2348B. C.The great flood began, according to Polyhistor, from Berosus, upon the 15th, or the ides, of the Assyrian month Doesia, agreeing with this day. This event was prefigured to the patriarch in a vision, when the deity enjoined him to commit to writing a history of all things, which he was to bury in the city of the sun, at Sipara. The same uninspired authority informs us, that Noah was the tenth king of the Chaldea, and that he reigned 18 sari.
1606.Jerome Mercurialisdied; an Italian physician of great abilities, and author of several works.
1616.Argalreturned to Virginia from his expedition against the French settlements in Acadia. At St. Savior he broke in pieces the cross which the Jesuits had erected, and set up another inscribed with the name of the king of Great Britain; at St. Croix he destroyed all the remains of De Monts' settlement; at Port Royal the entire settlement was reduced to ashes in the short space of two hours.
1620. Thepilgrims, after a boisterous passage, at break of day discovered the land of cape Cod. Finding that they had been carried north of their destination (seeSept. 6) they sailed southward; but falling among shoals, and the season being late, the captain gladly took advantage of their solicitude to put about, for he had been clandestinely promised a reward by the Dutch if he would not carry them to Hudson's river. Steering northward again they were clear of the danger before night, and the next day, a storm coming on, they dropped anchor in cape Cod harbor.
1623.William Camden, an illustrious English historian, died. He is styled the Pausanias of England.
1641.Francis de St. Preuil, a distinguished French officer, and governor of Arras, beheaded at Amiens.
1677.Gilbert Sheldon, archbishop of Canterbury, died. It appeared, after his death, that he had bestowed, during 14 years, about $250,000 in private and public charities.
1704. AdmiralLeakeobliged the French and Spanish blockading squadron to retire from Gibraltar.
1732.Robert Stephensdied; an eminent English antiquary and historiographer royal.
1775.Arnold, at the head of 1,000 men, arrived before Quebec. The unexpected appearance of an army, emerging out of the depths of an unexplored wilderness, threw the city into the greatest consternation; but want of boats to cross gave the citizens time to rally, and the critical moment was lost. The sufferings of this detachment were incredible. They ate their horses and dogs, and, after soaking their cartouch boxes, belts and leather breeches, absolutely ate them.
1794. The Jacobin society attacked by the Parisian mob, and several persons severely wounded by stones thrown into the windows of the hall of their sitting.
1794.Maastricht, after a bombardment of some days, capitulated to the French; 8,000 men surrendered prisoners of war. The place was invested on the 10th Sept. by 50,000 republicans, and the first parallel was opened on the 23d October.
1799. The celebrated but bloodless revolution at Paris, of the 18th Brumaire, which, dissolving the directory, invested Bonaparte with the supreme authority. "You are the wisdom of the nation;" he addressed the council, "I come, surrounded by the generals of the republic, to promise you their support. Let us lose no time in looking for precedents. Nothing in history resembles the close of the 18th century—nothing in the 18th century resembles this movement. Your wisdom has devised the necessary measure; our arms shall put it in execution."
1802.Thomas Girten, an English artist, died. He introduced the practice of drawing upon cartridge paper, by which he avoided certain appearances incident to the drawings on white paper.
1803.Benjamin Ledyard, an officer in the revolutionary war, died at Scipio, N. Y. He was a meritorious soldier; at thetime of his death held the office of clerk of Cayuga county.
1806.Eleazer Brooks, an officer of the revolution, died at Concord, Mass. He commanded a regiment at White Plains and Stillwater, and distinguished himself by his cool courage and determined bravery.
1806.Bonapartelevied a contribution on the Prussian dominion and its allies of 160,000,000.
1812.Bonaparte, on his retreat from Moscow, had his head quarters at Smolensk. When he left Moscow his army amounted to 100,000; it now scarcely numbered 60,000.
1813. British repulsed in an attack on Ogdensburgh.
1813. CommodoreChauncey'ssquadron, the whole carrying but 36 guns, again discovered the Royal George, 26 guns, and chased her under the batteries, which he engaged one hour and forty-five minutes. He had 1 killed and 3 wounded.
1839.Gilbert Y. Francisdied at New Orleans, of yellow fever. His life was romantic and eventful. He was in early life attached to the navy; then to the stage; had traveled over the four quarters of the globe; was two years a prisoner in the great desert of Arabia; a slave to the bashaw of Tunis; lieutenant of a guerilla party in Spain; master of a Dutch luggar trading to the Malaccas; overseer of a sugar estate in Jamaica; a cutter of logwood in the forest of Campeachy; a prisoner among banditti in Mexico; a captive among the Camanches; ransomed by some Oregon fur traders; employed by the governor of the Russian settlements to command a brig in the wheat trade with Chili; married in Virginia; and was extensively engaged in the Texan operations when death arrested him.
1848. The king of Prussia prorogued the general assembly, at Berlin, naming Brandenburgh as the place of next meeting.
1848.Blum, a distinguished publisher at Leipsic, shot, at Vienna, as an insurrectionist and deputy for Frankfort.
1851.William Croswell, an episcopal clergyman of Boston, died, aged 47. He was a man of eminent ability, piety, modesty and worth, and his poetical productions are of a high order of merit.
1853. The ceremony of inaugurating the Washington aqueduct took place at the great falls of the Potomac, president Pierce turning the first turf.
1854.Elizabeth Hamilton, widow of Alexander Hamilton, died at Washington, aged 93. She was a daughter of general Philip Schuyler, of Albany; married lieutenant colonel Hamilton, then an aid of general Washington, in 1780, with whom she lived 24 years, and survived him nearly half a century.
1856.N. Cabet, founder of the Icarian community at Nauvoo, Illinois, died at St. Louis, aged about 69.
