432.B. C.Meton, the Athenian astronomer, began his famouslunar cycleof 19 years (then marked by successive letters in gold, which are now called the golden numbers), with the new moon nearest to the summer solstice falling upon the 16th of Scirophion.
48B. C.Pompey, in passing through the Archipelago, stopt at Mitylene to receive his wife, the exemplary Cornelia, and there conversed with Cratippus, the philosopher,on the nature of providence.
1213. KingJohnreceived Pandulph, the pope's legate, in whose presence he subscribed an instrument by which the sentences of interdict, excommunication and deposition were revoked, conditionally that he reversed all his former acts of oppression.
1520. Massacre of the Mexicans by Alvarado, during the absence of Cortez. This happened on the great festival of their godHuitzilopochtli, in the month Toxcatl, the emperor being then a prisoner of the Spaniards in his palace, and the principal nobles gathered there for the dance, when the Spaniards fell upon them with the utmost fury. The victims were unable to defend themselves or escape by flight, and the slaughter was terrible. An insurrection immediately followed, and the quarters of the Spaniards were assaulted with such determined energy that they were compelled to hasten the return of Cortez, and led to the disaster of the 1st July (q. v.)
1539. A bill brought into the English parliament vesting in the crown all theproperty of the monastic institutions. This was followed by the fall of 644 monasteries, 90 colleges, 2,374 chantries, and 110 hospitals. The revenue of these establishments amounted to £161,000.
1568. Battle of Langside hill, Mary queen of Scots defeated by the regent Murray, and fled to England.
1607. Jamestown, Virginia, settled. Three small ships, with 105 persons intended to form a settlement, under Sir Christopher Newport, took possession of a peninsula in Powhatan river, and gave it the name of Jamestown. Though they had to strive against appalling difficulties, and were several times on the verge of losing or abandoning the enterprise, they were ultimately established, mainly through the great exertions and talents of Capt. John Smith, one of the most remarkable persons connected with the early history of the country, and indeed one of the most remarkable of an age prolific of memorable men. Jamestown was for a long time the capital of the state, but has sunk into ruin, and is almost desolate. Two or three old houses, the ruins of an old steeple, a churchyard, and faint marks of the rude fortifications, are the only memorials of its former importance.
1614.Marguard Freherdied. His books on law, criticism and history are numerous and respectable.
1619.John Van Oldenbarneveldt, a Dutch statesman, beheaded. Zeal for his country led him to oppose the arbitrary measures of the stadtholder, for which he was accused of treason and condemned at the age of 72. (SeeApril 14.)
1625.Charles Iissued a proclamation for "settling the plantation of Virginia." The colony was reduced under the immediate direction of the crown, and the commission to the new governor and council was accompanied with arbitrary instructions. "The commerce of the colony was restrained, and the persons of the colonists enslaved."
1649.William Chappel, bishop of Cork, died. His works have been translated into English. To him is ascribed, among others, the authorship of theWhole Duty of Man.
1704.Louis Bourdalouedied; esteemed the best preacher that France ever produced.
1728. CounsellorHagen, formerly secretary to the famous baron Gortz, shot himself through the head. He left a letter to king George II, and a paper stating "I am quite weary of eating and drinking, of shunning my creditors, weary of being burthensome to my friends, weary of being vexatious to my enemies, and lastly tired with myself."
1734.James Thornhill, an eminent English historical painter, died.
1736. The foundation of the Ratcliffe library laid at Oxford, England.
1781.Roger Byrne, the Irish giant, was buried. He weighed with his coffin 578 lbs., and died of no other disease than suffocation occasioned by a superabundance of fat, which stopped the play of his lungs, and put a period to his life in the 54th year of his age. His height, it is believed, was nearly 8 feet.
1760. A copy of Tendall's testament sold at Oxford for 20 guineas, supposed to be the only copy of that edition unburned by Tonstall. This book occasioned some prelates to say that they must root out printing or printing would root out them.
1783. Society of Cincinnati established; originated by Gen. Knox, and composed exclusively of officers who had served in the regular army during the revolutionary war.
1790. Action in the port of Revel, between the Swedish fleet of 23 ships and 18 frigates, and the Russian fleet of 11 sail and 5 frigates, protected by several batteries and fortifications. A furious storm raged at the time, which destroyed two Swedish ships.
1799.Bartholomew Mercier, abbot of St. Leger, died; a learned French author and a worthy man, whom the revolution reduced to poverty and wretchedness.
1806. Broome county in the state of New York erected.
1814. MadamMuratsurrendered the fleet and arsenal at Naples, and Ferdinand returned to his capital.
1814. British cannonaded and bombarded the town of Charlotte at the mouth of Genesee river. It was successfully defended by Gen. Peter B. Porter, with 150 volunteers and 350 militia.
1816. Treaty between the United States and the Sac Indians of Rock river.
1825.Charles Whitworth, an English earl, died; employed by the government as ambassador to different courts of Europe—a man of much private worth and unquestioned talent.
1832.George Leopold Cuvier, the French naturalist, died. His grand work, theAnimal Kingdom, forms an imperishable monument of his genius.
1835.Elizabeth Cook, widow of Capt. James Cook, the circumnavigator, died near London, aged 94. She survived her husband 55 years, and was highly esteemed for her virtues.
1835.John Nash, the architect of Regent street, Buckingham palace, &c., London, died.
1836. SirCharles Wilkins, an eminent oriental scholar, died.
1838.Zachary Macauley, a distinguished philanthropist, died at London, aged 70. He edited theChristian Observerfrom 1802 to 1816, with ability, and for more than 40 years dedicated his eminent talents and active energies in conjunction with other distinguished men to the abolition of African slave trade.
1839.Joseph Fresch, archbishop of Lyons, died. He was the uncle of Bonaparte, and after the fall of the emperor resided at Rome in the enjoyment of immense wealth, and one of the first picture galleries in that city.
1841. The American Bible Society celebrated its 25th anniversary at New York. The whole amount of receipts during the year preceding, was $118,860·41; the number of Bibles and testaments published and circulated through the efforts of the society since its organization,three millions.
1849. A revolution at Carlsruhe, and the grand duke of Baden fled.
1852.George Dolland, an English astronomer and optician, died, aged 78. His father and grandfather followed the same pursuits. He is the author of theAtmospheric Recorder.
1097. The siege of Nice, the Turkish capital of Soliman, sultan of Roum, opened by the French crusaders, whose camps formed an imperfect circle of more than 6 miles.
1501.Amerigo Vespuccisailed with three ships furnished him by Emanuel of Portugal. This was his third voyage, which he extended as far as Patagonia.
