Hear undernead dis laitl steanlaiz robert earl of huntingtonnae arcir ner as hie sae geudan pipl kauld im Robin Heudsick utlawz as he an is menvil England nivir si agenobit 24 kal. dekembris 1247.
Hear undernead dis laitl steanlaiz robert earl of huntingtonnae arcir ner as hie sae geudan pipl kauld im Robin Heudsick utlawz as he an is menvil England nivir si agenobit 24 kal. dekembris 1247.
Hear undernead dis laitl stean
laiz robert earl of huntington
nae arcir ner as hie sae geud
an pipl kauld im Robin Heud
sick utlawz as he an is men
vil England nivir si agen
obit 24 kal. dekembris 1247.
1518.Cortezsailed from Cuba for the discovery and conquest of Mexico. His force consisted of 10 vessels, 10 pieces cannon, 18 horsemen, 600 infantry—13 only of whom were musqueteers, and the rest cross bowmen.
1558.Reginald Pole, an English cardinal, died. He entered college at the age of 12, and took his first degree at the age of 15. Refusing to sanction the divorces of Henry VIII, he was obliged to reside in Italy for safety. On the accession of Mary, however, he was restored.
1559.Cuthbert Tonstall, a learned catholic bishop of London, died, aged 85.
1624.Jacob Boehmendied; a noted Teutonic philosopher and visionary.
1636. KingCharles Irestored to sir Hugh Middleton a portion of his private property, expended on bringing a supply of water into the city of London. Middleton survived this event but a short time.
1665.Blaise Francis de Pagan, a valiant French officer and eminent mathematician, died. He lost his eyesight in the service of his country, after which he devoted himself to study, and wrote several works on fortifications, astronomy, &c.
1682.John Finch(Heneage?), earl of Nottingham and lord high chancellor of England, died. He was distinguished for his wisdom and eloquence and styled the English Cicero.
1751.Abraham Vaterdied; an eminent German physician and anatomist, famous for his anatomical preparations, which form a curious cabinet at Wirtemberg.
1755. A great earthquake, extending from New England to the West Indies, damaging the houses throughout the whole extent of the coast. In the harbor of St. Martin the sea withdrew leaving the vessels dry and the fish on the banks; when it came in the water overflowed the lowlands.
1776. Fort Lee, near Haversack, N. Y., evacuated by the Americans under general Greene. The British, 6000 men under Cornwallis, advancing to its reduction, it was found that the conflict would be too unequal to attempt its defence. The British took several hundred barrels of flour, most of the cannon, baggage, &c.——Same day congress agreed upon a lottery to defray the expenses of the campaign, being the first lottery they sanctioned.
1777. Fort Mercer at Red Bank, on the Delaware, evacuated by the Americans on the approach of the British under Cornwallis.
1777. The British under governor Tryon burnt the houses at Philip's manor, N. Y., with circumstances of great barbarity; the women and children being turned out in a severe cold night, almost naked, and the men made prisoners and led with halters round their necks in triumph to the British camp.
1777.William Bowyer, an eminent English printer, died. He was noted for the accuracy of his editions, and was adistinguished member of the antiquarian society, whose transactions he enriched with many valuable communications.
1784.M. le Royfixed a conductor on the Etoile galley, being the first conductor of lightning that had ever been placed on a French ship.
1785. Mrs.Kelly, the noted Irish fairy, died. She was only 34 inches long. Her child, which lived only two hours, was 22 inches.
1789.John Elwes, the celebrated English miser, died, worth nearly five millions of dollars. This singular man, although he denied himself the necessaries of life, served twelve years in parliament, a most independent and incorruptible member. He would travel a whole day, eating only a hard boiled egg, and at night play for thousands in the most splendid apartments from whence he has been known to issue at four in the morning, and stand in a cold rain to dispute with a butcher for a shilling a head on his cattle.
1793. Battle of Bliescastle; the French general Pichegru stormed the Prussian camp.
1793. Battle of Dol; the French royalists defeated the conventional troops.
1803. Cape Francois surrendered to the blacks under Christophe.
1804.Philip Schuyler, a major general in the revolutionary army, died at Albany, aged 73. He was a member of the old congress, and of the federal congress.
1809. The French under Suchet attacked the Spaniards under Gen. Blake, posted on the heights of Beclhithe, and forced them to fall back.
1811. All differences between the United States and Great Britain on account of the attack made on the United States frigate Chesapeake amicably adjusted.
1813. Americans under general White, with a few Cherokee Indians, attacked Grayson's Farm, one of the Hillibee towns, of 20 houses, which they burnt, and killed 60 Creek warriors and captured about 256 more, without the loss of a man.
1824. Destructive hurricane on the coast of England. The river Neva overflowed its banks, and damaged the city of St. Petersburg.
1832. Violent eruption of mount Etna; the town of Bronte, containing 10,000 inhabitants, destroyed.
1848. The great dam at Hadley Falls, in Massachusetts, near Springfield, carried away by a flood.
1849.Benjamin Smith, a very eminent and industrious American statesman, of Rhode Island, died at North Kingston.
1851.Ernest Augustus, duke of Cumberland and king of Hanover, died, aged 81. He was the fifth son of George III, and distinguished himself as an officer on the continent during the last century.
1852. Duke ofWellington'sfuneral obsequies took place at London, with great pomp. The religious ceremonies were observed in St. Paul's cathedral, which was elaborately decorated for the purpose. The body was deposited in the crypt near that of Nelson.
1852. A convention was signed at London by England, France, Prussia, Bavaria and Greece, by which none but a prince of the Greek religion was thereafter to ascend the throne of Greece.
1854.George William Mareby, inventor of several kinds of apparatus for saving lives in shipwreck, died in England, aged 89.
1231.Elizabeth of Thuringia, a saint of the church, died. She was distinguished by the mild virtues of her sex, and when the country was oppressed with famine and pestilence, she caused hospitals to be erected, and fed and clothed a multitude of the poor, wandering about in a humble dress relieving the sorrows of the wretched. She was regarded as a saint during her life, and four years after her death was canonized. Her monument is one of the most splendid remains of Gothic architecture in Germany.
1530. The diet at Augsburg issued a severe decree against the protestants, which was sanctioned by the emperor Charles V.
1590.Jerome Zanchius, a German protestant theologian, died. His commentaries on St. Paul's epistles were published after his death. He was a professor of theology at Heidelburg, and sustained the character of a learned, pious and benevolent man.
