405. B. C. Battle of Ægospotami. This celebrated Spartan victory of
Lysander over a vast Athenian fleet, happily closed the 27 years' war in
the Peloponesus. Conon fled to Cyprus, and the admiral took possession
of Athens in the following spring.
126. B. C. A league of friendship referred to the Roman senate assembled
in the temple of Concord, on behalf of the Jews, who had sent three
ambassadors with a shield of gold as a mark of confederacy.
1250. FREDERICK II, emperor of Germany, died. He was successful in his
wars against the Saracens, but was forced to return to wage war with the
pope, whom he also conquered. He was deposed, however, in 1245 by
Innocent IV.
1254. INNOCENT IV (_Sinibaldi de Fiesque_) died. He was early engaged in
a quarrel with Frederick of Germany, whom he excommunicated and deposed.
He was the first who invested the cardinals with a red hat as a mark of
dignity.
1502. A water spout at Porto Bello greatly alarmed the Spaniards.
Ferdinand Columbus says "if they had not dissolved it by saying the
gospel of St. John, it had certainly sunk whatsoever it fell upon."
1521. EMANUEL (_the Great_), king of Portugal, died. He distinguished
himself by the liberal manner in which he patronized commercial
enterprises, by which the cape of Good Hope was rounded, and Brazil
visited.
1542. JAMES V, of Scotland, died. He assumed the government at the age
of 17, and was admired for his virtues.
1542. An act passed permitting those deemed the better sort to read the
Bible in England.
1545. The great council of Trent opened.
1565. CONRAD GESNER, a Swiss botanist, died. It has been said that
botany owes to him its very existence as a science.
1577. DRAKE sailed from Plymouth, England, in the Golden Hind, on his
voyage round the world, which he was the second navigator that
accomplished.
1621. ROBERT CUSHMAN having visited the colony of Plymouth with
supplies, took in a cargo of beaver skins and clapboards, the first
export from New England, which was valued at £500. The vessel was
captured and carried into France.
1642. New Zealand discovered by Tasman.
1648. In order to enforce an ordinance of Cromwell, Capt. Bethan was
appointed provost marshal, "with power to seize upon all ballad singers,
and to suppress stage plays."
1702. The motto _semper eadem_ first attached to the arms of England.
1721. Several alterations made in the form of the affirmation of the
English quakers. About 20 years previous to this their affirmation was
accepted instead of their oath.
1729. ANTHONY COLLINS died; an English polemical writer, whose numerous
works were warmly attacked by the orthodox writers of the day.
1737. JOHN STRYPE died, aged 94; an English divine, industrious as a
historian and biographer.
1738. PHILIP FROWDE died; a writer of English and Latin poetry, and of
tragedy.
1754. MAHOMET V, emperor of Turkey, died. He was more eminent for his
pacific disposition than for his military exploits.
1759. At Leipsic the cold was so intense that ten sentinels were frozen
to death.
1769. CHRISTIAN FURCHTEGOTT GELLERT, a German comic poet, died.
1775. Congress first determined to build a navy, to consist of 5
frigates of 32 guns, 5 of 28 guns, and 3 of 24 guns.
1776. American Gen. LEE surprised and made prisoner by a British patrole
in New Jersey.
1783. PETER WARGENTIN died; a learned Swede, who published tables for
computing the eclipses of Jupiter's satellites.
1784. SAMUEL JOHNSON, the English lexicographer, died; a writer of great
eminence and celebrity.
1788. CHARLES III, king of Spain, died. His policy was censured for
endangering the Spanish empire in America by supporting the
independence of the British colonies.
1788. DAVID MACBRIDE, an Irish physician of great celebrity, died. His
_Theory and Practice of Medicine_ was formerly in great request.
1797. LEWIS LE GENDRE, a prominent actor in the French revolution, died.
He proposed in the Jacobin club that the body of the king should be cut
into 84 pieces, and one sent to each of the departments.
1803. FRANCIS LEWIS, one of the signers, died, aged 90. He was a
merchant of New York, had visited Russia, and was employed in the
importation of military stores, and other secret services.
1809. Desperate action between British frigate Junon, 40 guns, Capt.
Shortland, and three French frigates of 88 guns in all. The Junon was
captured, after losing 90 men killed and wounded; among the latter was
the captain, who received several shots before surrendering. His vessel
was so much shattered that the French burnt her the next day.
1811. A dog which had been accidentally shut into a house in Albany, on
the 1st day of November, was taken out alive on this day, after a fast
of 42 days, and recovered.
1813. Battle near Bayonne, between the French under Soult, and the
allies under Wellington, in which the former were defeated and driven
into the city with the loss of 6,500 men. British loss about half the
number.
1814. CHARLES JOSEPH, prince De Ligne, an Austrian field marshal, died.
He was born at Bruxelles, 1735, and devoted his early years to science
and learning. His writings were numerous, of which 30 vols. have been
published.
1850. The steam boat Anglo Norman, while on a pleasure trip for the day,
at New Orleans, exploded both boilers, and nearly a hundred persons were
either killed or wounded.
1854. A Russian decree ordered an additional levy of ten men in every
thousand, in the eastern half of the Russian empire, Jews not excepted.