1757.A. M.The waters of the deluge had subsided, and the earth became dry on the 27th of the 2d month, corresponding with this date (Nov. 10).
570. Birthday ofMahomet, as settled by the Benedictines: by other authority, April 21, 571.
1202. Siege of Jadera, now Zara, by the Venitian crusaders. It was a Roman city, colonized by Augustus.
1270.Edward Ijoined the African crusade before Tunis, a few weeks after the death of Louis, in his tent.
1444. Battle of Varna, between the Turks under Amurath, and the Christians under Ladislaus of Hungary, in which the latter were defeated, and Ladislaus and 10,000 slain.
1549.Paul III(Alexander Farnese), pope, died. It was with him that Henry VIII came to a rupture, which severed the church of England from that of Rome.
1558. Last auto-da-fé in the reign of queenMaryof England. It is supposed that in about three years 280 persons perished at the stake.
1567.Anne de Montmorency, marshal of France, killed at the battle of St. Denis, after performing prodigies of valor. He commanded at many memorable battles.
1624.Henry Wroitesley, earl of Southampton, one of the most steady patrons of men of learning, died at Bergen-op-Zoom, in Holland.
1683.John Collins, an eminent English mathematician, died; the intimate correspondent of the learned men of his times.
1715.Godfrey Olearius, a learned German divine and historian, died.
1721.John Mapletoft, an eminent English physician and divine, died, aged 91.
1722. The Royal Anne galley, cast away near Lizard point, and lord Bellhaven, governor of Barbadoes, with other passengers and ship's crew, perished. A boy and two sailors only saved.
1735.Thomas Dean, of Malden, a writer and printer, died in Kent, aged 102.
1750.Edward Bright, an English grocer, died, aged 29. His height was 5 feet 10 inches, his bulk round the body, 6 feet 11 inches, and his weight, 537 pounds.
1758. The oldest lion in the Tower ofLondon died. Said to be 68 years old. It had been presented to James II, by one of the Barbary states.
1769. Capt.Hollymoredied, at Vauxhall, Eng. His mother had prepossessed him when a child, that he should die on the 10th of November, 1769, and in consequence of that prepossession, he made his will, and gave orders about his funeral; and though seemingly in perfect health when he went to bed, was found dead next morning, without the least sign of violence of any kind.
1781. Negapatam, in the East Indies, surrendered by the Dutch to the British, with 8000 prisoners.
1794. The French convention closed the hall of the Jacobins, and banished the society. They also banished the emigrants forever from France, and confiscated their estates.
1795. The schooner White Fish arrived at Philadelphia, from Presque isle, on lake Erie. The White Fish was 17½ feet keel, and 5 feet 7 inches beam, and performed her remarkable voyage in 7 weeks, passing the falls of Niagara 10 miles by land, and proceeding by lake Ontario, the Oswego river, lake Oneida, Wood creek, the Mohawk and Hudson rivers, to her place of destination—947 miles. The vessel was built and navigated by two young men, who made their unique voyage without chart or compass.
1797.Catharine II, of Russia, died. She seized her husband and probably had him murdered, by which she became sole mistress of the throne. She possessed many bad qualities, mixed with some good ones.
1797.Frederick William II, of Prussia, died.
1802. An island in latitude 5° 49´ N. longitude, 162° 23´ W. from London, discovered by captain Sowle, of the Palmyra, of Providence, R. I., which he called Palmyra island.
1808.Guy Carleton, a distinguished British officer in America, and governor of Canada, died. His great exertions saved Canada, when besieged by the Americans under Montgomery and Arnold.
1812. United States schooner Growler, lieutenant Mix, having under convoy a British prize schooner, by a masterly manoeuvre saved his prize and captured another British schooner, under convoy of two armed ships, on lake Ontario. The schooner had $12,000 on board, and the private property and baggage of general Brock.
1813. The British under lord Wellington attacked the French position at Anhoue, in Spain, and took 51 cannon and 1400 prisoners. British loss, 2484, exclusive of the loss of the Spanish; French loss, 3000.
1825. Com.McDonough, who commanded the fleet at Plattsburgh in 1814, died of consumption at Middletown, Conn.
1832.John Gaspard Spurzheim, the celebrated German phrenologist, died. He came to America in the same year of his death, after having traveled through several countries on the continent, for the purpose of propagating the science, and making investigations.
1834.Earl Spencer, an English statesman, died. He was much respected for his talents and virtues, and possessed the finest private library in Europe.
1835.Andrew Ljungstedtdied; a Swedish author of great learning, who resided at Macao, in China, 40 years, and wrote a history of the Portuguese settlements in China.
1837.Albert Pawlingdied, aged 88; an officer in the revolutionary army, and engaged in several battles. He was the first sheriff of Rensselaer county, and first mayor of Troy.
1838.Santa Cruz, president of Bolivia, and protector of Peru, entered Lima at the head of a large army—Gomarra, with the Chilian army, having evacuated it.
1843.John Trumbull, a celebrated American painter, and aid to general Washington during the war of the revolution, died in New York, aged 87. He was buried in New Haven, where fifty-five of his paintings are preserved in the college. Hischef-d'œuvreis the great painting of the signers of the declaration of independence.
1851.William G. Belknap, an officer of the United States army, died, aged 56. He distinguished himself at Buena Vista.
1852. The punishment of death re-established in Tuscany, for treason, crimes against religion, murder, and robbery with violence.
1852. A treaty was ratified between the courts of Vienna and Rome, stipulating that the latter should support in the territories of the pope, 12,000 infantry and 1400 cavalry, for whom $18,000 per month was to be paid by the papal government.
1852.Gideon Algernon Mantell, an eminent English geologist, died in London, aged 62.
