Chapter XIV: Part 14

1109. ANSELM, archbishop of Canterbury, died. He was no sooner invested with the robes, than he began a quarrel with the king, in which he was worsted. He was a haughty prelate, and the first who insisted on the celibacy of his clergy in England. He was canonized under Henry VII.

1143. PETER ABELARD, a learned Frenchman, died. His love and misfortunes have saved his memory from oblivion; and the man whom his own century have admired as a profound divine, is now celebrated as the martyr of love. The letters of Abelard and Heloise are frequently republished, and there is a voluminous life of the lovers by Berington.

1284. ALFONZO X (_the wise_), king of Castile and Leon, died. He was a man of great learning, and was the first king who had the public documents written in Spanish, which he did with a view to polish and enrich the language. His son usurped the throne, and it was with the greatest difficulty that he got it back again, by calling in the troops of the Moors; and the excommunication of the pope.

1480. WILLIAM CAXTON, the first English printer, finished the translation of _Ovid's Metamorphoses_, as we learn from his own memorandum, as follows: "_Ouyde his booke of Metamorphose Translated and fynnysshed by me William Caxton at Westmestre the xxii day of Apryll, the yere of our lord m.iiijc.iiijxx. And the xx yere of the Regne Kynge Edward the fourthe._" This work is not known to have been printed, but there are several fragments of the work preserved in manuscript.

1519. The armament under Cortez arrived on the coast of Chalchiucuechan, a part of the Mexican empire.

1526. Battle of Paniput, in Hindostan, between Ibrahim Lodi, sultan of Delhi, and the Tartar prince Raber. Ibrahim was defeated and killed, which decided the conquest of Hindostan by the Tartars.

1545. The mines of Potosi opened. They were discovered by an Indian peasant, while hunting. A shrub which he had laid hold of to support himself, was torn up by the roots, and disclosed to the hunter a rich mass of silver. The population of the city increased so rapidly that in 1611, a little more than half a century afterwards, there were 160,000 inhabitants, but in 1826 they had decreased to 12,000. There are at present less than 100 mines worked, and these conducted with great ignorance and disadvantage.

1671. ANTHONY GODEAU, a French divine, died. He was one of the first and brightest ornaments of the academy of belles-lettres, an active and attentive prelate, and exemplary in every part of his conduct. He wrote a valuable _Ecclesiastical History_, 3 vols. folio.

1679. The council of 30 constituted by Charles II. They consisted of 15 whigs and 15 tories--chosen by their property to balance the commons, the former valued at £300,000, that of the latter at £400,000.

1696. Brigadier AMBROSE ROCKWOOD with two others, convicted at Tyburn for high treason and executed on the 29th. They were the first prisoners having the benefit of council, &c.

1718. PHILIP DE LA HIRE, a French mathematician, died, aged 78. He is characterized as a great and good man whose days were employed in study, and his nights frequently in astronomical observations. His scientific pursuits were various, and his works numerous and valuable.

1757. Battle of Reichenberg, in Bohemia; the Prussians under Schwerin defeated the Austrians under Count Konigseg. Austrian loss 1,000 killed, 400 prisoners; Prussian loss, 100 killed and wounded.

1765. DAVID MALLET, a Scotch poet, died. His name is familiar as an author, although his place is not very high on the roll of fame; there is no species of composition in which he was eminent.

1770. Marriage of Louis XVI and Maria Antoinette, archduchess of Austria; when 4,000 persons perished in the crowd that assembled to witness the procession.

1773. ALI BEY, governor of Egypt, died. He was the son of a Greek sold by a band of robbers to the Janisaries, who raised him to power; and was finally enabled to throw off his obedience to the Porte. He was humane and generous, and possessed an elevated mind.

1794. Guadaloupe and its dependencies, Marigalante and Deseada, surrendered to the British.

1809. Battle of Landshut, in Bavaria, when Napoleon following up his victory of the previous day, attacked the Austrian army and defeated it. The Austrians lost 30 pieces of cannon, 9,000 prisoners, baggage, &c., and retreated to concentrate their forces at Eckmuhl.

1818. New York state library established.

1836. Battle of San Jacinto, in Texas, between the Mexicans, 1,500, under Santa Anna, and the Texans, 783, under Gen. Houston. The Mexicans were defeated, with the loss of 630 killed, 208 wounded, and 730 prisoners, among whom were Santa Anna and Gen. Cos; also 600 muskets, 390 sabres, 260 pistols, several hundred horses, and $12,000 in specie, fell into the hands of the victors, who lost 2 killed, 23 wounded.

1843. AUGUSTUS FREDERICK, duke of Sussex, died in London. He was an untiring patron of the deserving aspirants in any art.

1844. HENRY BALDWIN, one of the judges of the United States supreme court, died at Philadelphia.

1853. LEWIS C. BECK, noted for his attainments in natural science, died at Albany, aged 53. He published works on botany and chemistry, and one on the mineralogy of New York.

1855. A riot broke out at Chicago, occasioned by the license question; the military were called out.

APRIL 22.

1369. Corner stone of the bastile, (a name used to denote a fortress or prison,) laid at Paris, by Hugues d'Aubriot, provost des marchands, and the founder of the Huguenots. It was not completed till 1383. It was demolished 1789.

1509. HENRY VII of England died. The victory of Bosworth field and the death of Richard III left him in peaceable possession of the throne. He was an able and wise king, but insatiably covetous.

