1184 B. C. The conquest and destruction of the city of Troy by the
Greeks, took place on the 24th of Thargelion.
339 B. C. TIMOLEON defeated the Carthagenians at the river Crimesus,
near the mount Giuliano, in Sicily.
1016. ETHELRED II buried in St. Paul's, London.
1254. LOUIS IX of France, embarked from Acre, in Palestine, on his
return from the crusade, with his queen, children and troops, in 14
vessels, and arrived in Vincennes in September, after an absence of six
years, and a most disastrous campaign.
1345. RICHARD AUNGERVYLE, bishop of Durham, died. He was the tutor of
Edward III, a learned man, and the author of a work on the right use of
books.
1474. In Edward prince of Wales's procession there was a station with
three patriarchs standing with Jacob's 12 sons, and many other
personifications of scripture characters,--such was the amusement of the
times.
1500. Brazil discovered by Pedro Alvarez de Cabral, who left two
convicts.
1556. OSEP NAPEA, the first ambassador from Russia to England, made his
appearance at the court of Elizabeth, and delivered his master's
presents.
1557. GEORGE RORAR (Rorarius), a learned corrector of the press at
Wittemburg, died, aged 65. He had been the amanuensis of Luther, and
assisted in editing some of the works of the great reformer.
1599. Birthday of OLIVER CROMWELL.
1603. JAMES BEATON, bishop of Glasgow, died. He was raised to the see
before the age of 25; when the reformation broke forth, he fled to
France, with the records and sacred vessels of his cathedral, which were
deposited with the Scotch college of Paris. He left a history of
Scotland in manuscript.
1617. D'ANCRE CONCINI, marechal of France, assassinated. He was a
Florentine by birth, and acquired his offices by intrigue. The day
following his burial, the body was taken from the grave, mutilated and
dragged through the streets of Paris.
1645. CROMWELL defeated the king's forces at Islip bridge, near Oxford,
taking the king's standard and 200 prisoners.
1667. MATTHEW WREN, bishop of Hereford, died. During the civil wars his
property was confiscated and himself confined in the Tower 18 years
without being brought to trial.
1704. The _Boston News Letter_, the first paper printed in America, made
its appearance at Boston, published by John Campbell, the postmaster.
It was printed on a half sheet of writing paper. It was continued until
the British evacuated Boston, in 1776.
1731. DANIEL DEFOE, a popular English author, died. He is best known as
the author of _Robinson Crusoe_, which was supposed at first to be a
true narrative, and afterwards as erroneously to have been founded upon
the papers of Alexander Selkirk. It still enjoys an old age of honor and
renown, which it is impossible for any eulogium to exalt. Like its hero,
it has traveled into the most distant regions, and worn the costume of
literature and the garland of fame in almost every civilized country of
the globe.
1735. "Here lyes inter'd ye remains of deacon CHRISTOPHER HUNTINGTON of
Norwich, November 1st, 1660, and ye first born of males in ye town. He
served near 40 years in ye office of a deacon, and died April ye 24th,
1735, to ye 75th yr. of his age. Memento mori."
1763. CHARLES STEPHEN PESSELIER, a French dramatist and financier, died.
He was early assiduously devoted to literature and the muses; but when
entrusted with the finances of the kingdom, his application ruined his
constitution, and he fell a victim to excessive mental fatigue.
1773. PHILIP DORMER, earl of Chesterfield, died. He was a polished
courtier, and a writer on, rather than a practicer of, good manners.
1775. JOSIAH QUINCY, Jr., an eminent American patriot, died. He was
employed by the British officers, together with John Adams, to defend
their cause in the case of the Boston massacre, and although warmly
opposed to the measures of the British ministry, he conducted the
defence with great propriety. He fell a victim to intense application,
at the age of 31, and died at sea on his return from England.
1778. Action in the roads opposite the town of Carrickfergus, in
Ireland, in which the British sloop of war Drake was captured by the
United States ship Ranger, under Paul Jones.
1780. CLAUDE JOSEPH DORAT, a French poet, died. He entered the military
service as a musketeer, but abandoned it to pursue his favorite study.
His works comprise 20 vols.
1780. JOHN NOURSE, a distinguished bookseller and mathematician, died.
1799. WILLIAM SEWARD, an English antiquary, died. He was the son of a
brewer, and being possessed of a competency devoted himself to
literature. He published 7 volumes of anecdotes and notices of
distinguished characters, compiled from scarce and curious books.
1799. PETER AUGUSTIN CARON DE BEAUMARCHAIS, a French dramatist, died.
He was a watchmaker, and made some improvement in the escapement of a
watch. His dramas are numerous, and some of them still popular.
1814. The British army took the city of Washington by surprise, and
burnt the public buildings. The library of congress consisting of 3000
volumes of rare books was destroyed.
1824. RICHARD PAYNE, died at London; an eminent Greek scholar and
antiquary.
1841. GEORGE BAXTER, one of the most eminent of Presbyterian ministers,
died at his residence in Virginia, aged 77.
1856. The sheriff of Kansas, who had been engaged in arresting some Free
State men, as they were termed, was shot while sitting in his tent.