1853.Thomas M. Nelson, an officer in the war of 1812, died at Columbus, Ga., aged 71.
1853.Maria, queen of Portugal, died in childbed. She was buried on the 19th with great solemnity, and demonstrations of public regret.
397.St. Martin, the apostle of Gaul, died. He was a soldier, converted to Christianity, and made bishop of Tours. The festival of Martinmas was instituted in honor of him, in the year 560.
619.St. John(the Almoner) died. He was a native of Cyprus, raised to the see of Alexandria.
1100. Nuptials ofHenry Iof England (Beauclerk) andMaud, the fair daughter of Malcolm, king of Scots, and niece of Edgar Atheling, "of the right kingly kin of England."
1213. Date of the most ancient writ, summoning four discreet knights of the counties, to meet king John at Oxford, in 15 days from All Saints,ad loquendum nobiscum de negotiis regni nostri.
1400.Timourthe Mogul sacked Aleppo, the capital of the Mamelukes. He thus addressed one of the cadhis: "I am not a man of blood; and God is my witness, that in all my wars, I have never been the aggressor, and that my enemies have always been the authors of their own calamities."
1462.Anneof Cyprus, died. She married Lewis, duke of Savoy, and showed herself able, active and discriminating at the head of public affairs.
1572.Tycho Braheobserved a new star in Cassiopeia, a phenomenon which had not been recorded since the age of Hipparchus. In splendor it was equal to Jupiter and Venus, and did not change its position in two years.
1620. The Plymouth pilgrims signed an instrument for their government, which was to go into force on their landing. It had the signatures of 41 of their number; and they with their families amounted to 101 persons. John Carver was chosen governor for one year. Thus did these intelligent colonists, says Holmes, find means to erect themselves into a republic, even though they had commenced their enterprise under the sanction of a royal charter; "a case that is rare in history, and can be effected only by that perseverance which the true spirit of liberty inspires."
1621.Robert Cushmanarrived at Plymouth, in a ship from England, bringing 35 persons to remain in the colony, and a charter procured in London.
1623.Philip de Mornay, baron du Plesis Marly, died; an illustrious French protestant, a political and polemical writer, and privy counselor of the king.
1671.Thomas Fairfax, one of the principal generals in the civil wars of England, died.
1673. Battle of Choczin; the Turks defeated by John Sobieski, with the loss of 28,000.
1692. The negroes of the Barbadoes conspired against their masters for which many of them were executed.
1714.George Iissued an order of council against the clergy meddling with state affairs in their sermons.
1750.Apostolo Zeno, a learned Venitian, died. He was a poet, and historian to Charles VI; his works are numerous and popular.
1778. A body of tories, Indians and British regulars, under the notorious John Butler, attacked fort Alden, at Cherry Valley. After an attack of 3 hours, they retreated, having killed 10 soldiers, and massacred 32 inhabitants, mostly women and children.
1793.John Sylvain Bailly, a famous French astronomer, died. He was induced to leave his studies for political distinction, and lost his life by manifesting some regard for justice.
1793. The amount of gold and silver collected in Paris from all parts of the republic, for the purpose of carrying on the measures of the government vigorously, was about two hundred millions of dollars.
1794. A treaty was concluded at Canandaigua between the United States by Timothy Pickering, and the Six Nations by 58 of their chiefs, among whom were Red Jacket and Cornplanter.
1794. MarquisLafayetteescaped from the prison at Olmutz.
1797.Joseph Toaldo, an Italian physician, died. He was professor of mathematics at Padua, and bestowed much attention on subjects of electricity, astronomy and meteorology.
1805. Battle of Diernsten; the French under Mortier defeated the Russians after a sanguinary battle.
1807. Three British orders in council restricting neutral trade with France and her allies. This was termed a paper blockade, was strongly resisted by America, and finally, with other aggressions, brought on a war in 1812.
1807. The decree of Napoleon restricting the trade of Holland went into operation, by which the commerce of that country, after a long declension, was totally ruined.
1813. Battle of Williamsburg, in Canada. The Americans under general Boyd, 1700, attacked the British, 2170. The victory was claimed by both parties, though it seems to have been with the British. American loss, killed 102, wounded 237; British loss, officially stated at 180—thought to exceed 500.
1817.Francisco Espoz y Mina, one of the most distinguished of the Spanish patriots, executed in Spain.
1835. Great tempest on lake Erie; a number of lives and vessels lost; the water rose higher than it was ever known before at Buffalo, and did great damage.
1837.Thomas Green Fessenden, an American poet and agricultural writer, died. He conducted theNew England Farmermany years; was a man of extensive information and considerable literary acquirements.
1849.Henry Maynadier, a revolutionary officer and army surgeon, died at Annapolis, Maryland, aged 93.
1855.Thomas Wilde, baron Truro, died at London. As one of the best pleaders at the English bar, he was employed as one of the counsel for queen Caroline. He filled many offices of distinction and became lord chancellor in 1850.
1855.Jeddo, in the island of Japan destroyed by an earthquake.
606.Boniface III, pope, died. He established the superiority of the popes over the patriarchs of Constantinople.
1035.Canute(the Great), king of Denmark, died. He took part of England from Edmund Ironsides, and afterwards seized the whole kingdom.
1041. The people rose on the tax collectors of Hardi Canute of England, and slew them.
1493.Columbusarrived at Navidad, on the north side of Hispaniola, where he had left a colony on his first voyage, and had the mortification to find that the people were all dead, and the fort destroyed.
1550.Paul Fagius(Buchlin), a learned protestant German minister, died in England. He undertook a new translation and illustration of the Old Testament under Cromwell, but died before he had made much progress.
1555.Stephen Gardiner, bishop of Winchester and chancellor of England, died. In his character as a minister, he had a large portion of haughtiness, boundless ambition and deep dissimulation; for he looked upon religion as an engine of state, and made use of it as such.