1519. Cortez arrived at San Juan Ulloa, in Mexico, where he received ambassadors from Montezuma, with rich presents, offering his services to the Spaniards, but declining to receive their visits at his court; and finally, after mutual messages and presents, refused to consent that foreign troops should appear nearer his capital, or remain longer in his dominions. "Truly this is a great monarch, and rich," said Cortez to his attendants; "with the permission of God we must see him."

1522. Battle of Villalar; count de Haro defeated Padillo, chief of the holy junta. Padillo was taken and executed next day, with John Bravo and Francis Maldonado, two of his chiefs.

1555. Sienna, in Tuscany, reduced by famine, surrendered to the Florentines, after a siege of 10 months.

1608. HUDSON sailed from England on his second voyage of discovery; but returned after spending about four months in the search of a northwest passage to England.

1638. WOUTER VAN TWILLER, having been superseded in the government of New Netherland, leased the farm or bouwery No. 1, belonging to the West India company, for three years, at an annual rent of 250 guilders ($100).

1697. Birthday of BELINDA CRAUFORD, who died in the beginning of June, 1812, aged 115, at Richmond, Galway county, Ireland. It is said that at the time of her death she could read and sew without spectacles, and what was more remarkable, looked as youthful as a girl of eighteen years, had a blooming complexion, her eyes animated and lively, and walked occasionally a distance of two miles to church.

1699. HANS ASSMAN VON ABSCHATZ, a German statesman and poet, died.

1699. JEAN RACINE, a French tragic poet, died. His pieces were received with great applause, and he came to be generally preferred to his contemporary Corneille, who had been previously looked upon as inimitable.

1702. FRANCIS CHARPENTIER, a Frenchman of learning and abilities, died. He greatly contributed to the noble series of medals struck in the reign of Louis XIV.

1715. Total eclipse of the sun in England. It occurred at 9 in the morning, when the stars appeared, and the birds sunk within their nests.

1730. A public library founded in New York.

1741. MATTHEW ELIAS, a painter, died; who, under the patronage of Corbeen, rose to great eminence in his profession.

1751. One, OSBORNE, and his wife accused by a publican at Tring, in Hertfordshire, England, of witchcraft, were brutally murdered by the populace.

1758. ANTHONY DE JUSSIEU, an eminent French botanist, died. He traveled over several countries of Europe in the pursuit of his favorite science, which he greatly improved.

1764. EDWARD COBELEN, an eminent English divine and theological writer, died. Although he enjoyed several clerical offices, he restricted himself to a small income, on which he lived with simplicity and contentment.

1792. ISAAC RENE GUY DE CHAPELLIER, a native of Rennes, in France, and a zealous advocate of liberty, died.

1794. CHRISTIAN WILLIAM DE LAMOIGNON MALESHERBES, an able French advocate and author, beheaded. After serving his country 25 years he retired; but was recalled by Louis XVI to be minister of the interior. When the unfortunate king was dragged before the revolutionary tribunal, Malesherbes boldly appeared to defend him. He was himself condemned by the same tribunal, and ascended the scaffold with his daughter and a grandchild.

1796. Demerara and its dependencies in Guiana, surrendered to the British.

1801. MURAD BEY, the celebrated Mameluke chief, died of the plague, while descending the Nile to join the English. He was succeeded by Tambourji, so named from having been a drummer.

1809. Battle of Eckmuhl, in which Bonaparte, having routed one division of the Austrian army two days in succession, executed a variety of movements, considered as among the most admirable displays of his science, by which he brought the whole of his force upon the army of the archduke Charles, which he had concentrated at Eckmuhl. The battle is said to have been one of the most splendid which the art of war could display. The Austrian army, of upwards of 100,000 men, were dispossessed of all their positions, by the combined attack of the French, whose divisions appeared on the field, each in its due place and order, as regularly as the movements of the various pieces in the game of chess. The battle commenced at two in the afternoon and continued till nightfall. It resulted in the complete overthrow of the Austrians; all their wounded, a great part of their artillery, fifteen stands of colors, and 20,000 prisoners, remained in the power of the French to which their loss in the field may be added. Their retreat was also attended with corresponding loss.

1826. Missolonghi taken by the Turks. It had been besieged several months, and was reduced to a heap of ruins by continued bombardments. The heroic garrison forced a passage through the besiegers, leaving the sick, aged and wounded in a mill containing a quantity of powder. An old wounded soldier took his seat on the mine, and fired it as soon as the Turks entered.

1829. Lepanto surrendered by capitulation to the Greeks.

1839. THOMAS HAYNES BAYLY, an English lyric poet, died. He is the author of about 30 plays, and many beautiful and popular songs.

1846. The Chilian ship Maria Helena arrived at Edgartown, Mass., from Valparaiso Dec. 7th; said to have been the first Chilian ship that ever visited the United States.

1850. The last publication of the bans of marriage in Massachusetts. It was the case of a black man who declared his intention to marry a white woman.

1853. An insurrection attempted at Freiburg, in Switzerland, by the Jesuit party; but was soon suppressed, with some loss of life.

1854. Odessa was bombarded by the allied fleets, and in ten hours a large part of the city was laid in ruins.

APRIL 23.

997. ADALBERT, the apostle of Prussia, murdered. He was archbishop of Prague, preached the gospel among the Bohemians, and afterwards among the Poles, where he was killed.

1016. ETHELRED II, king of England, died. To deliver himself from the heavy tribute which he paid the Danes, called _Danegelt_, he caused them to be put to death; whereupon England was invaded by Sweyn, and Ethelred obliged to fly to Normandy, where he remained till Sweyn's death.

