509 B. C. Battle of the Œsuvian fields, in which the Tarquins were
vanquished and expelled from Rome, with the loss of more than 11,000
citizens on the side of the victors.
509 B. C. LUCIUS JUNIUS BRUTUS, the avenger of the rape of Lucretia, and
founder of the Roman republic, fell at the battle of the Œsuvian
fields. So great was the fury of the encounter between him and his
adversary, that their shields were mutually pierced, and each fell dead
from his horse transfixed by the lance of his enemy.
628. CHOSROES II, king of Persia, died. He carried his arms into Judea,
Libya and Egypt, and made himself master of Carthage. He forced the
Roman emperor Heraclius, to sue for peace; but his country was soon
after penetrated by the Romans, his palace pillaged and burnt, and
himself dethroned and cast into prison by his own son, after witnessing
the massacre of 18 other sons.
1408. Battle of Bramham Moor.
1447. HUMPHREY, duke of Gloucester, murdered. He was the rival of
Cardinal Beaufort, as the head of affairs in England, and was the friend
and patron of learning. The cardinal lived to enjoy his triumph but six
weeks.
1582. GEORGE BUCHANAN, a Scottish poet and historian, died. He occupied
the last twelve years of his life in writing a history of his country in
Latin.
1594. WILLIAM FLEETWOOD, an English lawyer, died. He was recorder of the
city of London in the reign of Elizabeth, and the author of several law
treatises.
1604. JOHN WHITGIFT, archbishop of Canterbury, died. He was unwearied in
his efforts to make the puritans conform to the national church.
1610. The house of commons complained of the king's profusion,
especially in the immense sums lavished on Scotch favorites.
1642. CHARLES I of England sent to the house of commons his reasons for
refusing the militia bill; the house declared his advisers public
enemies, and passed a vote of approval on the counties which had put
themselves in a posture of defence.
1648. CHRISTIAN IV of Denmark, died. He sustained the character of an
able and wise sovereign.
1680. DECAN and HENNESSIN were sent out from fort Crevecoeur on the
Illinois, to trace the Mississippi to its source. They ascended the
river to the 46th degree, where they were stopped by a fall, to which
they gave the name of St. Anthony.
1703. JOHN BAPTIST THIERS, died; a doctor of the Sorbonne, and professor
of the belles lettres at Paris.
1734. Battle in Syria between the Turks, 45,000, and the Persians under
Kouli Khan. The Turks were marching to succor Babylon, but were defeated
with the loss of 20,000 killed on the field or taken prisoners. The
victory cost the Persians 10,000 men.
1735. Large statute of GEORGE II set up in the royal hospital at
Greenwich, Eng., at the expense of Sir John Jennings and sculptor Mr.
Rysbrack.
1736. A proposal submitted to the house of commons in England, to levy a
duty on distilled spirituous liquors, so as to prevent the ill
consequence of the poorer classes drinking them to excess. It was stated
that some signs where they were sold had the following inscription:
"Drunk for a penny; dead drunk for two pence; clean straw for nothing!"
1757. EDWARD MOORE died; an English fabulist and dramatic writer of
considerable note.
1758. Action between the French fleet under Du Quesne and the British,
under Saunders, near Carthagena. The British captured the Foudroyant, 80
guns, and Orphee, 64 guns; the Oriflamme, 50 guns, was driven on shore
under the castle of Aiglos, coast of Spain.
1759. The pope permitted the Bible to be translated into all the
languages of the Catholic states.
1760. Action between the French fleet under Thourot and the British,
Capt. Elliot. Three French frigates were captured and Thourot killed. So
great a terror had he created in the seaports of Great Britain, that his
defeat was celebrated with the greatest rejoicings.
1771. RICHARD GREY, a learned English divine, died. He was a polemical
and miscellaneous writer.
1781. WILLIAM STOCKTON died; a signer of the Declaration of Independence
from New Jersey.
1783. JOHN BAPTIST D'ESPAGNAC, a French general, died. He signalized
himself in the campaign of Italy.
1795. Five hundred emigrant sleighs passed through the city of Albany
between sunrise and sunset, on their way to the Genesee country. It was
estimated that as many as 1,200 sleighs, freighted with men, women,
children and furniture, had passed up State street in the space of three
days, destined for the Genesee valley, the _far west_ of the emigrants
of that day.
1799. BONAPARTE reached the city of Gaza in Palestine.
1799. Action between the British frigate Sybille, and French ship La
Forte, 50 guns. The later was captured in 1 hour 40 minutes. The British
lost two of their highest officers.
1804. PICHEGRU, the conquerer of Holland, arrested at Paris by order of
Bonaparte.
1815. Action between the United States frigate Constitution, 44 guns,
Capt. Stewart, and British frigate Cyane and sloop Levant, 54 guns,
Capt. Falcon; British loss, 40 killed, 80 wounded; Constitution lost 4
killed, 11 wounded. The Cyane and Levant were captured.
1823. WILLIAM W. VAN NESS, an eminent judge of the N. Y. supreme court,
died.
1834. MODESTE MALHIOT, the Canadian giant, died. His height was 6 feet 4
inches, and his weight 619½ pounds.
1837. ADAM BINKLEY, died in Davidson co., Pennsylvania, aged 138. He was
an officer of the revolution and served throughout the war, at which
time he had a wife and 11 children.
1843. A remarkable comet first observed in the northern states, which
caused considerable controversy whether it was a comet or the zodiacal
light. It was first seen at noon, and was distinctly observed with the
naked eye from 7 to 9 o'clock in the evening during the month of March.
Its train extended about 70° to 100°.
1851. The Spanish government of Manilla, totally destroyed the forts of
the pirate Sultan of Sooloo.
1853. Doncaster church, England, built in 1070, destroyed by fire.
1854. Earthquake at Lexington, Ky., and surrounding country, attended by
a loud roaring noise.
1854. American steamer Black Warrior, seized by the Cuban authorities at
Havana.
1855. An earthquake at Broussa killed or wounded about 800 people, and
was succeeded by a fire which destroyed nearly one-third of the houses.