1628.John Felton, the assassin who killed the duke of Buckingham, favorite of Charles I of England, executed at Tyburn. The king proposed the rack previous to execution, that his accomplices might be discovered. But the judges unanimously declared that the English law did not allow of torture. This was the first adjudication on this subject.
1649.Caspar Scioppius, a learned German, died, aged 73. He acquired the name of the grammatical cur, from his indiscreet attacks upon every person of eminence. His talents and acquirements were extraordinary, and his works more numerous than his years.
1665.Nicholas Poussin, an eminent French painter, died. He was long unable to maintain himself by his pencil, till his genius finally burst through the clouds ofprejudice, and established his character as a great and sublime artist.
1672.John Wilkins, bishop of Chester, died; a most ingenious and learned English theologian, critic and mathematician.
1674.Samuel Danforth, the colleague of John Elliot, the Indian missionary, died at Roxbury, Mass. When he was contracted in marriage the celebrated John Cotton preached the sermon, customary in New England on such occasions, before the nuptial ceremony. He published several almanacs, and an astronomical account of the comet which appeared in 1764.
1677.Francis Junius, a German linguist, died in England. He was highly distinguished for his skill and researches in the Anglo Saxon and Gothic languages, which he pursued at Oxford, England.
1703.The Iron Mask(Masque de Fer), died at the Bastile in Paris, after an imprisonment of forty-two years. This mysterious personage is supposed to have been the twin brother of the king, and various authors have attempted to prove his identity with other characters of that day. It was at first believed that the mask which he was compelled to wear constantly on pain of instant death, was made of iron. But it was composed of black velvet, strengthened with whalebone, and fastened behind the head with a padlock. He was confined for imperious reasons of state, but was treated with the utmost deference and respect.
1731.William Edie, bellman of Canongate, in Edinburgh, died, aged 120. He had buried the inhabitants of Canongate thrice. He was 90 years a freeman, and married his second wife, a young woman, after he was 100 years old.
1741.Anthony Banier, a celebrated French mythologist, died. HisMythology and Fables of the Antientshas been translated into English.
1744. A single battalion of Prussians under Wedel disputed the passage of the Elbe at Solnitz for five hours, against the whole Austrian army; and, under the fire of fifty cannons, thrice repulsed the Austrian grenadiers. Wedel lost two officers and 100 men killed, and acquired the title of Leonidas.
1761.Noel Anthony Pluche, a French writer on natural history, died. HisSpectacle de la Natureis known to all the world.
1789. Junction of the Thames and Severn rivers by canal; an important event in English inland commerce. This canal ascends the vale of Calford to the height of 343 feet by 40 locks; there entering a tunnel through the hill of Saperton, for the length of two miles and three furlongs, and descends to the Thames by 22 locks.
1790.James Hay Beattiedied; a Scotchman of eminent talents, who was made assistant professor of moral philosophy and logic at Aberdeen at the age of 19.
1793. A number of persons met in Edinburgh and held aconventionsimilar to that in France, but were arrested and sent to prison.
1794. The treaty signed at London between England and America, called Jay's treaty.
1801.Joseph de Beauchamp, a French theologian and astronomer, died. During a residence in the Levant, he made many astronomical observations, constructed a map of the Tigris and Euphrates, and surveyed the Black sea.
1806.Richard Westondied; an English thread hosier, who became eminent as a horticulturist, and published some useful tracts on that subject.
1806. Hameln, on the Weser, captured by the French, who took Von Schoeler and five other generals, 9,000 Prussians, some other troops, and great quantities of ammunition and stores.
1806.Mortierentered Hamburg and confiscated all British property found there.
1806.Nicholas Claude Ledoux, a fortunate though vain French architect, died.
1809. Battle of Ocana; the French under Soult defeated 50,000 Spaniards. Joseph Bonaparte commanded in person in this battle under Soult.
1812. Battle of Koutovo; the French under Ney attacked in the defiles near Krasnoy, on the very spot where Davoust had been defeated two days before. Although the French fought with the greatest courage and most desperate intrepidity, they were defeated with terrible slaughter, and the loss of all their cannon, baggage and colors. Scarcely had this second victory been obtained, when the last columns of the rear guard appeared in sight, and were compelled to surrender, 100 officers and 11,000 men.
1812. Americans under colonel Pike made an incursion into Canada, assaulted and carried a British post, burnt their blockhouse, and returned with only five wounded.
1813. American Com.Portertook possession of an island in the South sea, called by the natives Nooaheevah, which he calledMadison's island, in honor of the president.
1816. Eclipse of the sun observed at Paris. It was total at Copenhagen.
1818.Abdullah ibn Saud, the last emir of the Wahhabis, was beheaded at Constantinople, which put an end to the temporal power of that sect.
1835.Charles Coote, an Englishauthor, died. He was for some years editor of theCritical Review, and wrote various historical and other works of merit.
1850.Richard M. Johnson, a Kentucky soldier and statesman, died at Frankfort, aged 70.
1853.Samuel H. Craftsdied at Craftsbury, Vt., aged 84. On the organization of the town, which was settled by and named in honor of his father, in 1792, he was chosen town clerk, and held the office 37 years; and he filled every public office in the gift of Vermont during some part of his lifetime.
1855.Thomas Copeland, an eminent English surgeon and medical writer, died at Brighton, aged 74.
1855.Theodric Romeyn Beck, an eminent medical writer, died at Albany, N. Y., aged 64. He was one of the originators and most ardent supporters of the geological survey of the state; but is best known by hisMedical Jurisprudence. He was a member of many scientific societies at home and abroad, and his whole life was one of uninterrupted and efficient labor.
63. Shipwreck ofSt. Paul. It was a fortnight from the fast, and about the present day, that Paul, by the occular testimony of Luke, was cast upon the shores of Malta, where they wintered three months until the period of navigation in March. Josephus, the Jewish historian, was wrecked in the same sea, and in or very near the same year.
303.DiocletianandMaximiancelebrated in a grand triumph their victories and those of the two Cæsars, their associates, in Persia and Britain, on the Rhine, the Danube and the Nile; the last spectacle of the kind that Rome ever beheld.
870.Edmund(the Saint), king of East Anglia, murdered by the Danes, who had him tied to a tree and shot to death with arrows. His kingdom comprised the present counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and part of Cambridgeshire.
