334 B. C. Battle of the Granicus, in Bythinia, in which Alexander of
Macedon defeated the Persians.
337. CONSTANTINE (_the great_), emperor of Rome, died. He was an able
general and a sagacious politician; celebrated as the builder of
Constantinople on the site of Byzantium, and as the first emperor who
embraced Christianity.
1424. JAMES I, of Scotland, crowned 18 years after his accession, since
which he had been in captivity.
1498. VASCO DE GAMA landed at Calicut, the first Indian port visited by
a European vessel.
1542. PAUL III, summoned the council of Trent; but was compelled to
prorogue it, his own ecclesiastics only attending.
1555. JOHN PETER CARAFFA elected pope, and assumed the title of Paul IV.
1604. The first settlement made on the coast of Guiana, by captain
Charles and sir Oliver Leigh.
1611. JAMES I, instituted the order of Baronets, and elevated 75
families to that dignity.
1659. RICHARD CROMWELL'S parliament dissolved by commission under the
great seal, at the instance of Desborough.
1661. The solemn league and covenant burned by the common hangman at
London, and afterwards throughout the country.
1667. ALEXANDER VII (Fabio Chigi), pope, died; characterized as little
in great things, and great in little ones. He was liberal towards men of
letters, and embellished Rome with some splendid edifices.
1680. A vast luminous meteor appeared at Leipsic.
1688. JOHN ANDREW QUENSTEDT died; a German divine, author of a Latin
account of learned men down to 1600.
1690. Naval action at Cherbourg; British admiral Ashby destroyed 3
French ships of the line and several frigates, being part of Tourville's
squadron.
1692. Action off La Hogue, commenced the night previous, between the
combined English and Dutch fleets, admiral Russell, and the French
fleet, which lost 16 sail.
1707. Battle of Stolhoffen, on the Rhine; French under Villars forced
the lines of the allies.
1722. SEBASTIAN VAILLANT, a French botanist, died. He was originally
organist to a convent.
1725. ROBERT MOLESWORTH, an able English statesman, died. He rendered
himself obnoxious to the clergy by insinuating that "religion is a pious
craft, a useful state engine, but far inferior to the principles which
in the school of Athens and Rome, incited their attentive youth to the
love of their country, and to the practice of the moral virtues."
1734. KOULI KHAN, defeated the Turkish army in Persia.
1745. Battle Jagernsdorf; Prussians defeated the imperialists.
1773. JOHN ENTICK, an English clergyman and schoolmaster, died; author
of the _Spelling Dictionary_, and other works.
1775. Meeting of provincial congress at New York.
1780. Sir JOHN JOHNSON, with a party of British and tories, burnt a mill
and 33 houses at Johnson Hall, killed about a dozen persons, destroyed
all the sheep and cattle, and having dug up his silver plate decamped.
1781. JOHN BAPTIST BECCARIA, a learned Italian monk, died.
1782. Formosa, a large island in the Chinese sea, almost wholly
inundated by volcanic agency, during a storm.
1794. Battle of Esperes; French defeated by the British, who took 500
prisoners and 700 cannon.
1795. MUNGO PARK, sailed from England on his first expedition to Africa,
for the purpose of tracing the course of the Niger, and procuring
information relative to the city of Timbuctoo, of which little more than
the name was known.
1798. BONAPARTE and the French fleet sailed from Toulon; at the same
time lord Nelson's fleet was in a storm in the gulf of Lyons, not many
leagues distant.
1809. Second battle of Essling; French recrossed the Danube.
1810. CHARLOTTE GENEVIEVE LOUISA AUGUSTA ANDREA TIMOTHEE DU BEAUMONT
D'EON, a French diplomatist, died, aged 82; memorable as a politician,
but more so for having been discovered to be a female while on an
embassy to England, in the year 1777.
1812. Action off the coast of France, between 2 British ships and 2
French 44 gun frigates, and a brig of 18 guns; the latter were
destroyed.
1813. Battle of Reichenbach; 1500 French cavalry charged and overthrew
the allied cavalry; but many divisions coming to their aid, the French
were reinforced by 14,000 horse and cuirassiers and the allies compelled
to retreat.
1813. MICHAEL DUROC, a distinguished French general, killed by a cannon
ball, which struck him as he stood conversing with Mortier and Kirgener,
the latter of whom was also killed instantly.
1813. United States frigate Congress, Capt. Smith, captured the British
brig Diana 10 guns.
1814. JOSEPH WHITE, an eminent English divine, and oriental scholar,
died. He was a weaver in humble life till his self-acquired attainments
attracted patronage.
1819. The steamship Savannah, started from Savannah, Ga., for Liverpool,
being the first passage of the Atlantic attempted by steam. She arrived
in Liverpool on the 22d June, having consumed her fuel in ten days. She
visited Stockholm and St. Petersburg before her return, which was in
December following.
1819. HUGH WILLIAMSON, an American physician, scholar and statesman,
died, aged 83. He assisted in framing the federal constitution, and made
himself useful to his country in various ways.
1854. Rail road inaugurated in Sardinia, running between Turin and Susa;
the king and queen, the government officials, and a great concourse of
people participating.
1855. The convent suppression bill passed the Sardinian senate.
1856. PRESTON S. BROOKS, a South Carolina member of congress, wickedly
and cowardly assaulted Charles Summer, senator from Massachusetts, while
seated at his desk in the senate chamber, and felled him to the floor
with a cane, in retaliation for abusive language in debate.