226 B. C. A solemn annual feast instituted at Rome, derived from the
barbarians, when two Greeks and two Gauls, one of either sex, were
inhumed alive, in the ox-market. It was instituted upon the invasion of
the Boian Gauls, in order to _fulfill_ a sybilline prophecy, that those
terrible nations should one day be masters of the capitol. At this
period the city inrolled 770,000 infantry.
222 B. C. MARCELLUS carried off the _spoils_ of Viridomarus, which is
the last single handed triumph.
8 B. C. QUINTUS HORATIUS FLACCUS (_Horace_), an ancient lyric and
satiric poet, died. He became the friend of Augustus, who offered him
preferments, but he had the greatness of mind to refuse them all, and
lived in retirement and study, free from the noise and hurry of
ambition.
602. MAURITIUS TIBERIUS, emperor of Rome, died. He was a Cappadocian,
distinguished himself at the head of the Roman armies, and was made
emperor. But though valiant and successful, he was defeated by his own
general Phocas, and put to death, together with his five sons.
1520. The Castilian insurgents under De Acuna, consisting of priests and
men in holy orders, offered the royalists battle at Rio Seco; but the
latter sued for terms, which not being accepted, the royalists struck a
blow which turned the scale of fortune in their favor.
1520. FERNANDO MAGALHAENS entered the Pacific ocean, through the straits
which bear his name. He navigated its waters three months and twenty
days without finding an island; but during this course he enjoyed
continuous fair weather, with such favorable winds, that he bestowed on
the ocean the name of Pacific, which it still bears.
1627. The fall of a luminous stone or meteorolite, weighing 57 pounds,
on Mt. Voisin, in Province, under a clear sky, observed by Gassendi.
1630. Great earthquake at Peru.
1666. Battle of Pentland hills, in which the persecuted covenanters were
defeated by the king's troops.
1707. FITZ JOHN WINTHROP, governor of Connecticut, died. He was
distinguished for his knowledge in philosophy and his skill in politics,
and took a conspicuous part in the affairs of the colonies, both in
peace and war.
1710. The British general Stanhope surprised at Briheuga, and compelled
to surrender to the Spaniards with 2,000 men.
1714. Several persons tried for insulting the dissenters and breaking
their windows at Bristol. This seemed to be an omen of the dawn of a
more liberal day.
1754. ABRAHAM DEMOIVRE, a noted French mathematician, died. His
abilities were so highly admired by the Royal society of London that
they judged him a fit person to decide the famous contest between Newton
and Leibnitz.
1778. General WASHINGTON broke up his camp and marched to Middlebrook,
to go into winter quarters. The British expedition against Georgia,
under colonel Campbell, 2,500 troops, sailed from Sandy Hook on the same
day, escorted by a squadron under sir Hyde Parker.
1779. THOMAS, lord Lyttleton, a statesman of some merit, died in his
36th year. It is storied of him, that three days previous to his death a
ghost admonished him that it would happen.
1781. Sortie from the garrison of Gibraltar, at 2 P. M., under Gen.
Ross. They took and destroyed two mortar and three heavy cannon
batteries, blew up several Spanish magazines, and returned before
daylight with the loss of 4 killed, having destroyed property estimated
at three millions.
1788. THOMAS HARMER died; an eminent English dissenting divine, and
critical writer on Biblical literature.
1792. The national convention of France erected the duchy of Savoy into
an 84th department of the French republic.
1807. The royal family of Portugal to avoid being made prisoners by Gen.
Junot, who was approaching their capital, embarked at the mouth of the
Tagus for Brazil.
1811. GASPAR MELCHIOR DE JOVELLANOS died; one of the most distinguished
Spaniards of modern times, both as a statesman and a writer. The
wretched state of the Spanish book trade does not allow a complete
collection of his works to appear.
1812. Battle of Berezina; the Russian general Wittgenstein forced the
French across the river, who were killed and drowned in great numbers in
their flight. It is scarcely possible to calculate the loss of the
French on this occasion. Cannon, bayonets, fire and water contributed to
their destruction. A vast quantity of booty from Moscow fell into the
hands of the Russians.
1812. British frigate Southampton, Capt. Yeo, and her prize the U. S.
brig Vixen, totally lost on a reef of rocks 9 miles from the island of
Conception. The officers and crews of both vessels were saved.
1812. A detachment of United States troops in ten boats made a
successful attack upon the batteries opposite Black Rock, in Canada,
spiked the cannon, and returned.
1814. Unsuccessful attack of the British on fort Kalunga, in the East
Indies. British loss about 500.
1827. Eruption of the mud volcano of Jokmali, on the Caspian sea. The
flames burst forth and blazed up to an extraordinary height for a period
of three hours, so as to be seen at the distance of six German miles (31
Eng. ?), after which they scarcely rose three feet above the crater
which discharged the mud.
1836. ANTOINE CHARLES HORACE VERNET died at Paris. He has produced some
of the best paintings of the age. That of the battle of Fontenoy is much
admired.
1838. The castle of San Juan de Ulloa at Vera Cruz, Mexico, taken by a
French naval force. The castle was reputed a very strong one, but was
taken after a bombardment of 5 hours. The French lost 4 men killed; loss
of the Mexicans upwards of 400.
1843. SUSAN JOHNSTON, widow of the late John Johnston, Esq., of Ireland,
died at Sault St. Marie. She was daughter of Wabojeeg, chief of the
Chippewa nation.
1850. HARDIN BIGELOW, mayor of Sacramento, died of cholera. He had
distinguished himself by his vigor and bravery in quelling the squatter
riots in Sacramento, and in enforcing the laws, by which he was wounded,
and lost an arm.
1852. ADA AUGUSTA, countess of Lovelace, and daughter of Byron, died,
aged 37. Her tastes turned to metaphysics and mathematics.
1855. ROBERT BUNYAN died at Lincoln, England, aged 80; the last male
descendant in a direct line from the author of _Pilgrim's Progress_.
1856. H. TOLLENS, the great national poet of Holland, died at Ryswick,
aged 77. His poetry, remarkable for its ardent patriotism, enjoyed
extraordinary popularity among all classes of his countrymen.