1024. ABDURRAHMAN IV, sultan of Cordova, dethroned by a relative and put
to death. He was a patron of science, which he cultivated with success,
and a poet.
1306. JOHN COMYN murdered by Robert Bruce in the convent of the minorite
friars. They were rival nobles, who had recently settled their
differences, and agreed upon a revolt from the dominion of England.
Comyn had treacherously revealed the matter to Edward. Bruce hastened to
accuse him of it, and after some altercation struck him with his dagger,
and he was immediately despatched by Bruce's attendants.
1402. WALLERAN, count of St. Pol, issued against Henry IV, of England,
his famous cartel of defiance.
1519. HERNANDO CORTEZ sailed from Cuba for the conquest of Mexico. His
armament consisted of 11 ships, 508 soldiers and 109 mariners. This
force was divided into 16 cavalry, 13 musketeers, 10 brass field pieces,
4 falconets, and 32 crossbows. This miniature army was destined to
oppose more than 500,000 warriors before it reached the capital of the
great Montezuma.
1539. JOHN STEPHEN DURANTI killed. He was the first president of the
parliament of Toulouse; and made himself conspicuous by his efforts to
preserve that city from the plague of 1538. He was killed by a mob.
1567. HENRY STUART, Lord Darnley, murdered, aged 21. The house in which
he lay sick was blown up, it is supposed with the privity of his wife,
Mary queen of Scots, by her favorite, the earl of Bothwell. Darnley had
murdered Rizzio, the queen's musician, before her own eyes, whose blood
was thus avenged. Mary perished on the scaffold, and Bothwell was taken
by the Norwegians, and died insane after ten years' imprisonment.
1640. DE VRIES commenced a plantation about four miles above the fort at
New Amsterdam, and complains that the director of the West India company
had failed to send him people for his colony on Staten island, as had
been agreed upon.
1658. GERARD LANGBAINE, an English writer, died. He acquired literary
celebrity by his edition of Longinus.
1676. Attack on Lancaster, Mass., by the Indians under Pocanoket. The
village contained 60 families; most of the houses that were not
garrisoned were burnt; and the house of the clergyman, although defended
by a competent number of inhabitants, was fired by the Indians, the
women and children carried away, and the men either killed on the spot
or reserved for further misery. Mrs. Rowlandson and her children, the
family of the clergyman, were afterwards redeemed. The town was saved
from entire ruin by the appearance of a company of 40 men from
Marlborough.
1676. ALEXEI MICHAELOWITZ, czar of Russia, died. He was father of Peter
the Great; distinguished for his wars, his munificence, and his
improvements in the state.
1680. A great comet, which had alarmed the inhabitants of New England
since the 18th November, disappeared. It was also observed in Europe,
and Henault says that it was the largest which had ever been seen, and
struck terror into the minds of the people of France. It was by the
observation of this comet that Newton ascertained the parabolic form of
the trajectory of comets, and demonstrated their orbits. This discovery
contributed to the removal of those terrors with which the phenomenon
had always been attended, in all ages, and among all nations, who viewed
it as the presage of some direful event.
1686. WILLIAM DUGDALE, an eminent English antiquary and historian, died.
1689. ISAAC VOSSIUS, a German scholar, died. He is the author of various
learned works in German, and edited several Latin and Greek works. In
1670 he visited England, was admitted to the degree of LL. D., and
presented to a canonry at Windsor by Charles II, who afterwards took
occasion to say that he was a strange divine, for he believed every
thing but the Bible.
1711. RICHARD DUKE died. He was a poet of some credit in the last
century, and by Dr. Johnson included among the classics.
1743. British sloop Squirrel captured the Spanish ship Pierre Joseph,
with 195,000 pieces of eight on board and a valuable cargo of cochineal,
indigo, &c.
1747. THOMAS CHUBB died. He was bred a glover, but when he arrived at
the age of manhood, devoted great attention to the sciences and
divinity, and gained great celebrity by a work on the latter subject.
1755. CHARLES DE SECONDAT, Baron Montesquieu, an illustrious Frenchman,
died. His _Spirit of Laws_ has immortalized his name.
1763. Treaty of peace signed at Paris between France, Spain and Great
Britain, by which the latter retained possession of Canada and Florida,
besides many important islands in the West Indias, and along the coast,
which had been recently captured by the British.
1773. JAMES FORTHON died at Grenada, one of the West India islands, aged
127.
1775. Lord NORTH, the prime minister, introduced a bill to restrain the
trade and commerce of the New England states, which finally passed by a
large majority on the 30th.
1783. JAMES NARES, a celebrated English musical composer, died. His
anthems manifest great power of genius, and with his other works will
perpetuate his name, and ever rank him with the first of his profession.
1786. JOHN CADWALLADER, an officer of the revolution, died, aged 44. He
commanded the Pennsylvania troops, and was in several important
engagements as a volunteer; he enjoyed the confidence and esteem of
Washington.
1786. Cardinal DE SOLIS died, aged 110. He was a native of Andalusia in
Spain, and at the time of his death was in the enjoyment of every
faculty but strength and quickness of hearing.
1787. CHARLES CHAUNCEY, a Boston divine, died. He was eminent for
learning, independence and attachment to the civil and religious liberty
of his country. His productions are numerous.
1790. The celebrated chess-player PHILLODOR won two games which he
played with skilled players while he was blind folded. The moves being
made by his directions.
1794. The British under Admiral Jarvis took Pigeon island, Martinique.
1795. The English garrison at Bergen-op-Zoom disarmed and sent prisoners
to France. The French also took Groningen the same day.
1795. The tower of Martello in Corsica taken by the British under
Admiral Hood.
1797. The French pillaged Loretto, a fortified town in Italy. The
soldiers entered the cathedral which contains the _holy house_, in which
it is said the Virgin Mary lived at Nazareth, and laid their republican
hands upon the madonna, the famous _Lady of Loretto_, which they found
standing upon an altar, in a niche of silver, surrounded by numerous
gold and silver lamps, and adorned with jewels. She was sent to Paris.
1799. BONAPARTE set out from Cairo on his disastrous expedition to
Syria.
1802. Port au Paix in Hayti taken by the French. The blacks set it on
fire and blew up two forts.
1803. JEAN FRANCOIS DE LA HARPE, an eminent French orator, critic, poet
and dramatic writer, died.
1804. His catholic majesty, CHARLES IV, renounced his protest against
the alienation by France of Louisiana to the United States.
1807. Bill for abolishing the British slave trade passed the house of
lords.
1808. Russia declared war against Sweden.
1809. Portugal invaded by the French under Soult.
1809. GEORGE ZOEGA, a celebrated Danish antiquary, died.
1818. THOMAS MORRIS, a British officer, died, aged 74. He fought by the
side of Montgomery in Canada during the French war, was taken by the
Indians, and narrowly escaped burning at the stake. On quitting the army
he published an account of his captivity, and in the retirement of a
small cottage passed some years in the pursuits of literature.
1841. Union of Upper and Lower Canada; Lord Sydenham taking the oath of
office as governor of the united provinces.
1852. Gold medal presented to Henry Clay at Washington by New York
friends.
1854. Gen. HERRERA, ex-president of the republic of Mexico, died. He was
one of the veterans of the war of independence, and as a statesman, had
given proofs of the loftiest patriotism and disinterestedness.
1856. President RIVAS decreed the annexation of the whole Mosquito
territory to Nicaragua.