542. ARTHUR, a British prince, died. He was a victorious warrior against
the surrounding nations, and is celebrated as the founder of the knights
of the round table at Winchester.
1216. LOUIS of France, at the invitation of the rebel English barons,
crossed the channel with 680 sail, and landed at Sandwich.
1252. The epoch of the Alphonsine tables, constructed by Hazan, a Jew,
by order of Alphonso the wise, commencing with the day of his accession
to the throne of Leon and Castile.
1416. JEROME OF PRAGUE, burnt for the heresy of protestantism, at
Constance, and suffered with great fortitude.
1431. JOAN OF ARC, the Maid of Orleans, burnt at Rouen, for sorcery and
intercourse with infernal spirits, by the English. Chapelaine celebrated
her in 12 times 1200 verses; Southey has made her the subject of an
epic, and Schiller of a tragedy.
1484. CHARLES VIII (_the affable_), inaugurated at Rheims, in his 15th
year. He was met at the gates by a young damsel, habited as Flora, who
delivered him the keys of the city.
1498. COLUMBUS sailed from the port of St. Lucar de Barrameda, with a
squadron of six vessels, on his third voyage of discovery, with
additional powers. The Indians were to wear a mark of brass or lead coin
about their necks, which were to be _exchanged_ for others on the
payment of their tribute money.
1521. The Spaniards under Cortez, invested Mexico with 917 Spaniards and
75,000 Indians, which were soon increased to 200,000. He had 86 horses,
3 large iron cannons, and 15 smaller of copper, 1000 Castilian pounds of
gun powder and a large quantity of balls and arrows, the strength of
his little army having doubled by the supplies from Spain and the
Antilles. The Spanish troops, in proceeding to their posts, in
commencing the siege, had several engagements with the Mexicans. In
attempting to break the aqueduct of Chapoltepec to cut off the water
from the city, a powerful resistance was made. At one assault, so thick
was the shower of arrows, darts and stones, which were shot at them,
that 8 Spaniards were killed, and more than fifty wounded, and they were
with difficulty able to retreat to Tlacopan, where they encamped.
1539. FERDINAND DE SOTO, landed on the West coast of Florida, in search
of gold. He is supposed to have wandered over many of the southern
states; but being disappointed in his great object, he returned without
effecting a settlement.
1574. CHARLES IX, of France, died, aged 25. It was during his reign that
the fatal massacre of St. Bartholomews took place, which renders his
name odious.
1577. MARTIN FROBISHER, the English navigator, sailed on his second
voyage for the discovery of a north-west passage to India. He coasted
Greenland and Labrador, and returned with 200 tons of glittering stones
and sand, which he had mistaken for gold ore.
1640. PETER PAUL RUBENS, the celebrated Flemish painter, died. He was
also a statesman, and a man of learning.
1654. CHRISTINA of Sweden abdicated the throne, on which occasion she
caused a medal to be struck, with the motto, "Parnassus is worth more
than a throne."
1658. Prince of Conde, at the head of 2000 cavalry, threw himself into
Cambray, then besieged by marshal Turenne.
1663. DENIS DE SALLO, the inventor of literary journals, published the
first number of the French _Journal des Savans_.
1676. Hatfield, Mass., burnt by the Indians. The town was attacked by
about 600 of the enemy, while the men were all out in the fields at work
except one who was very old. They burnt 12 houses and barns without the
fortification, and drove away the cattle and sheep. The news of this
affair having reached the neighboring town of Hadley, 25 resolute young
men hastened to the scene of desolation, and charged the savages with
such undaunted courage, that five or six of them fell at the first shot;
and making their way through the thickest of the Indians, they threw
themselves into the garrison, with the loss of five of their number, who
fell as they were entering the town. The enemy, amazed at the resolution
of this little band, and having lost 25 of their number, fled from the
place immediately, with their booty.
1688. Pere GERBILLON, one of the French Jesuit Missionaries who
accompanied Du Halde to China, set out on his first journey into
Tartary. His travels are published at length in the great work of Du
Halde. (See Ap. 1, 96; May 24, 98; Oct. 13, 98.)
1718. BERNARD NIEUWENTYD, a Dutch writer on mathematics, died.
1744. ALEXANDER POPE died: the celebrated English poet and epistolary
writer.
1756. ELIZABETH ELSTOB, an English literary lady, died. She was skilled
in eight languages, and published a Saxon grammar.
1764. SIMON SACK, died at Trionia, aged 141.
1770. Fire works in honor of the marriage of Louis XVI, of France, when
about 1100 persons were crushed to death in the crowd.
1775. Americans burnt the mansion house on Noddles island, and carried
off the cattle.
1778. MARIE FRANCIS AROUET DE VOLTAIRE, the celebrated French
philosopher, died. He was an extraordinary man, of whom it has been
said, he was a free thinker in London, a Cartesian in Versailles, a
Christian in Nancy, and an infidel in Berlin. In society, he was
alternately an Aristippus and a Diogenes. For versatility of talent, his
equal has, perhaps never appeared.
1796. Battle of Borghetto; Bonaparte defeated the Austrians.
1799. The editor, printer and publisher of the _London Courier_, were
fined and imprisoned for saying that the emperor of Russia was a tyrant
among his own subjects and ridiculous to the rest of Europe.
1801. JOHN MILLER, who wrote a historical view of the English
government, died at Glasgow.
1804. JEFFERSON issued a proclamation erecting the district of Mobile.
1806. Bonaparte issued a decree calling an assembly of Jewish deputies,
for the purpose of forming a Sanhedrim.
1813. American privateer Yankee, 16 guns, captured British brig Thames,
14 guns; cargo sold for $180,000.
1814. Treaty of Paris, between Louis XVIII, and the allied sovereigns.
The latter left Paris the same day, on a visit to England.
1826. JOHN BEATTY, a general officer in the war of the American
revolution, died.
1832. JAMES MACKINTOSH, an English statesman, died; known by his
_History of England_. He was employed principally in the affairs of
India, during which he found time for literary pursuits.
1833. JOHN MALCOLM, a general in the India service, died. He
distinguished himself as a soldier, statesman and scholar. He
contributed much information respecting the history and present
condition of Persia.
1837. CHRISTOPHER BROWNE, a soldier of the revolution, died at
Philadelphia, aged 107.
1844. The Irish agitator DANIEL O'CONNEL, sentenced to fine and
imprisonment.
1848. Battle of Goito, Italy; the Austrians defeated by the king of
Sardinia.
1848. Ratifications of the treaty between the United States and Mexico
exchanged with the latter government at Quaretaro.
1848. General HERRERA elected president of Mexico by 11 states against
5.
1854. Three British steamers destroyed the ships, dockyards and stores
at Brahestadt, in the north of the gulf of Bothnia.
1854. The Turks made a sortie from Silistria, and killed 3000 Russians
in the trenches.
1854. PEREGRINE MAITLAND, a British officer, died, aged 76. He served at
Walcheren, in the Peninsula at Corunna, and at Waterloo. For his
services on the Nive as commander of the first brigade of guards, he
received a medal. He had been lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada and
Nova Scotia, and commander-in-chief of the Madras army.
1856. The ship Pallas, sailing from Cork to Quebec, struck the breakers
off St. Paul's island and bilged; of 120 passengers 72 were drowned.