1602.Bartholomew Gosnold, after a passage of 7 weeks direct west from England, discovered land on the American coast, and fell in with a shallop with sails and oars, manned by Indians, with whom they had friendly intercourse. They are represented as naked, "save neere their wastes seale skins tyed fast like to Irish dimmi trouses;" and the chief wore a few things of European fabric, described the coast with a piece of chalk, and "spake diverse Christian words." Their vessel is supposed to have belonged to some wrecked fishermen of Biscay.
1610.Henry IVof France assassinated by Ravaillac. Above 50 historians and 500 panegyrists, poets and orators, have spoken in his praise; but theHenriadeof Voltaire is the most likely to immortalize him.
1652. British commodoreYoungfell in with a Dutch convoy, and demanded that according to an act of king John (A. D.1200) they should strike their flag to the British flag. This being refused, a severe action ensued, which ended in the Dutch flag being struck, after which they were permitted to proceed!
1667.Joan Henry Ursinusdied; a Lutheran divine, eminent for his learning in sacred and profane history.
1692. SirWilliam Phipsarrived at Boston with the new charter by William and Mary, where he was received with great pomp, and conducted by the military, magistrates, ministers, and principal men of the country to the town-house, where the charter was published. This charter included the whole of old Massachusetts, Plymouth colony, the provinces of Maine and Nova Scotia, the islands of Elizabeth, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, as the province of Massachusetts, of which Phips was appointed governor.
1731. A final settlement was made of the boundary line between New York and Connecticut; 60,000 acres called the Oblong being ceded to New York in exchange for lands near the sound.
1761.Thomas Simpson, an eminent English mathematician, died. He was a weaver in the lowest circumstances, who raised himself to distinction by close application to science.
1780.Peter Montan le Bertondied; an eminent French musician, and manager of the operas at Paris.
1781. Lieut. col.Christopher Greene(the conqueror of count Donop) and majorFlag, surprised and murdered at Croton river, by a party of refugees.
1785. Canal opened between the Baltic and North seas.
1796. Vaccination for cowpox first applied by Dr. Jenner.
1796.Bonapartemade his public entry into Milan under a triumphal arch.
1798.David Ruhnkeniusdied; professor ofbelles-lettresand history, and librarian in the university at Leyden, and a learned and able critic.
1805.Robert Bissetdied; a Scottish historian, biographer, and novelist.
1810. Lerida, in Spain, surrendered to the French general Suchet, who found large quantities of stores. Same day, Catalonians defeated the French, whose loss is stated at 45,000, and that of the Catalonians 25,000.
1814. British fleet on lake Champlain commenced a heavy cannonade on the American batteries under colonel Davis, at the mouth of Otter creek. The British were compelled to retreat.
1814. French defeated at Madrid by lord Wellington.
1814. Spanish squadron belonging to Monte Video, defeated by the Buenos Ayrean squadron under com. Brown.
1820.Henry Grattan, an Irish statesman, died. He warmly espoused theinterests of his country, and many important measures were effected by his eloquence.
1826. State prison at Sing Sing, New York, commenced.
164B. C.The Jews, upon the 15th Sivan, celebrate a feast for the victory of Judas Maccabæus over the people of Bethsan, or Scythopolis.
67.Vespasianinvested Jotopata, in Galilee, defended by Josephus, the historian, a very interesting siege as it respects the latter.
392.Valentinian, emperor of Rome, strangled at Vienne, in Milan, by order of Arbogastes, his rebellious general.
1213. KingJohn, oppressed with guilt and despair, resigned the kingdoms of England and Ireland to the pope, to be held of him and of the Roman church in fee, by the annual rent of 1,000 marks.
1464. Battle of Hexham, on the banks of the Dilswater, and defeat of the Lancastrians under the duke of Somerset, by Edward IV. The fate of the royal family after this defeat was extremely singular and distressing.
1494.Columbusdiscovered a great number of small islands in the West Indies, which he called theQueen's Garden. These were in his opinion the 5,000 islands which Marco Polo and Mandeville described as the boundary of India.
1548. The emperorCharles Vlaid before the diet of Augsburg arule of faith, which he compelled them to acquiesce in, notwithstanding that it was disapproved by both protestants and papists.
1567. Marriage of Mary, queen of Scots, and the earl of Bothwell.
1571. Moscow burnt by the Tartars, who had surrounded the city, and set it on fire at all points. The entire city was burnt down, and upwards of 200,000 of the inhabitants perished in the flames.
1602.Bartholomew Gosnold, in search of a suitable place to settle a plantation, discovered a head land in 42 deg., where he came to anchor; and taking a great number of cod at this place, they called it cape Cod, which name it still retains.
1618. The celebratedKeplerdiscovered his canon for the periodical motion of the planets.
1645. Battle of Alderne, in which the earl of Montrose defeated the Scots under Urrey with great slaughter.
1664. The Dutch governor surrendered the island of Cayenne to the French, by treaty.
1674. Besançon, an ancient city of France, taken by Louis XIV.
1679. The Ashmolean museum, at Oxford, England, founded for the purpose of receiving the antiquary's "twelve cartloads of rarities."
1716.John Bagford, an English antiquary, died. He was originally a shoemaker, became a bookseller, and an amateur of old English books and curious prints, with which he enriched several famous libraries.
1719.Francis Malavaldied; a Frenchman, who, although he lost his sight when 9 months old, acquired celebrity as a mystical writer on quietism.
1737.Alexander Cunningham, a Scottish historian, died. He wrote a valuableHistory of Great Britainin Latin, which remained in manuscript till 1787, when it was translated by Thompson, and published in 2 vols. quarto.
1740.Ephraim Chambers, an English encyclopedist, died. He was apprenticed to a globemaker, and during his minority projected hisDictionary of the Arts and Sciences, which appeared in 1728 in 2 vols. folio. It was extended by Dr. Rees to 45 vols. quarto.
1747. British fleet under Anson captured 1 French ship of 74 guns, 5 of 64, 4 of 60, 1 of 50, and 20 merchantmen.
1766.John Astruc, a French physician, died; author of several useful and curious works.
1772.Antony Francis Riccobonidied; an Italian actor, author ofArt du Théatre, a work of great merit.
1773.Alban Butlerdied; director of the English college of St. Omer's, and author of theLives of the Fathers, Saints and Martyrs, with valuable notes.
1775. Congress resolved to issue paper money.
1776. American fort at the Cedars, 43 miles above Montreal, surrendered by maj. Butterfield, with 390 men, to capt. Foster, with 650 British and Indians. (SeeMay 20,27.)
