1030. ADALBERO, a French ecclesiastic, died. He has left a character
suited to bold and unscrupulous intrigue.
1464. The Lancasterians defeated by the Yorkists at Heagley Moor, the
_white rose_ triumphing over the _red_.
1523. WILLIAM LILY, an English grammarian, died at London of the plague.
He is highly praised by Erasmus, who revised the syntax of his grammar,
for his uncommon erudition in the languages, and admirable skill in the
instruction of youth.
1601. ROBERT DEVEREUX, earl of Essex, executed. He obtained the favor of
the queen, Elizabeth, and distinguished himself on many occasions. But
having committed some indiscretions which required reprimanding, his
pride was wounded, which led him to open rebellion. His fate has formed
the subject of four tragedies.
1634. ALBERT, count Wallenstein, generalissimo of the Austrian army
during the thirty years war, assassinated.
1643. A barbarous massacre in the night of the Indians who were encamped
at Pavonia, opposite the Dutch fort of New Amsterdam, instigated by Gov.
Kieft. About 80 Indians lost their lives, and many enormities were
enacted by the Dutch.
1676. The Indiana assaulted the town of Weymouth, Mass., and burned
several houses and barns. This was a disastrous year with the
colonists. The Indians had risen in their utmost power, with the
determination of utterly extirpating the English, and almost every day
witnessed the smoke of town or cluster of dwellings on fire.
1703. DANIEL DE FOE prosecuted as the author of a book entitled, _The
shortest way with the dissenters_, and his book burned by the hangman.
1712. NICHOLAS CATINAT, an illustrious French general under Louis XIV,
died.
1713. FREDERICK I, of Prussia, died. He was elector of Brandenburg, and
ambitious of raising his duchy into a kingdom. To accomplish this
object, he joined Leopold, emperor of Germany, in a war against several
states.
1723. CHRISTOPHER WREN, the English architect, died, aged 91. He built
St. Paul's and fifty other churches and monuments, which had been
destroyed by the great fire of 1666.
1724. POPE INNOCENT XIII died.
1754. RICHARD MEAD, an eminent English physician and patron of learning,
died, aged 81. His library sold for about $75,000. His income from his
profession was about $25,000 a year.
1761. JOSEPH FRANCIS DESMAHIS, a French author of great celebrity, died.
1768. Mangalore, a seaport belonging to Hyder Ally, taken by the
British.
1776. Battle of Trenton. The American army under Washington crossed the
Delaware in the night during a violent storm of snow and rain, and
attacked the British on the north and west parts of the town. A
detachment had been ordered to cross the river and secure a bridge to
prevent the escape of the enemy; but owing to the extreme difficulty of
crossing, this part of the plan failed, and about 500 escaped. British
loss 20 killed, 1000 prisoners; American loss 2 killed, 2 frozen, 5
wounded.
1779. The splendid bridge at Puerto Santo, in Spain, fell and killed a
great number of persons while the priests were in the act of
consecrating it.
1781. Battle near Haw river in North Carolina, between the Americans
under Pickens and Lee, and a considerable body of royalists under Col.
Pyle. The latter were cut to pieces, without the loss of a man by the
former.
1781. The French and Spanish fleets encountered a furious storm off cape
Francois in the West-Indies. Several ships sunk or foundered, and about
2200 men perished.
1782. Denmark acknowledged the independence of the United States.
1798. The French under Brune entered the canton of Berne in Switzerland.
1799. El Arish in Egypt surrendered to the French under Bonaparte.
1805. WILLIAM BUCHAN, an eminent Scottish physician, died near London.
He was educated for the pulpit, but made choice of the medical
profession, which he pursued during a long life. In 1771 he published
his _Domestic Medicine_; it has been attended with a degree of success
scarcely equaled by any other book in our language, and is translated
into every European tongue.
1807. Battle of Peterswalde, between the French and Russians, in which
the latter were defeated, with the loss of their general, Baron De
Korff, his staff and 400 men prisoners.
1814. Action between the British frigate Erotas and French frigate
Clorinde, 44 guns. The captain of the Erotas and 4 men were wounded and
22 killed. The Clorinde was captured the next day by the British ships
Dryades and Achades, her loss supposed to have been 120 men.
1816. A number of sailors belonging to the American squadron in the
Mediterranean, having been permitted to go on shore at Port Mahon, were
attacked by the Spanish guard and several killed and wounded.
1816. FREDERICK WILLIAM BULOW, count von Dennewitz, a Prussian general,
died. He is famous for his victories in the last French and German war,
the art of which he had learnt scientifically in early youth. He was
also devoted to literature and the fine arts, and esteemed as a citizen
and a man.
1817. Schooner Ocean of New York sunk at sea. Isaac Roget, a merchant of
high standing in New York, was convicted in conjunction with others, of
having loaded her at Havre de Grace with 97 boxes of stones, with a view
to defraud the insurance officers of $58,000.
1819. FRANCESCO MANUEL, a Portuguese poet, died. His opinions being
rather too liberal for the times, he was summoned to appear before the
inquisition, but instead of obeying the mandate he resisted the officer
sent to arrest him, and fled to Paris, where he resided till his death.
It has been said of him that no poet or writer since the time of Camoens
had done so much for the language.
1822. WILLIAM PINCKNEY, a distinguished American statesman, died. It is
said that he possessed almost unequaled legal science and eloquence.
1829. A violent hurricane in the island of Barbadoes, by which the whole
of the eastern end of the island was devastated, and great damage done
to the shipping.
1831. The Poles defeated near the walls of Warsaw by the Russians, with
the loss of 5000 men. Russian loss 4,500.
1841. PHILIP P. BARBOUR, an eminent American statesman and judge, died
at Washington, aged 60.
1841. The Bogue forts and the city of Canton captured by the British.
The number of Chinese killed and wounded was very great; 1000 were
captured. Canton was almost deserted by its inhabitants.
1850. TAU KWANG, emperor of China, died, aged 69.
1856. Peace congress met at Paris, and agreed upon an armistice till the
31st of March.