1562.Peter Martyr, a distinguished commentator on the Bible, died at Zurich.
1589. The first notice of the appointment of a licenser of stage plays, &c., in London.
1595.John Hawkins, an English admiral, died. He signalized himself in the reign of Elizabeth, by his encounters with the Spanish armada, and his expeditions to the West Indies.
1606. The expedition of the Plymouth company under Challons (SeeAug. 12), on its passage from the West Indies towards the American coast, was captured by a Spanish fleet and carried into Spain, where the vessel was confiscated.
1684. Birthday of admiralEdward Vernon. The anniversary of his birthday was kept with great enthusiasm formerly, in England, especially about the year 1740.
1688.Andrew Andersoncommenced an auction sale of books, the first of the kind in Scotland.
1722.Adrian Van der Werf, a Dutch portrait painter of great reputation, died. He was held in great esteem, received a pension and the honor of knighthood.
1746.Jacq. Alexander Cæsar Charles, in his lifetime so well known as a natural philosopher, was born at Baujency, in France. He was the first to make use of hydrogen gas instead of heated air in balloons.
1775. Montreal surrendered to the Americans; general Prescott, and several officers with 120 privates were intercepted. Eleven sail of vessels, with all their contents, fell into the hands of the provincials.
1775. British ships Tamarand and Cherokee attacked the United States schooner Defence, off South Carolina. This was the commencement of open hostilities in that state. The Defence sustained but little injury.
1780. Battle of Broad river; a band of American volunteers under Sumpter attacked by the British under major Wemys, who were defeated and Wemys taken.
1783. The crew of the British ship Antelope, wrecked on the Pelew island (seeAug. 10), sailed for China in a vessel which they had constructed, taking the king's son, Lee Boo.
1793.Bailly, late mayor of Paris, beheaded. He was a patriot and man of science. The first to take the famous oath never to separate till they had obtained a free constitution.
1799. Meteoric shower observed at Cumana, in South America; thousands of falling stars were seen to succeed each other during four hours.
1805.Robert Holmes, an English divine, died. He was distinguished as a poet and scholar, and for his devotion to Biblical criticism.
1812. The Russians under Orloff Denizoff attacked a strong body of French with a large convoy of provisions, cattle, horses, &c., on their way to Smolensk. He killed 1500 and took 1300 prisoners, 400 wagonsof biscuit, brandy and wine, and 200 head of cattle and 1000 horses destined for the artillery. Few of those who escaped ever reached Smolensk, for the inclemency of the weather destroyed what the sword had spared. It was a dreadful blow to the French army, which was reduced to such extremities that the smallest assistance was invaluable.
1813. British frigate Lacedemonian captured Philadelphia sloop Betsey off Carrituck. The British took out the crew, leaving the captain and one man and a boy on board, in charge of a prize master and five men. In the night the two Americans rose upon the crew, recaptured the vessel, and brought her safe to Washington, N. C., with their six prisoners.
1820.William Hayley, an English poet and miscellaneous writer, died.
1824. County of Orleans, in western New York, erected.
1832.Barnaba Oriani, an Italian astronomer, died, aged 80. He was director of the observatory, and one of the most accomplished astronomers of the day.
1845.Maria Brooks, an American poetess, died, aged about 50. Her principal poem isZophies, which is pronounced one of the most original, passionate and harmonious works of the imagination ever conceived. Southey pronounced her "the most impassioned and imaginative of poetesses."
1848. Revolutionary movements in Prussia. The burger guard at Berlin refused to comply with the king's proclamation to give up their arms.
1849. The American ship Caleb Grimshaw took fire at sea, and burnt four days, when 339 of her passengers were rescued; 60 who left the vessel on a raft, perished.
36B. C.Octavius Cæsarreceived theorationfor his great naval victory over Sextus, the younger Pompey, in the Sicilian war.
1002. Massacre of the Danes, throughout England, by order of king Ethelred, one of those infamous shifts by which coward tyranny secures its sinister purposes. Neither age nor sex was spared, and among the victims was Gunilda, sister of Sweyn, king of Denmark. Her husband and children were butchered before her eyes. In the following year Sweyn invaded England and swept the country with fire and sword.
1004.Abbon de Fleury, a French ecclesiastic of note, who encouraged learning among the monastics, died of a wound he received in attempting to allay a brawl.
1499.Vincent Yanes Pinzonsailed from Palos, in Spain, for America, with four caravals, and was the first Spaniard who ventured to cross the equinoctial line. He explored a part of the coast of South America, and named the river which is still called Amazon—so named from the Spaniards observing that the women fought with the same bravery as the men in the common defence.
1503.Francisco Almeida, the first Portuguese viceroy of India, having surrendered his office to Albuquerque, sailed from Cochin for Portugal.
1539. The Bible, calledMatthew's Bible, was permitted to be read in private houses, "of the royal liberality and goodness."
1549. PopePaul IIIdied, and was succeeded by cardinal de Monte, who took the name of Julius III.
1553. Arraignment of ladyJane Greyat Guildhall.
1558. CardinalPole, since the death of bishop Cranmer, bishop of Canterbury, died.
1620. The Plymouth colonists disembarked on cape Cod, and proceeded to make discovery of the country, and search for a convenient place of settlement. In the course of this search they found baskets of corn concealed under heaps of sand, a quantity of which they brought away in a great kettle found at the ruins of an Indian house. This gave them seed for a future harvest, and preserved the infant colony from starvation.
1624.Thomas Erpeniusdied at Leyden; a most learned Dutch writer, and incomparably skilled in the oriental tongues.
