338 B. C. Battle of Cheronea, on the Cephisus, and defeat of the
Athenians and Thebans by Philip of Macedon.
338 B. C. The army of Archidamus, the Spartan, overthrown in Lucania,
and himself killed.
322 B. C. Joint victory of Antipater and Craterius, near the walls of
Cranon, in Thessaly.
10. Three Roman legions under Varus cut off in Germany. "Quintilius
Varus, give me my legions again," exclaimed the father of his country.
Varus, however, had shared the fate of his legions.
44. King AGRIPPA (_the Great_), smitten with disease in the public
theatre at Cæsarea, on the second day of the games exhibited in honor of
Claudius.
1100. WILLIAM II (_Rufus_), king of England, killed by an arrow. He
possessed vigor, decision and policy, and acquired great wealth, by
which he was enabled to purchase two French provinces. He founded
Westminster hall.
1553. The _peace of religion_ signed at Passau, on the Danube, between
the confederates under Maurice of Saxony and the emperor Charles V,
which established the protestant church in Germany.
1563. That great scourge, the plague, began in London.
1651. CROMWELL, after a week's siege, erected the colors of the
commonwealth on the walls of Perth.
1675. Brookfield destroyed by the Indians. This town was situated in the
country of the Nipnets, whom Philip finally succeeded in engaging to
himself in his plan of a general extermination of the English colonies.
The inhabitants being alarmed had scarcely time to flee to the principal
house in the village, before the savages came pouring in, and fired
every other house. The whole number of people thus collected together
was about seventy. They withstood the assaults of the Indians two days,
who kept up the attack night and day, and endeavored to fire the house
by means of poles with firebrands and rags dipped in brimstone tied to
their ends. They also filled a cart with hemp and flax, and other
combustibles, and having set it on fire thrust it backward with poles
spliced together to a great length. A storm of rain defeated this last
scheme; and several companies of soldiers came to the relief of the
besieged so unexpectedly that the Indians, although they had surrounded
the town to cut off assistance, were disheartened and fled.
1676. King PHILIP, the Wampanoag, surprised in his quarters by a party
of the colonists under captain Church; 150 of his men were killed, his
wife and sons were taken prisoners, and he narrowly escaped with his
life.
1684. A treaty of peace concluded at Albany, between the colonists and
the Five Nations, who, since the peace of 1761, had extended their arms
southward, and conquered the country from the Mississippi to the borders
of the plantations; involving Virginia and Maryland in the calamities of
their Indian allies, whom they were unable to protect.
1689. INNOCENT XI died. He has been called the protestant pope.
1704. Battle of Blenheim, in Bavaria; the English and Austrians under
the duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene, obtained a famous victory
over the French and Bavarians, who lost 12,000 killed and drowned, and
13,000 prisoners, including marshal Tallard. (13th by some authorities.)
1713. MENSEN ALTING, a Dutch writer, died; author of an excellent
description of the Low Countries.
1732. RIP VAN DAM, upon whom the government of the province of New York
devolved, finished his administration, on the arrival of William Cosby,
with a commission over New York and New Jersey.
1748. Attack on fort Massachusetts by 300 French and Indians. Captain
Williams sallied with 30 men and drove the enemy before him, when an
ambuscade arose and attempted to cut off his retreat to the fort. By a
quick movement he regained the place, and returned their fire with so
much spirit that the enemy withdrew, carrying off their dead and
wounded.
1763. Battle of Nuncas Nullus; the English defeated the troops of Mir
Cossim, 28,000, took all their artillery and 150 boats laden with grain
and stores.
1770. The Russians under Romanzow, defeated the Turks with great
slaughter on the Pruth.
1776. MATTHEW MATY, an English writer, died. He published at the Hague,
during six years, the _Journal Britannique_, containing an account of
the productions of the English press, in French.
1786. MARGARET NICHOLSON, supposing herself to be queen of England, made
an attempt to assassinate George III. She was afterwards confined as a
lunatic.
1788. THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH died; one of the most celebrated English
landscape painters of the last century.
1793. MARIE ANTOINETTE, queen of France and daughter of an emperor,
taken from the temple prison in the night, and removed to a cell in the
Conciergerie, 8 feet square, and partly under ground. As a matter of
favor she was permitted to take under her arm a small bundle of
clothing.
1798. JOHN PALMER, a popular English actor, died on the stage during a
performance, immediately on uttering the words, "There is an other and a
better world."
1802. BONAPARTE declared consul of France for life.
1803. JOHN HOOLE, an ingenious English poet, died. He translated some of
the best Italian poets, wrote three tragedies, and several other works.
1811. WILLIAM WILLIAMS, one of the signers died, aged 81. He advanced
money and obtained supplies for the army, and also contributed by his
writings and speeches to arouse the spirit of freedom in his countrymen.
1813. Defence of fort Stephenson by 160 men with 1 six pounder, under
Col. Croghan, then aged 21. The British, consisting of 500 regulars
under Proctor, and about 800 Indians under Tecumseh, with 5 six pounders
and 1 howitzer, were defeated with considerable loss.
1814. The remarkable steeple of Kelwinning, in Scotland, fell. It was
built in 1140.
1815. Convention between the representatives of Great Britain, Prussia,
Austria and Russia, who declared Bonaparte to be the prisoner of the
allies, and entrusted his custody especially to Great Britain.
1830. CHARLES X, of France, subscribed his abdication in favor of his
grandson the young duke of Bordeaux.
1842. JOHN CLIFFORD, a lieutenant in the revolutionary army, died at
Bethlehem, Hunterdon co., N. J., aged 94.
1843. FRANCIS W. P. GREENWOOD, pastor of King's chapel, Boston, died at
Dorchester, Mass., aged 50. He was also an accomplished scholar and
naturalist.
1843. JAMES RICHARDS, professor of theology in the Auburn theological
seminary, died, aged 75; an eminently useful man.
1849. MEHEMET ALI, pacha of Egypt, died at Alexandria, aged 80. He was a
powerful sovereign, and gave the sultan much trouble. He did more than
any of his predecessors towards introducing improvements into his
territories.
1849. GARIBALDI, the Roman chief, escaped on board some fishing vessels
at Cesenatico, on the Adriatic, accompanied by 300 followers. The
remainder of his band surrendered to the Austrians.
1849. STEPHEN LONGFELLOW, a New England lawyer of note, died at
Portland, Me., aged 73. He was a member of the Hartford convention from
Massachusetts, and distinguished for great acuteness and penetration. He
compiled 16 volumes of the _Massachusetts Reports_, and 12 of the
_Maine_, extending over a period of thirty years.
1852. THOMAS THOMSON, a Scottish author, died, aged 60. He was
professor of chemistry in the university of Glasgow, and established a
highly scientific reputation. In 1812 he began the _Annals of
Philosophy_, in London, which he conducted ten years.
1852. A violent earthquake occurred at St. Jago de Cuba, causing a great
destruction of property.