1108. PHILIP I, king of France, died. He came to the throne at the age
of 8 years; was ambitious and unscrupulous in his acts; engaged in war
with England and Flanders, and was defeated by both.
1218. LOUIS VAN LOON died; the husband of Ada, the expatriated queen of
Holland.
1540. A statute was made confirming the seizures of the abbeys by Henry
VIII.
1567. Prince JAMES, less than 14 months old, was crowned king of
Scotland at Stirling.
1578. SEBASTIAN, king of Portugal, killed. He was unfortunate in his
wars, and lost his life at Tangiers, in battle with the Moors. Camoens
dedicated his _Lusiad_ to this king, but he had the stupidity to treat
the intended honor with contempt.
1603. BARTHOLOMEW GILBERT, in search of the lost English colony, having
landed in a bay about the 40th degree of latitude, in a boat with four
men, was attacked by the natives and every one killed. The rest of the
crew immediately weighed anchor and returned to England.
1653. Admiral VAN TROMP killed and his fleet destroyed by the English
fleet under Monk and Blake.
1644. URBAN VIII (Maffeo Barberini), pope, died. He was an excellent
poet, and was called the _Attic Bee_.
1653. GABRIEL NAUDÆUS, a learned French author, died. He was patronized
by Richelieu and Mazarin, and Christina of Sweden.
1654. THOMAS GATAKER, an English divine, died, aged 80. He was one of
the most noted men of the age; who united to extensive erudition, great
moderation and benevolence.
1678. ANDREW MARVELL, an English poet, politician and critic, died
(_Penny Cyclopedia_ says August 16th). He supported the civil and
religious liberties of his country, against the encroachments of the
court, by his writings and parliamentary interest; and though poor,
declined the bribes of the king.
1693. Battle of Neerwinden (or Landon), in Belgium; the allies under
William III, defeated by the French, with the loss of 60 cannon, 9
mortars and about 7,000 men. The king had his clothes penetrated by
three bullets.
1714. MARTIN POLI, an Italian chemist, died at Paris. It is said that he
communicated to the king some powerful agent of destruction for military
use; but the king, at the same time that he commended and rewarded his
ingenuity with a pension and an office, insisted that the secret should
die with him.
1747. Dr. BLACKWELL, a Scotch physician and for some time a corrector of
the press to Mr. Wilkins in London, beheaded at Stockholm. Being
informed that his head was not properly laid on the block he replied as
it was his first experiment no wonder he needed some instruction.
1759. Crown point abandoned by the French on the approach of the British
and provincials under general Amherst.
1760. At Lidden near Canterbury in grubbing down an enormous ash tree
two human skeletons were found in the centre.
1773. The city of Guatemala laid in ruins by an earthquake and the
eruption of a volcano.
1794. Seventy-one members of the municipality of Paris guillotined.
1794. STANISLAUS AUGUSTUS, king of Poland, compelled by the Prussian,
Austrian and Russian coalition to annul the Polish constitution, and
deliver the army over to the Russian general Branicki.
1801. WILLIAM AUGUSTUS ERNESTI died; a distinguished German scholar and
professor of eloquence at Leipsic.
1832. JOHN ANTHONY CHAPTAL, a celebrated French chemist, died. He
produced numerous valuable works on chemistry and other practical
branches of the arts and sciences, was made minister of the interior by
Bonaparte, and successively filled many other important situations.
1839. GASPARD CLAIR FRANÇOIS MARIE RICHE DE PRONY, peer of France, died,
aged 84. He was formerly professor of mechanics in the polytechnic
school, an eminent engineer, and author of many scientific works.
1848. The long expected outbreak in Ireland; viscount Hardinge arrived
to take command of the troops from England, the whole available force of
which was sent over, supposed to be 50,000 in number.
1848. M. ELLETT, engineer of the Niagara suspension bridge, drove a two
horse carriage over that part of the bridge which was laid down and
partly finished.
1853. JONATHAN RICHMOND, one of the pioneers of western New York, died
at Aurora, aged 79. For forty years he was actively engaged in aiding
the rising fortunes of his sections of the state.
1856. A fire in Boston destroyed a block in North street, where 80
families were burnt out, and 9 lives lost.