"When Adam dalfe and Eve span,Who was then a gentleman?"
"When Adam dalfe and Eve span,Who was then a gentleman?"
"When Adam dalfe and Eve span,
Who was then a gentleman?"
1410.Alexander V, pope, died. He was originally a beggar, but found means to cultivate his mind, and rose by degrees in the church till he reached the pontifical chair. He is distinguished as a man of great firmness, liberal and munificent.
1481.Mahomet II, sultan of Turkey, died. He took Constantinople from the Christians, thereby driving many learned men into the West, which was a great cause of the restoration of learning in Europe.
1493. The pope issued agreat bull, by which the infidel world was divided between Ferdinand and Isabella on the one hand, and the Portuguese on the other. That is, the Spanish were granted the full right to all countries inhabited by infidels which they should discover west of an imaginary line drawn from pole to pole, at a distance of 100 leagues westward of the Azores, while the Portuguese were to have all east of that line.
1568.Dominique de Gourges, having destroyed the Spanish settlements in Florida, embarked for France. The Spaniards had seized the French settlements in the same places, and murdered the inhabitants. Gourges fitted out three vessels and 150 soldiers at his own expense to revenge their death, and repair the honor of his nation. The Spaniards were well fortified to the number of 400 in their forts; but de Gourges resolutely pressed forward, and after a desperate assault carried the forts. Those who escaped the massacre were hung upon the same trees on which the Frenchmen had previously been hung. The Spaniards had placed over their victims a label, signifying, "I do not this as to Frenchmen, but as to Lutherans." De Gourges replaced it with a tablet of fir wood, on which was graven the following: "I do not this as to Spaniards, nor as to mariners, but as to traitors, robbers and murderers."
1573. A border feud at Reedsquair, between the English and Scottish marchmen, in which the former were completely beaten. This skirmish was the last of any note between the two nations.
1621. Sentence of fine and imprisonment passed upon lord Bacon in the house of peers for bribery.
1649.Isaac Dorislausassassinated; a Dutchman who went from Leyden to England and read lectures on history at Cambridge. He was alternately royalist and republican during the civil wars; and was stabbed to the heart by some enthusiastic royalist while on an embassy to Holland.
1655. The English took the island of Jamaica from the Spanish.
1664. The earl of Tiviot, governor of Tangier, surprised and defeated by the Moors.
1697.Kaldan, khan of the Eleuts, who had for several years eluded the formidable armies sent against him annually fromChina, accompanied by the emperor himself, being finally reduced to the last extremity, and abandoned by his best subjects, put an end to his life by poison.
1702. LordCornburycommenced his administration of the government of New York.
1711.Richard Chiswell, a noted English printer and an extensive publisher, died.
1733.Richard Cox, lord chancellor of Ireland, died. He published a history of that kingdom.
1747. Naval battle between the English fleet under Anson and Warren, and the French fleet under M. de la Jonquiere, which was convoying six East India ships and a number of transports and merchantmen to Canada. After a regular and well fought battle, the French struck their colors. The loss of the French killed and wounded was 700; that of the British 500. The trophies of the victory were six men of war and all of their East India ships, and between four and five thousand prisoners. The treasure taken on board these vessels was afterwards conveyed to the bank of England in 20 wagons. The French loss by this defeat was estimated at one million and a half.
1759. A young woman in England who had laid a considerable wager that she could ride 1000 miles in 1000 hours, finished her match in a little more than two-thirds of that time. At her coming in the country people strewed flowers in her way.
1763.George Psalmanazar, a literary impostor, died. He was a native of France, and obtained a thorough education. After various adventures he arrived at London under the character of a Japanese converted to Christianity, was patronized by the great, and undertook to translate the catechism into Japanese, and wrote a history of the country. Some absurdities were detected, when he confessed himself an impostor, and afterwards subsisted by turning his pen to better employment.
1765. Sujah ulDowlahdefeated at Calpy, in India, by the British.
1776. SirPeter Parker'ssquadron of 20 sail arrived at Cape Fear river, with lord Cornwallis.
1784.Anthony Banezet, a philanthropist of Philadelphia, died. He was a native of France, and early engaged in mercantile pursuits, which he abandoned to devote his attention to objects of benevolence and philanthropy, in which he continued during a long life.
1793. Battle of Famars, in which the allies drove the French from their camp with great loss.
1794.James William Thouretguillotined; he was president of the national assembly when Louis XVI accepted the constitution of 1791.
1797. The first commencement of Union College for conferring degrees in the arts and sciences.
1797.Bonaparteinvaded Venice pretending that the Venetians had illtreated the French. This issued in republicanizing Venice and Genoa.
1799.Benjamin Flower, printer of theCambridge Intelligencer, was fined £100 and ordered by the house of lords to be imprisoned 6 months, for some freedom with the speech of bishop Llandaff.
1802.Peter Elmsly, a partner of the celebrated Paul Valliant, and himself an importer of books and no mean critic and linguist, died.
1810. LordByron, in emulation of Leander, swam the Dardanelles, from Abydos to Sestos. The distance, including the length he was carried by the current, was upwards of four miles; though the actual breadth is barely one.
1813. Havre de Grace, Maryland, burnt by the British.
1814.Bonapartearrived at the island of Elba, and Louis XVIII made his entrance into Paris.
1814.Thomas Coke, a methodist bishop in the United States, died. He became one of the assistants of Mr. Wesley, and was active in the service of the church. He wrote aCommentary on the Bible,History of the West Indies,&c.
1816.James McHenry, confident of Gen. Washington, and for some time secretary of war, died at Baltimore.
1818. Capt. Ross sailed from Shetland, on his first voyage for the discovery of the north-west passage.
1839.Fernando Paer, an Italian dramatic composer, died at Paris. He was a native of Parma; his pieces have been performed in Germany, France and Italy, with success.
1840.James Morison, self-styledThe Hygeist, died at Paris, aged 70. He was the inventor of the vegetable universal medicines, known asMorison's Pills, from which he realized great profits, and is said to have paid the English government in ten years £60,000 for medicine stamps.
1849. A serious insurrection occurred at Dresden, in Saxony, but was in a few days put down.
1852.Sarah Coleridgedied; the accomplished and only daughter of S. T. Coleridge. She translated from the Latin the curious works of Dobrizhoffer on Paraguay, 3 vols., and completed the editorial care of her father'sLiterary Remains, begun by her husband.