1185.Abdurrahman, surnamed Abn Zeyd, died. He was a Moslem divine and poet, and left several valuable works.
1191.Baldwin, archbishop of Canterbury, died at Acre, in Palestine, whither he had followed the crusaders, whose cause he had exerted himself to promote.
1347.Stephen Colonnadefeated and killed at Rome by the tribune Rienzi.
1411.Johannes Cantacuzenus, a Byzantine historian, died. His knowledge in literature and arms was so great that he became the favorite of the court and the people, and was finally persuaded to accept the throne, from which he retired again on the restoration of order.
1481. TheLast Siege and conquest of Jerusalem, translated from the French "by me simple person, William Caxton," was printed at London in the Abby; one of the earliest specimens of English typography.
1497. The Portuguese admiral,Vasquez de Gama, doubled the cape of Good Hope, which, until then, had been considered the utmost boundary of navigation, and called the cape of Tempests.
1549.Kett, a tanner, rebelled against Edward, and was taken by Dudley, earl of Warwick, and hung in chains on the top of Norwich castle.
1571. The field of Craibstone stricken by John Master of Forbes, and Adam Gordon, brother to lord Huntley, where the said John lost the field, and was taken, and sundry of his friends slain, to the number on both sides of three score, or thereby, and good Duncan Forbes slain the same day.
1572. The first presbyterian meeting house in England erected at Wandsworth in Surrey.
1591.Christopher Hatton, chancellor of England under Elizabeth, died. He was a man of learning and great integrity, and though placed in so high a situation, had not been bred to the law. It was by his advice that the unfortunate Mary submitted to her fatal trial.
1660. The bishops of England again took their seats in the house of lords, verifying the adage of the king's grandfather, "no bishop no king."
1672. The island of Tobago taken from the Dutch by the English.
1683. A book entitledJulian the Apostate, burnt by the hangman, and its author, Samuel Johnson, a clergyman, fined 500 marks for an alleged libel on the duke of York.
1729.Nicholas Gervais, a French missionary, massacred in Guiana with all his attendants.
1737. QueenCarolineof England died, aged 55. Her favorite study was theology, and she has been accused of scepticism; at her death she refused the sacrament, but joined cordially in the Lord's prayer.
1759. Naval battle off Belleisle; the French fleet under M. de Conflans defeated by the British under admiral Hawke. The French lost several large ships, and abandoned the project of invading Great Britain.
1769.Charles Hugh le Fevre de St. Mark, a French miscellaneous writer, died at Paris.
1773.Charles Jennensdied; anEnglish gentleman of considerable fortune, who compiled the works of some of Handel's oratories, and began an edition of Shakspeare's works, which he did not live to complete.
1780. Battle of Blackstocks; the British under Tarleton attacked the American general Sumpter, but was repulsed with the loss of more than 30 killed or wounded. Sumpter and 4 others were wounded and 3 killed.
1789.Richard Burn, an English vicar, died; author of a work on ecclesiastical law, and on the office of justice of the peace, which have gone through several editions.
1789. North Carolina adopted the federal constitution, ayes 193, noes 75. This was the 12th pillar in the political edifice.
1789. A deputation was admitted to the French national assembly from the city of Issondein, with a patriotic offer of all the silver buckles of the inhabitants, to the value of 115 marks. Whereupon M. Dailly moved that all the members of the assembly should make a similar sacrifice, which was instantly agreed to.
1792. Battle of Cumptich, in which the French under Dumourier, after a long and bloody action, defeated the Austrians under the duke of Saxe Teschen, who exhibited great judgment and intrepidity in conducting his retreat.
1794. Figueras, an extensive and well provided fortress on the frontier of Spain, was taken by the French, when 9000 Spaniards were taken prisoners.
1798. Two French frigates attacked and captured U. S. schooner Retaliation.
1804.Archibald Maclain, an Irish protestant clergyman, died. He translated Mosheim's ecclesiastical history.
1804. The American expedition under Lewis and Clark went into winter quarters at fort Mandan, on the Missouri river, lat. 47° 21´ N.
1812.Bonaparteevacuated Orcha on his retreat from Moscow. He left there 23 cannon, some prisoners, and an immense number of sick and wounded, who fell into the hands of the Cossacks.
1813.John Baptist Bodoni, the celebrated printer of Parma, and probably the most distinguished in his profession during the last century, died.
1815. France ceded to the kingdom of the Netherlands whatever it still retained of the Austrian Netherlands, particularly a rich mineral district situated in the center of the Ardennes, and the fortresses of Marienburg and Philippeville.
1840. A series of extensive hurricanes and storms, which commenced on the 13th and swept over England, Ireland and a part of France, ceased their fury. The destruction of lives and property, on land and at sea, was immense.
1843.Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler, aged 74, died at Philadelphia. He was director of the United States coast survey.
53B. C.Marcus Licinius Crassus, one of the triumvirs with Cæsar and Pompey, killed at Haran in Syria. He was surnamedDives, the rich, on account of his vast fortune. He once gave an entertainment to the whole people, in which 10,000 tables were set, and besides distributed corn enough to last each family three months. He perished, with a great part of his army, in an expedition against the Parthians, undertaken from motives of avarice and ambition.
533. The famous institutes, or system of elementary law, were completed by the delegates of Justinian. They were divided into four books, proceeding methodically, from 1,personsto 2,things; and from things to 3,actions, and 4,private wrongs, terminated, as in Blackstone, by the principles ofcriminallaw.
1555.George Agricoladied; a physician of Glaucen, in Misnia, known for his learning and works on minerals.
1579.Thomas Gresham, an eminent London merchant, died. His knowledge of commerce was considered complete, and he acquired a great fortune. He transacted the queen's commercial affairs, and his house was sometimes appointed for the reception of foreign princes. The first royal exchange was planned and executed by his munificence.
1616.Richard Fielddied; an English divine, eminent for his learning, benevolence and piety.
1638. A general assembly of the Scottish church met at Glasgow. It is said that not a few of the 260 commissioners of whom it was composed could neither read nor write.
1640.John, duke of Braganza, proclaimed king of Portugal. He recovered the independence of that kingdom, which had been annexed to Spain by Philip II in 1580.
1692.Thomas Shadwelldied; an English dramatic writer, historiographer and poet laureate.
1695.Henry Purcelldied; a very eminent English musician and composer.
