1124. ALEXANDER I of Scotland, son of Malcom Canmore, died. He ascended
the throne on the death of his brother Edgar, 1107, and from the energy
and impetuosity of his character he was called the _fierce_. There were
several rebellions and insurrections against his reign, which he put
down with vigor. A conspiracy was formed against his life, and the
traitors got admission into his bed chamber at night. He cut his way
through them, and after killing six made his escape.
1192. CONRAD DE MONTFERRAT assassinated at Tyre.
1296. Battle of Dunbar, in which Edward I, of England, defeated the
Scots under the king, John Baliol, who lost 20,000 slain. Baliol was
taken prisoner to England, and confined in the tower.
1404. PHILIP (_the bold_), duke of Burgundy, died. He was a just and
brave prince, but so profuse in his expenses, that his body was seized
after death by his creditors, and it was with difficulty that his
duchess could redeem it.
1573. The army or the States General seized Flushing, and hanged the
Spanish commander.
1603. King JAMES I, on his way to take possession of the English crown,
was magnificently entertained at Winchinbrook by Sir Oliver Cromwell.
1610. Patent for Newfoundland granted to the earl of Northampton and 44
other persons, by the name of the treasurer and company of adventurers
and planters of the cities of Bristol and London, for the colony or
plantation of Newfoundland, from lat. 46 to 52 deg., together with the
seas and islands lying within ten leagues of the coast.
1667. MILTON disposed of the copy right of the _Paradise Lost_ for £5!
It was with much difficulty that he could find any one to undertake the
publication of it.
1702. JOHN BARTH died; who by his bravery and skill rose to a high rank
in the French navy.
1717. The Dissenters received £5,000 for damages done their meeting
houses during the rebellion on account of the pretender to the English
throne.
1742. NICHOLAS AMHERST, an English political writer, died. He for a
considerable time published the _Craftsman_, a paper conducted with
unusual spirit and success, which guided the public taste and awed the
administration.
1762. The Irish levelers suppressed by Lord Halifax.
1775. The Bostonians delivered up a large quantity of guns, &c., to the
British general Gage.
1782. EDWARD CHAMBERLAYNE, an English statesman, died. He was one of the
best scholars of his age.
1785. Prince LEOPOLD of Brunswick, son of the reigning duke, having gone
to the relief of the inhabitants of an inundated village on the Oder,
near Frankfort, was upset in his boat and drowned. Thus dying as he had
lived, in the highest exercise of humanity.
1792. JOHN JAMES ANKERSTROOM, a Swedish officer, executed for the
murder of Gustavus, king of Sweden.
1794. WILLIAM JONES died, a man who rose by the superiority of his
genius, from a low station to a high judicial office in Bengal. By his
unwearied industry and skill in the Asiatic languages, he successfully
explored the hidden sources of oriental science and literature, and to
whose translations we are indebted for many beautiful effusions of the
Persian muse. As a linguist he has seldom if ever been surpassed. He was
master of almost every language of Europe and Asia.
1794. JAMES BRUCE, the celebrated Scottish traveler, died. Being consul
at Algiers, he found leisure to study the oriental languages, and formed
the project of exploring the interior of Africa. He discovered the
sources of the Nile.
1796. CHARLES TOWNSEND, an English nobleman, was found dead in a post
chaise on his return from Great Yarmouth, for which borough his brother
Frederick had been elected to parliament. They both had exhibited marks
of insanity, and in one of these paroxysms Charles shot himself.
1799. Battle of Cassano, in Italy; the French under Moreau totally
defeated by the Russians and Austrians under Suwarrow.
1803. TOUSSAINT L'OVERTURE, a mulatto chieftain of St. Domingo, died. He
possessed unbounded influence over the blacks of that island, and became
the head of all power, civil and military, among them. He was
treacherously betrayed by the French, and thrown into prison where he
died.
1804. JONATHAN BOUCHER, an English archæologist, died. He was an
episcopal preacher in America, till the revolution drove him back to
England. He prepared a glossary of provincial and archæological words,
intended for a supplement to Johnson's Dictionary.
1806. The squadron under Miranda, intended to begin a revolution in
South America, engaged two Spanish guardacostas. The Spaniards captured
two schooners, having on board 22 officers and 30 men, all of whom were
hanged or sent to the mines.
1813. The American army under Gen. Pike took York, the capital of Upper
Canada. The British blew up the works, by which Gen. Pike was killed, as
well as about 50 of the British, and 200 American soldiers killed or
wounded.
1830. City of Guatemala nearly destroyed by an earthquake.
1834. THOMAS STOTHARD died; celebrated for his illustrations to the
_Canterbury Tales_, _Rogers' Italy_, _Pilgrims' Progress_ and _Robinson
Crusoe_.
1836. JOHN HART, an American physician, died. He joined the army at the
outbreak of the revolution, and continued in it until it was disbanded.
He was afterwards a member of the Massachusetts senate, and much
esteemed as a physician and a patriot.
1836. Battle near Fort Brook, Florida, between the United States
volunteer troops and the Indians. The Indians were defeated with the
loss of 200 killed. Loss of the U. S. troops, 2 killed, 24 wounded.
1836. The celebrated Bible presented by Alcuin to Charlemagne, was sold
at auction in London for £1,500 ($6,666). See Dec. 1, 801.
1838. Baroness SCHOPENHAUER died at Jena; a woman of talent and
celebrity, and author of various works, which were collected in 24 vols.
1838. Great fire at Charlestown, S. C., "which laid waste 145 acres of
the most populous part of the city."
1849. WILLIAM B. COOPER, ex-governor, and a highly respected citizen of
the state of Delaware, died at his residence, Laurel hill.
1850. The Atlantic, first steamer of the Collins line, sailed from
Liverpool.
1855. Col. KINNEY arrested in New York on a bench warrant, for beginning
a military enterprise against Nicaragua.
1856. Ratification of the treaty of peace between England, France and
Turkey, and Russia, which terminated the Crimean war.
1856. ROBERT KELLY, a New York merchant, died, aged 47. Having acquired
a fortune and a high reputation as a merchant, he devoted his attention
to science, acquired eight languages, and filled many important offices.
His superior talents and untiring industry were under the direction of
philanthropic and Christian impulses.