1853.John B. Gibson, an eminent Pennsylvania jurist, died at Philadelphia, aged73; at which time he was judge of the supreme court.
1856.Adolphe Charles Adam, the noted French music composer, died at Paris, aged 54.
1471. Battle of Tewkesbury, between the York partisans and the Lancastrians, in which the latter were defeated, and queen Margaret and her son Edward taken prisoners. The young prince was basely murdered on the spot, by the dukes of Gloucester and Clarence.
1605.Ulysses Aldrovand, a Bolognese philosopher, died. He was the most celebrated naturalist of the 16th century, and spent his life and exhausted his resources in the pursuit of science. He lost his sight, and ended his days in a hospital at the age of 80.
1643.Louis XIII(the just), king of France, died. He was guided in his conduct by the celebrated cardinal Richelieu, who, from motives of ambition, kept him at war during most of his reign.
1655.Giovanni Francesca Abela, a historian and ecclesiastic of Malta, died.
1668. A riot in London under pretence of destroying brothels. Four of the leaders taken and executed for treason. In the reign of some of the English kings the demolition of such houses would not have been adjudged treason.
1673.Richard Brathwaite, an English poet and miscellaneous writer, died. His works are numerous.
1677.Isaac Barrow, an eminent English mathematician and divine, died. His writings are numerous and valuable, and chiefly on mathematical subjects; his sermons are highly esteemed, and have been frequently edited.
1702. War declared against France and Spain, by England, Germany and Holland.
1729.Lewis Anthony de Noailles, a French cardinal, died. Though by birth duke of St. Cloud, he preferred the ecclesiastical state to political distinction.
1734.James Thornhilldied; an English historical painter.
1737.Eustace Budgell, the friend of Addison, drowned in the Thames. He turned his attention to polite literature, contributed to theSpectator,Tatler,GuardianandCraftsman, and published two volumes of biography.
1768.Charles Stephen Louis Camusdied, a learned French mathematician.
1786.George Gordon, an English nobleman, who it is said submitted to circumcision, avowed Judaism, and was excommunicated from the church of Mary le Bone.
1791. The pope burnt in effigy at Paris.
1799. Seringapatam, a city of Hindostan, taken by storm by the British, under Gen. Harris. Tippoo Saib was slain, with 8,000 of his men. The treasure found in the city amounted to £3,000,000; 2,200 cannon, and an immense booty, fell into the hands of the conquerors, and the once powerful kingdom of Mysore was extinguished.
1804. The conservative senate sent a deputation to Bonaparte, expressing their desire that he would accept the title of emperor.
1813. Heavy rain retarded the firing on fort Meigs; 220 cannon shot were fired; 2 killed, several wounded. The rifle was more used this day than on any other.
1831.Mehemet Ali, pasha of Egypt, employed upwards of 70,000 men in excavating, cleansing and lining canals in his territories.
1842. Great fire at Hamburg, in Germany, destroyed 2,000 houses.
1843.James P. Preston, formerly governor of Virginia, died at Smithfield, aged 69. He commanded a regiment in the war of 1812, and was maimed for life in the battle of Chrystler's fields.
1854.Alexander Witherspoon, a New York physician, died at Washington, aged 37; a medical writer remarkable for the exactness of his observations and the clearness of his statements.
1854.John Matthewsdied, aged 70. He served with distinction as a general officer in the war of 1812-15; and for a period of fifteen years was a representative in the state legislature of Maryland.
1856.John Collins Warren, a distinguished Boston physician, died, aged 77. He was the first successful competitor for the Franklin medal. He had a long and brilliant career as a physician, and during the latter years of his life devoted much time to the study of the natural sciences, and collected a valuable museum, among which was the most perfect skeleton of the mastodon known to exist.
1421. A holy convocation at Canterbury decreed that a bishop's barber should not receive a fee from any one on whom the bishop had conferred holy orders.
1432.Francesco Bussone di Carmagnola, count de Castlenuovo, executed. He was a celebrated Italian general, first in the service of the duke of Milan, afterwards led the Venetian army to repeated victories. His fortune at length turned, when the senate suspecting him of treachery, he was tortured and condemned to death.
1526.Frederick(the wise), elector of Savoy, died. He was one of the first and most zealous friends of Luther.
1529.Paulus Æmilius, a learned Italian, died. He was invited to France, where he employed a great number of years in writing a history of the French kings, but did not live to finish it.
1556. The company of London stationers received their first charter from Philip and Mary, under the title of "The master and keepers or wardens, and commonalty, of the mystery or art of the stationers of the city of London."
1586.Henry Sidney, an English statesman, died. He was the favorite of Edward VI, and afterwards employed by Mary and Elizabeth.
1618. OneWilliams, a barrister, arraigned for libeling the king, was executed.
1643. Parliament of England ordered theBook of Sportsto be burned by the common hangman.
1670.Francis Annibal d'Estrees, a French statesman, died, aged 98. He distinguished himself by several military exploits, and wrote some valuable historical works.
1682.William Penn, published in England his frame of government for the colony of Pennsylvania.
1687. A proclamation was issued by government to establish a manufactory for white paper in England.
1700.Stephen Morin, a French protestant divine, died at Amsterdam. He was professor of oriental languages; his dissertations on various subjects of criticism and antiquity were highly esteemed.
1705.Leopold I, emperor of Germany, died. He was long engaged in sanguinary war with the Turks and the French, who pillaged and destroyed his frontier towns.
1706. Lateral eruption of the peak of Teneriffe. A volcano opened at the south side, towards the port of Garachico, and in a few hours not an edifice of that populous city was left standing.
1710.Nicholas Joseph Poisson, a French priest, died. He was the friend of Descartes, and a philosopher; distinguished for his eloquence and as an author.
1751.John Pichondied; a French Jesuit and an author.
1757. Battle of Prague, between the Prussians under Frederick the great and the Austrians. The Prussians were victorious, after a bloody contest, in which the distinguished general, count Schwerin, was killed. Austrian loss 24,000; Prussian loss 18,000.
1760.Lawrence Shirley, earl of Feraro, executed at Tyburn for the murder of his steward. He was a man of no mean mental acquirements, but passionate and often inflamed by inebriety.
