68. CLAUDIUS DOMITIUS NERO, emperor of Rome, destroyed himself at the
age of 32, and the 14th of his dominion. He had committed every
enormity, and finding himself at last the inevitable victim of a
conspiracy, he was doomed to see his own grave prepared, and died with
his eyes standing out of his head, to the terror of all that beheld him.
1042. HARDICANUTE died at a nuptial feast of a Danish lord. By his death
the connection between the kingdoms of England and Denmark was severed.
1316. LOUIS X (_Hutin_), king of Navarre, died, aged 26. During his
short reign the Jews were protected and encouraged in his dominions.
1376. EDWARD, prince of Wales (called the _black prince_ from the color
of his armor), died, aged 46. He distinguished himself as a warrior
under his father Edward III in the war with France, in several famous
battles, and was the idol of the nation.
1405. Archbishop SCROOP beheaded at York, England, for insurrection.
1536. HENRY VIII'S new parliament passed an act of attainder against
Anne Boleyn, and declared both divorces legal, and the issue
illegitimate.
1590. THOMAS RANDOLPH, an English diplomatist under Elizabeth, died. He
wrote an account of his embassy in Russia, 1568, which may be found in
_Hakluyt's Voyages_.
1683. JOHN DURELL, an eminent English divine, died. His writings are
chiefly controversial.
1692. HENRY ARNAULD, a French ecclesiastic, died. He was nearly half a
century bishop of Angers, and devoted himself incessantly to the duties
of his office.
1695. CHRISTIAN HUYGENS, a celebrated Dutch mathematician, died. He made
several astronomical discoveries, and improved the air pump. His works
comprise 6 vols. 4to.
1709. Paper money first authorized and issued in New York.
1711. CATHARINE LASCAILLE, daughter of the celebrated Holland printer,
James Lascaille, who herself was so famed as a poet, as to be called the
Dutch Sappho, or the _tenth muse_, died in Holland.
1714. The princess SOPHIA died; fourth daughter of the king of Bohemia
by Elizabeth, only daughter of James I, of England. She was the mother
of George I.
1727. AUGUSTUS HERMAN FRANCKE died; professor of oriental languages and
of divinity at Halle, and distinguished for his learning and piety.
1747. THAMAS KOULI KHAN, the Persian conqueror, assassinated. He rose
from the humble rank of a shepherd boy, to be the captain of a band of
robbers, which in time became sufficiently formidable to place him on
the throne of Persia. He extended his conquests into India, and overran
some of its richest provinces.
1755. Action off Newfoundland, between the British ship Dunkirk, 60
guns, and 420 men and boys, and the French ship Alcide, 64 guns, 700
men. The Alcide struck in about 30 minutes; the slaughter on board of
her was very great, the first broadside killing 47 men and officers. The
governor of Louisburg and 4 officers of note were taken, and £30,000.
1764. WILLIAM PULTENEY, an English statesman, died. He was many years
the friend of Walpole, finally opposed his measures and was disgraced.
He continued his opposition with so much zeal and spirit, that Walpole
was in turn disgraced, and himself rose in his place.
1768. ABBE JOHN WINCKELMAN, a celebrated German antiquary, assassinated
at Trieste. He was the son of a shoemaker, and sometime engaged in the
same business himself. His labors were indefatigable, and his works
possess great merit.
1768. ANDREW MILLAR, the most distinguished bookseller of his times,
died in London. Dr. Johnson said he had raised the price of literature.
1776. Unsuccessful attempt of 800 Americans to surprise the British at
the village of _Trois Rivieres_, Canada; 200 were taken prisoners. Same
day the Americans under col. De Haas, burnt St. Annes, on the St.
Lawrence.
1781. A reinforcement of 1,500 French troops landed at Boston, and
marched to join Rochambeau at White plains.
1782. HYDER ALLY surrounded and cut off the advanced body of the British
army under sir Eyre Coote.
1788. £1,340,000 voted on motion of Mr. Pitt for the benefit of American
loyalists.
1793. British order in council to capture vessels bound to France with
corn meal or flour, the cargoes to be paid for.
1794. Festival in Paris dedicated to the Supreme Being.
1794. Corsica united to England.
1794. GODFRED AUGUSTUS BURGER, a German poet, died, aged 46.
1795. LOUIS XVII (_the dauphin_), died. The unhappy prince was put in
charge of a wretch, on the execution of his father, by the name of
Simon, a cobbler, with the instructions that he was to be got rid of.
Accordingly, by the most severe treatment, by beating, cold, vigils,
fasts, and ill usage of every kind, he sank to the grave.
1806. GEORGE WYTHE, a signer from Virginia, died, aged 81. He was a
learned and upright man.
1807. Battle of Gutstadt, in which the French under Bonaparte defeated
10,000 Russian cavalry, and 15,000 infantry, taking 1,000 prisoners.
1809. THOMAS PAINE, a political writer of great force during the
revolution, died, aged 72. His writings were deemed of so much service
that the legislature of Pennsylvania voted him £500, and New York made
him a grant of land. His life and conduct subsequently was extremely
imprudent and reprehensible.
1809. Battle of Viga; the French, 8,000, under Ney, attacked 12,000
Spaniards under Carera, and were repulsed.
1810. Mequienza, in Arragon, surrendered to the French under Suchet.
This terminated the fourth campaign in the north of Spain.
1811. Extraordinary agitation of the sea and earthquake at Cape Town.
1813. Americans under general LEWIS broke up their encampment by order
of general Dearborn, and returned to Fort George. The British succeeded
in dispersing the boats with the baggage belonging to his command, and
captured 12 of them.
1832. The first case of cholera asphixia in America occurred on this day
at Quebec.
1838. JOHN LUSK, a soldier of the revolution, died, aged 104 years. He
was born on Staten island, of Dutch parentage, and was a soldier in the
regular service nearly 60 years. He died in Warren county, Tennessee,
and was the last survivor of the old French war in Canada.
1842. HENRY BROOK PARNELL, famed as a political writer and liberalist,
died by his own hand.
1842. JAMES BARBOUR, a distinguished American statesman, died in Orange
co., Virginia.
1844. JAMES WADSWORTH, a distinguished and wealthy citizen of western
New York, died at Geneseo.
1845. ANDREW JACKSON, an American general and statesman, died, aged 78.
He was the seventh president of the United States.
1854. GEORGE H. TALCOTT, a captain of ordinance in the United States
army, died at Indian springs, aged 43. He was a native of Maryland, and
graduated at West-point in 1831.
1856. HENRY WARE WALES, an American linguist, died at Paris, aged 37,
bequeathing a large and valuable library to Harvard college.
1857. DOUGLAS JERROLD, an English dramatist and journalist, died, aged
54. He was an extraordinary genius, and contributed to almost every
department of literature.