1349. The order of the Garter instituted by Edward III.

1408. The heroic earl of Warwick, RICHARD BEAUCHAMP, on his way to the Holy Land, is challenged at Verona by Pandulph Malet, whose shoulder the English knight cleaved with his battleaxe.

1500. Brazil discovered by PEDRO ALVAREZ CABRAL, a Portuguese adventurer; who immediately sent home a ship with the intelligence, and the king took possession of it. But as the pope had given all the western infidels to the Spaniards, it is probable a great deal of trouble would have arisen out of the case, had not the two monarchs been kinsmen and friends.

1547. Battle of Mulhausen, in which the emperor Charles V defeated the Saxons, who lost 1200 killed, and the elector was wounded and taken prisoner.

1557. PETER DANES, professor of Greek at Paris, died. He was a prelate of great eloquence and extensive learning.

1616. WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE, the English dramatist, died, aged 52. His history is shrouded in obscurity; but the success of his dramas, with the sobriety and moderation of his views, enabled him to retire early with a competence. The writings of this great poet of nature are found in the libraries of the greatest foes of the drama. This is also the anniversary of his birthday, 1564.

1616. MICHAEL DE CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, the Spanish novelist, died, aged 67. His life was attended with poverty and misfortune. The immortal _Don Quixote_, which wrought so great a change in the fashionable literature of the day, is still read and admired in almost every language.

1625. MAURICE of Nassau, prince of Orange, died. He succeeded his father in the government of the Low Countries, added to his dominions by conquest, and was considered the ablest general of his time.

1662. Charter of Connecticut granted, with ample privileges, by Charles II. John Winthrop was appointed governor until a new election should be made. The colony of New Haven was included in the charter, but did not consent to be united with the other colonies under one government. The fact was, they considered their civil and religious code rather superior to any thing else of the kind in the world, and were exceedingly jealous of contamination.

1676. Engagement off Aosta, in Sicily, between the French fleet under admiral du Quesne, and the Dutch fleet under De Ruyter, who was mortally wounded.

1709. The first number of the _Tatler_ was published by Steele, Addison and Swift.

1729. JEAN BARBEYRAC, an eminent French jurist, died. He has distinguished himself by many learned works, which show a high degree of erudition and a liberal spirit.

1740. THOMAS TICKELL, an English poet, died. He was the friend of Addison whose works he published, and translated the Iliad in opposition to Pope.

1750. ANDREW BAXTER, a Scottish metaphysician, died. His writings are highly lauded by Warburton. By one of them we learn that dreams are caused by the agency of separate immaterial beings.

1774. Battle between the forces of Rohilcund in Afghanistan, and the subahdar of Oude backed by a British force. The Rohilcas showed great bravery and resolution, and exhibited a considerable share of military knowledge; but after a cannonade of two hours and twenty minutes, they retreated with the loss of 2000 killed, including many of their chiefs; the country became tributary, and the people robbers and plunderers.

1775. A captain Sears and Mr. Lamb assembled the citizens of New York, shut up the custom-house, and prevented the sailing of vessels to Boston, Quebec and Georgia. They sent an express to Philadelphia, where the same measures were adopted.

1781. Fort Watson, in South Carolina, taken from the British, by the provincials under colonel Lee. The fort was built on an Indian mound 30 feet high; but the besiegers speedily erected a work which overlooked the fort, and fired into it with such effect that the garrison surrendered.

1794. JAMES DUVAL D'EPREMENIE, a French advocate, executed. He was remarkable for the violence of his proceedings during the revolution, and was sent to the scaffold with his old opponent Chapellier.

1795. WARREN HASTINGS acquitted after a trial of 7 years. His crime as charged by the house of commons to the peers was maladministration in India.

1808. MURAT, at the head of 40,000 French soldiers, taking advantage of a faction among the people, entered Madrid and took possession of it.

1809. Battle of Ratisbon. The Austrians, having sustained defeat and losses four days successively, made some attempt to fortify this city, in order to protect the retreat of the army. The French, who had advanced to the storm, were cut down by the musquetry of the besieged. There was at length difficulty in finding volunteers to renew the attack, when the impetuous Lannes, by whom they were commanded, seized a ladder and rushed forward to fix it himself against the wall. "I will show," exclaimed he, "that your general is still a grenadier." The French rallied and carried the ramparts--the contest was renewed in the street, and the city fired. The Austrians were driven out of Ratisbon, leaving cannon, baggage and prisoners in the hands of the French. Thus in five days, in spite of the inferiority of numbers and the imperfect manner in which his troops were combined, Bonaparte, by the sole energy of his genius, triumphed over the main forces of his opponent, and opened the road to his capital. At no period of his momentous career, says Scott, did the genius of Napoleon appear more completely to prostrate all opposition; at no time did the talents of a single individual exercise such an influence on the fate of the universe.

1810. Fort Matagorda, having bean reduced to a heap of ruins, was evacuated by the British, in consequence of which the French were enabled to bombard Cadiz; 500 officers and 900 men fell into the hands of the French.

1810. DINAH, a black woman, died in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, aged 116.

1823. AARON ARROWSMITH, hydrographer to the king of Great Britain, died. He was distinguished as a constructor of maps and charts, and published a new _General Atlas_ to accompany the _Edinburgh Gazetteer_.

1823. JOSEPH NOLLEKINS, an eminent sculptor, died. He gained great reputation as an artist during his residence in Italy, and on his return to England was so extensively patronized that he acquired a large fortune.

