627. Battle of Nineveh; the Romans under Heraclius defeated the Persians
after a contest from daylight to the eleventh hour; 28 standards were
wrenched from the hands of the conquered, and the cities and palaces of
Assyria were opened for the first time to the Romans.
801. ALCUIN, preceptor of Charlemagne, presented his illustrious pupil
with a magnificent folio Bible, bound in velvet, the leaves of vellum,
and the writing in double columns, and containing 449 leaves. Prefixed
is a richly ornamented frontispiece, in gold and colors. It is enriched
with four large paintings exhibiting the state of the art at this early
period; there are moreover thirty-four large initial letters, painted in
gold and colors, and containing seals, historical allusions, and
emblematical devices, besides some smaller painted capitals. (See April
27th, 1836.)
1135. HENRY I, king of England, died of a surfeit of lampreys. He is
characterized as wise and valiant, and ranks among the most accomplished
of the English kings.
1252. BLANCHE, (_of Castile_,) queen of France, died. She married Lewis
VIII of France, after whose death she was regent of the kingdom during
the minority of her son, and governed with spirit and ability.
1521. LEO X (_John de Medicis_), pope, died. He was the patron of
learning and learned men; but is to be remembered as the cause of the
reformation, in attempting to raise money by an unlimited sale of
indulgencies.
1581. EDMUND CAMPRIAN executed. He was a learned English writer, who
became a Roman catholic, and was hanged with three others for aiding the
cause of the pope, and drawn and quartered.
1640. MICHAEL VASCONCELLOS, a Portuguese statesman devoted to the
interests of Spain, was murdered during a political convulsion, and his
body treated with ignominy.
1640. Portugal, of which Philip II of Spain had made himself master in
1580, became an independent kingdom by a revolution, which placed John,
duke of Braganza, on the throne.
1666. JAMES WARE died, a celebrated antiquary and historian, of Ireland.
1722. ANNA LOUISA KARSCHIN, a German poetess, born. She was deprived of
almost every literary advantage by the peculiar circumstances under
which she was placed, until she attracted the attention of some
influential persons, who published some of her poems. She acquired the
title of the _German Sappho_, and died in October, 1791.
1723. SUSANNAH CENTLIVRE, author of several English dramas, died. She
was born in Ireland, and becoming an orphan at an early age, set out for
London on foot. Her adventures were romantic. Several of her dramas
still keep possession of the stage.
1750. A wager was decided at Malden, England, that five men could be
buttoned within the waistcoat of a person who had died a short time
previous, without breaking a stitch or straining a button. Upon trial,
the five persons were buttoned into the waistcoat, and two more with
them. The person who wore it died at the age of twenty-nine, and weighed
at the time of his death 646 pounds, and notwithstanding his corpulency,
he was remarkably agile. There is a print representing the ludicrous
appearance of the seven persons buttoned up in the vest.
1775. General MONTGOMERY, having sent several small detachments into the
country to strengthen his interest with the Canadians, proceeded with
the residue to Point aux Trembles, where he joined Arnold and marched
directly upon Quebec.
1783. M. CHARLES, having made some improvements on balloons, ascended at
Paris in one filled with inflammable air, the first which had been so
filled. He ascended to the height of 9,000 feet. His predecessors had
only reached a few hundred feet.
1787. The people at Worcester, England, rioted under the apprehension,
that machines were to be introduced for spinning cotton.
1789. General WASHINGTON addressed a diplomatic letter from New York to
his _great and magnanimous friend_ Sidi Mohammed, emperor of Morocco,
inclosing a copy of the new American constitution.
1793. The commune of Paris ordered all the churches to be closed. But
the act exciting general abhorrence was soon repealed.
1795. Battle of Mainz; the Austrians under Clairfait attacked and
carried the French entrenchments, took 106 cannon, 200 ammunition wagons
and 2000 prisoners.
1795. Kreutznach carried by storm twice by the French under Pichegru,
who was at length obliged to retire by the Austrians.
1795. At Lauterbach two whole battalions of French were cut to pieces by
the Austrians.
1797. OLIVER WOLCOTT, governor of Connecticut, died, aged 71. He was one
of the signers of the declaration of independence, for which he was a
bold advocate, and was in the army of general Gates at the surrender of
Burgoyne. He was remarkable for intrepidity, integrity, strong and bold
conceptions, and great decision of character.
1803. THOMAS ASTLE, an eminent English antiquary, died.
1808. Battle of the Samo-Sierra, a narrow pass which the Spaniards had
fortified with 12,000 men and 16 pieces of cannon, which completely
swept the road leading to Madrid. The French began the attack at
daybreak. Three battalions scattered themselves over the opposite sides
of the defiles and a warm skirmishing fire commenced. At this moment
Bonaparte came up. He rode into the mouth of the pass, surveyed the
scene for a moment, and perceiving that his infantry were making no
progress, at once conceived the daring idea of causing his Polish
lancers to charge right up the causeway in face of the battery. The
smoke of the skirmishers on the hill sides mingled with the thick fogs
and vapors of the morning, and under this veil the brave Krazinski led
his troopers fearlessly up the ascent. The Spanish infantry fired as
they passed them, threw down their arms, abandoned their guns and fled.
1814. Action between American privateer schooner Kemp, of Baltimore, and
9 British merchantmen, several of which were captured.
1814. GILLIS MCKERHNIE died at Gourock, Scotland, aged 104, supposed to
be the last of the warriors that fought with prince Charles in 1754.
1825. ALEXANDER PAULOWITZ, emperor of Russia, died at Taganrog. His
efforts to improve his country and people were unceasing and most
extensive. It was during his reign that Russia was invaded by the most
formidable army ever assembled in Europe, but which in a few months
returned in the most wretched defeat ever known.
1840. Battle of Kotriah, in Scinde, between 4,000 Beloochees, posted
among the hills, and commanded by Nusser Khan, and 900 Sepoys with 2
field pieces, under lieutenant colonel Marshall. Of the former 500 were
slain, and 6 chiefs and 132 followers captured.
1848. Hungary declared itself an independent republic.
1849. EBENEZER ELLIOTT, called the _corn law rhymer_, died in England.
1852. The French senate went in a body to St. Cloud to announce
officially to Louis Napoleon the result of the election, and to hail him
as emperor.