1646. A new volcano in the island of Palma, one of the Canaries, near Teneriffe.
1647. Battle of Knockinoss, in Ireland, during the rebellion, when the Irish army of 8,500 strong, under lord Taafe and sir Alexander MacDonnel, were routed by 5,200 under lord Inchiquin. The Irish left 4,000 in the field of battle. The British parliament voted lord Inchiquin £1,000 for his conduct on the occasion.
1650.Thomas May, an English dramatic poet and historian, died.
1654.William Habington, an English poet and historian, died.
1690.Lewis de Wolzogendied; a divine of Amsterdam, and a zealous partisan of the Socinians.
1712.John Ernest Grabe, a Prussian divine, died in England, where he published an edition of theSeptuagint, and wrote some valuable works on divinity.
1712.Arthur Maynwaring, a learned Englishman, died. He was a member of parliament under queen Anne, and wrote in prose and verse.
1715. Battle of Dumblane between theking's troops under the duke of Argyle, and those of the pretender under the earl of Mar, not decisive.
1715. Defeat of the pretender's forces at Preston, and many persons taken, among whom was their leader Mr. Foster.
1726.Sophia Dorothy, only child of the duke of Zell, and wife of George I, of England, died. The malice of another subjected her to 32 years' captivity.
1770.George Grenville, a celebrated English statesman, died. He was distinguished for his eloquence in the senate.
1771. Eruption of Solway Moss, in England. It is about seven miles in circumference, and composed of mud and putrid fibres of heath, diluted by internal springs. It burst its barrier in the night, and laid a large tract of country in ruin.
1781.John Moodyhanged at Philadelphia as a spy. He intended to have seized the books and papers of congress.
1798.Jean Francois Callet, a French mathematician, died. It was to prevent the occurrence of errors in his tables that Didlot attempted the art of stereotyping.
1805.Bonaparteentered Vienna; the commencement of a favorite plan of his to dictate peace to the conquered monarchs of Europe in their own capitals.
1810.James Allen, the Northumbrian piper, died.
1812.Bonaparteon his retreat from Moscow, quitted Smolensk for Krasnoy. His army was now reduced to 43,000.
1813. The junta, under the title of national assembly, declared the independence of Mexico.
1817.John Philpot Curran, an eminent Irish barrister, died; celebrated for his eloquence and wit.
1832. A French army of 75,000 men entered Belgium and marched for Antwerp to assist in establishing the independence of the country.
1833. Remarkable meteoric phenomenon, which extended over a large portion of North America. The first appearance was that of fireworks of the most imposing grandeur, covering the entire vault of heaven with myriads of fire balls resembling sky rockets, and showers of fiery snow driven with inconceivable velocity to the north-west. Similar phenomena were witnessed in Arabia on this day the previous year. It was observed again on this day, 1837, at New York and New Haven.
1835.Henry Frederick Storkdied at St. Petersburg. He was an eminent writer as well onbelles lettresas political economy.
1835.Charles Augustus Bottigerdied; an eminent German scholar and archæologist, author of various learned works, and aulic counselor to the king of Saxony.
1836.Charles Simeon, a most able and zealous English prelate, died at Cambridge. His works were published in 21 large octavo volumes. His funeral was attended with great solemnity by the whole town; the shops were closed and 1,300 persons joined the procession in the deepest mourning.
1839. The town of Kelat, in Beloochistan, taken by the British army. Mehrab Khan was killed, his principal sirdirs killed or taken, and hundreds of others captured.
1854. A great tempest raged over the Black sea, which continued several days; 18 British and 12 French ships were lost near Balaclava, together with 340 men and a large amount of property.
332.B. C.Era of the accession of Alexander the great to the Persian rule.
565.Justinian I, emperor of Rome, died. He built St. Sophia's church at Constantinople, and reduced the Roman laws into a code, which was called the Digests or Pandects.
1318. The greatest earthquake ever known in England.
1524.Francisco Pizarrosailed from Panama for the conquest of Peru. Diego de Almagro, and Hernando de Luque a priest, associated with him under bonds and oaths for mutual protection. This expedition was a failure; they were repulsed and compelled to leave the country. More than six years afterwards the attempt was renewed with success.
1556.John de la Casa, an Italian writer, died. Besides some beautiful Italian poems, he wrote the lives of cardinals Contarini and Bembo, and various other works.
1574. An aurora borealis appeared in England.
1672.Francis de la Boe Sylvius, an eminent Dutch physician, died. He was professor of medicine at Leyden, where he ably demonstrated the truth of Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the blood.
1690. Capt.James Campbell, brother of the duke of Argyle, with the assistance of sir J. Johnstone, seized a rich heiress and married her, for which Johnstone was afterwards hung and Campbell divorced.
1716.Godfrey Willam Leibnitz, a German philosopher, died. He had in his life the singular felicity of being esteemed the greatest and most learned man in Europe.
1736.George Sale, a learned Englishman, died. He was well skilled in oriental literature, and contributed much to thecompletion of theUniversal History, but his chief work is a translation of theKoran.
1770. Bruce discovered the sources of the mighty Nile.
1785. A chebeck with 19 men and 23 passengers, passing from Majorca to Ivica, was attacked by an Algerine pink, and boarded by about 100 men, in spite of the firing of two cannon and the musketry. A bloody engagement ensued, in which all the Moors but 6 or 7 were killed. These were assaulted by a volley of hail shot, which fired some powder casks, and blew up the vessel, destroying all on board but the captain and 3 passengers, who got to Ivica in a boat, badly wounded.
1800.Marquis de Bouille, a celebrated French general, died; during the American war he served with credit in the West Indies, but being opposed to the enormities of the French revolution he was compelled to seek an asylum in England.
1804.Jacob Bryant, an English philologist and antiquary, died. He was a learned and indefatigable writer, but fond of paradox.
