1097. The siege of Nice, the Turkish capital of Soliman, sultan of Roum,
opened by the French crusaders, whose camps formed an imperfect circle
of more than 6 miles.
1501. AMERIGO VESPUCCI sailed with three ships furnished him by Emanuel
of Portugal. This was his third voyage, which he extended as far as
Patagonia.
1602. BARTHOLOMEW GOSNOLD, after a passage of 7 weeks direct west from
England, discovered land on the American coast, and fell in with a
shallop with sails and oars, manned by Indians, with whom they had
friendly intercourse. They are represented as naked, "save neere their
wastes seale skins tyed fast like to Irish dimmi trouses;" and the chief
wore a few things of European fabric, described the coast with a piece
of chalk, and "spake diverse Christian words." Their vessel is supposed
to have belonged to some wrecked fishermen of Biscay.
1610. HENRY IV of France assassinated by Ravaillac. Above 50 historians
and 500 panegyrists, poets and orators, have spoken in his praise; but
the _Henriade_ of Voltaire is the most likely to immortalize him.
1652. British commodore YOUNG fell in with a Dutch convoy, and demanded
that according to an act of king John (A. D. 1200) they should strike
their flag to the British flag. This being refused, a severe action
ensued, which ended in the Dutch flag being struck, after which they
were permitted to proceed!
1667. JOAN HENRY URSINUS died; a Lutheran divine, eminent for his
learning in sacred and profane history.
1692. Sir WILLIAM PHIPS arrived at Boston with the new charter by
William and Mary, where he was received with great pomp, and conducted
by the military, magistrates, ministers, and principal men of the
country to the town-house, where the charter was published. This charter
included the whole of old Massachusetts, Plymouth colony, the provinces
of Maine and Nova Scotia, the islands of Elizabeth, Nantucket and
Martha's Vineyard, as the province of Massachusetts, of which Phips was
appointed governor.
1731. A final settlement was made of the boundary line between New York
and Connecticut; 60,000 acres called the Oblong being ceded to New York
in exchange for lands near the sound.
1761. THOMAS SIMPSON, an eminent English mathematician, died. He was a
weaver in the lowest circumstances, who raised himself to distinction by
close application to science.
1780. PETER MONTAN LE BERTON died; an eminent French musician, and
manager of the operas at Paris.
1781. Lieut. col. CHRISTOPHER GREENE (the conqueror of count Donop) and
major FLAG, surprised and murdered at Croton river, by a party of
refugees.
1785. Canal opened between the Baltic and North seas.
1796. Vaccination for cowpox first applied by Dr. Jenner.
1796. BONAPARTE made his public entry into Milan under a triumphal arch.
1798. DAVID RUHNKENIUS died; professor of belles-lettres and history,
and librarian in the university at Leyden, and a learned and able
critic.
1805. ROBERT BISSET died; a Scottish historian, biographer, and
novelist.
1810. Lerida, in Spain, surrendered to the French general Suchet, who
found large quantities of stores. Same day, Catalonians defeated the
French, whose loss is stated at 45,000, and that of the Catalonians
25,000.
1814. British fleet on lake Champlain commenced a heavy cannonade on the
American batteries under colonel Davis, at the mouth of Otter creek. The
British were compelled to retreat.
1814. French defeated at Madrid by lord Wellington.
1814. Spanish squadron belonging to Monte Video, defeated by the Buenos
Ayrean squadron under com. Brown.
1820. HENRY GRATTAN, an Irish statesman, died. He warmly espoused the
interests of his country, and many important measures were effected by
his eloquence.
1826. State prison at Sing Sing, New York, commenced.