1776. Congress declared the authority of England over the thirteen colonies abolished.
1785.Thomas Davies(aliasHonest Tom Davies), an English author, died. He was educated at the university of Edinburgh, became an actor, afterwards a bookseller, turned strolling player, married Miss Yarrow, an actress of great beauty, returned to bookselling, became bankrupt, was relieved by the assistance of Dr. Johnson, wrote theLife of Garrick, several other biographies and innumerable miscellanies, and was entrusted with the publication of Granger'sBiographical History of England.
1789.Joseph Baretti, an Italian lexicographer, died. He emigrated to England, where he published an Italian and English dictionary, and assisted Dr. Johnson in compiling his dictionary.
1789. Assembly of the states general of France, at Versailles. This may be called the first day of the revolution, although the object of the meeting was to prevent such a catastrophe.
1795. The law went into operation in England imposing a tax on wearing hair powder.
1802. Cleopatra's coffin, head of the Theban ram, and other Egyptian curiosities, arrived in England.
1804. France formed into an empire.
1808.Peter John George Cabanis, a French physician, died. He was the friend of Mirabeau, sat in the council of 500, and in the senate of Napoleon acquired great reputation for talent, learning and benevolence. His works are published in 7 volumes.
1811. Battle of Fuentes d'Onor, in Portugal; the French repulsed with great loss, by the British under Wellington.
1813. Battle at Fort Meigs; Gen. Clay arrived with 1,000 Kentucky militia and volunteers, attacked the British, carried their batteries and spiked their cannon; but having pressed too far in pursuit, were met by a reinforcement of Indians, and in turn defeated, so that only 150 escaped. The British had fired 143 cannon shot into the fort before the arrival of Gen. Clay. American loss, 64 killed, 124 wounded, exclusive of Clay's loss. British stated their loss at 103, killed, wounded and missing, and that they had taken 495 American prisoners.
1814.Napoleonlanded at Elba at an early hour in disguise, with a sergeant's company of marines. He made a formal landing at 2 in the afternoon, and was welcomed by the people with acclamation.
1821.Napoleon Bonapartedied at St. Helena, in the 52d year of his age, and the6th of his exile, to the great relief of the British nation. He commenced in 1795 that unparalleled career of military achievements, which continued to agitate Europe for 20 years, and terminated with the battle of Waterloo, 1815.
1822.Thomas Truxton, an American naval officer, died. He distinguished himself in the revolutionary war, and also in the war with France of 1799, after which he retired from the navy, and died in Philadelphia.
1827.Frederick Augustus I, king of Saxony, died, aged 77; a wise and benevolent monarch, who devoted the energy of his mind to promote the welfare of his subjects.
1846.John Pickering, an eminent American philologist, died at Boston, aged 60. He commenced the practice of the law, and distinguished himself as a jurist; but his reputation rests chiefly on his attainments as a scholar, and on his literary and scientific labors, which were of great service to the cause of learning in this country. He published a vocabulary of Americanisms, and a Greek and English lexicon.
1848. Opening of the national assembly of France, after the abdication of Louis Philippe.
1853. His other demands having been conceded, prince Menschikoff sent in an ultimatum to the Turkish divan, demanding for the emperor of Russia the protectorate of the Greek church Christians in Turkey.
1853. A new planet was discovered at the observatory of Bilk, at Dusseldorf, by Prof. Luther.
356.B. C.Marcius Rutilus, the first dictator elected from the plebeians, entered Rome in triumph from his victories over the Etrurians.
1527. The imperialists under the duke of Bourbon, took Rome by assault and plundered it. The duke was killed by a musket ball. He had been disgraced at the French court, and was now in the service of Charles V of Germany.
1540.John Lewis Vives, a learned Spaniard, died. He resided some time at the court of Henry VIII of England, where he was imprisoned for opposing the divorce of Catharine of Arragon.
1562.Paul de la Barthe, lord of Thermes, a French general, died, aged 80. He was distinguished in the wars of his country by several important victories.
1569. The first English lottery, which commenced drawing on the 11th January (q. v.), and had been continued day and night, finished on this day. It consisted of 400,000 lots of 10s. each. The prizes were plate, and the profits were to be expended in repairing the havens of the kingdom.
1631.Robert Bruce Cotton, an eminent English antiquary, died. His writings are numerous and valuable, and he did great service to learning by leaving his valuable library to the use of posterity, in the British museum.
1643. Battle of Stratton, in which the parliamentary army under the earl of Stamford was attacked by the Cornish royalists, who, although far inferior in numbers, gained a complete victory, taking the camp of the enemy, all their artillery, baggage and provisions, and many prisoners.
1667.Samuel Bochart, a learned French protestant divine, died. He was distinguished as an oriental scholar, and died while delivering an oration at the academy of Caen.
1673. The island of St. Helena retaken by the English.
1712.Garien de sieur de Sandras Courtlitz, a French author, died. His works were numerous, and some of them political, for which he was confined in the bastile nine years.
1739.Kouli Khan, after pillaging the capital of Hindostan, and slaughtering 150,000 of its inhabitants, departed from the city, leaving his son Mohammed Schah on the throne.
1743.Andrew Michael Ramsay, a Scottish historian and philosopher, died. He spent much of his time in France, with Fenelon and Turenne, where he died.
1763.John Wilkesreleased from the tower by the memorable sentence of chief justice Pratt. (SeeApril 30).
1766.Samuel Squire, bishop of St. David's died; a poetical, historical and antiquarian writer of note.
1766. LordHoweand Gen.Howeappointed commissioners for restoring peace to the British colonies.
1766.Thomas Arthur Lally, an Irish officer in the service of France, executed. He fought against the British in the East Indies with great bravery, but had become so unpopular, that on being defeated he was imprisoned and condemned for treason.
1780. Fort Moultrie, on Sullivan's island, surrendered to the British, who bombarded Charleston at the same time.
1782.Stephen Mignol de Montignidied at Paris; eminent as a mechanic and a man of science, who introduced several useful manufactures into France.
1790.John James Gesnerdied; professor in the university at Zurich, and a noted Swiss author.
1796.Adolphus F. F. L. Knigge, a German author, died. His works were various, and his novels once popular. Hewas a member of the illuminati, and implicated in some of the disputes relating to that order.
1801. Action of Barcelona, between British ship Speedy, 14 guns 54 men, lord Cochrane, and Spanish frigate El Gamo, 32 guns 319 men. British loss, killed and wounded 11, Spanish loss, 55.
