154 B. C. It was fixed that the Roman consuls should always enter upon
their office on this day, and the years were named after them. On this
occasion they went in solemn procession to the Capitol to sacrifice to
Jupiter Capitolinus; after which the senate held a solemn session. Those
who had discharged the office of consul enjoyed the pre-eminence of rank
over the other senators. They were annually elected by the people till
the time of Tiberius, who ordered that they should be chosen by the
senate. The last consul after whom the year was named, was Barsilius, in
the year 541, in the reign of Justinianus.
38. B. C. The Spanish era, or era of the Cæsars, commenced, being the
year following the conquest of Spain by Augustus. It was much used in
Africa, Spain and the south of France; but was abolished by one kingdom
after another during the fourteenth century, and by Portugal 1555.
404. TELEMACHUS, or St. Almachus, whose story is the foundation of
Fenelon's famed work _Telemaque_, suffered martyrdom at Rome.
1109. The Festival of Fools was instituted at Paris, and continued
prosperous for 240 years. This, with the Lords of Misrule, and the
Abbots of Unreason, was doubtless designed to ridicule the Druidic
saturnalia.
1308. WILLIAM TELL, the Swiss patriot, associated himself on this day
with a band of his countrymen against the tyranny of their oppressors.
1349. EDWARD III, king of England, defeated the French before Calais
with great slaughter.
1504. Birthday of CASPER CRUCIGER, an extensive and multifarious
scholar, and a follower of Luther. He died 1548.
1515. LOUIS XII of France, surnamed _the father of the people_, died.
Notwithstanding the faults of his education, which had been purposely
neglected, he became a wise and politic monarch, who had the welfare and
improvement of his country in mind. Though extensively engaged in wars,
he avoided burdening the people with taxes--was economical, just and
magnanimous.
1513. JUAN DIAZ DE SOLIS, coasting the southern continent, discovered
the mouth of a river on this day, which in consequence he called Rio
Janeiro.
1516. JUAN DIAZ DE SOLIS again entered the Rio de Solis which he had
discovered three years previous. In attempting a descent on the country
he was slain by the natives, who in sight of the ship cut his body in
pieces, and roasted and devoured it. He was reputed the ablest navigator
in the world.
1523. Knights of Malta driven from the island of Rhodes by the Turks.
1537. JAMES V of Scotland married Magdalen, daughter of Francis I of
France.
1617. HENRY GOLTZIUS, a distinguished Dutch painter and engraver, died.
His father was a painter on glass, and gave his son instructions in the
art; but it was his own genius and application that raised him to the
rank he ultimately held among the best artists of the time.
1618. Charter of the first New Netherland company expired by its own
limitation.
1618. Birthday of BARTHOLOMEW ESTEBAN MURILLO, the greatest of all the
Spanish painters. He was employed by the churches and convents of
Seville a great number of years, which were enriched by the masterly
productions of his pencil, and procured for himself an independent
fortune. Having been invited to Cadiz, he there executed his grand
picture of St. Catharine; but just as he was about to finish it he was
dreadfully wounded on the scaffolding, and died at Seville, 1682.
1630. THOMAS HOBSON, the celebrated carrier of Cambridge, England,
died. One of the most general proverbial expressions in England
originated with him. He let to students and others horses, and his
practice was to secure equal portions of rest as well as work for each
horse. Hence when applied to for any, none but that which had its due
proportion of rest could be let. "This or none" was the answer. Hence
the phrase "Hobson's choice; this or none."
1644. MICHOB ADER, calling himself the Wandering Jew, appeared at Paris,
where he created an extraordinary sensation among all ranks. He
pretended to have lived sixteen hundred years, and that he had traveled
through all regions of the world. He was visited by the literati of the
city, and no one could accost him in a language that he was ignorant of;
he was also familiar with the history of persons and events from the
time of Christ, so that he was never confounded by intricate or
cross-questions; but replied readily and without embarrassment. The
learned looked upon him as a counterfeit, or madman, yet they took their
leave of him bewildered and astonished.