1809.Bonapartewas congratulated on his return from Austria, by the public bodies of Paris, as "the greatest of heroes, who ever achieved victories but for the happiness of the world."
1809.Frederick Morton Eden, an English diplomatist and writer on political economy, died.
1812. Battle of Smolnya; the French under Victor and Oudinot defeated by the Russians under Wittgenstein, with the loss of 1,500 dead on the field, and 800 prisoners. Russian loss 1,000.
1825.Jean Paul Frederick Richter, a German writer of the first rank inbelles lettres, died. He is known as Jean Paul among the Germans, and his numerous works are held in very high repute.
1827.Thomas Addis Emmett, an eminent Irish lawyer, died in New York, aged 63.
1828.Andre Joseph Abrialdied; a French statesman under Napoleon and his successor.
1831.George William Frederick Hegel, the distinguished German philosopher, died by cholera at Berlin. His philosophy partakes of much of German mysticism.
1832.Charles Abbott, lord Tenterden, died, aged 70. He was the son of a London hairdresser, who by great application became one of the most learned jurists of England.
1832.Charles Carroldied, aged 96; the last of the signers of the declaration of independence. He studied the law in France and England, and returned to America at the age of 27, where he was soon known as an advocate for liberty, and as one of the best political writers in Maryland. He quitted public life in 1810.
1835.James Freeman, pastor of the Stone chapel society, in Boston, died. He was chosen pastor of the episcopal society that worshiped there in 1783. Having rejected the trinitarian doctrine, the greater part of his hearers responded to his sentiments and resolved to alter their liturgy and retain their minister. Thus did the first episcopal church in New England become the first unitarian church in the new world. He was a man of talent and learning, and one of the founders of the Massachusetts historical society.
1840.John A. G. Davis, professor of law in the university of Virginia, died of a pistol shot discharged by a disguised student. He was a man of extraordinary intellect, of untiring industry, of amiable and philanthropic character. He published a valuable treatise on criminal law.
1840.Zachariah Lewis, senior vice-president of the American Bible society, died at Brooklyn, N. Y. He was educated for the ministry, and was for 17 years editor of theCommercial AdvertiserandNew York Spectator.
1855.Tobias Watkinsdied at Washington, aged 75. He was a physician by education, had contributed largely to the public press, and figured as a politician.
26.Agrippina, the mother of Nero, perished by order of her ungrateful son. She married the emperor Claudius, whom she poisoned to raise Nero to the throne.
1213. The first regular English parliament assembled by writ at Oxford.
1280.Albertus Magnus, a Swabian philosopher of extraordinary genius, died. His writings have been collected in 21 vols. folio.
1577.Francis Drakesailed from England with five ships and 164 men, professedly on a voyage to Egypt, but really with the intention of sailing into the Pacific, where no English flag had ever been.
1591.Barnabas Brissoniusstrangled at Paris. He was an eminent French lawyer, and ambassador to England.
1647.John Victor Rossi(Janus Nicius Erythræus) died; a Roman of noble birth, who devoted himself to literary pursuits.
1653.Aloysius Juglaris, an Italian Jesuit, died. He wrote 100 panegyrics on Jesus Christ, and 40 on Lewis XIII!
1680. The bill excludingJames, duke of York, from the succession to his brother's throne, passed by the commons, wasdefeated in the house of lords, all the bishops voting against it.
1695. In the neighborhood of Limerick and Tipperary, Ireland, a shower of matter fell resembling butter or grease, and was gathered into pots by some of the inhabitants. When laid on the hand it melted, but placed by the fire it dried and became hard, emitting an offensive odor.
1712. A duel was fought in Hyde Park, London, when the duke of Hamilton and lord Mohun were both killed.
1745. The town of Carlisle surrendered to the troops of the pretender to the English throne.
1747.John Peter de Mendajors, a French historian, died. He wrote a history of Gaul.
1751.Henry Saint John, viscount Bolingbroke, a celebrated English politician and philosopher, died, aged 80. A panegyrist has observed that in his writings he united the wisdom of Socrates, the dignity and ease of Pliny, and the wit of Horace.
1761.John Sauve de la Noue, a French actor and dramatic writer, died. It was on his account that Voltaire wrote thePrincess of Navarre, that he might act the chief character.
1763. The British parliament by a vote 273 to 111, resolved that theNorth Briton, a paper conducted by the noted Wilkes, was a scandalous and seditious libel, and ordered it to be burned by the common hangman. Great riot in consequence.
1777. Fort Mifflin evacuated by the Americans, after a most noble and gallant defence. The British fired 1,030 cannon shot at the fort during the day.
1787.Christopher Gluck, an eminent German musical composer, died. He introduced a new style of music into Paris.
1793.John Nicholas Houchardguillotined at Paris. He raised himself to the highest rank in the army, and displayed his abilities in several important victories.
1793.Jean Marie Baptiste Roland de la Platierestabbed himself to the heart on receiving news that his wife had been guillotined. His knowledge of commerce and political economy led to his appointment of minister under Louis, and under the republic.
1793. Fort Lewis taken by the Austrians under Wurmzer, and 4,000 French and 112 cannons captured.
1794.John Witherspoon, a signer of the declaration, died. He was a Scotchman, who came over to take the presidency of Nassau Hall. His influence upon literature was greatly beneficial, and his talents as a preacher of the most popular kind.
1797.Joseph Milner, a learned Scottish divine and historian, died, aged 54.
1802.George Romneydied; an eminent English painter.
1811.Frederick James Bast, an eminent German scholar, died. He took advantage of a diplomacy at Paris to make some valuable researches among the treasures of the Vatican which had recently been transported there.