1802.Samuel McDonalddied, aged 40. He served under the British with the Sutherland fencibles, and afterwards as fugleman in the royals. He was six feet ten inches in height, and his strength is represented to have been prodigious. He continued active till his 35th year, when he began to decline, and died of water in the chest.
1811.William Boscawen, an English poet and miscellaneous writer, died. His translation of Horace is preferred by some critics to that of Dr. Francis.
1814. Battle of Oswego. The town was attacked the second time by the British, 1,600 soldiers and sailors, and two companies of Glengarians, under Gen. Drummond. The Americans, about 300, under Col. Mitchell, gallantly defended the place, till they were compelled to retreat before an overwhelming force, after securing their stores. American loss, killed 6, wounded 38, missing 25; British, 94.
1839.William Lenoir, an officer of the revolution, died. He bore a distinguished part in the war in South Carolina, and was closely identified with the early history of the state. He held various civil offices, was a justice of the peace about 60 years, and for many years a member of the state legislature. He was distinguished for integrity, firmness and patriotism.
1840.Demetrius Augustine Galitzin, son of prince de Galitzin, one of the first nobility of Russia, died in poverty at Loretto, Pa., aged 70. He left the princely halls of his ancestors, and spent thirty years in a rude log cabin in America, almost denying himself the comforts of life, that he might devote his days to religion, and assist the poor and distressed. Few have left behind them such examples of charity and benevolence.
1840.Francisco Paula de Santander, formerly president of the republic of New Granada, died at Bogota, aged 48. When the revolution began to agitate the country he embarked in the cause of independence, and soon rose to distinction as an officer in the army.
1844. Fearful rioting in Philadelphia between the native Americans and Irish.
1848. Engagement between the Austrians and Piedmontese before Verona; great loss on both sides.
1848. Gen.Folque, a veteran officer, died at Lisbon, Portugal, aged 102.
1853. The drawbridge of the New York and New Haven rail road having been carelessly left open at Norwalk, the cars were thrown into the water; forty-five persons were killed, and many severely injured.
1856. An accident occurred on the Panama rail road, recently put in operation, by which 43 persons were killed, and 60 wounded.
1856.William Hamilton, a distinguished Scottish metaphysician, died at Edinburgh, where he was professor of logic and metaphysics, and became more widely known by his volume ofEssays.
431B. C.The war which wasted the Athenians for 27 years, commonly called the Peloponnesian war, began May 7th.
399B. C.Socrates, the greatest of the ancient philosophers, died. He was put to death by the Athenians on a charge of atheism, and corrupting the youth.
973.Otho(the great), emperor of Germany, died. He was an active and valiant prince, who made himself respected by the powers of Europe.
1253.Rubruquius(or Ruysbroeck) landed at Soldaia, on the Black sea, on his way to discover a Christian people, who were said to inhabit the centre of Tartary. On this embassy he explored that country, and though unsuccessful in the object of his mission, he brought back a fund of curious information, which after the lapse of centuries is still about the best picture we possess of Tartar life. But few have been among them in their native wilds since then, and those who have, like Marco Polo, John Bell and Timkowsky, confirm most of his details.
1402. Battle of Nisbeth, between the English and Scottish forces, in which 10,000 of the latter were slain.
1588. LordBurleigh, as chancellor of Cambridge, issued rules for reforming the apparel and other "disorders" of the scholars: "and that the excess of colored shirtbands and ruffs, exceeding one inch and a half (saving for the sons of noblemen), be avoided presently; and that no scholar do wear any long locks of hair upon his head, but that he be polled after the manner of the gravest scholars, under pain of 6s. 8d."
1621.John Guillimdied; rouge-croix pursuivant at arms, and author of a celebrated work calledThe Display of Heraldry.
1621.John Suckling, an English poet, died. He also signalized himself as a soldier under Gustavus Adolphus.
1660. The king's statue was again set up in Guild hall, London, and the states arms taken down.
1768.Patrick Delanydied; an eminent divine and theological writer of Ireland, better known now as the friend and correspondent of Dean Swift.
1676.Henry de Valois(Henricus Valesius) died; a French critic of great abilities and learning.
1776. The American army under Gen. Thomas, on their retreat from before Quebec, took up their line of march at 1 in the morning, and reached Point de Chambault. At Jaques Cartier they had but one batteau to cross the army over with, and were fired upon during the whole time by two frigates.
1777.Charles de Brosses, president of the parliament of Burgundy, died. He is the author of several useful works.
1778. British took possession of Bordentown, N. J. They burnt 4 store-houses and about 40 vessels.
1794.Robespierreappeared before the French convention as theChampion of the Supreme Being! It was thought advisable to found a religion, and it was necessary first to enact a supreme being, forGod had been abolished by a decree of the convention. The tyrant made an eloquent speech, and concluded by declaring the real temple of the supreme being to be the universe; his worship, virtue; his festivals the joy of a great nation. His propositions were carried by acclamation, and a solemn festival proclaimed, which under the arrangement of David, the painter, was a magnificent affair.
1795.Anthony Quentin Fouquier Tinville, a notorious French revolutionist, guillotined. As public accuser, he caused the death of immense numbers, of all ages and either sex.
1796.Bonaparteand the army of the French republic crossed the Po at Placenza.
1800.Nicholas Piccini, an eminent musical composer, died at Naples.
1811.Richard Cumberlanddied; eminent as a British poet, essayist, novelist and dramatic writer. The number of his works is very extraordinary, as was also his vanity.
1825.John Gabriel Chasteler, governor of Venice, died. He was a Spanish grandee of the first rank, entered the Austrian service, and distinguished himself in several engagements with the French. He possessed a chivalrous and cultivated mind, and spoke 12 languages.
1830. Treaty between the United States and Turkey signed at Constantinople, securing to the United States the free navigation of the Black sea, and the trade of the Turkish empire.
1838.Mary Sprousedied in Albemarle county, Va., aged 99. She was in the practice of carrying poultry, vegetables, &c., to market at Charlottesville, a distance of 8 miles, on foot, till within a few weeks of her death.
1838.Thomas Bradford, the oldest master printer in America, died at Philadelphia, aged 94. He was the successor of Dr. Franklin as editor, and entered upon the business in 1763. During the revolutionary war he was commissary-general to the Pennsylvania division, and printer to congress. He was long known as a distinguished printer, editor and publisher.