1736. Battle of Porto Bello. A squadron was fitted out in England for the purpose of destroying the Spanish settlements in the West Indies, and placed under admiral Vernon. The attack was made on Porto Bello by the English, and after afurious engagement on both sides, the town surrendered.
1763. Public notice given in London that East and West Florida should be laid out into townships, and granted to those who would actually settle there.
1775.John Hill, an English apothecary and writer, died. He published a system of botany, and was engaged in a great number of literary labors at the same time. He was also famous for several medicines which he prepared.
1777. Congress recalled Silas Deane from Paris, and appointed John Adams to succeed him.
1780. At the bank of England 471,000 three per cent stock was transferred to Mr. Van Otten on account of the landgrave of Hesse, so much being due on Hessian soldiers lost in the American war, at 30l.per man. The number of men lost was 15,700.
1781.Jean Frederick Phellipeaux de Maurepasdied; a French statesman, eminent for his genius, activity and profound sagacity.
1782.James de Vaucanson, a celebrated mechanician, died. He constructed with wonderful ingenuity various automata, and improved and simplified the machinery of silk mills, and advanced the interests of commerce and science by many other curious and useful inventions.
1783. The marquisd'ArlandesandPilatre Rosiermade an aerial voyage in a machine called aMontgolfier, in honor of the inventors, it being the first balloon raised by rarefied air.
1803.John Buckler(Schinderhannes), the famous German robber, executed, with 19 of his band. He was the son of indigent parents, and entered into the service of an executioner. His first crime was a petty theft, which grew into the most extensive and expert robberies. He never committed murder, and expected pardon on that account, to the last moment.
1806.Bonaparte'sfamous Berlin decree, declaring the British ports in a state of blockade.
1807.Abraham Newlanddied at Highburg, in England; he was 60 years cashier of the bank of England.
1812. Battle of Borisoff; the French and Poles defeated by the Russians with great loss.
1812. Fort Niagara bombarded by the British from fort George and five other batteries. Above 2000 red hot shot and 180 shells were fired; which was returned with so much spirit, that the British had the worst of the battle. American loss 4 killed, 7 wounded.
1832. The emperor of Russia issued orders for the transportation of 5000 families of Polish gentlemen from the province of Podolia to the Steppes, on the line of the Caucasus. The university of Warsaw was abolished, except the faculties of divinity and medicine, and the library and collection of medals transported to St. Petersburg.
1832. Battle of Konich, between 75,000 Turks and 40,000 Egyptians, in which the former were defeated, and the grand vizier taken prisoner.
1832. Great riots at Lyons in France, which originated in a strike for higher wages by the operatives engaged in the silk manufacture, by which 30,000 persons were thrown out of employment, and the city was for some time at the mercy of the mob.
1835.James Hogg(the Ettrick Shepherd), a Scottish poet, died. He was the son of a very poor shepherd, but his poems raised him to a high standing as a poet, and caused his society to be sought by the learned and the great.
1835.Alexander Chemiotte, one of the most learned orientalists of Europe, died. He wrote a history of all the Arabian emperors under the Abassides, and other works.
1848.Lyne Stablingdied; one of the original proprietors of the soil on which the city of Columbus is located, and among its earliest inhabitants. He was one of the most wealthy men of the state, and was distinguished by private charities and public munificence.
1851.James E. De Kay, an eminent geologist, died at Oyster bay, aged 59. He was educated for a physician, but devoted himself from early years to natural history, and contributed the department of zoology to the publication of the New York survey.
1852.Mary Berry, an English authoress, died aged 90; embalmed to posterity by the personal attentions and epistolary intercourse of Horace Walpole.
1856.Samuel Swartwoutdied, aged 73. He was a noted politician, and during the presidency of Jackson was collector of the port of New York.
1200. KingJohn, of England, held a famous parliament at Lincoln, where William, king of Scotland, did him homage in the sight of the people.
1419.Belthazar Cosa(John XXIII), pope, died. There was much opposition to his elevation, by rival claimants, and he was finally deposed and imprisoned three years. His liberty was purchased by acknowledging the election of Martin V.
1586. Sentence of death was announced toMaryqueen of Scots, by lord Burkhurst, at Fotheringay.
1633.Leonard Calvert, brother of lord Baltimore, with 200 persons of good families, Roman catholics, embarked at Cowes, in the Isle of Wight, for America, to settle Maryland.
1652. The province of Maine was, by the request of its inhabitants, taken under the protection of Massachusetts; it was made a county, by the name of Yorkshire, and sent deputies to the general court at Boston.
1680. A brilliant comet appeared in England. First seen at Bristol.
1685.Claude Nicole, a French lawyer, died. He was a good linguist and poet, and translated several of the classics.
1714.Samuel Reyherdied; professor of mathematics and jurisprudence at Kiel, and counselor of state to the duke of Saxe Gotha. His writings are theological.
1723.Philip, regent of France, duke of Orleans, &c., died at Versailles, aged 50.
1747.Joseph Trapp, an able English divine, died; leaving behind him an excellent character as a critic, a scholar, a preacher and a man.
1771. Mr.Stephenwas expelled from the Temple in London, by the benches, for writing a book on the impolicy of imprisonment for debt.
1774.Robert Clive, baron Plassy, a wealthy English nobleman, died by suicide; a striking instance of the insufficiency of wealth or external honors alone to produce happiness. While a colonel in the service of the East India company, he retook Calcutta from the nabob Surajah Dowlah, and defeated his immense army in the plains of Plassy, and thereby laid the foundation of the present extensive British empire in Hindostan. He was made governor of India, and died immensely rich.
1775.Charles Henry de Fusse de Voisenon, a French ecclesiastic, died. He abandoned his profession for the pleasures of the world and of authorship, and his works were collected in 5 vols.
1775. The Americans, about 1000 in number, took possession of Cobble or Miller's hill, near Boston, and erected entrenchments on it.
1784.Paul Frisi, an Italian mathematician and philosopher, died at Milan. He was self-taught; and introduced into the Milanese the use of conductors to secure buildings from lightning, and contributed greatly to root out the superstitious notions of the people respecting sorcerers and magic. His works on hydraulics, astronomy, and many other sciences, are numerous and valuable.
1795. Battle of Loano, in Italy; the French under Scherer defeated the Austrians and obliged them to retreat with the loss of 8,000.
1798.Theobald Wolfe Tone, an Irishman having a commission in the French army, committed suicide in prison. He had been taken in arms against the British government, tried by a court martial, and sentenced to death.