1833. The foundation laid of the first protestant episcopal church ever built in France.

1838. The English steam packets Great Western and Sirius arrived at New York, forming a new era in navigation, and commencing a new and expeditious mode of intercourse between England and the United States. The Great Western, measuring 1,340 tons, made the passage in 14½ days, against head winds and a rough sea.

1839. H. V. DUCOUDRAY HOLSTEIN died at Albany; formerly a distinguished officer under Bonaparte. After the fall of the emperor he came to this country, and gained a subsistence by teaching the French and German languages.

1847. N. P. AMES, the celebrated manufacturer of fire arms, swords, &c., died at Cabotville, Mass.

1848. The United States exploring expedition reached the Dead sea, which was circumnavigated for the first time in a boat. It was sounded to the depth of 600 fathoms, and the bottom found to be crusted with crystalized salt.

1850. WM. WORDSWORTH, an eminent English poet, died, aged 80.

1852. SOLOMON VAN RENSSELAER, an officer in the war of 1812, died at Albany, aged 78. He commenced his military career at the age of 18, and was with Wayne in the battle of Miami, where he was dangerously wounded. He received six balls at the battle of Queenstown, one of which he carried to the time of his death. He also held several civil offices with distinction.

1852. ARTHUR CONDORCET O'CONNOR died in France, aged 87. He was a native of Ireland, and one of the most conspicuous leaders of the rebellion in 1798, which made him an exile in France. He married a daughter of Condorcet, and adopted the name of the philosopher within his own.

1854. Fifteen firemen lost their lives by the sudden fall of a large store in Broadway, New York, while in the discharge of their duty.

1854. Great tornado at Burmah, which swept over several hundred miles of country, causing great loss of life on the Irrawaddy.

1856. A grand review of the fleet took place off Plymouth, England; it consisted of 240 ships of war, all but 2 being steamers.

1856. JOSEPH ROBERTS died, aged 81. He was cashier for the trustees of the first bank of the United States, the affairs of which institution he conducted to its final winding up.

APRIL 24.

1184 B. C. The conquest and destruction of the city of Troy by the Greeks, took place on the 24th of Thargelion.

339 B. C. TIMOLEON defeated the Carthagenians at the river Crimesus, near the mount Giuliano, in Sicily.

1016. ETHELRED II buried in St. Paul's, London.

1254. LOUIS IX of France, embarked from Acre, in Palestine, on his return from the crusade, with his queen, children and troops, in 14 vessels, and arrived in Vincennes in September, after an absence of six years, and a most disastrous campaign.

1345. RICHARD AUNGERVYLE, bishop of Durham, died. He was the tutor of Edward III, a learned man, and the author of a work on the right use of books.

1474. In Edward prince of Wales's procession there was a station with three patriarchs standing with Jacob's 12 sons, and many other personifications of scripture characters,--such was the amusement of the times.

1500. Brazil discovered by Pedro Alvarez de Cabral, who left two convicts.

1556. OSEP NAPEA, the first ambassador from Russia to England, made his appearance at the court of Elizabeth, and delivered his master's presents.

1557. GEORGE RORAR (Rorarius), a learned corrector of the press at Wittemburg, died, aged 65. He had been the amanuensis of Luther, and assisted in editing some of the works of the great reformer.

1599. Birthday of OLIVER CROMWELL.

1603. JAMES BEATON, bishop of Glasgow, died. He was raised to the see before the age of 25; when the reformation broke forth, he fled to France, with the records and sacred vessels of his cathedral, which were deposited with the Scotch college of Paris. He left a history of Scotland in manuscript.

1617. D'ANCRE CONCINI, marechal of France, assassinated. He was a Florentine by birth, and acquired his offices by intrigue. The day following his burial, the body was taken from the grave, mutilated and dragged through the streets of Paris.

1645. CROMWELL defeated the king's forces at Islip bridge, near Oxford, taking the king's standard and 200 prisoners.

1667. MATTHEW WREN, bishop of Hereford, died. During the civil wars his property was confiscated and himself confined in the Tower 18 years without being brought to trial.

1704. The _Boston News Letter_, the first paper printed in America, made its appearance at Boston, published by John Campbell, the postmaster. It was printed on a half sheet of writing paper. It was continued until the British evacuated Boston, in 1776.

1731. DANIEL DEFOE, a popular English author, died. He is best known as the author of _Robinson Crusoe_, which was supposed at first to be a true narrative, and afterwards as erroneously to have been founded upon the papers of Alexander Selkirk. It still enjoys an old age of honor and renown, which it is impossible for any eulogium to exalt. Like its hero, it has traveled into the most distant regions, and worn the costume of literature and the garland of fame in almost every civilized country of the globe.

1735. "Here lyes inter'd ye remains of deacon CHRISTOPHER HUNTINGTON of Norwich, November 1st, 1660, and ye first born of males in ye town. He served near 40 years in ye office of a deacon, and died April ye 24th, 1735, to ye 75th yr. of his age. Memento mori."

1763. CHARLES STEPHEN PESSELIER, a French dramatist and financier, died. He was early assiduously devoted to literature and the muses; but when entrusted with the finances of the kingdom, his application ruined his constitution, and he fell a victim to excessive mental fatigue.

1773. PHILIP DORMER, earl of Chesterfield, died. He was a polished courtier, and a writer on, rather than a practicer of, good manners.