1840. A tremendous tornado passed over the city of Natchez, very destructive to life and property. Almost every building in the city was more or less injured, many being utterly demolished. The amount of property destroyed was estimated at $1,500,000; and 317 persons were killed.
1840.Thomas Barnes, principal editor of theTimesnewspaper, died in London, aged 56. He was unquestionably the most accomplished and powerful political writer of the day, and particularly excelled in the portraiture of public men.
1842. The island of Hayti destroyed by an earthquake. Not a single town escaped without some casualty. Thousands of lives were lost, and property to an incalculable extent was destroyed. Cape Haytien was entirely leveled with the ground, and of 12,000 inhabitants, one half were buried under the ruins, and of those which escaped, a great part perished by fire and other disasters which followed. Bands of armed negroes came in the next day to plunder, and stabbed and shot the wounded wherever they found them, for the jewels and clothing they wore.
1844. It was discovered that all the watches on board the British schooner Henry Curwen, and the chronometer, had stopped, and on referring to the three compasses on board, they were found to point different ways, and were entirely useless. In about two hours afterward the watches and chronometer recommenced going, and the compasses resumed their position. This occurred in 44° north, and 32° 35´ long., at 4A. M.
1848. The Polish insurgents surrendered to the Prussian troops, after great slaughter, at Posen.
1848. Insurrection at Madrid, when many lives were lost.
1848. The Indians, who were in a state of insurrection in Yucatan against the Spanish population, entered the town of Marie, and butchered 200 of the inhabitants, besides committing other outrages.
1849. Gen.Worthdied at San Antonio de Bexar of cholera.
1849.Macready, the English tragedian,hissed from the stage of the Astor opera house in New York.
1852.James Savage, a distinguished London architect, died, aged 74. TheGentleman's Magazinecontains a long list of the bridges and churches which attest his reputation and skill.
1854. The gallery of the Catholic church at Erie, Pa., fell, crushing the people below, and killing and wounding several persons.
685. PopeBenedict IIdied.
1360. The treaty called thegreat peacesigned at Bretigni, by which Edward III renounced all his claims to the French crown and its territories.
1429. The siege of Orleans was abandoned. At dawn, the English army was discovered at a small distance from the walls, drawn up in battle array, and braving the enemy to fight in the open field. After waiting for some hours, the signal was given; the long line of forts, the fruit of 7 months' labor, was instantly in flames and the soldiers, with mingled feelings of shame and regret, turned their backs to the enemy. This was one of the inexplicable feats of Joan d'Arc.
1493.FerdinandandIsabellaconfirmed, at Barcelona, the appointment of Columbus, on his return from the new world. "The office of admiral of the said ocean,which is ours, commences by a line, which we have ordered to be marked, passing from the Azores to the cape de Verd islands, from the north to the south, from pole to pole; so that all which is beyond the aforesaid line to the west is ours, and belongs to us; and of all this we create our admiral, you and your children."
1532.Francis Alvarez Paezdied; a Portuguese divine of the order of the Cordeliers, and an author.
1535.Henry VIIIof England had hishead shaved, and commanded all about his court to follow his example.
1538.Edward Fox, an English prelate and statesman, died. He was the principal pillar of the reformation in England.
1572. DameDorothy Packingtonsent the trusty and well beloved Thos. Lichfield and George Borden to be her burgess in parliament, informing the queen that whatever they might do in her service in parliament should receive her (Dorothy's) approval.
1638.Cornelius Janseniusdied; founder of the Jansenists, who gave the pope and the Jesuits much trouble in Europe.
1655.Edward Winslowdied; one of the first settlers of Plymouth colony, Mass., and afterwards its governor. He joined the fleet sent over by Cromwell to attack St. Domingo, the only place of strength which the Spaniards had in Hispaniola, and died at sea, aged 60. His marriage was the first that was celebrated in the colony.
1657.Cromwellrefused the title of king of England.
1659. A remnant of the long parliament assembled during the anarchy, and has been termed therump.
1662.Peter Heylin, an English historian, died. He was an able and indefatigable writer, principally known by hisDescription of the great World, andHistory of the Reformation.
1676. Bridgewater, Mass., invaded by the Indian enemy, and 17 buildings laid in ashes.
1703.Vincent Alsopdied; a presbyterian clergyman, who attacked Dr. Sherlock with great wit and some seriousness.
1725. Capt.John Lovewell, with a party of 36 men, encouraged by his former success against the Indians (seeFeb. 20), undertook an expedition against Pigwacket, on Saco river, was ambuscaded, and himself and a great part of his men killed. They made a brave resistance, determined to die rather than yield, and by their well directed fire thinned the number of the savages so that their cries became fainter, and they finally left the field, carrying off their dead.
1729.William King, archbishop of Dublin, died; author of a celebrated treatise on the origin of evil.
1744.Giles Jacobdied; an English law writer, biographer, and lexicographer.
1758.Benedict XIV(Prosper Lambertini), pope, died. His character was that of a learned, liberal-minded and benevolent man. His works fill 16 vols. folio.
1775. The great tunnel at Norwood hill, through which the Chesterfield and Trent canal was to pass, was opened; its length nearly 1¾ miles.
1779.Charles Hardy, an English admiral, died. He was two years governor of New York, and was appointed commander in chief of the western squadron, 1779.
1782.Sebastian Joseph Carvallo de Pombal, a Portuguese statesman, died. He displayed great wisdom and abilities in the offices to which he was promoted; and under his munificence and patriotism the city of Lisbon rose from her ruins by the earthquake, in new splendor and increased magnificence.
1793. Battle of Vicogne, the French defeated by the Austrians under Clairfait, after an obstinate action and great carnage.
1793.Jas. RidgwayandH. D. Symonds,booksellers in London, severely fined and sentenced to 4 years imprisonment for selling the books of Thomas Payne.
1794.Anthony Lawrence Lavoisier, a French chemist, guillotined. His philosophical researches were of great service to science, and of practical utility to his country; he was condemned on the most frivolous pretexts.
1799.Bonapartemade an unsuccessful attempt to carry St. Jean d'Acre by assault.