1812. The Cossacks under Platoff fell in with 12 pieces of French cannon, and an immense train of carriages filled with plunder, abandoned by the French army. The horses lay dead in their harnesses, and mingled with them lay hundreds of human bodies, which had perished from the intense severity of the cold, from hunger and fatigue, in their retreat from Moscow.
1816. The bells of Notre Dame, Paris, wereformally baptizedunder the names of the duke and Duchess of Angouleme.
1827.George Tomline, an eminent English bishop, died. His works display great erudition.
1828. Cayuga and Seneca canal completed.
1848. GeneralMessenhausen, the commander of the national guard at Vienna, executed.
1849. The steam boat Louisiana exploded her boilers at New Orleans, when 60 persons were killed, and a great many wounded who afterwards died.
1852. The Lobos islands difficulty between the United States and Peru was settled, by the withdrawal of the American pretensions.
1852.John Hamilton Reynolds, an eminent English poet, contemporary with Byron, died in the Isle of Wight, aged 56.
534.Justinianpublished his immortalCodeof civil ordinances, amended in conformity with the Pandects which issued from the legal armory in the year preceding. It is called the second edition, although enriched with two hundred of his own laws, and fifty decisions of obscure points in jurisprudence.
1093.Margaret, of Scotland, died. She was the sister of Edgar Atheling, fled to Scotland on the invasion of William the Conqueror, and married Malcolm, king of the country. She was an amiable and benevolent princess.
1272.Henry III, eighth king of England, died. He succeeded John; was defeated in his wars abroad, and imprisoned by his barons at home.
1272.Edward I, of England, commenced his reign, and immediately expelled the Jews from the kingdom; their librarieswere dispersed, their goods seized, and many of them barbarously murdered.
1326.Edward II, king of England, taken prisoner and delivered into the hands of his queen Isabella, by whom he was imprisoned and finally put to death.
1499.Perkin Warbeck, an aspirant to the crown of England, executed at Tyburn. He gave himself out as the second son of Edward IV, who was supposed to have been murdered in the Tower by Richard III, and made a descent upon England, but was worsted and captured.
1538. Proclamation ofHenry VIII, following the formal trial and condemnation of the shrine and goods of Thomas Becket, declaring that he was no saint, but a rebel to his prince, and his bones were caused to be burnt by the hangman.
1603.Peter Charron, a learned French ecclesiastic, died. HisBook of Wisdom, spread his fame through the country, and has been twice translated into English.
1613.Trajan Boccalini, an Italian wit, died at Venice; probably assassinated by the emissaries of the court of Spain. His works have been translated into several languages.
1644.Hugh McMaboneexecuted at Tyburn for conspiring the Irish massacre.
1695.Peter Nicole, an eminent French divine, died. He is the author of more than one hundred works.
1745.William Broome, a celebrated English poet, died.
1745. A party of French and Indians from Crown Point surprised the village of Saratoga, leaving the country uncovered to Schenectady and Albany.
1773. Destruction of the tea in Boston harbor. The duty imposed by the British parliament was 3 cents per pound; the quantity destroyed 342 chests.
1773.John Hawkesworth, an English writer, died. He compiled a narrative of the discoveries in the South seas, and wrote theAdventurer.
1773.John Bradley Blake, an English chemist, botanist and mathematician, died. He went to China, from whence he sent home all the valuable seeds and plants of the country, and began a collection of its ores and fossils, but his application destroyed his health.
1776.James Ferguson, the celebrated Scottish astronomer, died. He was an extraordinary instance among self taught men, having emerged from a shepherd's boy, to the highest rank in science.
1776. Fort Washington surrendered to the British under general Cornwallis. Col. Magaw, finding the fort too small to contain all the men, the ammunition nearly exhausted, and the force of the assailants too great to be resisted, surrendered the garrison, 2,800 men, prisoners of war. It is supposed that 1,200 of the British were killed or wounded.
1796. Battle of Arcola, which lasted two days, terminated in favor of the French. This determined the fate of Mantua.
1806.Schah Allum, the great mogul or emperor of Delhi, died, aged 82.
1811. Serious riots in Nottingham, Eng.; the journeymen weavers destroyed the articles of machinery which diminished labor.
1812. The French underDavoustleft Smolensk, having set fire to it in every quarter, and blown up the fortifications; and amidst this immense burning shower they issued forth like destroying angels, to join Bonaparte at Krasnoy.
1813.William Franklindied in England, aged 82. He was the son of Dr. Benjamin Franklin, and formerly British governor of New Jersey.
1838. Battle near Prescott, Canada, between 100 insurgents posted at a windmill, and 1,000 British troops. The former surrendered unconditionally. Their loss in 4 days was 102 killed, and 162 taken prisoners; the rest escaped into the woods.
1847. Poland blotted from among the nations of Europe, by Prussia, Austria and Russia.
1848. Great popular movements in Italy. Count Rossi, the prime minister, slain, as he entered the senate chamber at Rome. The pope's palace besieged.
1855. The powder in the French siege train, at Sebastopol, 100,000 pounds, exploded, killing and wounding a great number.
375.Valentinian I, emperor of Rome, died. He rose by his merit to the throne, and divided the empire with his brother Valens. He defeated the Germans, and restored tranquility to his African provinces. In giving audience to the ambassadors of the Quadi, whose country he had subdued, he ruptured a blood vessel in a fit of passion, which proved fatal.
537.Belisarius, who was then defending Rome against the Goths, exiled pope Sylverius for treachery.
1292. The government of Scotland was adjudged to John Baliol, by the forty peers assembled at the congress in Berwick castle.
1307. The Swiss patriots met at night in the field of Rutli, to concert measures for their independence.
1338.Edward III, of England, issued a writ, permitting the coinage of money by the abbots of Reading.
