallienus, emperor of Rome, assassinated at Milan.
1413.Henry IVof England, died. He usurped the throne 1399, and thereby excited the civil war between the houses of York and Lancaster, called the war of the roses.
1516.Baptist Spagnoli, a general of the Carmelites, died. He was a native of Mantua in Italy, and distinguished himself by the sound and virtuous regulations which he attempted to introduce among the corrupted members of his order. His works have been published in 4 vols.
1549.Thomas Seymour, lord high admiral of England, attainted and beheaded without being heard. His offence was alleged to be equal if not superior in power to his brother the protector.
1586.Richard Maitland, lord of session in Scotland, died. He reported the decisions of that court till he became blind at about the age of 60; when he commenced writing and collecting Scottish poetry. He sustained the character of "a maist unspotted and blameless judge, and valiant, grave and worthy knight;" but it is in his character of a writer and collector of Scottish poetry that he is now chiefly remembered.
1643.John Kirchman, a learned German, died at Lubeck.
1677.George Digby, an English nobleman of great ability, died. During the civil wars he espoused the cause of Charles I; but though romantically brave, was always an unsuccessful commander.
1687.Samuel Parker, an English prelate, died. He was educated a puritan, but for the reward of place, it is believed, became an anti-puritan and was made bishop of Oxford. He wrote a history of his own times, which appeared in Latin and English.
1727.Isaac Newton, the celebrated philosopher and mathematician, died, aged 84. He was so small and weak at the time of his birth, that his life was despaired of; and in his youth, his mother, finding him of no service in the management of the farm, sent him to finish his studies. From the success of his pursuits in after life, he has been styled thecreatorof natural philosophy. The last few years of his existence were spent in utter neglect of those studies which had engrossed fifty years of his life.
1730.Adrienne la Couvreur, a French actress, died. She is one of the few of her profession whose reputation has survived the age in which they lived.
1737.Nicholas Hooker,gentleman, died at Conway, North Wales; celebrated as being the forty-first child of his father; and being himself the father of twenty-seven children. His tombstone, attesting the above facts, is to be found in the churchyard adjoining Conway castle.
1741.Peter Burmanthe elder died. He was professor of history and eloquence at the university of Leyden, and published editions of many of the Latin classics.
1744. France declared war against England.
1750. The first No. of theRambler, by Dr. Johnson, appeared.
1750.Frederick, prince of Wales, and father of George III, died suddenly in his 45th year. He died in the arms of his violin player, who was playing for his amusement.
1767.Firmin Abauzit, a learned French writer, died. He became distinguished for his superior progress in every branch of polite learning, but particularly in mathematics and natural history; and was consulted in difficult questions by the most learned men of the age.
1775.Daniel Boone, employed, in forming a settlement in the then wilderness of Kentucky, was attacked by the Indians, near where Boonsborough now stands, and two of his men killed and two wounded.
1780. Action between the French fleet, admiral Piquet, and 3 British ships, off Monte Christie. The action continued till the next day, when the French suffered so much that they were compelled to lie by and repair.
1792. The French government adoptedthe instrument since known as the guillotine; it had been in use in various countries several centuries before.
1793.William Murray, lord Mansfield, died. He was eminent as a lawyer, and dignified as a judge; as an elegant scholar, of highly cultivated and vigorous intellect, he shone in the constellation of great men which arose in the reign of queen Anne; in eloquence and beauty of diction he outrivaled his predecessors, and has not been excelled by any successor in the high office he held.
1797. Battle of Larvis, between the Austrians and the French under Joubert, in which the former were defeated, after an obstinate battle. Austrian loss 2,000 k., 4,000 taken.
1799.Bonaparteopened the siege of St. Jean d'Acre, in Palestine.
1799. Battle of Pfullendorf, in Germany, in which the French under Jourdan sustained the attack of the Austrians under the archduke, who had the advantage in point of numbers and artillery, having no less than 300 pieces.
1800. Battle of Heliopolis, Egypt, in which the French under Kleber defeated the Turks under the grand vizier.
1801. The British, under admiral Duckworth, took the island of St. Bartholomews, in the West Indies. It was again restored on the dissolution of the armed neutrality.
1809. The populace rose and plundered the French in the Havana.
1811.Massenagave up the command of his army to Marmont, and retired into France.
1811. Birthday ofNapoleon, duke de Reichstadt, son of the emperor of France. He was christened emperor of Rome.
1812.John Horne Tooke, an English politician, died. He was educated for the ministry, with a great predilection for politics. In 1771 he induced the printers of two newspapers to publish the debates of the house of commons in violation of their rules, which led to proceedings that finally resulted in the defeat of the house, and the practice of those publications ever since. He was a warm opponent of the American war, and was prosecuted for sedition, for the wording of a resolution by which the Constitutional society voted £100 to the relief of the widows and children of the Americans who fell at the battle of Lexington, and was sentenced to a year's imprisonment and a fine of £200. In 1786, appeared hisDiversions of Purley, which raised him to a high rank as a philologist. His political life ended with the dissolution of parliament, in 1802, and the remainder of his days were spent in the society of his friends.
1814. Battle of Arcis, in which the prince of Wirtemberg defeated the French and captured that place.
1815.Bonaparteascended the throne of France on his return from Elba.
1831. The Austrian troops entered Bologna, and in a few days overrun the revolted part of Italy.
1831. Insurrection of the slaves at Antigua. Suppressed on the 25th.
1843.Charles G. Corlisswas shot dead in a street near Broadway, New York, by a woman who escaped.
1844.Peter B. Porterdied, aged 71. His name is connected with most of the important events in the history of western New York; and as an officer in the army during the last war with great Britain he rendered important services to his country. He was some time secretary of war of the United States.
1849.Newton M. Curtiss, author of a number of novels, died, aged 34. He some time printed a political paper at Ballston, before his talent as a writer of fiction was developed. His subjects were mostly of Indian and revolutionary scenes and incidents.
1853. The French fleet sailed for the Turkish waters, to act against the Russians, if necessary.
1854. Two shocks of an earthquake at Macon, Ga.
1856.David Conner, a United States commodore, died. He entered the service in 1809, and was wounded in the action between the Hornet and Penguin.
1856. A party of 500 Costa Ricans attacked Col. Schlessinger who commanded 400 of Walker's men, at the hacienda Santa Rosa, and entirely defeated them. Mora had 16 killed and 25 wounded; of Gen. Walker's men 90 were killed and several perished in the woods. The action lasted but 14 minutes. The Costa Ricans shot 19 prisoners.