1806.Robert Morris, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, died. He was one of the most extensive merchants in America, and in 1781 was appointed to the control of the government finances, where the services he rendered the country were of the utmost importance. The army was frequently supplied by his own personal credit. It is painful to add, that the latter years of his life were passed in prison, where he was confined for debt.
1813. The Americans evacuated York, Upper Canada, after burning the blockhouses, barracks and king's stores.
1815.David Ramsay, an American physician and historian, died. By unwearied industry and economy of time he was enabled, amidst an extensive practice, to publish several important histories, and left others in manuscript.
1815. Saxony dismembered, and a great part of the kingdom given to Prussia.
1816. The United States ship Washington, 74 guns, put to sea, being the first American ship of the line afloat.
1822.John Stark, a major general in the revolutionary army, died, aged 93. By his skill and intrepidity the first step was achieved towards the capture of Burgoyne, by the defeat of colonel Baum in the battle of Bennington.
1829.Charles Abbot, lord Colchester, died; a British statesman.
1842. More than 70 lives lost by a rail road accident between Versailles and Paris among whom were the celebrated navigator, admiral Dumont d'Urville and his wife and children.
1846. Battle of Palo Alto. The Americans, 2,000, under Gen. Taylor, were attacked on their return from Point Isabel, by 5,000 Mexicans. The former fought their way through the Mexican lines, dispersing the enemy, capturing their baggage and artillery, and several of their superior officers.
1848. Great hail storm at Charleston, S. C.; some of the stones that fell were 7½ inches in circumference.
1852. The emperor of Russia visited the emperor of Austria at Vienna, and two days afterwards reviewed the Austrian troops, consisting of 20,000 infantry and 10,000 artillery and cavalry.
1853.John Farrar, a distinguished American mathematician, died, aged 54. He gave the active portion of his life to the service of Harvard college, to which he brought great natural tastes and aptitudes, habits of persevering labor, and deep conscientiousness.
1854. The sultan of Turkey gave a grand banquet in honor of Napoleon.
1855.Jane Davy, widow of sir Humphrey Davy, died in London; conspicuous in literary circles for her accomplishments, unwearied conversation and physical activity.
1502.Columbussailed from Cadiz, with four vessels and 140 men and boys, in search of a passage to the South sea, being his fourth voyage across the Atlantic. It was a disastrous expedition for the admiral, against whom the elements seem to have joined his countrymen, to complete the ruin of his fortunes.
1657.William Bradford, second governor of Plymouth colony, died. He removed to America with the first settlers of the colony, and was their governor thirty years. He wrote a history of the colony from 1602 to 1646, which was deposited in the library of the old south church in Boston, where it fell a sacrifice to the fury of the British, 1775.
1657. A secret treaty signed at Paris between Louis XIV and Cromwell, for "the ruin and destruction of the proud and tyrannical monarchy of Spain."
1760.Nicholas Lewis Zinzendorf, a German count, died; founder of the sect of Moravians, or Hernhutters.
1767.Cassiniobserved, by the position of certain spots, the revolution of the planet Venus on its axis.
1768.Bonnell Thorntondied; an English poet, essayist and miscellaneous writer, and translator of Plautus.
1776.Ellen Ellisat Beumaris in Anglesey gave birth to a child in her 72d year.
1781. British generals Arnold and Philips took Wilmington, Va.
1781. Spaniards took Pensacola and all Florida.
1791.Francis Hopkinson, one of the signers, died. He was judge of the admiralty court of Pennsylvania; his writings abound with wit, humor and satire.
1794.Charles Henry d'Estaing, a French admiral, guillotined. He was commander of the French squadron in the American war; and at the revolution in France became member of the assembly of notables.
1799. Sally from the garrison of St. Jean d'Acre, when they succeeded in spiking 4 cannon within the French lines.
1803.Robert Chambersdied at Paris; a learned English judge and orientalist.
1805.Frederick Schiller, an eminent German dramatist, died. He is also the author of a history of the revolt of the Netherlands from Spain.
1813. The siege of fort Meigs raised. It had continued 13 days, and it was computed that 1760 cannon balls and shells had been fired at the fort, by which 17 were killed and 66 wounded.
1832.Israel Thorndike, a Boston merchant, died. He possessed a talent for business which enabled him to accumulate the largest fortune ever acquired in New England, amounting to nearly two millions. In 1818 he purchased the valuable library of professor Ebeling, of Hamburg, 4,000 vols., and presented it to Harvard university. This library is considered the most valuable and extensive in American history and antiquities, ever collected.
1832.Camillo Philip Louis Borghese, an Italian prince of immense wealth, died. He was an officer under Bonaparte, whose sister he married. After the abdication of the emperor, he broke up all connection with the Bonaparte family, and separated from his wife.
1836.Caleb P. Bennett, governor of the state of Delaware, died, aged 78. He was the last surviving officer of the Delaware regiment in the revolutionary army.
1846. Battle of Resaca de la Palma and death of major Samuel Ringgold, whose place of sepulture in Baltimore is surrounded by an inclosure of Mexican bayonets.
1846.Charles Turner Torreydied in the jail at Baltimore, Maryland, while sustaining an imprisonment for a breach of the laws of Maryland in relation to kidnapping slaves.
1853. An earthquake completely destroyed Schiraz in Persia; 12,000 lives were lost.
1854. An imperial ukase in Russia called for nine men out of every thousand souls of the "eleventh ordinary partial levy in the eastern portion of the empire," and, independently of this, three recruits out of every thousand souls to bring up arrears; the Jews furnishing ten men out of a thousand.
664. The memorable pestilence in Ireland began.
1307. Battle of Loudown hill; Bruce defeated Aylmer de Valence, earl of Pembroke.
1422.Henry Vreduced Meaux, after a siege of 7 months.
1503.Columbusdiscovered the Tortugas islands.
1547.Charles Vsummoned Wittenberg, defended by Sibylla, wife of the elector of Saxony; refusing to surrender, he ordered a court-martial who condemned her husband, then a prisoner, to death.
1574. QueenElizabethissued her royal license under seal, for the performance of stage plays; the first establishment of a regular company of players in England.
1611. SirThomas Dalearrived at the Jamestown colony, with 3 ships, 300 people, 12 cows, 20 goats, and all things needful. Lord Baltimore had previously left for England on account of his health, and Dale took command. Sir Thomas Gates arrived in August following, with 6 ships, 280 men, 20 women, 100 cattle, 200 hogs, and military stores, and assumed the government. These added to the 200 left by lord Baltimore, swelled the number to 800.
1631. Magdeburg taken by the Austrians under general Tilly, by assault, and given up to pillage, massacre and fire, only two churches and some ruins remaining.
1632.Louis de Marillac, marechal of France, beheaded. He conspired against Richelieu, to whom he was indebted for much of his good fortune, and to whose resentment he fell a victim.
1641.John Bannierdied; a Swedish general under Gustavus Adolphus.
1646.Manuel d'Almeida, a Portuguese Jesuit, died; a missionary to India 40 years, and author of a work on Ethiopia.
1649. GovernorEndicott, and other influential men in Massachusetts, formed an association against wearing long hair!
1671. The English admiral Sprague destroyed 12 Algerine pirate ships at Bugea, a seaport of Algiers.
1696.John de la Bruyere, a noted French author, died. HisCharacters, in imitation of Theophrastus, is a work of established excellence, and descriptive of the manners of that age.
1733.Barton Boothdied; a celebrated tragedian in the reign of queen Anne, author of some songs and minor pieces.
1773. An act of parliament passed, authorizing the East India company to export their own tea, duty 3d. per pound; in consequence of this act they determined to send it to New York, Philadelphia and Boston. In October of the same year the Americans refused to receive it.
1774.Louis XVof France died, in the 60th year of his reign. He outlived the respect of his subjects.
1775. ColonelsAllenandArnoldsurprised Ticonderoga, which surrendered, without the loss of a man. Crown-point was taken by them the same day.
1775.Carolina Matilda, the divorced queen of Denmark, died at Zell, aged 24: youngest sister of George III.
1779. Portsmouth and Norfolk, Va., taken by the British, and many vessels, stores and houses destroyed.
1781. LordRawdonevacuated Camden, after destroying the public and private houses, and much of his own baggage.
1784.Anthony Court de Gebelin, a French writer, died; celebrated as the author ofThe Primitive World compared with the Modern, a work which the French academy were so well satisfied with that they twice decreed him the annual prize of 1,200 livres for the best work.
1790. TheGabelle Taxin France was abolished. This was a duty on salt capricious and unequal in its operation, which notwithstanding had continued since the beginning of the 14th century.
1793.Clairfaitattacked and carried the wood of Hasnon; the slaughter of the French was great.
1794. Battle of Tournay and defeat of the French by the British and Austrians under the duke of York.
1794.Elizabethof France, sister of Louis XVI, guillotined.
1796. Battle of Lodi, in which Bonaparte gained an important victory over the Austrians, under the veteran general Beaulieu. The long narrow bridge which led to the city, was defended by 30 pieces of cannon. The French generals put themselves at the head of 3000 grenadiers, and in the face of a murderous fire crossed the bridge over the dead bodies of their comrades, who were mowed down by hundreds, and took possession of the Austrian batteries. The loss was about 3,000 men on each side. This was one of the most striking military achievements of Bonaparte. It was on this occasion that he received the title ofthe little corporal.
1796. The Babeuf conspiracy was discovered by the council of 500 in Paris. Babeuf and Darthe, the principal leaders were secured and executed, which completely crushed the Jacobin power.
1809. The Swedish diet renounced all allegiance to Gustavus IV, and deprived him and his heirs of the crown.
1811. French evacuated Almeida, after destroying everything, and the next day they abandoned Portugal entirely.
1824.John Guthrie, the celebrated Edinburgh bookseller of the firm of Guthrie & Jait, died. Like Benjamin Franklin he wheeled home his own purchases.
1831.John Trumbull, an American poet, died. He was for many years judge of a court in Connecticut, and is known as the author of the popular poem,McFingal.
1831. Battle of Terlepe; 20,000 Albanians under the pasha of Scodra defeated by the Turks under the grand vizier.
1837. All the banks in the city of New York without exception, and by common consent, stop specie payments. The banks throughout the Union adopted the same course.
1848. A very destructive fire occurred in Detroit, Michigan. The houses were of wood principally on leased land.
1849. The city of Leghorn taken by the Tuscan troops.
1849. Astor house opera riot in the city of New York.
1853.Ashbel Strong Norton, an American preacher, died, aged 87. He was born in Farmington, Ct., graduated at Yale college in 1790; filled the pastoral office at Clinton, N. Y., with distinguished usefulness and success forty years, during which he was largely concerned in laying the foundations of social and religious institutions in central New York.
1853. The pope prohibited the circulation ofUncle Tom's Cabin, an American novel, in his dominions.
1855. A mob of armed men destroyed the Birch creek reservoir, in Clay county, Indiana, connected with the Wabash and Erie canal.
1491B. C.The Egyptians under Pharaoh drowned in the Red sea.
1153.David I, of Scotland, died. He was earl of Northumberland and Huntington, and married the daughter of the king of England, for whom he claimed the throne on the death of her father. He was a mild and popular king.
1310.James de Molai, grand master, and 54 knights of the temple, publicly burned at Paris, under the decree of an archiepiscopal council. They were condemned on confessions of Islamism and paganism, extorted by the rack, and afterwards retracted.
1537. A terrible and destructive eruption of Mount Ætna.
1553. Three vessels sailed from England, under Sir Hugh Willoughby, to explore the northern seas. By this voyage an inlet was discovered to the White sea and the bay of Archangel, and an almost exclusive commerce established with Russia in that quarter.
1554.Francisco de Orellanasailed from St. Lucar, in Spain, with 4 ships and 400 men, for the purpose of exploring the river Amazon. He forced his way up about 120 leagues, and meeting with disasters by which he lost his ships and the greater part of his men, he turned aboutand died on his way back. "Orellana was verywarmlyreceived by armed swift-footed females, which originated the fanciful nameAmazonia."
1676. The Indians assaulted the town of Plymouth, Mass., and burned 11 houses and 5 barns; and two days after they burned 7 houses and 2 barns, and the remaining houses in Namasket.
1686.Otho Guericke, a Prussian philosopher, died. He was the most celebrated mathematician of his time, and invented the air pump.
1690. Charlemont, in Ireland, taken by the English.
1696. The Reformed Dutch church at New York incorporated.
1723.Jean Gualbert de Campistron, a French poet, died. He is thought to be little inferior to Racine in the merit of his dramatic compositions.
