1401. TAMERLANE introduced his troops into the city of Damascus, in
violation of a truce; and after levying an enormous contribution in
gold, massacred the inhabitants, and reduced the city to ashes, in
revenge of the murder of the grandson of Mahomet, seven centuries
before, by the Syrians.
1516. FERDINAND V of Spain died. He inherited the crowns of Aragon and
Sicily, and united to them the kingdom of Castile by marriage. In 1492
he added to these the kingdom of Granada, the last possession of the
Moors, by conquest; at the same time Columbus was discovering for him
the new world. By force and treachery he acquired the kingdom of Naples,
and by similar means Navarre was also added to his dominions. Thus the
whole of Spain was united under him; so that he may be considered as the
restorer if not the founder of the Spanish monarchy. He was the most
powerful monarch of his time; but his conduct was characterized by a
total want of faith, and a recklessness of principle of which he made no
scruple of boasting. He was the founder of that fearful tribunal, the
Inquisition.
1570. Earl MURRAY, regent of Scotland, shot by Hamilton of
Bothwellhaugh. The latter, after the battle of Langside hill, had been
condemned to death as a rebel, and pardoned. A part of his estate,
however, was bestowed upon one of the regent's favorites, who seized
Hamilton's house and turned his wife out into the fields naked in a cold
night, by which she became deranged. This injury induced him to seek
revenge on the regent, after which he escaped to France.
1722. HENRI DE BOULAINVILLIERS, count of St. Saire in Normandy, died.
Having finished his studies he entered the army, which however, he soon
left to devote his attention to literature. A marked antipathy to
revelation pervades his writings, and exhibits itself in singular
contrast with a superstitious reverence for judicial astrology, and the
mystic sciences, which he cultivated with much diligence.
1733. O. S. Birthday of BENJAMIN LINCOLN, a revolutionary general, at
Hingham, Mass. Great reliance was placed in his abilities by Washington,
and many important commissions entrusted to him. In 1781 he was
appointed secretary of war, which office he held three years, and then
retired to his farm. He died 1810.
1761. Action between the British frigate Minerva, 22 guns, Capt. Hood,
and French ship Warwick, 34 guns, M. de Bellair, near cape Pinas, which
resulted in the capture of the latter. French loss 14 killed, 32
wounded; British loss 14 killed, 33 wounded, 3 of whom died.
1765. The British under Capt. Byron colonized the Falkland islands.
1766. WILLIAM CASLON, an eminent English type founder, died. He was
induced to attempt letter-cutting by a friend, and such was the
perfection to which he carried the art, that the beauty of his type
exceeded all others of the day, and was sought for from other countries
on the continent. He was employed to cut characters for several
languages of Asia.
1772. Mrs. CLUM died near Litchfield, England, aged 138. She had lived
103 years in one house.
1775. The Pennsylvania convention declared their determination, in case
the arbitrary laws of England were attempted to be executed by force, to
repel the same by the most determined resistance.
1780. The British ship Culloden of 74 guns lost off Long island.
1789. FRANCES BROOKE died, an English lady, remarkable for her literary
accomplishments. Her works consist of novels, periodicals, tragedies,
musical dramas, and translations.
1789. JOHN CLELAND died; author of the notoriously immoral romance,
_Fanny Hill_.
1790. The mutineers of the ship Bounty having arrived at Pitcairn's
island, and landed all their effects, set fire to the vessel and
destroyed every vestige that could lead to the discovery of their
retreat. The island was then divided into nine equal portions between
them, and the natives were reduced to the condition of slaves. (See Oct.
3.)
1795. JOHN SULLIVAN, a distinguished general in the revolutionary army,
died. He was of Irish descent, and before the revolution practiced law
in New Hampshire. He was among the first to take an active part in the
contest; resigned his seat in the first congress to enter the army; was
conspicuous at several engagements; and terminated his military career
in laying waste the country of the Six Nations, in order to put a stop
to their depredations. After the peace he filled several important state
offices.
1795. The French took possession of the Hague and Helvoetsluis, made 800
Englishmen prisoners, and liberated 600 Frenchmen.
1799. The French under Championnet entered Naples.
1800. A convention signed between Gen. Kleber and the grand vizier for
the evacuation of Egypt by the French troops.
1800. EDWARD RUTLEDGE, one of the signers of the Declaration of
Independence, died. He was a member of the first congress and acted a
conspicuous part during the war. While the British beleaguered
Charleston, his native city, he commanded a company of troops, and was
taken prisoner. On the restoration of peace he returned to the practice
of law, and a short time previous to his death was elected governor of
the state of South Carolina.
1802. HUMBOLDT and his companions ascended Chimborazo to the height of
18,576 feet above the surface of the sea. The blood started from their
eyes, lips and gums, and they became almost torpid with cold. A narrow
deep valley prevented them from reaching the summit, which was 1344 feet
higher.
1806. WILLIAM PITT, second son of the earl of Chatham, died. He was born
1759, and at the age of 23 became chancellor of the exchequer and the
next year prime minister. It was during the early part of his career
that the American war was concluded. Notwithstanding the emoluments of
his offices were great, so far from acquiring wealth, he died involved.
Parliament decreed him a public funeral, and £40,000 to pay his debts.
1813. GEORGE CLYMER, one of the signers of the Declaration of
Independence, died. By the death of his parents he was left an orphan at
the age of 7 years; but he was taken care of by his uncle, who left him
a large fortune, with which to continue the business of a merchant in
Philadelphia. His services to the country during the revolution, in
raising supplies and devising ways and means to continue the struggle,
were of incalculable importance.
1813. Horrible massacre of the United States prisoners taken by the
British and Indians at the battle of Frenchtown the day before. The
houses in which the helpless wounded lay were set on fire, and those who
were too feeble to continue the march were shot or tomahawked on the
road. It is morally certain that the British generals Proctor and
Elliott were culpable for this wanton sacrifice of human life to satiate
the revenge of the savages.
1813. ROBERT JAMISON died in South Carolina, aged 104. His eyesight,
which had failed him some years previous to his decease, returned again
just before his death in all its strength.
1815. Thanksgiving day in New Orleans, and a solemn _Te Deum_ on account
of Jackson's victory.
1820. EDWARD, duke of Kent, died. He was the fourth son of George III.
In 1802 he was appointed governor of Gibraltar, but his rigid discipline
produced a mutiny, and he was recalled. The present queen of England is
his daughter.
1824. STEPHEN ACOUR KOVER, an Armenian writer of distinction, died, aged
84.
1833. BANASTRE TARLETON died, aged 78. He commanded the British cavalry
in the Carolinas, in the revolution.
1841. SARAH ANN DAVIS sentenced at Philadelphia for murder; the first
capital conviction of a female in Philadelphia.
1844. WILLIAM GASTON died at Raleigh, the capital of his native state.
The prudence and energy of his mother made a disposition, naturally
volatile and irritable, become a pattern of patience and perseverance.
His speeches when a member of congress were highly finished.
1853. JUNIUS SMITH died, aged 74; having devoted a considerable portion
of his life to the establishment of transatlantic steam-navigation, and
the naturalization of the teaplant in the United States.
1854. ALEXANDER DE BODISCO died at Georgetown. He was seventeen years
Russian minister at Washington, and was very popular with the American
people.
1855. There was an earthquake in a part of New Zealand, by which the
surface of the earth was raised between three and four feet, and the
shellfish attached to the rocks died.