997. ADALBERT, the apostle of Prussia, murdered. He was archbishop of
Prague, preached the gospel among the Bohemians, and afterwards among
the Poles, where he was killed.
1016. ETHELRED II, king of England, died. To deliver himself from the
heavy tribute which he paid the Danes, called _Danegelt_, he caused them
to be put to death; whereupon England was invaded by Sweyn, and Ethelred
obliged to fly to Normandy, where he remained till Sweyn's death.
1349. The order of the Garter instituted by Edward III.
1408. The heroic earl of Warwick, RICHARD BEAUCHAMP, on his way to the
Holy Land, is challenged at Verona by Pandulph Malet, whose shoulder the
English knight cleaved with his battleaxe.
1500. Brazil discovered by PEDRO ALVAREZ CABRAL, a Portuguese
adventurer; who immediately sent home a ship with the intelligence, and
the king took possession of it. But as the pope had given all the
western infidels to the Spaniards, it is probable a great deal of
trouble would have arisen out of the case, had not the two monarchs been
kinsmen and friends.
1547. Battle of Mulhausen, in which the emperor Charles V defeated the
Saxons, who lost 1200 killed, and the elector was wounded and taken
prisoner.
1557. PETER DANES, professor of Greek at Paris, died. He was a prelate
of great eloquence and extensive learning.
1616. WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE, the English dramatist, died, aged 52. His
history is shrouded in obscurity; but the success of his dramas, with
the sobriety and moderation of his views, enabled him to retire early
with a competence. The writings of this great poet of nature are found
in the libraries of the greatest foes of the drama. This is also the
anniversary of his birthday, 1564.
1616. MICHAEL DE CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, the Spanish novelist, died, aged
67. His life was attended with poverty and misfortune. The immortal _Don
Quixote_, which wrought so great a change in the fashionable literature
of the day, is still read and admired in almost every language.
1625. MAURICE of Nassau, prince of Orange, died. He succeeded his father
in the government of the Low Countries, added to his dominions by
conquest, and was considered the ablest general of his time.
1662. Charter of Connecticut granted, with ample privileges, by Charles
II. John Winthrop was appointed governor until a new election should be
made. The colony of New Haven was included in the charter, but did not
consent to be united with the other colonies under one government. The
fact was, they considered their civil and religious code rather superior
to any thing else of the kind in the world, and were exceedingly jealous
of contamination.
1676. Engagement off Aosta, in Sicily, between the French fleet under
admiral du Quesne, and the Dutch fleet under De Ruyter, who was mortally
wounded.
1709. The first number of the _Tatler_ was published by Steele, Addison
and Swift.
1729. JEAN BARBEYRAC, an eminent French jurist, died. He has
distinguished himself by many learned works, which show a high degree of
erudition and a liberal spirit.
1740. THOMAS TICKELL, an English poet, died. He was the friend of
Addison whose works he published, and translated the Iliad in opposition
to Pope.
1750. ANDREW BAXTER, a Scottish metaphysician, died. His writings are
highly lauded by Warburton. By one of them we learn that dreams are
caused by the agency of separate immaterial beings.
1774. Battle between the forces of Rohilcund in Afghanistan, and the
subahdar of Oude backed by a British force. The Rohilcas showed great
bravery and resolution, and exhibited a considerable share of military
knowledge; but after a cannonade of two hours and twenty minutes, they
retreated with the loss of 2000 killed, including many of their chiefs;
the country became tributary, and the people robbers and plunderers.
1775. A captain Sears and Mr. Lamb assembled the citizens of New York,
shut up the custom-house, and prevented the sailing of vessels to
Boston, Quebec and Georgia. They sent an express to Philadelphia, where
the same measures were adopted.
1781. Fort Watson, in South Carolina, taken from the British, by the
provincials under colonel Lee. The fort was built on an Indian mound 30
feet high; but the besiegers speedily erected a work which overlooked
the fort, and fired into it with such effect that the garrison
surrendered.
1794. JAMES DUVAL D'EPREMENIE, a French advocate, executed. He was
remarkable for the violence of his proceedings during the revolution,
and was sent to the scaffold with his old opponent Chapellier.
