303. The soldiers of Diocletian demolished the principal church of
Nicomedia, and committed the sacred volumes to the flames.
1447. GABRIEL CONDOIMERO (Pope Eugenius IV), died. He was elected to the
papal throne 1431, afterwards unjustly deposed, and again restored.
1545. FRANCIS DE BOURBON, Count Enghien, killed. He was a celebrated
general in the service of Francis I, and was killed by accident.
1555. THOMAS WYAT beheaded. He took the lead in an unsuccessful
insurrection against the "bloody Queen Mary."
1589. ANDREW DUDITH, a Hungarian divine, died. He was employed by
Ferdinand II, in important affairs of state, wrote on physic, poetry,
&c., and was a highly esteemed character.
1603. ANDREAS CÆSARALPINUS, an Italian philosopher and physician, died
at Rome.
1619. BARTHOLOMEW ZIEGENBALG, a celebrated German missionary, died. He
was sent to India by the king of Denmark, but meeting with some
opposition from the Danish authorities there, he placed himself under
the countenance of the British East India company, published a
dictionary of the Malabar language, and was fulfilling the object of his
mission with great zeal and success, when he was suddenly interrupted by
death at the age of 36.
1679. THOMAS GOODWIN, a theological writer of the puritan school, died,
aged 80. He was one of the members of the assembly of divines at
Westminster, and attended Cromwell on his death bed.
1717. MAGNUS STEINBOCK, an illustrious Swede, died at Frederickshaven.
He distinguished himself by his valor under Charles XII, and in the
absence of the king from Sweden, he managed the affairs of the
government with uncommon wisdom and moderation.
1750. A brilliant borealis appeared at Cork, about seven in the evening.
The tide at the same time rose far above its ordinary height.
1766. STANISLAUS I, king of Poland and elector of Saxony, died. He was
an author, and a good ruler, though an unfortunate one.
1775. The daily consumption of _pulque_, the fermented juice of the
maguei, in the city of Mexico, according to the custom house record, was
6000 arrobas (150,000 lbs.), and the daily consumption of tobacco for
smoking, was reckoned at 1250 crowns. The population then exceeded
200,000.
1779. St. Vincents surrendered with considerable stores, to the
Americans under Col. Clarke. British taken, 79.
1780. Action between the British ship Resolution, 74 guns, and French
ship La Prothee, 64 guns, which resulted in the capture of the latter.
1792. JOSHUA REYNOLDS, the English painter, died in London, aged 69. He
rapidly acquired opulence by his profession, and on the institution of
the royal academy, was elected president. The lectures which he
delivered before this society have become a standard work.
1796. NICHOLAS STOFFLET, the celebrated Vendean chief, shot at Angers.
At the beginning of the French revolution he was a private soldier, but
became one of the most intrepid and daring chiefs of the royal army of
La Vendee, and had been in no less than 150 actions, 10 of them pitched
battles; and in more than 100 of them he proved victorious. He met his
fate with characteristic fortitude.
1796. BONAPARTE appointed commander-in-chief of the army of Italy.
1798. Rockland county N. Y., erected.
1798. The pope withdrew from Rome to Sienna, having been deprived of his
temporal possessions by the French.
1800. JOSEPH WARTON, an English prelate, died. He was also an ingenious
poet and critical writer.
1805. British frigate Leander, fell in with and captured the Ville de
Milan, and her prize the Cleopatra, captured a few days previous. (See
17th.)
1814. The blacks under Christophe, took by assault fort Sabourin, in St.
Domingo.
1821. The counties of Monroe and Livingston N. Y., erected.
1822. BENAVIDES executed; an outlaw and pirate, who for several years
proved the scourge of the southern part of Chili, where he perpetrated
the most horrid cruelties upon every age and sex that fell in his way.
In 1818 he had been condemned to be shot, and was supposed to have been
killed; but although shockingly wounded and left for dead, he recovered
and became a fiend incarnate.
1827. WALTER SCOTT disclosed himself publicly for the first time as the
_Great Unknown_, at a dinner of the Edinburgh theatrical fund, himself
in the chair.
1831. GERTRUDE ELIZABETH MARIA, a favorite German vocalist, celebrated
the anniversary of her 83d year at Reval, where Goethe offered her a
poetical tribute.
1836. Battle of fort Alamo in Texas, in which the Mexican army of 4000,
who made the assault, were repulsed.
1840. JAMES MAURY died at New York, aged 95. He was the first consul
from the United States to Liverpool, to which office he was appointed by
Washington, and which he held for nearly half a century.
1847. Battle of Buena Vista in which the Mexican army, numbering more
than four to one of the Americans, was completely defeated. Many of the
American officers were slain.
1848. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, ex-president of the United States, died in the
Capitol at Washington. It may well be questioned whether any statesman
in the world was better informed.
1851. JOANNA BAILLIE, the Scottish poetress, died, aged 89. She was born
at Bothwell, near the Clyde, and lived in seclusion with her maiden
sister.
1854. The steamer from Stonington arrived at New York, having been
detained in the sound by ice during three days.
1856. A freshet commenced in the Ohio, which caused great destruction of
property, among which were several steam boats.