523 B. C. One hour before midnight at Babylon the moon was eclipsed 6
digits on her northern disk. This is believed to be the 5th eclipse on
record.
622. The Hegira, or Mohammedan era, commenced. It was instituted by
Omar, the second caliph, in imitation of the era of the martyrs,
beginning with the first appearance of the new moon (the crescent), 68
days before the flight of Mohammed from Mecca to Medina.
1054. MICHAEL CERULARIUS, the Greek patriarch, excommunicated at
Constantinople by the pope's legates. "Shaking the dust from their feet,
they deposited on the altar of St. Sophia, a direful anathema, which
enumerates the seven mortal heresies of the Greeks, and devotes them to
the eternal society of the devil and his angels." The Greeks have never
abandoned their errors, the popes have never repealed the sentence, and
from this thunderbolt we may date the consummation of the schism between
the two churches.
1212. Battle of Tolosa in Spain; the Moors defeated by Alphonso of
Castile. This day became an anniversary festival called _The triumph of
the Cross_.
1216. INNOCENT III died; he was a steadfast friend of king John of
England.
1377. The baron PERCY created earl of Northumberland, by Richard II at
his coronation.
1429. The town of Rheims in France was taken from the English by Joan of
Arc, and on the following day the dauphin was crowned, an exploit which
Joan had sworn to accomplish.
1439. Commencement of a direful pestilence and famine, which scourged
England and France for two years, and caused an intermission of
hostilities between the two countries.
1519. The first embassy sailed from Cortez to the king of Spain. He
accompanied his letter by a present of all the gold he had received from
the king of Mexico, including the two great wheels, one of gold,
representing the Mexican century, curiously wrought, valued at 10,000
sequins, and the other of silver, representing the Mexican year, also
wrought with figures in bas-relief. His object was to prepossess the
king against the representations which might be made by the governor of
Cuba.
1546. ANNE ASKEW (or _Ascough_), an accomplished protestant lady, after
having been tortured, was burnt for heresy. It is remarkable that her
husband was _accuser_, the lord chancellor _extortioner_, and the mayor
of London _incendiary_, in that unmanly work.
1640. CORNELIUS VAN TIENHOVEN, secretary of New Netherland, at the head
of one hundred men, made a rash attack upon the Raritans, who lived at a
small river five miles behind Staten island; the soldiers committed
excesses, which the Indians resented the following year.
1647. THOMAS ANELLO (or _Massaniello_), a fisherman of Naples, killed.
He headed an insurrection, caused by the viceroy's laying a new tax on
fruit, fish, &c. The sedition continued for ten days, when all kinds of
barbarity were practiced, and Anello became supreme dictator over
150,000 people. He gave himself up to debauchery, and was despatched by
four assassins and his body dragged through the streets with every mark
of indignity.
1676. MARIA MARGARET DE BRINVILLIERS, a French lady known for her
intrigues and crimes, executed at Paris. She cut off her relatives by
poison, and spared her husband only because he looked upon her crimes
with indifference.
1691. FRANCIS MICHAEL LE TELLIER, a French statesman, died. He was a
great favorite with Louis XIV, who on a certain occasion treated him
with so much coolness that he returned home from the levee and died in
his own apartment of vexation and grief. He was endowed with splendid
talents, which he exerted for the benefit of his country.
1696. JOHN PEARSON, an English prelate, died; known by his valuable
_Exposition of the Creed_.
1710. Battle of Alamanza, in Spain; Philip V of France defeated by the
allies under Stanhope, with the loss of 1500 killed.
1717. Battle under the walls of Belgrade; the Austrians under prince
Eugene defeated the Turks.
1719. JAMES KEILL, a Scottish physician, died in England; author of
several valuable medical works.
1736. THOMAS YALDEN, an English poet and physician, died. His works are
not the most polished, yet deserving of perusal.
1760. Battle of Exdorff; the prince of Brunswick defeated the Prussians,
and took their commander Glaubitz, the prince of Anhalt-Cothen, and five
battalions prisoners.
1761. Battle of Fillinghausen in the palatinate, between the allies
under the hereditary prince Ferdinand, and the French under Broglio and
Soubise. The French were defeated with the loss of 5000 and 9 cannon;
loss of the allies 1200.
1767. CHARLES MOLLOY, an English dramatic writer, died. He also
conducted _Fog's Journal_, and _Common Sense_.
1779. Stony point taken by the Americans. The assault was made at
half-past 12 at night, when both columns rushed forward under a
tremendous fire of musketry and grape shot, entered the works at the
point of the bayonet. American loss 98 killed and wounded; British loss
63 killed, 543 prisoners, with 15 cannon and a considerable quantity of
military stores.
1780. JOHN NICHOLAS HUBERT HAYER, a French ecclesiastic, died. His works
display great zeal and learning.
1794. MARK ANTHONY CHARRIER, a French lawyer, beheaded at Paris. He was
a member of the states general, and boldly opposed all innovations.
1786. Treaty of peace between the emperor of Morocco and the United
States.
1789. The parliament of Paris insulted the king by a vote of thanks, but
communicated their resolution only to the national assembly. The same
day a great number of the nobility left France.
1794. Battle of Wigoya; the Poles defeated the Russians.
1795. Attack on the heights of St. Barbe at Quiberon, by the French
emigrants, who were defeated by the French under Hoche, with the loss of
300.
1799. Aboukir in Egypt attacked and carried by assault by the Turks
under Seid Mustapha Pasha, and the whole garrison, 700 in number, put to
the sword. The castle of Aboukir with a garrison of 400, also
surrendered immediately after.
1808. Battle of Baylen, in Spain, which terminated in the defeat and
capture of general Dupont and his division, one of the first serious
reverses of Napoleon in the peninsula.
1812. Colonel CASS with 280 men attacked and carried the bridge over the
river Aux Canards, four miles from Malden. It was defended by a part of
the British 41st regiment and some Indians.
1815. BONAPARTE sent a flag of truce and entered the Bellerophon
man-of-war, captain Maitland, who proceeded with his illustrious _ruin_
to Torbay.
1832. The German diet, at Franckfort, issued a protocol suppressing the
liberty of the press in Baden.
1833. Corner stone of New York University laid.
1838. GEORGE DOMBERGER, a soldier under prince Eugene, died, aged 130.
He married for the first time when in his 100th year. He was a special
pensioner of the emperor of Austria.
1843. SAMUEL HAHNEMANN, founder of the homeopathic system of medical
practice, died at Paris, aged 88.
1849. DAVID B. OGDEN, an eminent New York attorney, died. For more than
half a century he was associated with the councils of the state and city
of New York.
1849. Frost was seen at Pittsfield and vicinity, although the
thermometer had been at 90° the day before.
1852. LOUIS KOSSUTH, the Hungarian revolutionist, left New York in the
steamship Africa, for Liverpool, under the assumed name of Alexander
Smith.
1854. NATHANIEL BOWDITCH BLUNT, an eminent New York attorney, died at
Lebanon Springs.
1854. A day of humiliation and prayer observed at Bombay, and all over
India, by the natives as well as the Europeans, for the success of the
British arms.
1856. A formidable insurrection which had broken out at Madrid in Spain
two days before, was suppressed after a sanguinary contest of 30 hours.
1857. PIERRE JEAN DE BERANGER, a French lyric poet, died, aged 77. His
songs are at once a storehouse of gayety and satire, and a record of the
history of his time.