1743. Several tons of leaden pipe were dug up in Fleet street, London, laid down 300 years before.
1749.Catharine Cockburn, an English poetress, died. She produced the tragedy ofAgnes de Castroin her 17th year, which was followed by several others. She possessed also a great and philosophic mind, and wrote an able defence of Locke.
1776. At an action near Charleston, S. C., between count Pulaski and the British, Major Huger of the American army was killed by mistake.
1778.William Pitt, earl of Chatham, a most illustrious English statesman, died. He was the friend of liberty and justice, and eloquent in their cause.
1781. Orangeburgh surrendered to the American Gen. Sumpter; prisoners taken, 82.
1782.Richard Wilsondied; an English landscape painter of great merit.
1799.Philip Nicholas Pia, a French chemist, died. He was sheriff of Paris, 1770, and employed his leisure in objects of benevolence, till the revolution overwhelmed him.
1807. Action in the Dardanelles, between the Russian and Turkish fleets; 3 of the latter stranded.
1810. Hastalrick, in Catalonia, evacuated for want of provisions; the garrison cut their way through the French troops.
1813.Spencer Perceval, prime minister of Great Britain, shot in the lobby of the house of commons.
1814.Robert Treat Paine, one of the signers, died. He was a distinguished lawyer, of learning and integrity, member of the first congress, and judge of the supreme court of Massachusetts.
1821.George Howe, editor of theSydney Gazette, died. His paper commenced in March, 1803, in the 15th year of the colony, and was the first Australian periodical.
1838.Andrew Thomas Knightdied. His horticultural writings were exceedingly beneficial, as well to the gardeners as farmers.
1839.Thomas Cooper, president of South Carolina college, died, aged 80. He wrote on law, medical jurisprudence and political economy, and translated Justinian and Broussais.
1844.Stephen Wood, died at Miami, Ohio, aged 82. He was the last survivor of those who were associated with John Cleves Symmes in the settlement of North Bend.
1848. An expedition under Sir James Ross, sailed for the Arctic regions, in search of Sir John Franklin.
1853.Peter Hitchcock, an eminent civilian, died at Painesville, Ohio, aged 70. He was a member of the Ohio senate, and of the house of representatives at Washington; also for twenty-five years a judge of the supreme court of Ohio.
1854. The packet Pike, from St. Louis to Louisville, struck a snag, and sank in a few minutes, by which about fifty passengers lost their lives.
1854.J. Delius, of Bremen, assistant professor of English literature at Berlin, fell into the crater of Vesuvius, and perished there.
48B. C.Battle of Pharsalia, between Cæsar and Pompey, in which the latter was defeated, and escaped on foot. This battle forms an important era in the history of the world.
824.Paschal I, pope, died; distinguished for his benevolence and toleration.
1264. Battle of Lewes and defeat of Henry III by Leicester.
1294.Edward Iof England met at Norham the states of Scotland, when they acknowledged his sovereignty, and engaged to deliver up to him their castles.
1430. The famousJoan of Arc, or maid of Orleans, pretended to be sent from God to save the kingdom of France.
1539.Ferdinand de Sotosailed from Havana with ten ships for the conquest of Florida.
1618. The Calvinists of Bohemia entered the castle of Prague, cast the leading members of the council from the windows, and took possession of the capital.
1621. The first marriage in the colony at Plymouth took place, between Edward Winslow and Susanna White.
1641.Thomas Wentworth, an English statesman under Charles I, beheaded on a false charge of treason. The king wascompelled by the clamors of the populace to order his execution.
1663. The books of the London stationers company record the names of 59 persons exercising the trade as master printers.
1690.John Rushworth, an English writer, died in the king's bench prison, where he had been confined 6 years; author ofHistorical Collections, in 7 vols. folio.
1763.John Jacksondied; an English divine and historian, author ofChronological Antiquities.
1763.John Bell, the distinguished anatomist of Scotland, was born at Edinburgh.
1771.Christopher Smart, an English poet and miscellaneous writer, died; known by a popular translation of Horace. By some authorities his death is placed in 1770.
1780. Charleston, S. C., surrendered to the British; 2,500 prisoners and 400 cannon fell into the hands of the enemy.
1781. Fort Motte surrendered by the British to the American generals Marion and Lee.
1785. Mr.McGuirehaving ascended from Dublin in a balloon, was carried with great velocity towards the sea, into which he descended, and was taken up nearly lifeless.
1791.Francis Grosedied; author of theClassical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, a complete collection of British technicals, vulgarisms, and billingsgate used by gamblers, ostlers, servants, fishwomen, &c., which, though not very popular, or creditable to him, is yet quite a curiosity. He produced some other works of great merit, which mark him a profound antiquary.
1795.Ezra Stiles, president of Yale college, died. He was eminent as a divine, and an indefatigable scholar. His publications were few, but he left 40 vols. in manuscript.
1796. The French under Bonaparte defeated the Austrians with great slaughter, who were compelled to abandon their guns and baggage, and take refuge under the cannon of Mantua.
1797.Bonapartetook possession of Venice, boasting an independence of fourteen centuries.
1798.Sidney Smithescaped from France after two years imprisonment.
1809. Vienna capitulated to the French, and Napoleon established his head quarters in the imperial palace of Schoenbrunn. The emperor had already quitted it, with all his family except his daughter the archduchess Maria Louisa, afterwards wife of Napoleon, who was confined to her chamber by sickness—on learning which, Bonaparte ordered that there should be no firing in that direction.
1809. LordWellingtontook Oporto by assault, and the French under Soult were compelled to retreat to Amarante.
1809. Alcantara, in Spain, taken by a division of the French under Victor, together with the British garrison.
1848.Alexander Baring, lord Ashburton, died in England, aged 78. He passed much of his youth in America, and was British embassador at Washington, to settle the Maine boundary in 1842. He acquired great wealth, and was a highly accomplished man.
1848. Posen incorporated with Germany, and the insurgent Poles disarmed.—Violent earthquake at Sienna, Italy.
1849. A crevasse was made in the levee above New Orleans flooding much of the city.
1854. The British ship Tiger, 16 guns, was captured near Odessa by the Russians, with 226 prisoners.
1855.D. J. McCord, an American lawyer, died at Columbia, S. C. He published law reports, and edited theStatutes at Large, on the death of Dr. Cooper, to whom the work was first entrusted.