1781. Fort Granby surrendered by the British to col. Lee.
1789. The number of emigrants which had passed through Muskingum to settle in Kentucky since the first of Aug., 1786, (not including those who passed in the night unnoticed) was 19,882. These were accompanied by 8,884 horses, 2,297 cattle, 1,920 sheep, 627 wagons, and 1,067 boats.
1800.James Mallet du Pandied in England, where he took refuge from the revolutionary mania of France. He was a literary and political writer, distinguished by the extent of his knowledge and vigor of style, as well as probity and independence of character.
1800.Bonapartecrossed the mount St. Bernard. Each man, says sir Walter Scott,carried from sixty to eighty pounds, up icy precipices, where a man totally without encumbrance could ascend but slowly. Probably no troops but the French could have endured the fatigue of such a march; and no other general than Bonaparte would have ventured to require it at their hands.
1802. The Portuguese frigate Cine captured by the Algerines, after a smart action. The crew having ran below, the officers were all cut to pieces.
1814. The British plundered Poultneyville, on lake Ontario. They were driven off by general Swift.
1817.David Irvingdied at Philadelphia. He was taken prisoner on board the United States frigate Philadelphia at Tripoli and imprisoned there two years.
1821.John Wall Callcottdied; an English musical composer, and author of aMusical Grammar.
1821.John Bonnycastledied; an English mathematician, whose works are in use in this country. He contributed the mathematical articles forRees's Cyclopedia.
1830. An extensive shower of red dust extending over Italy, Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, &c., observed by Dr. John Davy.
1833.Edmund Kean, a celebrated English tragedian, died. It is ascertained that the total sum which he received for acting from 1814, was £177,000, averaging nearly $40,000 per annum for 19 years; yet he died poor.
1836. The village of Roanoke, on the Chatahoochee, Ga., attacked and stormed by 300 Indians, and burnt to ashes.
1838.John Murphydied in Fauquier county, Va., aged 106.
1847.Daniel O'Connel, the Irish agitator, died at Genoa, on his way to Rome. His heart was sent forward and his body carried back to Ireland.
1848. Attempted communist counter revolution in Paris.
1848.Richard H. Toler, a distinguished writer and for 23 years editor of theLynchburgh Virginian, died at Richmond.
1854.George Perkins, a retired Boston merchant, was murdered by the Chinese crew of a boat which he had engaged to take him ashore at Macao, whither he had just arrived from San Francisco.
1854. The ship Townsend, from Boston to San Francisco destroyed by fire, and several lives lost.
1854. An explosion took place in the Blackheath coal mines, Virginia; by which of the twenty-three workmen only one escaped death.
1855. The universal industrial exhibition was opened at Paris by Louis Napoleon.
1855. A destructive tornado swept over a portion of Lapeer county, Michigan.
1277.John XXI, pope, killed by the fall of a building. He was a Portuguese, and wrote on philosophy, medicine, &c.
1525.Thomas Munzer, a Saxon divine, executed. In conjunction with Stork, he pulled down all the images in the churches which Luther had left standing, and finally at the head of 40,000 men, commenced leveler of all ranks and distinctions, as usurpations on the rights of mankind. He was at length defeated in battle, when 7,000 of his followers were slain and himself captured.
1568.Mary, queen of Scots, crossed the frith of Solway, theirremeable stream, and landed in England.
1681. Female dancers first introduced on the Parisian stage, in a court opera, calledLe Triumphe de l'Amour.
1691.LeislerandMilbournehung as the cause of the Schenectady massacre.
1710.Thomas Smithdied; a learned English writer on the manners and religion of the Turks, &c.
1725.Paul de Rapin de Thoyras, an eminent French historical writer, died. He served in the English army, and devoted 17 years to aHistory of England, which was published in 10 vols. quarto.
1747.M. Buffon, the celebrated naturalist, communicated to the Academy of sciences the results of some experiments on burning glasses, asserting the account of Archimedes burning the Roman ships at Syracuse, were neither absurd nor false.
1770.Louis XVIof France espoused Maria Antoinette, archduchess of Austria. A violent tempest on that day was regarded as an omen of future misfortunes.
1776. The French navigator,De Pages, passed the 81st degree of north latitude, in an attempt to reach the pole.
1776.John Hoadley, an English poet and dramatic writer, died. He was the son of bishop Hoadley, took orders and was loaded with preferments.
1782.Daniel Charles Solander, a celebrated Swedish naturalist, died. He was the pupil of Linnæus; visited England, and went with Cook on his voyage round the world.
1793.Edmund C. Genet, the French minister, arrived at Philadelphia. He was received with much enthusiasm by the citizens. (SeeJuly 14.)
1795. The Batavian republic formed, by the aid of the French, in imitation of France; being governed by a legislature and a directory of five.
1796. Earthquake in Syria; Lataka, the ancient Laodicea, was laid in ruins, and more than 3,000 persons buried under the fallen mass. The village of Gibel was totally destroyed, and many houses in Tripoli were tumbled down.
1801. Battle of Heliopolis; the French under Belliard defeated by the Turks under the grand vizier.
1806. Blockade of the Elbe and of Brest, a coast of 1000 miles, with no place invested by land, and before many of the ports no blockading ships.
1809. The rear guard of the French army attacked at Salamonde in Portugal, and compelled to retreat before superior forces, with the loss of their artillery and baggage; having lost about 8,000 men, 2,000 of whom were slaughtered by the Portuguese. The army was a fortnight without clothing, shoes, provisions, &c., excepting those procured by marauding, and they must all have been destroyed but for the great military talents of Soult.
1811. Battle of Albuera, in Spain; the allies defeated by the French under Soult; about 20,000 men fell in this battle.
1811. Action between the United States frigate President, Rogers, and British ship Little-Belt, which was captured.
1813. Battle of Mignano, Italy, and defeat of the French.
1828.William Congreve, a British officer, died; inventor of the Congreve rocket, a hydro-pneumatic canal lock, and a new method of manufacturing gun powder, &c.
1830. The bill to remove the civil disabilities of the Jews rejected in the British parliament by a vote of 288 to 165.
1830. Great eruption of mount Ætna; seven new craters were formed, and eight villages were destroyed, to which the lava had never before extended.
1835.Felicia Dorothea Hemans, a celebrated English poetess, died. Her poems were extremely popular during her lifetime, and have been published in 2 vols.
1838. New York state banks resumed specie payment.
1841. A constitution of the republic of Yucatan decreed by the legislature and published at Merida, the capital; Yucatan having declared its absolute independence of the republic of Mexico.