1651. CHARLES II crowned king of Scotland at Scone.
1661. A parliament met in Scotland.
1700. The Russians began their new year.
1715. WILLIAM WYCHERLEY died, aged 81, an eminent English dramatic
writer and comic poet.
1727. CLAUDE ADRIAN HELVETIUS died; a celebrated Dutch physician, who,
having obtained celebrity by introducing the use of ipecacuanha in
dysentery, was made inspector general of military hospitals, and died at
London.
1729. Great fog in London, persons lost their way in St. James' park,
and many fell into the canal.
1730. SAMUEL SEWALL, chief justice of the supreme court of Massachusetts
died.
1731. EDWARD CAVE printed the first number of the well known
_Gentleman's Magazine_.
1748. Birthday of GODFREY AUGUSTUS BURGER, a celebrated German poet, and
the writer of that whimsical satire, _Munchausen's Travels_.
1748. JOHN BERNOUILLI, a Swiss mathematician, died. He was born at Basil
in Switzerland, and educated for a merchant, but afterwards studied
medicine, and finally devoted his attention to mathematics with great
success. He was the contemporary of Leibnitz and De L'Hopital, and of
Newton. His labors in the science were indefatigable, and his works
contain an immense mass of discovery. But the details of his private
life exhibit an unusual degree of acerbity and disingenuousness.
1752. The new style commenced this day in England by act of parliament.
(See March 25.)
1757. Calcutta surrendered to the British under Admiral Watson, Colonel
Clive and Captain Coote.
1761. Great hurricane in the East Indies, destroying a part of the
British fleet; of the crews of three of the ships lost but 14 were saved
out of 1100.
1776. Norfolk Burnt. Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia,
having abandoned the town and retired on board his ships, became
distressed for provisions; and on the arrival of the Liverpool man of
war, the inhabitants refusing to supply his majesty's ships, the place
was reduced to ashes. The provincials themselves destroyed the houses
and plantations near the water, to deprive the ships of every resource
of supply.
1781. Revolt of the Pennsylvania line at Morristown, N. J. They had
enlisted for three years, and that term having expired they wished to be
discharged.
1787. ARTHUR MIDDLETON, a signer of the Declaration of Independence,
died. He was a native of South Carolina, born 1743, and educated in
England; and at the age of twenty-two made the tour of Europe. On the
breaking out of the war he engaged warmly on the side of the colonies.
In 1779 he distinguished himself in the defence of Charleston against
the British, who afterwards ravaged his plantation and rifled his
mansion, by which he suffered an immense loss of property; and in the
following year he was taken prisoner. On the termination of the contest
he returned to his native seat, and spent the remainder of his life in
elegant and philosophical ease--a model of private wealth and public
virtue; a firm patriot and an enlightened philanthropist.
1793. A beginning was made upon the Pennsylvania state canal, at
Conewago falls; seventeen rocks being blasted--one for each stockholder
of the canal company.
1794. The French convention abolished flogging in the army and navy and
substituted other punishments more congenial with the spirit of the
times.
1794. THOMAS PAINE and ANACHARSIS CLOOTS arrested by order of
Robespierre and sent to prison in Paris.
1797. ZEMAUN SHAH made his triumphal entry into Lahore, the capital of
the Sikhs, where he formed an army of 100,000 men with a view of
marching upon Delhi.
1798. Athenæum at Liverpool was opened.
1799. The French drove the king of Naples from his capital and forced
him to take refuge on board of a British man of war, in which he sailed
to Palermo.
1801. Union of Great Britain with Ireland.
1801. Ceres discovered by Piazzi, the astronomer, at Palermo.
1804. The numerous army which France had sent against the negroes of
Hayti being compelled by disasters to fly to St. Domingo, the general
and chiefs of the Haytian army entered into a solemn compact, in the
name of _the people of Hayti_; renouncing all dependence on France, and
appointed Dessalines, the oldest general, governor for life, with very
extensive powers.
1806. The French republican calendar abolished, and the Christian era
and reformed calendar restored.
1806. The elector of Wurtemberg proclaimed king of Swabia, and the
elector of Bavaria king of Bavaria.
1807. Curacoa surrendered to the British under Sir Charles Brisbane.
1810. There had died in Philadelphia during the year ending this day
2004 persons; the population including the Liberties was about 100,000.
1810. Married at East Haddam, Conn., nine young ladies, being all that
were marriageable at that time in the town.
1811. Tortosa in Valencia surrendered to the French under Suchet, who
took nearly 8000 prisoners, 177 cannons, and a large quantity of
provisions.
1811. Hamburgh formally annexed to France.
1811. Spanish cortes forbid the people obeying any act of Ferdinand XII,
while a prisoner of Bonaparte.
1813. JEAN MOURTRIE, a Frenchman, died at the age of 115. He was a
tilemaker, and continued his occupation to the age of 109. He was a
pattern of honor and integrity; his gaiety made the young fond of his
society; and his mild and even temper and kind disposition gained him
the love of all who knew him.
1814. Great fog in London, which had commenced on the 27th of December,
was now at its greatest density, extending seventy miles from the
metropolis. Many persons lost their lives by falling into the river, and
canals, and other places.
1814. The allied army entered France.
1814. American dragoons under Capt. Stone advanced on Buffalo,
accompanied by Lieuts. Riddle, Totman and Frazer, of the United States
regiment; the militia retiring, Totman was killed, and Riddle narrowly
escaped being captured.
1815. WILLIAM CREECH, bookseller and twice lord provost of Edinburgh,
died. He was a spirited writer.
1815. The British under Gen. Packenham opened a battery of two 18
pounders on the Americans at New Orleans; it was silenced the same day.
The Americans had a boat loaded with military stores sunk; 34 men killed
and wounded, and two caissons blown up by rockets. Gen. Thomas joined
Gen. Jackson same day with 660 men from Baton Rouge.
1816. WILLIAM HILLHOUSE died, aged 88; for more than 50 years a member
of the council and legislature of Connecticut.
1817. MARTIN HENRY KLAPROTH, a German chemist and philosopher, died. He
was born at Wernigerode 1743 and followed the profession of an
apothecary till 1788, when he became chemist to the Academy of Sciences
at Berlin.
1817. The new Bank of the United States opened at Carpenter's hall,
Philadelphia; Wm. Jones president, Jonathan Smith cashier.
1818. WILLIAM HARROD, an eccentric bookseller in Leicestershire, died.
1823. The French language abolished in the law courts of Holland, where
it had long been in use, and was prevalent in society.
1825. Great Britain acknowledged the independence of the South American
republics.
1835. CHARLES LAMB died. He was the author of the beautiful stories of
_Elia_, which are universally admired. His exquisite humor, fancy,
feeling and wit, have given an endurable character to his essays. The
bettering of the condition of mankind was his great aim, and he was in
the esteem of every philanthropist.
1835. First daily paper in Buffalo, New York.
1837. SAMUEL HULSE died at Chelsea Hospital, England, of which he had
been governor since 1820, aged 90. He entered the British army in the
year 1761, and at the time of his death had been upwards of three
quarters of a century in the military service, and was then field
marshal.
1837. Saphet in the Holy Land nearly destroyed by an earthquake. It is
said that this and a subsequent shock were both predicted by a Walachian
almanac maker.
1848. Girard college opened with appropriate ceremonies at Philadelphia.
1848. The state of Maryland repudiated repudiation, and resumed payment
of interest on her debt at the Chesapeake bank, Baltimore.
1852. FREDERICK PHILIPS ROBINSON, an American officer, died, aged 89; he
had been scarcely less than 75 years in the military ranks.
1854. Great fire at Constantinople destroyed 400 houses; among which
were those of the Greek patriarch, and the patriarch of Jerusalem.