1807. British AdmiralSmithdeclared Lisbon and the river Tagus in a state of blockade.
1812. Action between the United States brig Vixen, 14 guns, 120 men, Lieut. Reed, and British frigate Southampton, 32 guns, Capt. Yeo. The Vixen was captured, and Lieut. Reed died in the West Indies before he could be exchanged.
1814.Lavalette, the French general, sentenced to death for joining Bonaparte the preceding March.
1814.Edward Rushton, an independent politician, bookseller and elegant writer, died. He nearly lost his sight on the west coast of Africa.
1815.James Lackington, a celebrated London bookseller, but chiefly distinguished for his work on the evil consequences of girls being educated at boarding schools, died.
1821.Anselm Marie Fugger, prince of Babenhausen, died. He was one of that great German family whose ancestor was a weaver, and which now consists of counts and princes, and whose property amounts to about 440 square miles, with 40,000 inhabitants.
1824.Francis Levaillant, the celebrated traveler, died at Paris, aged 70. He was born in the Dutch colony of Surinam. He early manifested a passion for the study of ornithology, and was encouraged by the patronage of Tenemink, of Amsterdam, to proceed to Africa in pursuit of that science. His long life was spent in research, and though he has added much to the stock of knowledge in that department, he was so unfortunate as to lose a great part of his valuable collections at sea.
1848. Great battle fought between the English and Seikhs near Ramuggur, in India, the British claiming the dearly bought victory.
1852. The shock of an earthquake was felt very severely at Exeter, N. H., and along the valley of the Merrimack, and in Salem and Newburyport, Mass., and in other places.
1852. The voting concluded throughout France and Algeria, upon the decree of the senate, relative to the reestablishment of the empire. The result was 7,824,189 votes in favor of the same, and 253,145 in the negative, and 63,326 void ballots.
100.Clemens Romanus(St. Clement) died; a pupil of St. Paul and one of the fathers of the church. His epistle to the church of Corinth, though valuable for its antiquity, is excluded from the canon.
946.Edred, the successor of Edmund I of England, died of quinsy.
1585.Thomas Tallisdied; "one of the greatest musicians that England ever bred."
1610.Bernard de Girard de Haillan, a French historian, died. His history reaches from Pharamond to the death of Charles VII, and he was the first who composed a body of French history in French.
1616.Richard Hakluytdied; famous in English history for his naval skill. He is author of a collection of voyages and discoveries in 3 vols. folio, and of several other useful works.
1665.Valentine Greatbreakes, an Irishman, appeared in England announcing his power to cure many diseases by stroking the patient. Flamstead, the astronomer, is said to have, when young, submitted to his art.
1679.William Wilde, an eminent English lawyer, died. He publishedYelverton's Reports, was created baronet, and made a judge of the common pleas, and afterwards promoted to the king's bench.
1683. A partition line agreed upon by governor Dongan and governor Treat, between New York and Connecticut, beginning at the mouth of Byam brook, in the sound, thence running up the brook to the road across the same, thence in a northerly line into the country, keeping at a distance of 20 miles from Hudson's river. (SeeMay 14, 1731.)
1709.William Bentinck, earl of Portland, favorite of William III, and an eminent statesman, died.
1758. Battle of Crefelt; the French under St. Germaine defeated by the allies under the duke of Brunswick, with the loss of 6,000, among whom was the count de Gisors. The allies lost 1,500.
1763.Anthony Francis d'Exiles, a French writer, died. He was educated among the Jesuits, but entered the army. He translated Richardson's novels into French.
1775. The British lieutenant-colonelJohn Connellycaptured near Hagerstown by the Americans, on his way to Detroit with papers and despatches of great importance.
1794.Joachim Ibarra, an eminent Spanish printer, died. He raised the art of typography to an excellence before unequaled in Spain. As he never left his country, most of the improvements he introduced were of his own invention.
1794. Fort St. Fernando de Figueras capitulated to the French; 9,107 prisoners, 171 cannon, and great quantities of ammunition and stores were taken.
1795. Manheim surrendered to the imperialists under Wurmzer with more than 10,000 men.
1795. Battle of Geresio, in Italy; the Austrians defeated by the French under Angereau and Chastel.
1796. Battle of Castella Nuovo, in Italy; the Austrians defeated by the French under Massena, with the loss of 6,000. This closed the campaign, Bonaparte having defeated three armies and four generals.
1798. The king of Naples accompanied by the Austrian general Mack and 80,000 men, entered the Romish territories, but were soon compelled to retreat and act on the defensive.
1804.Stephen Borgia, an Italian cardinal eminent for his piety and learning, died at Lyons, while attending the pope on his journey to Paris.
1808. Battle of Tudela, in Spain; the French under Lannes, attacked and defeated the Spaniards under Castanos.
1812. American privateer Tom, of Baltimore, captured British packet Townsend. The British captain and 4 men were killed.
1812. The northern army under Gen. Dearborn went into winter quarters at Plattsburgh, Burlington and Greenbush.
1814.Elbridge Gerry, vice-president of the United States, died at Washington, aged 70. He was a signer of the declaration of independence, a member of the congress of 1776, and of the convention which formed the constitution. He transacted business as usual in the morning, was attacked about 10 o'clock, and died in 15 minutes.
1833.Jean Baptiste Jourdan, a celebrated French general of the revolution, died. In 1794 he conquered Belgium, and in 1796 subdued Franconia. "Jourdan," said Napoleon at St. Helena, "is a poor general, but he possessed the virtues rare among his competitors, of honor, integrity and humanity."
1849. The bones of Col.John Dixwell, the regicide, were removed from the grave of the centre churchyard, New Haven, where they were deposited in 1688, and reinterred with a view to the erection of a monument over them. The skeleton was in a good state of preservation.
1852.John Sergeant, an eminent Philadelphia lawyer, died, aged 73. For more than half a century he was known and honored for his ability and integrity.
30. Eclipse of the sun in Palestine, accompanied by an earthquake, which overthrew several edifices at Niceas, in Bythinia. By the calculations of several eminent astronomers, it is demonstrated that this great eclipse, which is mentioned by Phlegon, and in the Grecian monuments, as having happened in the 202d Olympiad, took place on this day and year. Phlegon says, the day was changed into night at the 6th hour (noon), and the stars were seen. Between Cairo and Jerusalem it was wholly obscured for about two minutes, and by calculation, it is supposed, the middle of the eclipse happened at Jerusalem, an hour and fifteen minutes after noon.
62.Aulus Persius Flaccus, a Roman satirist, died, aged 28. He was a native of Etruria, studied at Rome, and imbibed the stoic philosophy of Cornutus, to whom he bequeathed his library and 25,000 crowns. His satires, animated and often beautiful, have been translated by several of the British poets.
1213. The possessions of the knights templars, in England appropriated by the crown, in obedience to a papal mandate, in trust for the knights hospitalers. That distinguished order was instituted in 1118, and consisted originally of nine poor knights, who forChrist's loveprotected the avenues of his shrine from infidels and robbers.
1230.Matthew de Montmorency, constable of France, died. He distinguished himself on many important occasions in the field, and proved himself equally capable as a statesman.
1516.James V'scharter of the town of Maybole, in Ayrshire, Scotland, bears this date. A room in the Red Lion inn in this town, is shown as having been that in which John Knox and the abbot Kennedy had the debate on the mass.
1567. The laird of Airth and the laird of Wemyss met upon the high street of Edinburgh, with their followers, when a furious encounter took place, "many being hurte on both sides by shote of pistoll." Three days afterwards a strict proclamation was issued, forbidding "the wearing of guns or pistolls, or aney sick like fyerwork ingyne, under ye paine of death, the king's guards and shouldours only excepted."
1572.John Knox, the celebrated Scottish reformer, died. He fiercely inveighed against the established religion, and succeeded in reforming the doctrines of the church in his country.
1638. Quinnipiack, now New Haven, purchased of Monauguin, sachem of the country, in consideration of protection from hostile Indians, and a payment of 12 coats of English cloth, 12 alchymy spoons, 12 hatches, 12 hoes, 2 dozen knives, 12 porringers, and 4 cases of French knives and scissors.
1675. Tea and coffee houses in London permitted by royal proclamation to be reopened, on condition that the keepers should prevent sedition, and the reading of libels in them.
1694.John Tillotson, archbishop of Canterbury, died, aged 65. He was a popular preacher, who exerted himself strenuously against popery, and was finally elevated to the highest dignity in the church.
1704.Landausurrendered to the imperialists after a loss of 4,000 men.
1728.Francis Masclef, a French ecclesiastic, died. A difference in theological opinions from his bishop led to his dismissal. From this time he devoted himself to study with so much application as to bring on a disease that hastened his death. His principal work was a Hebrew grammar, in which he discarded the vowel points, and embodied an elaborate argument against them.
1732.Ottomar Elliger, a distinguished Prussian painter, died by intemperance.
1751.George Graham, an ingenious watch maker, died. He was not only the most eminent of his profession, but the best mechanic of his time, and had a complete knowledge of practical astronomy.
1755.Lawrence Ricci, an illustrious Florentine, died. He embraced the order of the Jesuits, of which he was general at the time of its suppression; was imprisoned by the pope, and died in confinement.
1758. Pittsburgh evacuated by the French.
1759. Fort Du Quesne, now Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, taken by general Forbes.
1759. One of the most violent eruptions of mount Vesuvius ever known, which took place without any of the usual preceding symptoms.
1776.Theophilus Borden, an eminent French physician, died. He gained great reputation at Paris, where he published nine medical works.
1789. Assignats, the name given to paper money, first issued in France.
1790.Robert Henry, a Scottish clergyman, died; author of a history of Great Britain "on a new plan."
1814. Treaty of peace signed at Ghent, between the United States and Great Britain.
1819. Champlain canal declared to be navigable.
1828.Clarke Abel, a medical officer and naturalist, who accompanied the embassy of lord Amherst to China in 1816, died.
1835.William Duanedied atPhiladelphia; many years editor of theAurora, one of the most able and distinguished papers which supported Mr. Jefferson and his measures.
1848. PopePius IX, after a week's imprisonment in his palace, escaped in disguise to Mola di Geta.
1852.Walter Forward, an eminent American statesman, died at Pittsburgh, aged 66. He was a native of Connecticut, but achieved his reputation at the west.
1854. The steamer Ocean, from Boston, for the Kennebec, came in collision in Boston harbor, with the Atlantic steamer Canada, took fire and was destroyed.
1855.Louis Matthieu, count Mole, formerly prime minister of Louis Philippe, died, aged 75. His abilities attracted the attention of Napoleon, and he filled various offices under the different rulers of France till his decease.
165B. C.Feast during eight days, commencing on the 25th of the Hebrew month Casleu, of the dedication of the temple, repaired and purified by the care of Judas Macabæus, being the anniversary of its profanation three years before by the order of Antiochus Epiphanes.
1185.Lucius III(Humbaldo Allineigoli), pope, died. He was twice compelled to fly from Rome to avoid the popular tumult. He established, with the countenance of the emperor Frederick, constitutions for the punishment of heretics, which may be considered as the origin of the inquisition.
1542. Battle of Solway Moss; the Scottish army under Sinclair defeated by an inferior force of English under Dacres and Musgrave.
1547.Henry II, of France, caused the following to be proclaimed: "We forbid all booksellers, printers, &c., under pain of confiscation, to print any book relating to the holy scriptures."
1560.Andrew Doria, the famous Genoese admiral, died. He distinguished himself in the service of several Italian princes, and finally achieved the liberty of his own country, of which he refused to accept the sovereignty.
1624.Richard Crackanthorp, an eloquent English preacher, died. He was also an author of merit.
1626.Edward Alleyndied; an actor of great reputation in the reigns of Elizabeth and James I, and founder of Dulwich college.
1651.Henry Ireton, a republican general in the English civil war, died. He possessed great abilities and uncommon valor, and deserved the friendship of Cromwell, whose daughter he married. He died at the siege of Limerick, and was buried with great pomp in Westminster abbey; but at the restoration was dug up and exposed on Tyburn gibbet with Cromwell and Bradshaw.
1687.Nicholas Steno, an eminent Danish anatomist, died.
1694.Ismael Bullialdus, an astronomer of the isle of France, died.
1748.Isaac Watts, an English dissenting divine, died; author of several valuable works on subjects of divinity, and whose hymns and poetical version of the psalms are still in general use.
1758. Fort du Quesne taken by the British and provincial army, 8,000 men, under general Forbes; the French garrison, deserted by the Indians, being unequal to its maintenance. In compliment to the popular minister, William Pitt, it was named Pittsburgh, and has become an important place at the head of the Ohio.
1759. Battle of Chinchura, in the East Indies; the Dutch defeated by the British under colonel Forde.
1760. Tripoli nearly destroyed by an earthquake, shocks of which had continued nearly a month. Balbec was entirely ruined.
1766.Zachary Grey, an English scholar and divine, died. He was the author of thirty publications, the best known of which is an edition ofHudibras, with curious and interesting notes.
1770.Philip Morantdied; a learned and indefatigable English antiquary and biographer.
1774.Henry Baker, an ingenious English naturalist, died, aged 70.
1775.Eusebius Amortdied; a distinguished Bavarian ecclesiastical and theological writer.
1780.Naphtali Daggett, fifth president of Yale college, died. He had previously been professor of divinity; was a good classical scholar and a learned divine.
1783. New York evacuated by the British. The Americans under general Knox took possession of it, and received general Washington and governor Clinton, who made a public entry into it.
1785.Richard Glover, an English poet, died. He was a merchant by profession, who made a proficiency in thebelles lettres; and acquired an enviable reputation as a citizen.
1785.Charles de Maur, an eminent Spanish mathematician and engineer, died. He was employed in the army, and in the construction of canals and roads.
1789. A Jamaica paper of this date states, that 2,300 negroes had been imported into that island from Africa within the four weeks then preceding.
1792. Battle of Liege; the Austrians under Staray defeated by the French under Dumourier, and compelled to cross the river.
1795.Stanislaus Poniatowski, king of Poland, deposed by Catharine of Russia. He resigned his crown at Grodno, and was permitted to retire into Russia, where he died three years after.
1816. The new theatre, Philadelphia, illuminated with gas lights, under the direction of Dr. Kugler, being the first theatre on this continent thus illuminated.
1833.Nicholas Esterhazydied; prince of Este, field marshal and privy counselor of the emperor of Austria. He was at one time one of the richest subjects in Europe. The choice Tokay wine is made from his fruitful principality, upon whose estates were the largest flocks of sheep in Europe.
1835.Robert Goodacre, a distinguished English lecturer on astronomy, died.
1837. St. Charles, in Canada, taken from thepatriotsby the British troops. The Canadian force consisted of between 3 and 4,000; their loss was 200 killed, 300 wounded and 30 taken prisoners.
1840. A negro woman, in Virginia, gave birth to alusus naturæ, in the shape of a child with two heads, four arms and two chests; but from the umbilicus downwards, the formation was that of a single child; it did not survive. A living and perfect child was born at the same time.
1851. Battle at Cerralvo; between Carvajal, with 350 men, and Jarregui, the Mexican general, with 320 men and 2 pieces of artillery. Jarregui was driven with loss into a storehouse, which he held until aid arrived, and Carvajal's troops were dispersed.
1852. The canton of Ticino, in Switzerland, suppressed the order of Capuchin monks, and expelled all of that order under 65 years of age.
1853.J. W. Gunnison, an eminent United States topographical engineer, was killed by a party of Utah Indians, while engaged in the survey of a route across to the Pacific.
1854.John Gibson Lockhart, an eminent Scottish author, died at Abbotsford, aged 59. He succeeded Gifford as editor of theQuarterly Reviewin 1829, but is best known by hisLife of Walter Scott.
1854.John Kitto, author of many valuable works on Biblical literature, died at Stuttgart, aged 50.
1855. AdmiralBruat, a noted French naval officer, died on board ship, aged 59. He had been governor of the French establishments in Oceanica, and was sent as commander of the French fleet in the Black sea.
1855. A revolution at Montevideo which lasted four days, in which 100 persons were killed, and many wounded.
1855. The town of Kars, after a siege of seven months, its garrison being reduced to extremities, surrendered to the Russians on honorable terms.
380.Gregory Nazianzeninstalled in the see of Constantinople, by the hand of Theodosius, upon the removal of Demophilus, and the fall of Arianism in the East soon followed.
1120. PrinceWilliam, with Richard and Mary, children of Henry I, of England, with attendants and others, to the number of 180, wrecked in coming from Normandy, after which the king was never seen to laugh.
1504.Isabella, queen of Castile, died. Her reign was remarkable for the conquest of Grenada from the Moors and the discovery of America; but was disgraced by the introduction of the inquisition.
1678.Staley, a catholic goldsmith, executed at Tyburn, London, for saying, as testified by a Scotchman, "Here's the hand that will kill the king."
1703. The great storm in England, the most violent on record. The Eddystone lighthouse was thrown down; 13 men-of-war and 1,500 seamen perished, with the admiral, Beaumont; bishop Kidder and a great number of persons were killed; and an immense number of animals, and a great amount of property destroyed.
1719.John Hudsondied; an eminent English critic and keeper of the Bodleian library.
1763.Robert Bolton, an English puritan, died; distinguished for his learning and eloquence, and the excellence of his writings.
1780.Jerome David Gaubiusdied; a German professor of medicine, and lecturer on botany and chemistry.
1793. The French republican calendar was first used, but discontinued 31st Dec., 1805. The decade was seldom used in dates.
1799.Joseph Black, a celebrated Scottish chemist, died. He was professor of chemistry in the university of Edinburgh, and made important discoveries in that science.
1807.Oliver Ellsworth, chief justice of the United States, died.
1812. Battle of Staroy-Borizoff, in Russia; a most sanguinary conflict, in which the French were defeated with great slaughter, after a conflict of four hours; 8,000 prisoners and a vast quantity of baggage were captured by the Russians; butthe greatest trophy was two whole regiments of Saxon cavalry, fresh, and in excellent order.
1817. First newspaper in Wayne county issued.
1818. Field marshalColloredo, Austrian minister of state, and director-general of artillery, died at Vienna, aged 84.
1826.John Nichols, printer and editor of theGentleman's Magazine, died at London.
1827.Jose Alvarez, a famous Spanish sculptor, died at Madrid.
1829.Bushrod Washingtondied; one of the judges of the supreme court of the United States.
1829. Great inundation of the Nile began, by which 30,000 persons perished.
1836.John Loudon McAdam, died in Scotland, aged 80; the celebrated introducer of the system of road making which bears his name. He was 60 years of age when he commenced his public career as a reformer of roads; yet he became so great a benefactor that the British government made him a grant of nearly $50,000.