1842. Countde Las Casas, author of theMemoirs of Napoleon, died near Paris.
1849. The city of Bologna capitulated to the Austrians after a conflict of eight days.
1850.William Hendricks, for some time governor of Indiana, died at Madison, aged 67.
1854. Tornadoes occurred in Alabama, Missouri and Illinois, accompanied with extensive damage to property.
1855. GeneralCanrobertresigned the command of the French troops in the Crimea, and was succeeded by general Pelissier.
1039.Harold I, the second Danish monarch of England, died, at Oxford. A heavy tax which he imposed on his people made him unpopular. He was buried at Winchester; but by the cruel edicts of his brother the body was dug up, beheaded and thrown into the Thames; recovered and again buried only to be a second time disinterred and committed to the Thames; found and privately buried at Westminster.
1163.Heloise, abbess of the Paraclete, died; celebrated as the mistress of Abelard, and for her learning. She was entombed with her husband. At the dissolution of the monasteries in 1792, the principal inhabitants of Nogent-sur-Seine went in grand procession to the Paraclete, to transfer the remains of the lovers to a vault in their church. In 1800 they were transported to Paris, and one of the most picturesque and interesting ornaments in the cemetery of Pere la Chaise, is the sepulchral chapel covering their remains, constructed from the ruins of the Paraclete.
1498.Vasquez de Gamadiscovered the continent of India. On his return he again doubled cape Good Hope, which had long been regarded as thene plus ultraof navigation.
1536.George Boleyn, an English statesman, beheaded. He was a man of learning and ability, whose elevation followed that of his sister Anne as queen; and when she fell, he too was degraded and unjustly condemned.
1575.Matthew Parker, second protestant archbishop of Canterbury, died. He was deeply versed in Saxon literature and published a work on the antiquity of the English church.
1610.Gervase Babingtondied; bishop of Worcester and an eminent theological writer.
1617.Jacob Augustus Thuanus(alias De Thou) died; an illustrious French statesman and historian.
1664. The English conventicle act was passed forbidding more than five persons meeting for religious purposes except those regulated by the book of common prayer.
1690. A party of French and Indians under the sieur Hertel, returning from a marauding excursion among the English settlements, attacked and destroyed the fort at Casco, Me.
1723.Joseph Bingham, an Englishecclesiastic, died; author ofAntiquities of the Christian Church, a learned and laborious work, in 10 vols.
1727.Catharine Alexievna, empress of Russia, died. She was the daughter of a peasant of Livonia, married a Swedish dragoon, who was killed on the same day in battle. The Russian general Bauer made her his mistress, after which she lived a short time with prince Mentschicoff. In her 17th year she became the mistress of Peter the Great, who afterwards married her and presented her with the diadem and the sceptre. After his death she was proclaimed sovereign empress of all the Russias, and showed herself worthy of her high fortune.
1729.Samuel Clarke, a famous English divine, died; celebrated also for his writings on mathematics, &c.
1732.William Lowthdied; a celebrated English theological writer and commentator.
1738O. S.Bell, the Scottish traveler, returned to St. Petersburg from his embassy to Constantinople, whither he went at the earnest solicitation of the Russian cabinet, and the British minister. This was the last of his expeditions, and was undertaken in the midst of winter, through a country exposed to all the horrors of a barbarous warfare, attended by only one servant, who understood the Turkish language.
1740.Peter Julian Rouille, a French Jesuit, died; professor of theology and philosophy to his order, and co-editor of theRoman History, 21 vols. quarto.
1742. Battle of Czaslau, or Chatusitz, in Bohemia; the Prussians defeated the Austrians, who lost 7,000; Prussian loss, 3,000.
1749.Samuel Boyse, an Irish poet, died. His talents were amply rewarded, but he unfortunately had a disposition to practice the meanest deceptions to procure benefactions, which brought him to wretchedness and contempt.
1767.Roger Wolcott, governor of Connecticut, died. He never attended school a single day of his life, yet gradually rose by his own efforts to the highest military and civil honors.
1772. The theatre at Amsterdam, in Holland, took fire and burned to death 31 persons.
1774. At a town meeting of the inhabitants of Providence, R. I., the subject of a general congress was acted upon, being the first act of the kind by a public assemblage.
1776. CaptainMugfordin a vessel of 4 guns captured British ship Hope, 4 guns, with 1,500 barrels powder and military stores, and brought her into the port of Boston.
1794. Battle of Surcoign; British defeated by the French after a sanguinary conflict.
1797. Revolution in Venice, and a democratic government formed under the direction of the French general Angereau.
1797. Louis XVIII compelled to quit the Venetian territory.
1797.Michel Jean Sedaine, a French dramatic writer, died, aged 78. Bred to the occupation of a stone mason, by application to study he won a place in the French academy.
1801. A French convoy of 560 men with 1 cannon and 550 camels, in Egypt, captured by the British.
1801.William Heberdendied; an English physician and medical writer.
1809.Bonaparteissued from Vienna a decree declaring the temporal sovereignty of the pope to be wholly at an end, and incorporating Rome with the French empire. The "holy father" instantly fulminated a bull of excommunication against the daring emperor, but it did not avail; his holiness was taken in his palace and conveyed away at midnight, under pretence that a life so sacred in the eyes of all Christians, might be endangered!
1817.Samuel Jessupdied; an opulent English grazier, of pilltaking notoriety. An apothecary's bill, which was given in evidence on a trial a short time previous to his death, affords a table of statistics which will not be exceeded by the memorabilia of the life of any man. In 21 years he took 226,934 pills. He began with a moderate appetite, which increased as he proceeded, so that in the last five years he took them at the rate of 78 a day, and in the year 1814 swallowed not less than 51,590. Notwithstanding this, and an addition of 40,000 bottles of mixtures, he attained the advanced age of 65 years.
1829.John Jay, a distinguished American statesman, died, aged 84. His public services commenced in 1774, and continued till 1801, when he retired to private life; distinguished as a man of great discernment, extensive information, and fine talents as a writer.
1829. Battle between the Russians under general Diebitsch, and the Turks; the latter of whom, 5,000 in number, were defeated and driven into Silistria, with heavy losses on both sides.
1829. Battle of Pravadia, between the Russian army under general Roth, and the Turks under the grand vizier. The Turks are said to have lost 2,000, and the Russians 1,000. The latter maintained their ground, but no important advantage was gained by either party.
1831.Nathaniel Rochester, an officer in the revolution, died at Rochester, New York, from whom the town took its name.
1838.Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Perigord, one of the most distinguished statesmen and diplomatists of modern times, died at Paris, aged 84. His namdee was intimately associated with French politics, from the commencement of the revolution in 1789.
