1402. HENRY IV tried to dispel by proclamation the rumors of Richard VI
having appeared in Scotland.
1465. ENRIQUE IV, a weak king of Castile, deposed and solemnly degraded
in the public square at Avila, and his brother Alonzo proclaimed king in
his stead.
1480. CAXTON completed the printing of the history of England, which he
thus announced: "_The Chronicles of England, &c. Enputed by me William
Caxton. In thabbey of Westmynstre by London, &c., the v day of Juyn the
yere of thincarnacion of our lord god m.cccc.lxxx, &c._," folio.
1508. LAMORAL EGMONT, count of Holland, beheaded by order of the Spanish
duke of Alva, at Brussels. He was a renowned general in the Spanish
armies, but they were jealous of his partialities for his own country's
liberty.
1594. Three ships fitted out by some Amsterdam and Zealand merchants,
for the purpose of discovering a passage to India by the Northern ocean,
sailed from the Texel under Willem Barentszoon and Jacob Heemskerk,
shaping their course around Nova Zembla.
1603. The English merchants trading to the Levant surrendered their
patent to the king. They paid £4,000 annually for this commercial
monopoly.
1667. JOHN HENRY HOTTINGER, a learned Swiss orientalist, drowned in the
Limmat. Notwithstanding the assiduity with which he applied himself to
his numerous avocations he found time to write several works.
1672. An Indian deed under this date granted to the inhabitants of
Schenectady a territory of three miles (12 English miles) all around
that town.
1690. THOMAS BAKER, an English mathematician and general scholar, died
at Bishops Nymmet, where he lived a retired and literary life.
1716. ROGER COTES, an English mathematician and astronomer, died, aged
33. He was rapidly acquiring distinction in science, and his loss was
much regretted.
1724. HENRY SACHEVERELL, a notorious English prelate, died. He made
himself obnoxious to parliament by the intemperance of his sermons. The
mob took up his cause, and the ministry was overturned. He does not seem
to have deserved much of the adulation bestowed upon him.
1745. Battle of Placentia, in which the Spaniards and French were
defeated.
1757. CHARLES VINER died; an eminent English law writer.
1781. Fort Cornwallis, at Augusta, Ga., surrendered with 300 men to the
Americans under Pickens and Lee. The latter had 40 killed during the
siege which lasted 17 days.
1783. First public ascension of a balloon. It was made at Annonay, in
France, by John and Stephen Montgolfier. An immense bag of linen lined
with paper, and containing 23,000 cubic feet, was provided for the
occasion. It was inflated by burning chopped straw and wool under the
aperture of the machine, which immediately began to swell; and on being
set at liberty ascended 6,000 feet into the air. As yet no individual
had ascended.
1790. The steam boat constructed by John Fitch, left the city of
Philadelphia at 4 o'clock in the morning for Trenton landing; from which
place she returned to Philadelphia again at 5 in the afternoon,
performing 80 miles against a strong head wind all the way down, and 16
miles against current and tide. It was propelled by 12 oars, and was the
first successful experiment in America, and the most successful one in
the world at that time--16 years before the triumph of Fulton.
1792. DAVID HENRY, an English printer, died. He was for more than half a
century an active manager of the _Gentlemen's Magazine_, and published
several other valuable works.
1794. Battle near Schecketschine, beyond the Vistula, in which the
Russians defeated the Poles under Kosciusko.
1794. A small island emerged from the sea near the island of Tenedos. It
was about half a mile in circumference.
1798. United Irishmen repulsed with great loss in an attack on New Ross.
The British, on the score of retaliation put to death 221 prisoners,
men, women and children.
1799. Bonaparte reached Jaffa on his retreat from St. Jean d'Acre, where
he remained three days; during which time the French burnt the
neighboring villages, carried away all the grain and cattle; they also
destroyed all the fortifications at Jaffa, and threw the artillery into
the sea.
1799. The archduke CHARLES compelled the French under Massena to
evacuate Zurich.
1800. A signal defeat of five columns of Austrians by two French, on the
Iller.
1806. NAPOLEON proclaimed his brother Louis Bonaparte king of Holland.
1807. Battle of Spandau, in which the Russians attacked the French under
Bernadotte, and were repulsed with the loss of 1,200 killed.
1811. Venezuela in South America declared itself independent.
1813. Battle of Stoney creek, Canada, in which the Americans were
attacked by the British in the night. American loss 30 killed and about
180 taken. British loss about 250.
1816. JOHN PAISIELLO, an Italian composer, died at Naples. His
reputation extended over the whole continent, and his presence was
courted by the sovereigns of Europe. His works are numerous and in high
repute.
1826. CARL MARIA VON WEBER, the celebrated German musical composer, died
at Paris. He is one of the best of the modern authors.
1827. The academy of sciences at Paris had presented to them at their
sitting this day, the phenomenon of a woman with a breast in her left
thigh, with which she suckled her own and several other children.
1828. HARRY STOE VAN DYCK, a poetical and miscellaneous writer, of Dutch
descent, died near London. In conjunction with Bowring he translated
specimens of the Dutch poets, under the title of _Batavian Anthology_,
which procured each of them a handsome medal from the king of Holland.
1847. The celebrated African farmer of Cedar creek, Del., died, almost
118 years of age.
1852. JACQUES PRADIER died near Paris, aged 54; the most distinguished
sculptor of his day in France.
1852. JOHN HOWARD PAYNE died at Tunis, Africa, aged 60. He was a native
of New-York, and long styled on English boards the American Roscius. He
was British consul at Tunis at the time of his death.
1854. A large elephant attached to a menagerie, while going from
Providence, R. I., to Fall River, Mass., broke loose from his keeper,
and before he could be captured attacked all the carriages that he
encountered on the road, killing the horses, tearing the wagons to
pieces, and severely injuring several persons.
1854. JOHN FRYALL SNODGRASS, a distinguished and successful Virginia
lawyer, died at Parkersburg, aged 50. He was an influential and valuable
member of the convention for revising the constitution in 1850, and fell
dead in court while trying a cause.
1855. The National Know-nothing, or American convention assembled at
Philadelphia.
1855. The British frigate Cossack appeared off Hango Udd, and sent a
boat on shore under a flag of truce, and the men landed; when the boat
was fired on and sunk, and the crew killed or wounded and taken
prisoners.
1856. Governor JOHNSON, of California, declared San Francisco to be in a
state of insurrection.
1856. ASA CUMMINGS, an American divine, died at sea, aged 65. He was
editor of the _Christian Mirror_ at Portland, Me., from 1826 to 1855,
and was deeply interested in the cause of missions and education.