1775. JOSIAH QUINCY, Jr., an eminent American patriot, died. He was employed by the British officers, together with John Adams, to defend their cause in the case of the Boston massacre, and although warmly opposed to the measures of the British ministry, he conducted the defence with great propriety. He fell a victim to intense application, at the age of 31, and died at sea on his return from England.

1778. Action in the roads opposite the town of Carrickfergus, in Ireland, in which the British sloop of war Drake was captured by the United States ship Ranger, under Paul Jones.

1780. CLAUDE JOSEPH DORAT, a French poet, died. He entered the military service as a musketeer, but abandoned it to pursue his favorite study. His works comprise 20 vols.

1780. JOHN NOURSE, a distinguished bookseller and mathematician, died.

1799. WILLIAM SEWARD, an English antiquary, died. He was the son of a brewer, and being possessed of a competency devoted himself to literature. He published 7 volumes of anecdotes and notices of distinguished characters, compiled from scarce and curious books.

1799. PETER AUGUSTIN CARON DE BEAUMARCHAIS, a French dramatist, died. He was a watchmaker, and made some improvement in the escapement of a watch. His dramas are numerous, and some of them still popular.

1814. The British army took the city of Washington by surprise, and burnt the public buildings. The library of congress consisting of 3000 volumes of rare books was destroyed.

1824. RICHARD PAYNE, died at London; an eminent Greek scholar and antiquary.

1841. GEORGE BAXTER, one of the most eminent of Presbyterian ministers, died at his residence in Virginia, aged 77.

1856. The sheriff of Kansas, who had been engaged in arresting some Free State men, as they were termed, was shot while sitting in his tent.

APRIL 25.

68. Saint MARK, the evangelist, died at Alexandria.

1199. JOHN, the 6th son of Henry II of England, seized the treasures of his late father, preparatory to taking possession of his throne and dukedom.

1284. EDWARD II born at Caernarvon, and styled the _prince of Wales_, the first who received that appellation.

1342. BENEDICT XII (James de Nouveau, _the baker_), died. When elected, unanimously, by the cardinals, pope of Rome, he had so little confidence in himself that he told them they had chosen an ass. His conduct, however, was firm and dignified, and gained him universal respect.

1513. EDWARD HOWARD, an English admiral, celebrated for his bravery, killed in an action with a French ship.

1520. FERDINAND MAGELLAN, the Portuguese navigator killed in one of the Phillipine islands, fighting for the king of the country, who had become his ally. Of all his fleet, only one ship and 18 men returned to Spain, from whence the expedition sailed.

1536. Conflagration of mount Ætna, which overwhelmed the church of St. Leon, and the physician Piazzi.

1576. Treaty between Holland and Zealand, being the two first provinces that united for their liberty. William of Nassau, prince of Orange, drew up the treaty, and may be considered as the founder of the United Provinces.

1595. TORQUATO TASSO, an illustrious Italian poet, died. He was excellent in every kind of composition, but the _Jerusalem Delivered_ procured him the offer of the laurel crown. He expired on the day appointed for the coronation.

1636. JAMES HAY, earl of Carlisle, died. He was the first Scotchman raised to the English peerage, and was employed by James I in various embassies.

1660. HENRY HAMMOND, an English divine, died. He published a commentary on the New Testament; and began a paraphrase and commentary on the Old Testament, which he did not live to finish.

1671. The city of Oxford, England, nearly destroyed by a great fire.

1728. JOHN WOODWARD, an English natural philosopher, died. He was bound apprentice to a linen draper, but was attracted from the business by the charms of science.

1732. The corpse of bishop Atterbury who died in France arrived in the Thames. Four pieces of French silk brocaded with silver were found with the body, which the custom house officers seized!

1734. JOHN CONRAD DIPPEL, a German chemist and physician, died. He was an eccentric character, who pretended to have discovered the philosophers' stone, and yet was confined for debt. In pursuing his alchemical researches, he discovered Prussian blue, and the animal oil which bears his name.

1735. SAMUEL WESLEY, an English poet, died. His writings made up in quantity what they lacked in quality. He wrote the _Life of Christ_, a heroic poem, in folio, and a history of the Bible in verse, 3 vols.

1764. JUDAH MONIS, an Italian Jew, died at Northborough, Mass., aged 82. He was converted and baptized, and was the first Hebrew instructor at Harvard college.

1770. JOHN ANTHONY NOLLET, a learned Frenchman, died. His writings are valuable, and his experiments contributed much to the advancement of science.

1775. The Baltimoreans received the news of the battle of Lexington, and immediately seized upon the provincial magazines, containing 1500 stand of arms, &c.

1781. Battle of Camden, between the provincials, about 1200, and the British under lord Rawdon. In the beginning of the action the Americans had essentially the advantage; but the premature retreat of two companies occasioned a total defeat. Greene retreated in such order as to bring off all his wounded and cannon, and took 50 prisoners.

1781. British under Arnold and Philips took Petersburg, Va., after a smart action with baron Steuben. They burnt 400 hogsheads of tobacco, a ship, and several small craft.

1782. ADRIAN BALBI, the Venitian geographer, was born at Venice. The work by which he is best known is his _Abrégé de Géographie_.

1792. The convention having determined on adopting the proposition of M. Guillotin, to substitute decapitation for hanging, the first criminal was executed by this mode on this day. M. Guillotin was actuated by benevolent motives in proposing the machine, which was called from him _guillotine_, and from which himself narrowly escaped.

1800. WILLIAM COWPER, an excellent English poet, died. He commenced publishing at the age of 50, and three years after produced the _Task_, which excited universal admiration. He was subject to religious delirium, and died in a state of absolute despair.

1805. THOMAS POWNALL, an English antiquary, died. He was successively governor of New Jersey, Massachusetts and South Carolina under the crown. His works are numerous, and display a great deal of information.

1810. Sweden excluded British goods, conformably to the continental system established by Bonaparte.

1812. Baltimore privateer schooner Surprise, Capt. Cothell, of 10 guns, captured the British brig Kutousoff, of 12 guns, laden with coffee, &c., and brought her safe to port.

1820. PATRICK COLQUOHUN, a distinguished Scottish magistrate, died. He was a writer on police and political economy, and his works possess great merit.

1832 & 1833. Spring navigation of the Erie canal opened.

1835. JONATHAN P. CUSHING, president of Hampden Sidney college, died, aged 40. The institution, over which he had presided 14 years, was greatly indebted to his services, and he was highly esteemed for his virtues.

1838. The second centennial celebration of the settlement of New Haven.

1838. The steamboat Moselle burst her boiler with a tremendous explosion. She had just left the wharf at Cincinnati for Louisville, with 225 passengers on board, of whom but 124 were saved.

1839. SAMUEL SMITH, an officer of the revolution, died at Baltimore, aged 87. His name is connected with some of the most important events of that struggle for freedom, and is identified with the history of the city of Baltimore for a great number of years; that city being indebted to his enterprise for a large share of its commercial thrift.

1840. M. POISSON, a peer of France, and president of the academy of sciences, died at Paris, aged 58. His life was devoted to analytical discovery and scientific investigation, and he was styled the first geometrician of Europe.

1849. The parliament house and library of the British provinces, at Montreal, burned by a mob.

1849. The French republican armament against republican Rome reached Civita Vecchia.

1854. The slaves of Venezuela became freemen by virtue of an act previously passed for their emancipation.

1855. Lieut. Col. ST. VRAIN, with a detachment of United States troops, came up with and captured a camp of Apache Indians, on the Purgatory, near the Raton mountains.

APRIL 26.

871. ETHELRED I defeated the Danes, but died of his wounds. In his reign a great plague occurred.

1478. LORENZO DE MEDICI, duke of Florence, rescued by the populace from the hands of assassins. His brother Julian was less fortunate; he fell beneath their daggers. The duke was conducted back to his palace by the multitude with every demonstration of regard, while the archbishop, who became the tool of the pope for executing this foul and impious conspiracy, was suspended in his pontifical robes from the window of his own sanctuary.

1566. DIANA DE POITIERS, duchess of Valentinois, died. She captivated the heart of the king of France, Henry II, and for many years remained sole mistress, not only of his affections, but of the kingdom. Her unusual powers of mind, and firmness and dignity, constituted her the fittest sovereign of the two.

1595. MICHAEL NEANDER, a learned German protestant, died. He was rector of the university of Ilfeldt 40 years, and published several learned works.

1607. CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT, with three vessels and 100 emigrants, forming the first permanent English colony, stood into Chesapeake bay, "which seemed to invite his entrance."

1616. JOHN SOMERS, an English statesman, died. He was a patriot of the noblest and most extensive views, and justly celebrated as a man of learning, eloquent and refined.

1665. The great plague of this and the subsequent year broke out at St. Giles, London.

1726. JEREMY COLLIER, an English divine, died. In 1698 he made an attempt to reform the stage, which engaged him in a controversy, and exposed him to the satire of the wits of the day; but after a ten years' struggle he accomplished his object, and actually produced an amendment.

1734. JOHN BAPTIST MORVAN DE BELLEGARDE, a French Jesuit, died. He was expelled from the order at Nantes, for being a Cartesian.

1777. Danbury, Conn., burnt, and the military stores destroyed, by a detachment of 2,000 British under Tyron. The place was guarded by 100 soldiers, who retired to await reinforcements. Eighteen houses, 800 barrels of flour, 800 barrels of pork and beef, 2,000 bushels of grain, and 1,700 tents were destroyed. The enemy were pursued and annoyed by a few hundred of the citizens under Wooster and Arnold; the former was killed.

1783. EYRE COOTS, a celebrated commander of the East India Company's forces, died. He gained great renown by his victories over Hyder Ally; in one of which, near Porto Novo, with 10,000 men he defeated Hyder's army of 150,000.

1794. The Vendeans under Charette defeated by the French.

1794. Battle of Prisches; Austrians defeated by the French.

1794. Grand attack of the French upon the allies, from Trevers to the sea.

1805. WILLIAM WOODVILLE died; a distinguished English physician and medical writer.

1807. The planet Vesta observed in England by Groombridge, an ingenious and active astronomer, who had successfully devoted his leisure and fortune to the advancement of astronomy.

1815. CARSTEN NEIBUHR, a Danish traveler, died, aged 82. He was employed by the Danish government in 1761, with four other learned men, to explore Arabia; was the only one of the company who returned, after an absence of six years, and was liberally rewarded. His publications were, _Travels in Arabia_ and _Description of Arabia_.

1816. GEORGE HARDINGE, an eminent English lawyer, died. He rose rapidly in his profession, became council for the East India Company, and attorney-general to the queen, and had a seat in parliament. His speeches and writings were numerous.