1842.Robert Smith, a cabinet minister under presidents Jefferson and Madison, died at Baltimore, aged 85.
1851.Preissnitz, founder of the system of hydropathy, died at Graefenberg, in Bavaria, aged 52.
1851. MarshalSoult, duke of Dalmatia, died in France, aged 82; terminating a long public career, both military and civil.
1852. An earthquake greatly damaged the city of St. Jago de Cuba.
1852. At Stafford house, in London, some English ladies, headed by the duchess of Sutherland, adopted an address to the women of America on the subject of negro slavery, which subsequently received 576,000 signatures.
226B. C.A solemn annual feast instituted at Rome, derived from the barbarians, when two Greeks and two Gauls, one of either sex, were inhumed alive, in the ox-market. It was instituted upon the invasion of the Boian Gauls, in order tofulfilla sybilline prophecy, that those terrible nations should one day be masters of the capitol. At this period the city inrolled 770,000 infantry.
222B. C.Marcelluscarried off thespoilsof Viridomarus, which is the last single handed triumph.
8B. C.Quintus Horatius Flaccus(Horace), an ancient lyric and satiric poet, died. He became the friend of Augustus, who offered him preferments, but he had the greatness of mind to refuse them all, and lived in retirement and study, free from the noise and hurry of ambition.
602.Mauritius Tiberius, emperor of Rome, died. He was a Cappadocian, distinguished himself at the head of the Roman armies, and was made emperor. But though valiant and successful, he was defeated by his own general Phocas, and put to death, together with his five sons.
1520. The Castilian insurgents under De Acuna, consisting of priests and men in holy orders, offered the royalists battle at Rio Seco; but the latter sued for terms, which not being accepted, the royalists struck a blow which turned the scale of fortune in their favor.
1520.Fernando Magalhaensentered the Pacific ocean, through the straits which bear his name. He navigated its waters three months and twenty days without finding an island; but during this course he enjoyed continuous fair weather, with such favorable winds, that he bestowed on the ocean the name of Pacific, which it still bears.
1627. The fall of a luminous stone or meteorolite, weighing 57 pounds, on Mt. Voisin, in Province, under a clear sky, observed by Gassendi.
1630. Great earthquake at Peru.
1666. Battle of Pentland hills, in which the persecuted covenanters were defeated by the king's troops.
1707.Fitz John Winthrop, governor of Connecticut, died. He was distinguished for his knowledge in philosophy and his skill in politics, and took a conspicuous part in the affairs of the colonies, both in peace and war.
1710. The British general Stanhope surprised at Briheuga, and compelled to surrender to the Spaniards with 2,000 men.
1714. Several persons tried for insulting the dissenters and breaking their windows at Bristol. This seemed to be an omen of the dawn of a more liberal day.
1754.Abraham Demoivre, a noted French mathematician, died. His abilities were so highly admired by the Royal society of London that they judged him a fit person to decide the famous contest between Newton and Leibnitz.
1778. GeneralWashingtonbroke up his camp and marched to Middlebrook, to go into winter quarters. The British expedition against Georgia, under colonel Campbell, 2,500 troops, sailed from Sandy Hook on the same day, escorted by a squadron under sir Hyde Parker.
1779.Thomas, lord Lyttleton, a statesman of some merit, died in his 36th year. It is storied of him, that three days previous to his death a ghost admonished him that it would happen.
1781. Sortie from the garrison ofGibraltar, at 2P. M., under Gen. Ross. They took and destroyed two mortar and three heavy cannon batteries, blew up several Spanish magazines, and returned before daylight with the loss of 4 killed, having destroyed property estimated at three millions.
1788.Thomas Harmerdied; an eminent English dissenting divine, and critical writer on Biblical literature.
1792. The national convention of France erected the duchy of Savoy into an 84th department of the French republic.
1807. The royal family of Portugal to avoid being made prisoners by Gen. Junot, who was approaching their capital, embarked at the mouth of the Tagus for Brazil.
1811.Gaspar Melchior de Jovellanosdied; one of the most distinguished Spaniards of modern times, both as a statesman and a writer. The wretched state of the Spanish book trade does not allow a complete collection of his works to appear.
1812. Battle of Berezina; the Russian general Wittgenstein forced the French across the river, who were killed and drowned in great numbers in their flight. It is scarcely possible to calculate the loss of the French on this occasion. Cannon, bayonets, fire and water contributed to their destruction. A vast quantity of booty from Moscow fell into the hands of the Russians.
1812. British frigate Southampton, Capt. Yeo, and her prize the U. S. brig Vixen, totally lost on a reef of rocks 9 miles from the island of Conception. The officers and crews of both vessels were saved.
1812. A detachment of United States troops in ten boats made a successful attack upon the batteries opposite Black Rock, in Canada, spiked the cannon, and returned.
1814. Unsuccessful attack of the British on fort Kalunga, in the East Indies. British loss about 500.
1827. Eruption of the mud volcano of Jokmali, on the Caspian sea. The flames burst forth and blazed up to an extraordinary height for a period of three hours, so as to be seen at the distance of six German miles (31 Eng. ?), after which they scarcely rose three feet above the crater which discharged the mud.
1836.Antoine Charles Horace Vernetdied at Paris. He has produced some of the best paintings of the age. That of the battle of Fontenoy is much admired.
1838. The castle of San Juan de Ulloa at Vera Cruz, Mexico, taken by a French naval force. The castle was reputed a very strong one, but was taken after a bombardment of 5 hours. The French lost 4 men killed; loss of the Mexicans upwards of 400.
1843.Susan Johnston, widow of the late John Johnston, Esq., of Ireland, died at Sault St. Marie. She was daughter of Wabojeeg, chief of the Chippewa nation.
1850.Hardin Bigelow, mayor of Sacramento, died of cholera. He had distinguished himself by his vigor and bravery in quelling the squatter riots in Sacramento, and in enforcing the laws, by which he was wounded, and lost an arm.
1852.Ada Augusta, countess of Lovelace, and daughter of Byron, died, aged 37. Her tastes turned to metaphysics and mathematics.
1855.Robert Bunyandied at Lincoln, England, aged 80; the last male descendant in a direct line from the author ofPilgrim's Progress.
1856.H. Tollens, the great national poet of Holland, died at Ryswick, aged 77. His poetry, remarkable for its ardent patriotism, enjoyed extraordinary popularity among all classes of his countrymen.