1421. A holy convocation at Canterbury decreed that a bishop's barber
should not receive a fee from any one on whom the bishop had conferred
holy orders.
1432. FRANCESCO BUSSONE DI CARMAGNOLA, count de Castlenuovo, executed.
He was a celebrated Italian general, first in the service of the duke of
Milan, afterwards led the Venetian army to repeated victories. His
fortune at length turned, when the senate suspecting him of treachery,
he was tortured and condemned to death.
1526. FREDERICK (_the wise_), elector of Savoy, died. He was one of the
first and most zealous friends of Luther.
1529. PAULUS ÆMILIUS, a learned Italian, died. He was invited to France,
where he employed a great number of years in writing a history of the
French kings, but did not live to finish it.
1556. The company of London stationers received their first charter from
Philip and Mary, under the title of "The master and keepers or wardens,
and commonalty, of the mystery or art of the stationers of the city of
London."
1586. HENRY SIDNEY, an English statesman, died. He was the favorite of
Edward VI, and afterwards employed by Mary and Elizabeth.
1618. One WILLIAMS, a barrister, arraigned for libeling the king, was
executed.
1643. Parliament of England ordered the _Book of Sports_ to be burned by
the common hangman.
1670. FRANCIS ANNIBAL D'ESTREES, a French statesman, died, aged 98. He
distinguished himself by several military exploits, and wrote some
valuable historical works.
1682. WILLIAM PENN, published in England his frame of government for the
colony of Pennsylvania.
1687. A proclamation was issued by government to establish a manufactory
for white paper in England.
1700. STEPHEN MORIN, a French protestant divine, died at Amsterdam. He
was professor of oriental languages; his dissertations on various
subjects of criticism and antiquity were highly esteemed.
1705. LEOPOLD I, emperor of Germany, died. He was long engaged in
sanguinary war with the Turks and the French, who pillaged and destroyed
his frontier towns.
1706. Lateral eruption of the peak of Teneriffe. A volcano opened at the
south side, towards the port of Garachico, and in a few hours not an
edifice of that populous city was left standing.
1710. NICHOLAS JOSEPH POISSON, a French priest, died. He was the friend
of Descartes, and a philosopher; distinguished for his eloquence and as
an author.
1751. JOHN PICHON died; a French Jesuit and an author.
1757. Battle of Prague, between the Prussians under Frederick the great
and the Austrians. The Prussians were victorious, after a bloody
contest, in which the distinguished general, count Schwerin, was killed.
Austrian loss 24,000; Prussian loss 18,000.
1760. LAWRENCE SHIRLEY, earl of Feraro, executed at Tyburn for the
murder of his steward. He was a man of no mean mental acquirements, but
passionate and often inflamed by inebriety.
1776. Congress declared the authority of England over the thirteen
colonies abolished.
1785. THOMAS DAVIES (alias _Honest Tom Davies_), an English author,
died. He was educated at the university of Edinburgh, became an actor,
afterwards a bookseller, turned strolling player, married Miss Yarrow,
an actress of great beauty, returned to bookselling, became bankrupt,
was relieved by the assistance of Dr. Johnson, wrote the _Life of
Garrick_, several other biographies and innumerable miscellanies, and
was entrusted with the publication of Granger's _Biographical History of
England_.
1789. JOSEPH BARETTI, an Italian lexicographer, died. He emigrated to
England, where he published an Italian and English dictionary, and
assisted Dr. Johnson in compiling his dictionary.
1789. Assembly of the states general of France, at Versailles. This may
be called the first day of the revolution, although the object of the
meeting was to prevent such a catastrophe.
1795. The law went into operation in England imposing a tax on wearing
hair powder.
1802. Cleopatra's coffin, head of the Theban ram, and other Egyptian
curiosities, arrived in England.
1804. France formed into an empire.
1808. PETER JOHN GEORGE CABANIS, a French physician, died. He was the
friend of Mirabeau, sat in the council of 500, and in the senate of
Napoleon acquired great reputation for talent, learning and benevolence.
His works are published in 7 volumes.
1811. Battle of Fuentes d'Onor, in Portugal; the French repulsed with
great loss, by the British under Wellington.
1813. Battle at Fort Meigs; Gen. Clay arrived with 1,000 Kentucky
militia and volunteers, attacked the British, carried their batteries
and spiked their cannon; but having pressed too far in pursuit, were met
by a reinforcement of Indians, and in turn defeated, so that only 150
escaped. The British had fired 143 cannon shot into the fort before the
arrival of Gen. Clay. American loss, 64 killed, 124 wounded, exclusive
of Clay's loss. British stated their loss at 103, killed, wounded and
missing, and that they had taken 495 American prisoners.
1814. NAPOLEON landed at Elba at an early hour in disguise, with a
sergeant's company of marines. He made a formal landing at 2 in the
afternoon, and was welcomed by the people with acclamation.
1821. NAPOLEON BONAPARTE died at St. Helena, in the 52d year of his age,
and the 6th of his exile, to the great relief of the British nation. He
commenced in 1795 that unparalleled career of military achievements,
which continued to agitate Europe for 20 years, and terminated with the
battle of Waterloo, 1815.
1822. THOMAS TRUXTON, an American naval officer, died. He distinguished
himself in the revolutionary war, and also in the war with France of
1799, after which he retired from the navy, and died in Philadelphia.
1827. FREDERICK AUGUSTUS I, king of Saxony, died, aged 77; a wise and
benevolent monarch, who devoted the energy of his mind to promote the
welfare of his subjects.
1846. JOHN PICKERING, an eminent American philologist, died at Boston,
aged 60. He commenced the practice of the law, and distinguished himself
as a jurist; but his reputation rests chiefly on his attainments as a
scholar, and on his literary and scientific labors, which were of great
service to the cause of learning in this country. He published a
vocabulary of Americanisms, and a Greek and English lexicon.
1848. Opening of the national assembly of France, after the abdication
of Louis Philippe.
1853. His other demands having been conceded, prince Menschikoff sent in
an ultimatum to the Turkish divan, demanding for the emperor of Russia
the protectorate of the Greek church Christians in Turkey.
1853. A new planet was discovered at the observatory of Bilk, at
Dusseldorf, by Prof. Luther.