70. Jerusalem taken by TITUS after a most obstinate resistance on the
part of the inhabitants. More than 1,000,000 are said to have perished.
1636. Harvard college founded at Cambridge, Mass.
1644. FRANCIS QUARLES, a celebrated English poet, died.
1650. The princess ELIZABETH, daughter of the unfortunate Charles, died
at Carisbrook castle in the isle of Wight, aged 15.
1656. JOSEPH HALL, "the first professed English satirist," died. He was
bishop of Norwich, and acquired the title of the Christian Seneca. He is
universally allowed to have been a man of great wit and learning.
1664. The colony of New York surrendered to the English.
1705. According to De Foe, it was on this day that the apparition of
Mrs. Veal appeared to Mrs. Bargrave, at Canterbury, to say that
_Drelincourt on Death_ was the very best book on that subject.
1755. Battle of lake George, between the English under colonel Johnson
and the French and Indians under baron Dieskau. The French force was
nearly 2,000; that of the provincials greatly superior. A detachment of
1,000 men and 200 Indians which were sent out from the fort were
ambuscaded and narrowly escaped destruction. A grand attack was then
made on the fort by the French regulars, the Canadians and Indians being
employed on the English flanks. After a battle of four hours, the enemy
was compelled to retreat in disorder, and were pursued by a party from
the camp, which fell on their rear and precipitated their flight.
Dieskau was taken prisoner, and the remnant of his army completely
routed by a detachment of 200 New Hampshire militia, from fort Edward,
who had been sent to the assistance of the main army. The loss of the
provincials was 327 killed and wounded--that of the enemy about 600.
King Hendrik killed here.
1756. The Indian village of Kettaning, in Pennsylvania, destroyed by the
colonists under colonel Armstrong. The Indians had fortified their
village and provided a supply of powder for 10 years, and great
quantities of arms and merchandise. The place was surprised, the chief,
colonel Jacobs, killed, and as the Indians refused to accept quarter,
they were exterminated. This affair was of so great importance that the
authorities caused a silver medal to be struck on the occasion.
1757. The duke of CUMBERLAND in behalf of England signed the convention
of Closter Seven, by which the electorate of Hanover was left in the
hands of the French and the whole army consisting of 40,000 Hessians,
Brunswickers, &c., disarmed.
1760. Canada surrendered to the British at Montreal under lord Amherst.
This was hailed with universal joy by the colonies, as the end of the
cruel wars and bloody massacres which had hung over their towns and
plantations nearly a century, in which the French and Indians had been
uniformly the aggressors, and had vied with each other in murder,
barbarity and rapine. Under the brief repose which followed the
colonies rapidly increased in number and wealth, till the gigantic
struggle for independence again plunged the country in scenes of
desolation and ruin, in which the British armies in a degree emulated
the French and Indian foe.
1761. BERNARD FOREST DE BELIDOR, a Spanish mathematician, died at Paris.
He wrote on fortifications and engineering, several valuable works.
1772. The first court of general quarter sessions of the peace for the
county of Tryon was held at Johnstown, so called after sir Wm. Johnson;
Guy Johnson, judge.
1775. JOHN LEYDEN, afterwards a poet and famed oriental scholar, was
born at Denholm, Roxburghshire.
1781. Battle of Eutaw Springs; the British regulars, 2,000 in number,
under colonel Stewart, were defeated by the Americans under general
Greene, 1,400 regulars and 500 militia. British loss in killed, wounded
and prisoners about 1,000; American loss about 500. This battle closed
the war in South Carolina.
1782. Tremendous cannonade and bombardment from Gibraltar with red hot
balls and carcasses, upon the Spanish besiegers. Two floating batteries
were consumed.
1793. The British under the duke of York raised the siege of Dunkirk, in
France, defended with great bravery and resolution by Hoche.
1794. Battle of Brescia; the Poles defeated by the Russians under
Suwarrow, with the loss of 8,000 men, and their whole park of artillery.
1795. A monument by FLAXMAN to the memory of Collins, the poet, was set
up at Chichester, England.
1797. RICHARD FARMER died; a celebrated scholar and critic. He is noted
for a single work, his _Essay on the Learning of Shakspeare_, in which
he maintains that the bard obtained his knowledge of ancient history and
mythology from translations and not from original classic authors. It is
probably the best commentary which has been produced.
1798. The first number of the _Allgemeine Zeitung_ (General Gazette)
published at Augsburg, in Bavaria. Under the charge of baron Cotta, it
is probably the most celebrated newspaper in the world. It has
correspondents in all countries of Europe, and in America.
1798. Battle of Standtz, in Switzerland. The hardy mountaineers defended
their homes against the French with clubs, spears and fragments of rock;
but were forced to retire before the regular artillery and muskets of
their enemy, their beautiful valley was destroyed by fire, and neither
age nor sex spared by the furious soldiery.
1804. Great storm at Savannah, by which the city suffered to an immense
amount in damages to buildings and other property, as well as loss of
life. The storm extended to a considerable distance, carrying
destruction with it in every quarter.
1817. JOHN CARTER, an eminent English antiquary, draftsman and critic,
died. He was many years a laborious contributor to the _Gentleman's
Magazine_.
1837. SAMUEL EGERTON BRIDGES, an English nobleman, died near Geneva, in
Switzerland. He was a man of considerable talents and learning, and a
voluminous writer in various branches of literature, but possessed of a
most unhappy temper and disposition.
1838. BENJAMIN BOOTH ROYD, pastor of the independent church,
Huddersfield, England, died. He was a lively example of piety and a life
of industry.
1846. GEORGE MIFFLIN BACHE, lieutenant commanding United States brig
Washington, died at sea off cape Hatteras. His hopes of thoroughly
exploring the Gulf stream were thus cut off.
1847. Battle of El Molino del Rey, in Mexico, where many a brave
American fell.
1847. MARTIN SCOTT fell at the battle of Molino del Rey. In early life
he was one of the sharp shooters among the _Green Mountain Boys_, and it
is storied of him that so unerring was his aim that a nail driven
partway into a board, he could drive home by his bullet.
1849. AMARIAH BRIGHAM, a distinguished physician, died at Utica, New
York, aged 51. He was superintendent of the State asylum for the insane.
1852. MARK H. SIBLEY, an eminent lawyer, died at Canandaigua, New York,
aged 56. He had distinguished himself at the bar, in the state assembly
and in congress, and on the bench.
1853. The first chamber in Holland adopted the much disputed law on
religious liberty by a vote of 22 to 16.
1854. A violent storm at Charleston, South Carolina, which continued
forty-eight hours, overflowing the wharves and damaging the shipping.
1855. ROBERT MULLER, a celebrated pianist and composer, died at
Edinburgh, Scotland.
1855. WILLIAM HOLLAND DANIEL CUDDY, an experienced and efficient British
officer, killed in the attack on the Redan, at Sebastopol, aged 41. He
had served in India until 1841, and afterwards with distinction in the
Chinese war.
1855. The allies having kept up an _infernal_ fire upon the fortress of
Sebastopol during three days and nights, attacked the works in three
columns, and captured the Malakoff, whereupon the Russians blew up the
remaining forts upon the south side of the city, sunk and destroyed
their vessels, and under cover of the explosions and of the night,
retreated to the north side of the city over a bridge recently
constructed, leaving a large number of guns, and a vast amount of
military stores in the hands of the victors, who lost 2,019 killed, and
about 7,500 wounded and missing.