1831. Imprisonment for debt abolished in the state of New York.

1835 HENRY KATER died at London. His experiments on the pendulum and Geodesic surveys rendered him famous.

1836. St. Jean d'Arc, in Palestine, surrendered to the Egyptian troops under Ibrahim Pasha. The governor of the fortress was provided with a safe residence in Egypt, and an annual pension of 75,000 piasters.

1837. The trial of MEUNIER for an attempt to assassinate the king of the French, terminated in his conviction. His sentence was commuted to perpetual banishment.

1838. Battle near Brugos, between Gen. Espartero and the Carlists under Negri, in which the latter were defeated, with the loss of 2,000 prisoners, their baggage and artillery.

1840. BACCHUS, a negro slave, died at Friedland, in Virginia, aged 110. He had been in the family of his last owner more than 40 years; was employed as a teamster during the war of the revolution; and was in attendance with his team at the glorious and final siege of Yorktown. He saw Gen. Braddock as he passed on to his defeat, and could give a succinct account of that sanguinary action. The evening previous to his death he was walking about the farm, in the full possession of all his faculties of mind and body.

1840. JOHN THORNTON KIRKLAND, president of Harvard university, died, aged 70. His father was more than 40 years a missionary among the Oneida Indians, during which he was born at Little Falls, 1770. His rank was with the most eminent among the constant and serviceable friends of good principles, good learning and good men. Some of his productions will continue to be esteemed among the gems of our literature.

1843. HODIJAH BAYLIES died; a soldier of the revolutionary war, and for some time an aid to Gen. Washington. Like others of that noble band, he too was a distinguished civilian.

1853. RUSSELL JARVIS died in New York, aged 63; widely known as a politician, and co-editor with Duff Green, of the _United States Telegraph_, at Washington.

1854. A day of humiliation was observed throughout England; divine service was performed in all the places of public worship, and collections taken for the benefit of the wives and children of the soldiers engaged in the war of the east.

1854. GABRIEL ROSETTI, an Italian poet and painter, died, aged 71. Setting up for a reformer, he was obliged to fly to England, where he spent the remainder of his days in teaching Italian.

1854. HENRY T. COCHRANE, a Scottish jurist, died; known as the biographer of his friend Lord Jeffrey.

1855. The emperor and empress of the French, having visited the queen of England, returned to France on this day.

APRIL 27.

1124. ALEXANDER I of Scotland, son of Malcom Canmore, died. He ascended the throne on the death of his brother Edgar, 1107, and from the energy and impetuosity of his character he was called the _fierce_. There were several rebellions and insurrections against his reign, which he put down with vigor. A conspiracy was formed against his life, and the traitors got admission into his bed chamber at night. He cut his way through them, and after killing six made his escape.

1192. CONRAD DE MONTFERRAT assassinated at Tyre.

1296. Battle of Dunbar, in which Edward I, of England, defeated the Scots under the king, John Baliol, who lost 20,000 slain. Baliol was taken prisoner to England, and confined in the tower.

1404. PHILIP (_the bold_), duke of Burgundy, died. He was a just and brave prince, but so profuse in his expenses, that his body was seized after death by his creditors, and it was with difficulty that his duchess could redeem it.

1573. The army or the States General seized Flushing, and hanged the Spanish commander.

1603. King JAMES I, on his way to take possession of the English crown, was magnificently entertained at Winchinbrook by Sir Oliver Cromwell.

1610. Patent for Newfoundland granted to the earl of Northampton and 44 other persons, by the name of the treasurer and company of adventurers and planters of the cities of Bristol and London, for the colony or plantation of Newfoundland, from lat. 46 to 52 deg., together with the seas and islands lying within ten leagues of the coast.

1667. MILTON disposed of the copy right of the _Paradise Lost_ for £5! It was with much difficulty that he could find any one to undertake the publication of it.

1702. JOHN BARTH died; who by his bravery and skill rose to a high rank in the French navy.

1717. The Dissenters received £5,000 for damages done their meeting houses during the rebellion on account of the pretender to the English throne.

1742. NICHOLAS AMHERST, an English political writer, died. He for a considerable time published the _Craftsman_, a paper conducted with unusual spirit and success, which guided the public taste and awed the administration.

1762. The Irish levelers suppressed by Lord Halifax.

1775. The Bostonians delivered up a large quantity of guns, &c., to the British general Gage.

1782. EDWARD CHAMBERLAYNE, an English statesman, died. He was one of the best scholars of his age.

1785. Prince LEOPOLD of Brunswick, son of the reigning duke, having gone to the relief of the inhabitants of an inundated village on the Oder, near Frankfort, was upset in his boat and drowned. Thus dying as he had lived, in the highest exercise of humanity.

1792. JOHN JAMES ANKERSTROOM, a Swedish officer, executed for the murder of Gustavus, king of Sweden.

1794. WILLIAM JONES died, a man who rose by the superiority of his genius, from a low station to a high judicial office in Bengal. By his unwearied industry and skill in the Asiatic languages, he successfully explored the hidden sources of oriental science and literature, and to whose translations we are indebted for many beautiful effusions of the Persian muse. As a linguist he has seldom if ever been surpassed. He was master of almost every language of Europe and Asia.

1794. JAMES BRUCE, the celebrated Scottish traveler, died. Being consul at Algiers, he found leisure to study the oriental languages, and formed the project of exploring the interior of Africa. He discovered the sources of the Nile.

1796. CHARLES TOWNSEND, an English nobleman, was found dead in a post chaise on his return from Great Yarmouth, for which borough his brother Frederick had been elected to parliament. They both had exhibited marks of insanity, and in one of these paroxysms Charles shot himself.