1841. About 250 feet of the cliff on which the defences of the city of Quebec stand, fell away, causing the ruin of several buildings, and the death of about 30 persons.
1843.Peter W. Gallaudetdied at Washington, D. C., aged 88. The Washington manual laborer school and the Howard institution can bear testimony to his industry and patriotism.
1848. Massacre in Naples, justified by the king, on the ground of necessity; 1777 bodies were found, 400 troops killed, and the city given up to pillage.
1849. A severe and very destructive fire at St. Louis, Missouri.
1850. Gallinas, the noted slave factory on the west of Africa, purchased by the Liberian republic.
1856.Redwood Fisher, an American author, died, aged 73. He began business as a merchant in Philadelphia; subsequently edited a daily paper in New York, and took an active part in public affairs. He published several volumes on political economy, and was much interested in statistics.
975.Edward(the martyr), murdered by his step-mother. He was the son of king Edgar who enacted laws against excessive drinking, ordaining a size with pins in the cup with penalties on any who should presume to drinkdeeperthan the mark. Hence the phrasedrinking deep.
1291. The city of Acre, in Palestine, taken by the Turks; after a siege of 30 days the double wall was forced by the Moslems, the principal tower yielded to their engines, the Mamelukes made a general assault, the city was stormed, and death or slavery was the lot of 60,000 Christians, and the Holy Land was again in the hands of the Turks.
1410.Robert, emperor of Germany, died, just as a powerful combination had been formed to deprive him of the crown.
1539.Ferdinand de Soto, governor of Cuba, sailed for the conquest of Florida with nine vessels, 900 men besides sailors, 213 horses and a herd of swine. He landed on the west coast of the peninsula, with 300 men, and pitched his camp; but about day break the next morning they were attacked by the natives, and obliged to retire.
1565. The Turks under Mustapha, pasha, to the number of 30,000 choice troops, landed on the island of Malta, with a view to extirpate the knights. But the desperate resistance they encountered compelled them to abandon the island with the loss of 25,000 men. Loss of the knights 7,000.
1596.Heemskerk, accompanied by Jan Cornelissen Ryp, with two vessels again attempted the discovery of a northern passage to India. In this voyage he became embayed in ice, and passed the winter in the arctic regions, exposed to the rigors of the climate, and other perils. The ill success of this expedition destroyed all hope with the Dutch of finding a northern passage to China.
1652. Naval action near Dover, England; admiral Van Tromp refusing to pay honor to the British flag by lowering his own, brought on a furious battle between him and admiral Blake. One of the Dutch ships taken, and one sunk.
1663.Samuel Des Marets, a French protestant divine, died; celebrated for his controversies, in which he was diligently engaged 18 years, and displayed astonishing knowledge and erudition.
1664. "His sacred majesty," Charles II, advertised that he would attend to healing his people of the king's evil, bytouching, during the month of May.
1675.Stanislaus Lubienietski, a celebrated Polish Socinian, died in exile at Hamburg. His theological works are numerous, but he is better known by a work on comets, entitledTheatrum Cometicum, which was written to show that comets portend both good and evil, in opposition to the prevailing notion that they were the harbingers of misfortune only! It contained an elaborate account of all the comets recorded in history (415), down to the year 1665.
1676. Indian battle at Turner's falls, on Connecticut river above Greenfield. The Indians having planted nothing, were unwilling to lose the fishing season also, and had encamped here in great security; when three of the towns below hearing of their position mustered about 150 men, mounted on horses, and set out for their camp. Arriving towards morning, they tied their horses, and proceeding about a quarter of a mile farther, found them sleeping in their huts, without any sentinels or guard. The attack was so sudden and unexpected that they fled, many into the river where they perished, and others were killed under the banks where they had concealed themselves. The Indians at first supposed they had received a visit from theirfriendsthe Mohawks, but the daylight disclosing the error, and the fewness of their assailants, they rallied andturned upon their pursuers. The English retreated in turn, unable to resist the superiority of numbers, and not managing their retreat well, thirty-eight were cut off and lost. The Indians acknowledged a loss of 300.
1692.Elias Ashmole, a noted English antiquary, died. His valuable collection of coins, to the number of 9,000 besides books and other curiosities, were destroyed by fire; but his most valuable gold coins and manuscripts escaped. He was an indefatigable laborer in the cause of science.
1701.Frederick Spanheimdied; a noted divinity professor at Leyden, and a voluminous writer.
1724. CardinalVincent Maria Orsinielected pope and took the name of Benedict XIII.
1733.Edmund Chishull, an English traveler, died; author of a book of travels in Turkey.
1742.Richard Joy(the English Samson), died; a man of wonderful strength.
1769. Virginia entered into the non-importation agreement.
1773. Boundary line between New York and Massachusetts agreed upon.
1787. First attempt made to engrave on glass by M. de Puymaurin, at Toulouse.
1794. Battle of Bullion; French under Jourdan defeated by the Austrians under Beaulieu with the loss of 1,200 killed.
1794. Battle of Tournay; British defeated by the French.
1794. Battle of Lannoy, in France, between the French under Pichegru, and the British under the duke of York; the latter defeated with the loss of sixty pieces of cannon.
1800.Peter Alexis Wasiliowitsch, count Suwaroff-Rimnitskoy, died; a Russian general, known in the wars of Europe as Gen. Suwarrow; distinguished for his bravery and abilities, and equally so for his inhumanities.
1803. War was again declared between France and England. Who, asked Bonaparte, is responsible for the consequences. Ah! who indeed.
1804. The conservative senate of France declared Bonaparte emperor.
1805. Battle of Derne, in Barbary, which was attacked by the Tripolitan army, and defended by the American general Eaton, who repulsed the assailants with great slaughter.
1807.John Douglas, bishop of Salisbury, died. He was one of the first literary characters of the age, and the last surviving member but one of thebeef steak club, celebrated by Goldsmith in his poem ofRetaliation.
1821.Timothy Bigelow, an eminent lawyer of Massachusetts, died. He was 11 years speaker of the assembly, and during a practice of thirty-two years, argued 15,000 causes.
1822.Iturbidedeclared emperor of Mexico by the army under the title of Augustin I.
1832.Cassimir Perrier, prime minister of France, died. He left the army in 1800 to become a banker, in which capacity he acquired an immense fortune, with the advantages of which he combined great mental capacity, talent for business and habits of public speaking. He was one of the few victims of cholera in the higher ranks of life.
1843.Charles Bagot, governor-general of the British North American provinces, died at Kingston, in Canada.
