582. TIBERIUS II, emperor of Constantinople, died. His character was
conspicuous for humanity, justice, temperance and fortitude.
587. RADEGONDE, the queen of Clotaire of France, died. At the age of 18
she renounced paganism, and was celebrated for her personal charms, and
devotedness to religious duties.
875. LOUIS II, king of France and emperor of Germany, died. He was a
brave and virtuous monarch.
1415. HENRY V of England sailed for the conquest of France with a fleet
of about 1,300 vessels, and landed his force at Harfleur on the second
day following, consisting of 24,000 foot and 6,500 cavalry.
1482. SIXTUS IV (_Francis Albecola_), pope, died. He was the son of a
fisherman at Geneva, became professor of divinity at Padua, and rose by
degrees to the papal chair.
1521. CORTEZ retook the city of Mexico, assisted by 10,000 Tlascalans,
and an innumerable host of other Indian allies from the neighboring
nations, whom he had attached to his service. It was not, however, till
after seventy-five days of fierce and almost daily fighting, that he
accomplished his victory. On no occasion did native Americans so bravely
oppose European troops; but the superior discipline of the Spaniards
carried the day: and thus a daring adventurer, regarded and treated by
his countrymen as a rebel, after a bloody struggle, gained possession of
a country which for more than three centuries formed one of the
brightest gems in the Castilian crown. It is computed that during this
siege 100,000 Mexicans were slain and 50,000 died of sickness and
famine. The inhabitants being ordered to leave the city without arms or
baggage, the three roads leading from it were full of men, women and
children, in the most wretched condition, for three days and nights,
seeking an asylum in the open country. The city contained at this time
50,000 houses. Sixty dangerous battles were fought in which 100
Spaniards were killed, or taken and sacrificed, and some thousands of
the allies slain.
1535. HIPPOLYTO DE MEDICIS, an Italian cardinal, died. He possessed
great talents as a negotiator and military man.
1553. The chaplain of bishop Bonner preached a sermon at St. Paul's
abusing the administration of the late Edward, whereupon the people very
much abused him; but he was rescued by two protestant ministers.
1587. MANTEO, a friendly Indian, who had been to England, was baptized,
according to a previous order of sir Walter Raleigh, and in reward of
his faithful service to the English, was called lord of Roanoke and
Desamonguepeuk.
1636. DE VRIES, who had been two years on the coast of America, with a
view to settling a colony, entered on his diary this day, that he
requested Wouter Van Twiller to put Staten island down to his name,
intending to form a colony there, which was done, and two days after he
sailed on his return to Holland.
1660. A proclamation was issued by Charles II against dueling.
1667. JEREMY TAYLOR died; an eminent English theological writer and
controversialist.
1704. Battle off Malaga, between the British fleet of 33 ships of the
line and several frigates, admiral Rooke and Cloudesley Shovel, and the
French fleet of 54 ships and 24 galleys. The action continued all day,
and at night the French bore off. No vessels were taken by either.
1743. FRANCIS PECK died; an eminent English antiquary, biographer and
critic.
1762. Cuba surrendered to the British. The booty was great; £3,000,000
in specie, large quantities of goods and munitions of war, 9 ships of
the line and 4 frigates. It was exchanged into the hands of the Spanish
again the next year for the Floridas.
1775. WASHINGTON informed congress that the whole stock of powder in New
England amounted to no more than 9,927 pounds, about 9 rounds to a man.
Although this information was communicated to the British by a deserter,
they could not believe it possible that the Americans possessed such
consummate assurance as to continue to invest them in Boston, while so
destitute of ammunition.
1778. The Languedoc of 90 guns, count d'Estaing's flag ship, having lost
her rudder and masts in the storm of the day before, was attacked by the
British ship Renown, 50 guns, which was beaten off. At the same time a
British ship of 50 guns attacked another of d'Estaing's ships, of 80
guns, having only her mainmast standing, but was also beat off.
1782. HENRY LEWIS DU HAMEL died at Paris; eminent for his knowledge of
mechanics, agriculture and commerce.
1786. GILBERT STUART, an eminent Scottish historian, died.
1794. Battle of Bellegarde, between the French and Spanish. The action
was a severe one; both claimed the victory.
1806. MIRANDA abandoned his conquests on the Spanish main, and sailed to
Aruba.
1808. The French in the night raised the siege of Saragossa, in Spain.
It had been most nobly defended since July 2d, by general Palafox and
the countess de Burita, who raised a company of ladies, that exposed
themselves to the greatest personal dangers and fatigues.
1810. JAMES FRANCIS MENON, a French general and politician, died. He was
in the employ of the national convention and of Bonaparte.
1812. The British sloop of war Alert, attacked the United States frigate
Essex, captain Porter, and after an action of eight minutes struck her
colors with seven feet of water in her hold, much cut to pieces and
three men wounded. The Alert had been sent out to capture the Hornet,
and mounted twenty 18 lb. carronades, and had 130 men.
1817. JOHN BEALE, aged 87, a member of the society of Friends, died at
his residence in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, in the same house in which
he was born, having never resided in any other.
1819. Just after a brilliant meteor a mass of gelatinous and very fetid
matter fell at Amherst, Mass.
1822. An earthquake devastated the greater part of Syria. It began about
half past nine in the evening, and in ten or twelve seconds, Aleppo,
Antioch, and every village and detached cottage in the pashalic of
Aleppo, and several towns in the adjoining territories, were entirely
ruined. There were 20,000 people destroyed by it, and as many more
maimed or wounded.
1826. LAENNEC died; author of the _Auscultation System of Ascertaining
Diseases of the Lungs_.
1838. JOHN FARMER, an American archæologist, died. He published several
works relating to the early history of the country, which evince great
patience and industry, and bring to light many important facts which
would have perished otherwise. For some time previous to his death he
was engaged in arranging the state papers in the public offices at
Concord, containing the old province and council records, and
revolutionary papers. By supplying omissions, transcribing papers that
were scarcely legible, and having them arranged and bound, the state of
New Hampshire has a very complete set of its early records.
1841. J. B. RICHSONVILLE, principal chief of the Miami nation, died near
fort Wayne, Indiana, aged 80. He is said to have left $200,000 in
specie, besides immense quantities of valuable real estate.
1842. THOMAS P. EMMET, son of Thomas Addis Emmet, and a contributor to
_Silliman's Journal_, died in New York, aged 47.
1851. The people of Litchfield county, Connecticut, celebrated the two
hundredth anniversary of its settlement.
1854. General PAIXHANS died at his estate of Jouy-aux-Arches, near Metz,
aged 72. He was renowned by his connection with the artillery, and
especially with the celebrated gun which bears his name.
1854. At Marysville, Kentucky, a powder magazine, containing 800 kegs,
was fired, and the explosion caused the entire destruction of 13 houses,
involving a great loss of property.