1795. WARREN HASTINGS acquitted after a trial of 7 years. His crime as
charged by the house of commons to the peers was maladministration in
India.
1808. MURAT, at the head of 40,000 French soldiers, taking advantage of
a faction among the people, entered Madrid and took possession of it.
1809. Battle of Ratisbon. The Austrians, having sustained defeat and
losses four days successively, made some attempt to fortify this city,
in order to protect the retreat of the army. The French, who had
advanced to the storm, were cut down by the musquetry of the besieged.
There was at length difficulty in finding volunteers to renew the
attack, when the impetuous Lannes, by whom they were commanded, seized a
ladder and rushed forward to fix it himself against the wall. "I will
show," exclaimed he, "that your general is still a grenadier." The
French rallied and carried the ramparts--the contest was renewed in the
street, and the city fired. The Austrians were driven out of Ratisbon,
leaving cannon, baggage and prisoners in the hands of the French. Thus
in five days, in spite of the inferiority of numbers and the imperfect
manner in which his troops were combined, Bonaparte, by the sole energy
of his genius, triumphed over the main forces of his opponent, and
opened the road to his capital. At no period of his momentous career,
says Scott, did the genius of Napoleon appear more completely to
prostrate all opposition; at no time did the talents of a single
individual exercise such an influence on the fate of the universe.
1810. Fort Matagorda, having bean reduced to a heap of ruins, was
evacuated by the British, in consequence of which the French were
enabled to bombard Cadiz; 500 officers and 900 men fell into the hands
of the French.
1810. DINAH, a black woman, died in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, aged
116.
1823. AARON ARROWSMITH, hydrographer to the king of Great Britain, died.
He was distinguished as a constructor of maps and charts, and published
a new _General Atlas_ to accompany the _Edinburgh Gazetteer_.
1823. JOSEPH NOLLEKINS, an eminent sculptor, died. He gained great
reputation as an artist during his residence in Italy, and on his return
to England was so extensively patronized that he acquired a large
fortune.
1833. The foundation laid of the first protestant episcopal church ever
built in France.
1838. The English steam packets Great Western and Sirius arrived at New
York, forming a new era in navigation, and commencing a new and
expeditious mode of intercourse between England and the United States.
The Great Western, measuring 1,340 tons, made the passage in 14½
days, against head winds and a rough sea.
1839. H. V. DUCOUDRAY HOLSTEIN died at Albany; formerly a distinguished
officer under Bonaparte. After the fall of the emperor he came to this
country, and gained a subsistence by teaching the French and German
languages.
1847. N. P. AMES, the celebrated manufacturer of fire arms, swords, &c.,
died at Cabotville, Mass.
1848. The United States exploring expedition reached the Dead sea, which
was circumnavigated for the first time in a boat. It was sounded to the
depth of 600 fathoms, and the bottom found to be crusted with
crystalized salt.
1850. WM. WORDSWORTH, an eminent English poet, died, aged 80.
1852. SOLOMON VAN RENSSELAER, an officer in the war of 1812, died at
Albany, aged 78. He commenced his military career at the age of 18, and
was with Wayne in the battle of Miami, where he was dangerously wounded.
He received six balls at the battle of Queenstown, one of which he
carried to the time of his death. He also held several civil offices
with distinction.
1852. ARTHUR CONDORCET O'CONNOR died in France, aged 87. He was a native
of Ireland, and one of the most conspicuous leaders of the rebellion in
1798, which made him an exile in France. He married a daughter of
Condorcet, and adopted the name of the philosopher within his own.
1854. Fifteen firemen lost their lives by the sudden fall of a large
store in Broadway, New York, while in the discharge of their duty.
1854. Great tornado at Burmah, which swept over several hundred miles of
country, causing great loss of life on the Irrawaddy.
1856. A grand review of the fleet took place off Plymouth, England; it
consisted of 240 ships of war, all but 2 being steamers.
1856. JOSEPH ROBERTS died, aged 81. He was cashier for the trustees of
the first bank of the United States, the affairs of which institution he
conducted to its final winding up.