1848. CommanderHenry Pinckney, of the United States navy, was drowned by the swamping of a boat.
1850. Great fire at the village of Corning, Chemung county, New York.
1855.John C. Spencer, an American statesman, died at Albany, aged 67. He was a man of intellect and energy, and was in public life from an early age. He achieved his highest fame from his connection with the revision of the statutes of New York.
804.Flaccus Alcuinus, an English ecclesiastic, died in France. He may be considered as one of the learned few whose genius dissipated the gloom of the 8th century. His writings, most of which are extant, were published 1617. (SeeDec. 1.)
1122. Lincoln in England destroyed by fire.
1217. Battle of Lincoln; the French defeated, and England effectually secured from the dominion of Lewis the Dauphin, who was then holding his court within the walls of London.
1218.Otho IV(the proud), emperor of Germany, died. He laid claim to some of the territories of the pope, by whom he was excommunicated and deposed.
1242.Henry IIIof England embarked for France, taking with him 30 hhds of silver.
1494.Columbus, proceeding towards Cuba, named the headland Cabo de Cruz on this day. He now ascertained from the natives that Cuba was an island, but after coasting it 335 leagues from the eastern point, renounced the idea; and but for the scarcity of provisions, would have attempted to return to Europe by way of the Red sea, under the impression that he was on the coast of India.
1536.Anne Boleyn, queen of England, executed. She was crowned at Westminster 1533 with unparalleled splendor, and in a few weeks after became the mother of the famous Elizabeth.
1610.Thomas Sanchez, a Spanish Jesuit, died, and was buried with extraordinary magnificence. His works are ingenious.
1613. KingJamesissuedfarthing tokensby proclamation.
1622.Osman I, sultan of Turkey, strangled by his soldiery. He undertook an expedition against Poland, in which he lost 80,000 men and 100,000 horses: these misfortunes were attributed to the Janizaries, who thereupon hurled him from the throne.
1643. Battle of Rocroy, between the French and Spaniards, in which the French under the duke d'Enghien gained a signal victory.
1651.Peter Wright, chaplain to the marquis of Winchester, executed. Romanist priests were viewed in the same light as highway robbers.
1656.John Halesdied; an English author, so much admired for his wit and learning, that he is called theever memorable.
1670.Ferdinando Ugheli, a Florentine monk, died; distinguished for his learning and his virtues.
1676.John Greenhilldied; an eminent English painter.
1692. Battle of La Hogue; the combined English and Dutch fleets defeated the French of 50 sail, who lost 20 of their largest men of war, and were prevented from making a descent on England.
1715.Charles Montague, earl Halifax, died; an eminent English statesman, orator and poet.
1769. CardinalGanganelliproclaimed pope under the title of Clement XIV.
1776. CaptainMugfordhaving secured his prize (seeMay 17) and put to sea again, was attacked by 13 British boats, whom he beat off; but was himself killed, being the only person injured.
1780. Dark day in New England, occasioned by a thin cloud or vapor. The people dined by candlelight, and the darkness of the night is represented asEgyptian.
1788.Samuel Badcock, an English divine and writer, died; admired as a pulpit orator and a man of literary talent.
1788. Congress ordered two cannon to be named, one John Hancock, and the other Adams; being one moiety of four cannon which constituted the whole train of artillery possessed by the colonies at the commencement of the war. The other two were taken by the British.
1795.James Boswell, died, aged 55; a Scottish lawyer, rendered famous as the friend and biographer of Dr. Johnson, with whom he lived in the closest intimacy.
1795.Josiah Bartlett, one of the signers, died. He was a delegate from New Hampshire in the first congress, and his was the first name called on the vote of the declaration of independence.
1798.Bonapartewith an immense armament sailed from Toulon for the conquest of Egypt. The sunrise was splendid and similar phenomena were called the suns of Napoleon.
1798. Intelligence having been received by the British that a number of transports fitted out at Flushing were intended to be sent round by the canals to Ostend and Dunkirk, for the purpose of invading England, an expedition was despatched to destroy the sluices and basin of the Bruges canal at Ostend. The direction of the enterprise was entrusted to general Coote and captain Home Popham, who on this day disembarked their troops, and in a few hours the sluices were blown up, and several vessels in the canals destroyed; but on returning to the beach, the wind and surf were so high, that it was impossible to re-embark; meanwhile the country being alarmed, the enemy advanced upon them with a superior force, and the British, after a spirited resistance, were compelled to capitulate. Of 1000 forces landed more than 100 were killed or wounded, among whom was general Coote.
1808. Action in the night between British ship Virginia, and Dutch frigate Gelderland; the latter captured.
1810. Explosion of a powder magazine at New Haswell in Hungary, which destroyed 300 houses, killed 80 persons, and 300 were dug out of the ruins alive.
1831.Francis Maseres, an English mathematician, died, aged 93. He was not only an author, but devoted a part of his income to reprinting such works as he thought useful either in illustration of mathematical history or of that of his country. Penny Cyclopedia says 1824, which agrees with the 93 years from the date of his birth.
1838.Thomas T. Biddulph, an eminent English clergyman, died. He was the author of various publications, one of which,Sixteen Short Sermons, has been translated into 15 languages.
1850. A body of Americans under gen. Paredez landed on the island of Cuba, with a view to revolutionize it, and took the town of Cardenas.
1853. The Chinese rebels captured the city of Amoy.
1854.William Hulme Cooper, a lieutenant in the British navy, died, aged 26, from the effects of exposure and privation during four years arctic service in searchof sir John Franklin. He commanded a cutter in an expedition from Icy cape to the Mackenzie; for three days he was lost in a snow storm, and for two winters he and his boat's crew were isolated near the northern shores of America. The hardships he endured caused the pulmonary disease of which he died.
1856.John Keatingdied at Philadelphia, aged 96. He was a native of France and in early life was an officer in the service of Louis XVI. He came to the United States after the death of that monarch, with about thirty families of the French noblesse and military, and founded the colony of The Asylum, near Towanda, in Pennsylvania.
526. Earthquake at Antioch, by which 250,000 persons are said to have perished.
1499.Alonzo de Ojedasailed from Cadiz on a western voyage of discovery, accompanied by Amerigo Vespucci. It is uncertain in what station Amerigo sailed, but he appears to have had a chief share in directing the voyage, and on his return published an amusing account of the country they visited; which having a rapid circulation, he was supposed to be the discoverer, and it came gradually to be called by his name.
1506.Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of the new world, died at Valladolid in Spain, aged about 70. He had devoted his whole life to the study and accomplishment of his grand enterprise, and its complete success embittered the remainder of his days by exciting the perfidy and ingratitude of a base and treacherous nation.
1521.Cortezmustered his army in the great market place of Tezcuco, to make a division of it, appoint commanders, assign to each the station where they were to form their camps, in order to invest the city of Mexico. (SeeMay 30.)
1610.Nicholas Serarius, a French Jesuit, died. His works, 16 vols. folio, display great labor and extensive erudition.
1618. KingJamespublicly declared his pleasure, "that after the end of divine service, the people should not be letted from any lawful recreation on Sundays, such as dancing, archery, vaulting, May-games, Whitsun-ales, morris-dances, and the setting up of May-poles, and other sports therewith used."
1690.John Eliot, the apostle of the Indians, died, aged 86. He was the first protestant clergyman who preached the gospel to the North American Indians.
1713.Thomas Sprat, an English prelate and poet, died; he was distinguished as a writer, and rewarded with preferments.
1726.Nicholas Bradydied; an Irish divine of good ability and learning, translated Virgil and wrote a new version of the Psalms in conjunction with Tate.
1728.James le Quien de la Neufville, a French historian, died; author of an excellent history of Portugal, &c.
1732.Thomas Boston, a Scottish divine, died; author of the well known book,Human Nature in its Fourfold State.
1735. The Turks defeated by the Prussians, and more than 60,000 killed and wounded.
1736. The body of one Samuel Baldwin, of England, in compliance with his will, immersed in the sea at Lymington. His motive for this extraordinary mode of interment was to prevent his wife from dancing over his grave, which she had threatened to do in case she survived him.
1756. Naval action at Fort Philip, Minorca, between the French fleet, 12 ships 5 frigates, and the British, 13 ships 5 frigates. Admiral Byng was afterwards shot in England, on an unjust charge of cowardice in this affair.
1758. The scenery and wardrobe of the Bath theatre burned by the wagons taking fire on which it was being transported over Salisbury plain.
1774. British parliament passed an act for transporting Americans to England for trial.
1775. Articles of confederation and union agreed on by the American colonies.
1776. MajorSherburne, with 140 Americans, marching to relieve the post at the Cedars, in Canada, was attacked by 500 Indians, and after an obstinate battle, the party surrendered. The Indians having lost a chief and 21 warriors, massacred as many prisoners.
1778. Gen.Grantwith 7000 British, made an attempt to surprise La Fayette, then posted at Barren-hill, Pa., with 2500 men. The latter escaped by a masterly retreat.
1783.William Robertson, the Scottish divine, died.
1789. The French clergy renounced their privileges.
1793.Charles Bonnet, a noted Swiss naturalist, died at Geneva.
1796.Bonapartepassed the river Po;MarceauandChampionnetdrove the Austrians from Hunsruch; they were also defeated on the Sieg, with the loss of 2400.
1799.Bonaparteraised the siege of St. Jean d'Acre; it had lasted 60 days.
1799.Joseph Towersdied; a printer, bookseller, and afterwards a preacher withthe title of LL. D. He wroteBritish Biography, 7 vols. and other works of merit.
1800.Bonapartepassed mount St. Bernard, among the Alps, after astonishing efforts.
1813. Battle of Bautzen, between Russians and Prussians under Barclay de Tolly, and French under Bonaparte.
1813. American frigate Congress, capt. Smith, captured British brig Jean, 10 guns, took out 40 tons copper and sunk her.
1815.Murat, king of Naples, left the city in disguise, while his queen sought the security which had been promised her on board a British man of war.
1820.Charles Louis Sandexecuted; the murderer of Kotzebue.
1840.Joseph Blanco White, an English preacher and controversial writer, died, aged 67. He was the author of various works, and distinguished himself by the zeal and ability with which he opposed the catholic religion.
1841.William P. Dewees, a distinguished medical writer, died at Philadelphia.
1848. A treaty of peace made with the Navajo Indians and the United States.
1855. The king of Hanover issued an ordinance annulling the constitution settled in 1848, and the provincial electoral law of 1850.
1856.James King, editor of theEvening Mirror, at San Francisco, California, died of a pistol wound inflicted in the street a few days before by Casey, editor of theSunday Times. Casey was arrested and conveyed to jail under great popular excitement. Subsequently the vigilance committee, numbering 3000 men, proceeded to the jail, and took Casey and another murderer to the committee rooms, where they were tried, and soon after hung.
216B. C.Battle of Cannæ, in Italy, in which the Roman consuls were vanquished by Hannibal, with a loss of 40,000 men, including Paulus Æmylius, and 5,630 knights. The Carthaginians seemed not to know the use of victory.
987.Louis V(the lazy), king of France, poisoned by his wife, Blanche.
1342.John Cantacuzenus, the historian of his own times, and a defender of the faith, inaugurated emperor of Constantinople.
1420. Treaty of Troyes, by which Henry V of England was to marry Kate, daughter of Charles VII of France, and the two kingdoms to be united under Henry on the death of Charles.
1502. The island of St. Helena discovered.
1542.Ferdinand de Soto, a Spanish adventurer, died at the confluence of the Guacoya and Mississippi. He was a companion of Pizarro in his Peruvian expedition, and amassed great wealth; after which he became governor of Cuba. He fitted out an expedition to search Florida for more gold, and lost his life.
1643. Battle of Wakefield; the forces of Charles I defeated by the parliamentary troops.
1647.Peter Cornelius Hooft, one of the most eminent poets and prose writers of Holland, died.
1649. The commonwealth of England proclaimed.
1650.James Graham, marquis of Montrose, executed. He fought with great bravery in the royal cause; but being at length captured he was hung on a gallows 30 feet high at Edinburgh, and his quartered remains exposed over the city gates.
1682.Michael Angelo Ricci, an Italian cardinal, died; celebrated as a mathematician.
1718.Gaspard Abeille, a French poet and wit, died. His writings are not much esteemed.
1723.James Maboul, an eloquent French preacher, died; author ofOrationes Funebres.
1724.Robert Harley, earl of Oxford, died; an English statesman and literary character.
1745. British squadron captured French ship Vigilant, 64 guns, and 560 men, with a cargo valued at £60,000.
1762. British ships Active and Favorite captured the Spanish ship Hermione from Lima, with a cargo of $2,308,700. The four highest British officers shared $288,000 each.
1780. Village of Johnstown, New York, burnt by the tories.
1781. British fort Dreadnought surrendered to the Americans under Gen. Lee.
1782. American general Wayne defeated a considerable body of British under Col. Brown, near Savannah.
1789.John Hawkins, an English writer, died; author of aHistory of Musicin 5 vols. quarto.
1790.Thomas Warton, an English poet died; author of aHistory of Poetry, 3 vols.
1794. French under Dumas scaled mount Cenis.
1794. Bastia, in Corsica, surrendered to lord Hood.
1796. Battles of Tombio and Codogno; the French defeated the Austrians; the gallant French gen. La Harpe killed.
1799. ArchdukeCharlescrossed the Rhine into Switzerland.
1804. The first interment in the cemeteryof Pere la Chaise; it was laid out and prepared by order of Bonaparte.
1807. Dantzic surrendered to the French after a siege of 51 days. Its garrison at first consisted of 16,000; 4000 deserted; only 9000 were taken; 800 cannon and immense stores fell into the hands of the French.
1809. Battle of Essling, in Austria. It began by a furious attack upon the village of Asperne, which was taken and retaken several times. Essling sustained three attacks also. Night interrupted the action; the Austrians exulting in their partial success, Napoleon surprised that he should not have been wholly successful. On either side the carnage had been terrible, and the pathways of the village were literally choked with the dead.
1813. British attacked Sacketts Harbor.
1813. Battle of Bautzen, which had continued two days; the Prussians were driven from their position, and Napoleon advanced to Breslaw, leaving 12,000 Frenchmen in the searching claws of theirexecutors—the crows.
1826.George Reichenbach, a distinguished mechanical artist, died at Munich, where he had a noted manufactory of astronomical instruments, unsurpassed in the world.
1830.Leopoldof Saxe Coburg declined the throne of Greece, except on terms which the allied sovereigns would not accede to.
1832.George W. Rogers, an American commodore, died on board ship Warren, off Buenos Ayres.
1849.Maria Edgworth, the popular and distinguished authoress, died at her residence in Edgworthstown, Ireland.
1855. The ship canal round the falls of St. Mary's river, Michigan, was completed and accepted.
1855. The allied fleet of the French and English entered the Russian port of Petropaulowski, and found it deserted.
334B. C.Battle of the Granicus, in Bythinia, in which Alexander of Macedon defeated the Persians.
337.Constantine(the great), emperor of Rome, died. He was an able general and a sagacious politician; celebrated as the builder of Constantinople on the site of Byzantium, and as the first emperor who embraced Christianity.
1424.James I, of Scotland, crowned 18 years after his accession, since which he had been in captivity.
1498.Vasco de Gamalanded at Calicut, the first Indian port visited by a European vessel.
1542.Paul III, summoned the council of Trent; but was compelled to prorogue it, his own ecclesiastics only attending.
1555.John Peter Caraffaelected pope, and assumed the title of Paul IV.
1604. The first settlement made on the coast of Guiana, by captain Charles and sir Oliver Leigh.
1611.James I, instituted the order of Baronets, and elevated 75 families to that dignity.
1659.Richard Cromwell'sparliament dissolved by commission under the great seal, at the instance of Desborough.
1661. The solemn league and covenant burned by the common hangman at London, and afterwards throughout the country.
1667.Alexander VII(Fabio Chigi), pope, died; characterized as little in great things, and great in little ones. He was liberal towards men of letters, and embellished Rome with some splendid edifices.
1680. A vast luminous meteor appeared at Leipsic.
1688.John Andrew Quenstedtdied; a German divine, author of a Latin account of learned men down to 1600.
1690. Naval action at Cherbourg; British admiral Ashby destroyed 3 French ships of the line and several frigates, being part of Tourville's squadron.
1692. Action off La Hogue, commenced the night previous, between the combined English and Dutch fleets, admiral Russell, and the French fleet, which lost 16 sail.
1707. Battle of Stolhoffen, on the Rhine; French under Villars forced the lines of the allies.
1722.Sebastian Vaillant, a French botanist, died. He was originally organist to a convent.
1725.Robert Molesworth, an able English statesman, died. He rendered himself obnoxious to the clergy by insinuating that "religion is a pious craft, a useful state engine, but far inferior to the principles which in the school of Athens and Rome, incited their attentive youth to the love of their country, and to the practice of the moral virtues."
1734.Kouli Khan, defeated the Turkish army in Persia.
1745. Battle Jagernsdorf; Prussians defeated the imperialists.
1773.John Entick, an English clergyman and schoolmaster, died; author of theSpelling Dictionary, and other works.
1775. Meeting of provincial congress at New York.
1780. SirJohn Johnson, with a party of British and tories, burnt a mill and 33 houses at Johnson Hall, killed about adozen persons, destroyed all the sheep and cattle, and having dug up his silver plate decamped.
1781.John Baptist Beccaria, a learned Italian monk, died.
1782. Formosa, a large island in the Chinese sea, almost wholly inundated by volcanic agency, during a storm.
1794. Battle of Esperes; French defeated by the British, who took 500 prisoners and 700 cannon.
1795.Mungo Park, sailed from England on his first expedition to Africa, for the purpose of tracing the course of the Niger, and procuring information relative to the city of Timbuctoo, of which little more than the name was known.
1798.Bonaparteand the French fleet sailed from Toulon; at the same time lord Nelson's fleet was in a storm in the gulf of Lyons, not many leagues distant.
1809. Second battle of Essling; French recrossed the Danube.
1810.Charlotte Genevieve Louisa Augusta Andrea Timothee du Beaumont d'Eon, a French diplomatist, died, aged 82; memorable as a politician, but more so for having been discovered to be a female while on an embassy to England, in the year 1777.
1812. Action off the coast of France, between 2 British ships and 2 French 44 gun frigates, and a brig of 18 guns; the latter were destroyed.
1813. Battle of Reichenbach; 1500 French cavalry charged and overthrew the allied cavalry; but many divisions coming to their aid, the French were reinforced by 14,000 horse and cuirassiers and the allies compelled to retreat.
1813.Michael Duroc, a distinguished French general, killed by a cannon ball, which struck him as he stood conversing with Mortier and Kirgener, the latter of whom was also killed instantly.
1813. United States frigate Congress, Capt. Smith, captured the British brig Diana 10 guns.
1814.Joseph White, an eminent English divine, and oriental scholar, died. He was a weaver in humble life till his self-acquired attainments attracted patronage.
1819. The steamship Savannah, started from Savannah, Ga., for Liverpool, being the first passage of the Atlantic attempted by steam. She arrived in Liverpool on the 22d June, having consumed her fuel in ten days. She visited Stockholm and St. Petersburg before her return, which was in December following.
1819.Hugh Williamson, an American physician, scholar and statesman, died, aged 83. He assisted in framing the federal constitution, and made himself useful to his country in various ways.