1372.John de Mandeville, the Englishwarrior and traveler, died, aged 72. He received an education unusual for those times, and in 1327, went to Palestine, and joined the Turks. He afterwards served in India under the Sultan, and in Southern China, under the khan of Cathay. He resided three years at Pekin, and appears to have traveled over a large part of Asia. On his return to England, after an absence of about 33 years, he wrote a narrative of his travels.
1494.John Picus, earl of Mirandula, an Italian nobleman, and a prodigy of learning, died, aged 32. At the age of 23 he published 900 propositions in logic, mathematics, physics and divinity, drawn from classical, Jewish and Arabian authors, and challenged through Italy any philosopher or divine to enter the lists with him in disputation. He declared war against the astrologers, because they had foretold his death at the age of 32, which proved true.
1558.Mary, queen of England, died. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and Catharine of Arragon; was learned, but bigoted, jealous and resentful. Her memory is rendered detestable by the blood of the protestants whom she caused to be burnt.
1562.Anthony of Navarre(Pantagruel), a Spanish prince, died of a wound received in battle. He was weak and irresolute; his son was afterwards the celebrated Henry IV, of France.
1604. Trial of sirWalter Raleighfor treason.
1615.Thomas Chaloner, an English nobleman, tutor of the prince of Wales, died. He is celebrated for the discovery of the first alum mines known in England.
1640.Henry de Schomberg, a distinguished French officer, died. For his distinguished services he was promoted; and also figured as a minister to Germany and England, and as a historian.
1664.Nicholas Perret, a learned Frenchman, died; celebrated for his excellent translations of the Greek and Latin classics.
1664. A comet visible in New England, which appeared first in the eastbearded, and disappeared in the west with atail.
1665.John Earle, an English bishop, died; known by a work called theMicrocosmography, or a Piece of the World, which has often been reprinted.
1679. In commemoration of queen Elizabeth's birth, the effigies of the pope, the devil, sir George Jeffries, Mr. L'Estrange, &c., were carried in procession, and burnt in Temple bar, by awhig mob, as it was then called.
1690.Fabian Phillips, a learned English antiquary, died.
1708.Jean Francois Foy Vaillant, a French antiquary and medalist, died. His father was the founder of the medalists in France, to whom Louis XIV was indebted for half his cabinet.
1747.Alain Rene Lesage, the French novelist and dramatic writer, died.
1747. Great tumults in Boston, on account of the British commodore, Knowles, having ordered several inhabitants of that city to be impressed there.
1768.Thos. Pelham Holles, duke of Newcastle, died in his 76th year. He played a bustling if not a brilliant part in the political movements of his day.
177-.Bruce, the traveler, in passing the Taranta mountain, in Abyssinia, encountered an extraordinary phenomenon. The mountain tops were hid in the clouds, and loud thunder was heard. The river scarcely ran at the time of passing it, when suddenly a noise was heard in the mountain above, louder than the loudest thunder. His guides flew to the baggage, and removed it to the top of a green hill, which was no sooner done than the river was seen coming down in a stream about the height of a man, and the breadth of the whole bed it used to occupy. An antelope, surprised by the torrent, was driven to the station where they stood.
1775. Americans, under colonel Easton, took at the point of Sorel river, Canada, 11 British vessels with stores.
1782.Edward Drinker, a quaker of Philadelphia, died, aged 103. He had been the subject of seven crowned heads, and lived to see a village become a great city.
1793. Battle of Sarbruck; the Prussians defeated by the French under Pichegru.
1794.N. Dugomier, a French revolutionary general, killed at the battle of St. Sebastian, in which his army was victorious over the Spaniards. His name was inscribed in the Pantheon.
1794.James Bentham, an English prelate and historian, died. He also directed his attention to the introduction of turnpike roads, against the popular prejudice, and to the rendering of unfruitful into valuable fields by drainage.
1795.Alexander Abercrombydied; a Scottish jurist, and a cooperator with Mackenzie in establishing theMirrorandLounger, to which he contributed.
1800. Battle of Mincio, in Italy; the Austrians defeated by the French under general Brune, with the loss of 24 cannon, and 4,000 men.
1804. Launch of the Hibernia, at Plymouth, England, of 130 guns; length of keel 167 feet, tonnage 2499—the largest man-of-war that had ever been built in England.
1812. Battle of Koutovo, near Krasnoy,in Russia; the Cossacks under Miloradovitch surrounded the French under Davoust, and defeated them with horrible slaughter. The French general, however, maintained his reputation for bravery, and cut his way through, with the loss of 4,000 killed, and 9 prisoners, and 70 cannon. The wretched beings who escaped the swords and bayonets of their conquerors sought shelter in the woods which skirt the Dnieper, and there, wounded, starving and naked, died in great numbers.
1812. British gun boats cannonaded Ogdensburgh.
1818.Charlotte, queen of England, died, aged 75.
1823.Thomas Erskine, an English nobleman, and one of the most celebrated of modern forensic orators, died.
1832.Thos. Taylor, styled the patriarch of the states-right party of South Carolina, died at Columbus.
1835. Remarkable aurora borealis; in extent and magnificence one of the grandest forms of this mysterious phenomenon. It attracted notice throughout the United States and Canada, and on the 18th was seen in Europe.
1854.Dudley Coutts Stuartdied at Stockholm, Sweden, aged 51; well known in England and elsewhere, for his devotion to Poland and the Polish exiles.
1247.Robin Hood, the leader of a band of robbers who infested the recesses of Sherwood forest, England, died. The chief, with his formidable band, continued their plundering life with success, and with little opposition, from the year 1189 to 1247. It has been attempted to identify him with Robert, earl of Huntington, whom the malice of his enemies banished from the court of Richard I. The following epitaph is said to have been engraven upon his tombstone at Kirklees: