86. B. C. CAIUS MARIUS, the Roman consul, died. He was the son of a
farmer in indigent circumstances; but by his talents and energy raised
himself to the highest dignity of the greatest state in the world.
395. The EMPEROR THEODOSIUS died at Milan, soliciting his heirs
faithfully to execute his will.
1009. ABD-EL-MALEK, a Moorish prince, crucified by his conqueror.
1380. An act of parliament passed, by which foreign ecclesiastics were
incapacitated from holding benefices in England.
1467. JOHN CASTRIOTTO, (or Scanderbeg) prince of Albania, died. His
father placed him as a hostage with the sultan of Turkey, by whom he was
educated in the Mohammedan faith, and at the age of 18 placed at the
head of a body of troops. He afterwards deserted to the Christians, and
on ascending the throne of his fathers renounced the Mohammedan faith.
He obtained repeated victories over the Turks. After his death, when
Albania submitted to the Moslem dominion, the Turks dug up his bones
which they wore to transfer his courage to themselves.
1524. VERRAZANO sailed from a desolate rock near Madeira, with fifty men
and provisions for eight months, arms, munitions and other naval stores,
on his voyage westwardly, expecting to reach Cathay.
1546. MARTIN LUTHER preached his final sermon at Wittemberg.
1556. PHILIP NERLI, the Florentine historian, died.
1684. WENTWORTH DILLON, earl of Roscommon, died at Rome. The early part
of his life was spent in dissipation, but he afterwards conducted with
more discretion, and became distinguished among the wits of the day.
Johnson calls him the most correct writer of English verse before
Dryden.
1694. A powder magazine of 218 barrels exploded at Dublin, doing much
damage.
1701. ROGER MORRIS, an English chaplain, died, aged 73. He was a
diligent collector of ecclesiastical manuscripts relating to the history
of the English church, whereof, says Strype, "he left vast heaps behind
him."
1705. JOHN RAY, an English naturalist, died. He was the son of a
blacksmith; received a liberal education at Cambridge, and devoted
himself to science and literature. His publications were numerous.
1706. Birthday of BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.
1733. GEORGE BYNG, an English admiral, died. He entered the navy at the
age of 15, and gradually rose to the highest honors and distinctions.
1746. Battle of Falkirk, in which the forces of the Pretender were
victorious over the royal army.
1750. The singular ceremony of the Greek church of consecrating the
water in memory of Christ's baptism, performed at St. Petersburg.
1766. FREDERICK V, king of Denmark and Norway, died.
1781. Battle of the Cowpens, in South Carolina, and defeat of 1100
British under Tarleton, by an inferior force of Americans under Morgan.
British loss 100 killed and wounded, and 500 prisoners; 800 muskets, 2
field pieces, 35 baggage wagons, and 100 dragoon horses fell into the
hands of the conquerors. The loss of the Americans was 12 killed and 60
wounded.
1783. Action between the British frigate Magicienne and the French
frigate Sybille. The latter lost her masts, and was captured a few days
after by the Hussar.
1789. JOHN LEDYARD, the traveler, died. He was born at Groton, Conn.,
1751; entered Dartmouth college at the age of 19, but for some reproof
resolved to escape: accordingly he felled a tree on the bank of the
Connecticut, of which he constructed a canoe, and descended the river
140 miles to Hartford: studied theology a while, and then enlisted as a
common sailor for a voyage to Gibraltar; accompanied Capt. Cook in one
of his voyages, of which he published an account. Not meeting with
assistance to prosecute any of the daring enterprises he proposed, he
finally determined to make the tour of the globe from London east, on
foot; and had proceeded as far as Yakutsk in Siberia, when he was
arrested by order of the queen as a French spy and hurried back to the
frontiers of Poland. He returned to London, he says, "disappointed,
ragged, pennyless, but with a whole heart." He had scarcely taken
lodgings when Sir Joseph Banks proposed an African expedition. He
accepted the offer and proceeded as far as Cairo, where he was attacked
by a disease which carried him off.
1789. CHARLES IV proclaimed king of Spain.
1791. Lord DUNGARVON, an Irish peer, was tried at the Old Bailey,
London, for stealing three and a half guineas from a poor woman in town,
but was acquitted.
1792. GEORGE HORNE, bishop of Norwich, died. His _Sermons_ and
_Commentary on the Psalms_, are well known.
1795. The stadtholder, WILLIAM V, obtained permission from the States
General to withdraw from Holland.
1800. The church at Chelmsford, England, fell; it was first built in
1424.
1804. CHARLES NISBET died, aged 67. He was a Scotch clergyman, and the
first president of Dickinson college in Pennsylvania.
1806. An iris or lunar rainbow was seen for one hour (9¼ to 10¼)
at Wakefield in Yorkshire, England.
1810. Masquerades and masked balls prohibited by the authorities in the
city of Philadelphia.
1811. The Mexican patriots under Hidalgo totally defeated near
Guadalaxara by the Spaniards under Calleja.
1813. Capture of the United States brig Vixen, 12 guns, Capt. Henley, by
the British frigate Narcissus.
1815. The king of Spain issued an edict against freemasonry.
1817. At Philadelphia and Albany the singular phenomena of snow, clear
weather, rain, snow, thunder and lightning, hail and snow, was observed
in succession.
1836. Two engagements in the mountains of Arlaban, between the forces of
the queen of Spain under Gen. Cordova and the Carlists, in which the
latter were defeated.
1841. REZIN P. BOWIE died at New Orleans, aged 48; "well known in the
southwest by his many deeds of valor in its early history, among the
Mexicans and savages."
1851. SPENCER COMPTON, marquis of Northampton, died, aged 61. He was
president of the Royal society; was associated with Wilberforce in the
anti-slavery cause, and with Macintosh as a criminal law reformer.
1854. Two rail road bridges and crossings at Erie, Pa., destroyed by a
mob of women, who were afterwards escorted through the town with
banners, headed by a band of music.
1856. ZADOCK THOMPSON died, aged 59; author of several historical works
relating to Vermont, and a naturalist.