41. CAIUS CALIGULA, the Roman emperor, assassinated. He commenced his
reign with every promise of becoming a good monarch. But at the end of
eight months he was attacked with a fever, which appears to have left a
frenzy upon his mind, for his disposition was totally reversed. After
committing the most atrocious acts of cruelty and folly, he was
assassinated by a tribune as he came out of the amphitheatre, in the
29th year of his age, and the 4th of his reign.
76. Birthday of PUBLIUS ÆLIUS ADRIAN, the Roman emperor. He was a
renowned general and great traveler; who, on a visit to Britain, built
the famous wall or rampart, which still retains his name, extending from
the mouth of the Tyne to the Solway frith, 80 miles, to prevent the
incursions of the Caledonians into England.
1559. CHRISTIAN II, king of Denmark, died. His history affords a series
of cruelties and usurpations almost without a parallel, from 1515, when
he ascended the throne, until 1523, when he was deposed. The remainder
of his life was passed in imprisonment.
1709. GEORGE ROOKE, an English admiral, died. He took the fortress of
Gibraltar, by surprise, 1704; since which it has continued in the hands
of the British, and is considered impregnable.
1712. Birthday of FREDERICK the Great of Prussia.
1727. PHILIP DE VENDOME, a French general, died. He distinguished
himself in the army of Louis XIV.
1762. JAMES RALPH, a voluminous writer of poetry, politics and history,
died. He was an American by birth, but went over to England about 1729.
He wrote a history of England, commencing with the Stuarts.
1781. The British garrison at Georgetown, South Carolina, surprised and
taken by General Lee.
1793. The French minister, M. CHAUVELIN, ordered to quit England before
the 1st of February.
1795. Lord HOOD sailed from England, on an expedition against Corsica.
1797. At a dinner complimentary to Charles J. Fox, the chairman, the
duke of Norfolk, gave as a toast, "Our sovereign's health, the majesty
of the people;" for which offence he lost all his offices.
1812. DANIEL MCDONALD died at Canajoharie, aged 102. He was a native of
Ireland, born in the reign of Queen Anne, and had seen four monarchs on
the English throne. He took an early and active part in the
revolutionary war; and was possessed of a most remarkable degree of
activity, both of body and mind, until the morning he expired.
1834. WILLIAM DONNISON, an officer of the revolution, died. He was
appointed adjutant and inspector-general of the Massachusetts militia by
Gov. Hancock in 1788, which office he held until 1813.
1838. JOSEPH GOUGE, a revolutionary soldier, died, aged 109.
1838. Defeat of the Indians at Loche-Hatchee by the United States troops
under Gen. Jessup; loss of the latter, 7 killed and 32 wounded.
1841. MATTHIAS DENMAN, an enterprising western pioneer, and in early
life one of the first owners of the land on which Cincinnati now stands,
died at Springfield, N. J., aged 91.
1851. G. L. P. SPONTINI died in Italy; a celebrated dramatic composer,
in the line of opera.
1857. Dr. MEDHURST, English missionary to China, died, aged 71. He was
also a noted linguist, and author of a work on China, a Chinese
dictionary, and a Japanese and English vocabulary.