125 B. C. The era of Tyre began, with the month Hyperberetæus. The
months are the same as those used in the Grecian era; the year similar
to the Julian.
1453. The fall of Bordeaux, after a siege of seven weeks, when Guienne,
an English province, was incorporated with the French monarchy.
1492. COLUMBUS discovered the island of Isabella.
1608. GEOFFREY FENTON, an eminent English writer, died. He served queen
Elizabeth in Ireland, where he was promoted.
1619. JAMES ARMINIUS, founder of the Arminians, died. He was professor
of divinity at Leyden; his writings are all on controversial and
theological subjects.
1630. First general court of the Massachusetts colony held at Boston.
Many of the first planters attended and were made free of the colony.
The number of freemen this year was 110.
1640. ALBERTUS MIRÆUS, a learned German writer, died.
1645. Newcastle in England, a fortress of considerable strength, taken
by the Scots under Leven. The place had been besieged ten weeks when
the Scottish general directed a furious cannonade against the walls; at
nightfall the besiegers advanced to the onset, and after two hours' hard
fighting at the breaches, forced their entry.
1655. The kirk of Scotland refused to observe the _fast day_ ordered by
the protector, on the ground that the church should receive no
directions from civil magistrates when to keep fasts.
1660. Colonels AXTEL and HACKER executed for the murder of Charles I of
England. Axtel commanded the guard that attended the king to the
scaffold.
1675. Attack on Hadley, Mass., by the Indians to the number of seven or
eight hundred. Nearly all the towns on that river had been either
totally destroyed or greatly injured during this season by the savages.
They attacked this place in all quarters, but were so warmly received at
all points, that after burning a few barns and outhouses, they hastened
away as fast as they had come on. The town happened to be garrisoned,
and the companies stationed at the neighboring towns hastened to their
relief. This was the last attempt upon these settlements this season,
the Indians retiring to their general rendezvous at Narragansett. Great
numbers of them had been killed, and a greater number had perished by
other means.
1682. THOMAS BROWN, an eminent English physician and writer, died.
1690. ISAAC BENSERADE, a French poet, died.
1745. JONATHAN SWIFT, the eccentric dean of St. Patrick's, died, aged
78, in a state of idiocy, leaving £10,000 to found a hospital for
lunatics and idiots.
1749. WILLIAM GED, an ingenious Scottish artist, died; memorable for a
new invention in the art of printing, called stereotyping.
1762. Dark day at Detroit; "one of the darkest days that ever was
known."
1763. A patrol of horse commanded by sir John Fielding, established on
the roads leading to London, to clear them of robbers and highwaymen.
1769. A terrible eruption of Vesuvius.
1780. Engagement at Palatine Bridge, N. Y.; colonel Brown killed.
1781. CORNWALLIS surrendered to the French and American army at
Yorktown. Above 7000 prisoners, the military chest, a frigate, with a
number of transports and the public stores, and 1500 seamen, fell into
the hands of the captors. The allied army consisted of 7000 French, 5500
continental troops, and 3500 militia.
1789. FRANÇOIS, a baker in Paris, murdered in the street by a mob,
because the return of the king had not lessened the price of bread. The
great barbarity shown by the actors in this affair called down on them
the severity of the national guards under Lafayette.
1794. Battle of Puffleck; the duke of York defeated by the French under
Pichegru. The emigrant legion under Rohan were cut to pieces.
1806. HENRY KIRKE WHITE, an admired English poet, died, aged 21.
1807. WILLIAM GORDON died; an English author of a history of the
American revolution, &c.
1810. The French burned all British merchandise in the country.
1812. Second battle of Poltosk; the French defeated and compelled to
retreat with great loss.
1812. BONAPARTE, at the head of the French army, left Moscow. The palace
of the Kremlin blown up.
1813. Last day's battle of Leipsic, in which above half a million of men
and at least 2000 cannon were engaged in the work of death. The French
emperor finding it in vain to stem the torrent of so vast a superiority
of force as now bore down upon him, began a retreat, which was
disastrous in the extreme. The only bridge by which the army could cross
was blown up, leaving 25,000 men to surrender at discretion. On arriving
at Erfurt, Bonaparte found his army reduced to 80,000; having lost by
death and defection since the campaign opened, 200,000.
1814. Battle of Lyon's creek; the Americans, 900 men, under general
Bissell, attacked by a select British corps of 1200 men, who were
compelled to retreat.
1825. GIROLAMO LUCCHESINI, a Prussian minister of state and author,
died. He combined the qualities of an experienced courtier with the
practical knowledge of a statesman, was learned without pedantry, and
possessed a great memory.
1826. FRANCIS JOSEPH TALMA, an eminent French tragedian and writer,
died. He was a man of great natural talent, and esteemed by men of rank
and talent; he was a great favorite with Napoleon.
1842. The town of Monterey in California was captured by the United
States squadron under commodore Jones, under the belief that war
existed. But it was soon restored to Mexico.
1845. HANNAH GOUGH died in New York, aged 110.
1847. A volcano burst forth with great violence on one of the high peaks
of Lookout mountain, in the Alleghanian chain, in Georgia.
1847. The corner stone of a monument to the memory of general Washington
laid in the city of New York.
1848. The Mormon temple at Nauvoo was fired by an incendiary, and
totally destroyed.
1849. FREDERICK STRICKLAND, a young Englishman, son of Thomas
Strickland, bart., perished in the snow near the Notch house, in New
Hampshire.
1852. A decree of the president issued for the convoking of the French
senate for the purpose of deliberating on the restoration of the empire.
1853. ICHABOD BARTLETT, a New Hampshire statesman, died at Portsmouth,
aged 67.