518. ANASTASIUS I, the silentiary, died; who from obscure birth became
emperor of the East by marrying the widow of the emperor Zeno.
551. The city of Berytus overthrown by an earthquake. It gave birth to
Sanconiatho, the Phœnician historian, about the period of the Trojan
war, in the time of Hercules.
552. The Armenians commenced their era, Tuesday. The year, like the
Noetic, consists of twelve months of thirty days, with an insertion of
five, or (in leap year) six days, after the 5th of August, when their
ecclesiastical year commences. In their correspondence with Europeans,
they usually adopt, as in Russia, the old Julian style, and the months.
1228. STEPHEN LANGTON, archbishop of Canterbury, died. He was a man of
great abilities as a writer and a politician. He was nominated to the
office of archbishop by the pope, 1207, which being considered as an
usurpation of the rights of the king of England, lead to a quarrel
between those dignitaries, which terminated disastrously to the king.
1386. Battle of Sempach, in the canton of Lucerne, which established the
independence of Switzerland. Leopold II, duke of Austria, was killed in
this battle.
1535. ANTHONY DUPRAT, a very eminent French statesman, died. He was
president of the parliament of Paris, and a man who, to increase his
fortune or enlarge his power, did not hesitate to sacrifice either fame
or virtue.
1546. ROBERT MAXWELL died. He was chiefly instrumental in bringing and
procuring the passage of an act in the Scottish parliament permitting
the reading of the scriptures in the vulgar tongue.
1598. DAVID BOUCHARD, governor of Perigord, killed at the siege of
Lisle. He was a famous chieftain under Henry IV of France.
1669. The encenia, or dedication of the incomparable theatre at Oxford,
endowed and founded 1664, by archbishop Selden. The first act held in a
secular building was kept there on the same day. Wren adopted his ground
plan from the theatre of Marcellus at Rome.
1693. The English or confederated army defeated by the French at Landon.
1742. JOHN OLDMIXON, an English historian and poet, died. He was a man
of learning and abilities, but a violent party writer, and a severe and
malevolent critic.
1746. PHILIP V of Spain, died. His accession to the throne was opposed
by the archduke of Austria, and gave rise to one of the most bloody wars
on record.
1755. Memorable defeat of BRADDOCK on his march to fort Du Quesne. The
English army of 1,200 was ambuscaded, the general having neglected all
precautions against such an event, and totally routed by the French and
Indians, about 900 in number. Of 85 officers 64 were killed, and about
half the privates. The remains of the army were brought off by
Washington, who was the only officer on horseback that escaped.
1762. Revolution in Russia, followed by the abdication of Peter III. The
empress Catharine was declared autocratrix, and Peter imprisoned, where
he died seven days afterwards.
1762. A substance called honey dew fell in the neighborhood of
Rathiermuc, Ireland, which loaded the trees and long grass in such a
manner that quantities of it were saved by scoops.
1766. JONATHAN MAYHEW died; a distinguished American clergyman, and
missionary among the Indians.
1776. The leaden statue of George III, in New York, thrown down by the
revolutionists, and sent to Litchfield, Conn., where the women
manufactured it into bullets.
1781. Captain EGGLESTON, of Lee's legion, routed a British foraging
party at Friday's ferry, Congaree river, and took 45 dragoons.
1785. WILLIAM STRAHAN, an eminent Scottish printer, died. Having served
a regular apprenticeship, he settled in London, where he rose to great
eminence in his profession, and finally sat in parliament.
1790. Action off cape Musalo, between the Swedish fleet under the king
in person, and the Russian fleet. It continued into the following day,
and resulted in the destruction of 5 Russian frigates, 15 galleys, 2
floating batteries, 9 galliots, and 2 other floating vessels. The Swedes
lost but one of their galleys burnt.
1794. Seventy-one persons were guillotined at Paris.
1805. GEORGE WOLFGANG PANZER, a distinguished German bibliographer,
died. He published a catalogue of all the works known to have been
printed from the invention of the art of printing to the year 1536. The
works in all languages are chronologically arranged, the place of
printing given, also a short account of them, and the libraries and
publications in which they are contained.
1806. Confederation of the Rhine signed at Paris, between Bonaparte and
several of the smaller German states, who placed themselves under the
protection of France, and renounced their connection with the German
empire.
1810. The kingdom of Holland annexed to France; Amsterdam to rank as the
third city in the empire, Paris being first and Rome second.
1814. United States army under general Brown left Riall's works on the
Chippewa, and pursued the British to Queenstown, and encamped there.
1816. Rio de la Plata declared itself independent of Spain, and took the
title of the United Provinces of South America.
1818. RICHARD BEATNIFFE, the well known author of the _Norfolk Journal_,
died at Norwich, England.
1830. Erzeroum, the capital of Turkish Armenia, surrendered to the
Russians.
1831. The Belgian congress acceded to the articles agreed on at London
by the plenipotentiaries of the five great powers, and declared Leopold
of Saxe-Coburg king of Belgium.
1838. ROBERT GRANT, governor of Bombay, died; a man greatly respected
for his talents and his public services.
1843. WASHINGTON ALSTON, the great historical painter of South Carolina,
died.
1850. ZACHARY TAYLOR, president of the United States, died, aged 65. He
was a general in the United States army, and won laurels in the Mexican
war.
1853. CHARLES CALDWELL, a medical writer and teacher of great celebrity,
died at Louisville, Ky., aged 90.
1854. RICHARD SHUBRICK PINCKNEY, a naval officer of the United States,
died at Charlestown, S. C., aged 57. He entered the navy in 1814, and
was engaged in the operations against the Algerine pirates of the
Mediterranean, where he was severely wounded. He commanded the Decatur
during the Mexican war.