1799. Battle of Cassano, in Italy; the French under Moreau totally defeated by the Russians and Austrians under Suwarrow.

1803. TOUSSAINT L'OVERTURE, a mulatto chieftain of St. Domingo, died. He possessed unbounded influence over the blacks of that island, and became the head of all power, civil and military, among them. He was treacherously betrayed by the French, and thrown into prison where he died.

1804. JONATHAN BOUCHER, an English archæologist, died. He was an episcopal preacher in America, till the revolution drove him back to England. He prepared a glossary of provincial and archæological words, intended for a supplement to Johnson's Dictionary.

1806. The squadron under Miranda, intended to begin a revolution in South America, engaged two Spanish guardacostas. The Spaniards captured two schooners, having on board 22 officers and 30 men, all of whom were hanged or sent to the mines.

1813. The American army under Gen. Pike took York, the capital of Upper Canada. The British blew up the works, by which Gen. Pike was killed, as well as about 50 of the British, and 200 American soldiers killed or wounded.

1830. City of Guatemala nearly destroyed by an earthquake.

1834. THOMAS STOTHARD died; celebrated for his illustrations to the _Canterbury Tales_, _Rogers' Italy_, _Pilgrims' Progress_ and _Robinson Crusoe_.

1836. JOHN HART, an American physician, died. He joined the army at the outbreak of the revolution, and continued in it until it was disbanded. He was afterwards a member of the Massachusetts senate, and much esteemed as a physician and a patriot.

1836. Battle near Fort Brook, Florida, between the United States volunteer troops and the Indians. The Indians were defeated with the loss of 200 killed. Loss of the U. S. troops, 2 killed, 24 wounded.

1836. The celebrated Bible presented by Alcuin to Charlemagne, was sold at auction in London for £1,500 ($6,666). See Dec. 1, 801.

1838. Baroness SCHOPENHAUER died at Jena; a woman of talent and celebrity, and author of various works, which were collected in 24 vols.

1838. Great fire at Charlestown, S. C., "which laid waste 145 acres of the most populous part of the city."

1849. WILLIAM B. COOPER, ex-governor, and a highly respected citizen of the state of Delaware, died at his residence, Laurel hill.

1850. The Atlantic, first steamer of the Collins line, sailed from Liverpool.

1855. Col. KINNEY arrested in New York on a bench warrant, for beginning a military enterprise against Nicaragua.

1856. Ratification of the treaty of peace between England, France and Turkey, and Russia, which terminated the Crimean war.

1856. ROBERT KELLY, a New York merchant, died, aged 47. Having acquired a fortune and a high reputation as a merchant, he devoted his attention to science, acquired eight languages, and filled many important offices. His superior talents and untiring industry were under the direction of philanthropic and Christian impulses.

APRIL 28.

1060 B. C. The 28th Jiar is kept as a fast by the Hebrews for the death of Samuel, which took place two years before the destruction of Saul.

492 B. C. MENENIUS AGRIPPA, a Roman patrician died; celebrated for appeasing a sedition by a fable of the belly and the limbs.

357. CONSTANTIUS, the third and surviving son of Constantine the great, visited Rome for thirty days, when he displayed the magnificence of a triumph.

1489. HENRY PERCY, earl of Northumberland, murdered.

1494. JOAN BOUGHTON, a widow, was burned for heresy; said to be the first female martyr of England.

1521. CORTEZ having constructed 13 brigantines with sails and oars, and transported them on the backs of 8000 Tlascalans, they were launched on this day in the lake of Mexico, with religious ceremonies under a discharge of the artillery and small arms, followed by the singing of _Te Deum_ to the music of military instruments. They were provided with sails and twelve oars each, and a falconet, or small brass cannon. The final success of the enterprise was greatly indebted to these vessels.

1535. ALBERT PIO, a Spanish ecclesiastic buried with extraordinary pomp at Paris, in the church of the Cordeliers.

1552. The council of Trent was prorogued for two years; it did not assemble again until 1562.

1636. JULIUS CÆSAR, an English statesman under Elizabeth, died. He was a man of great learning and integrity, charitable and benevolent.

1710. THOMAS BETTERTON, an English, tragedian, died. He was a bookbinder previous to going upon the stage; and acquired a high degree of reputation as an actor.

1721. An order of the English council was issued to suppress Hellfire clubs.

1738. Shakspeare's tragedy of _Julius Cæsar_ performed at Drury Lane theatre, for the purpose of raising a fund for the erection of a monument to his memory at Westminster.

1751. THOMAS GIBSON, an eminent English painter, died.

1752. FRANCIS OUDIN, a French Jesuit, died. He was professor of theology at Dijon, and an author.

1754. WASHINGTON attacked a French encampment at the confluence of the Alleghany and Monongahela. The night was dark and rainy, and the enemy completely secure. His troops having surrounded the camp, fired and rushed upon the French, who immediately surrendered.

1760. Battle of Sillery, in Canada, between the British garrison at Quebec, 3000, under Gen. Murray, and the French under Levi, consisting of 10 battalions of regulars, 6000 Canadian militia, and a body of Indians. The British general finding himself in danger of being outflanked, retreated to his fortifications, with the loss of 1000 men. The French loss was still greater, and they reaped no essential advantage from the victory.

1772. The counts STRUENSEE, and BRANDT, the favorite of the king of Denmark, executed at Copenhagen. Their alleged crime was an intrigue with the queen of Denmark, princess Caroline Matilda, sister of George III, of England.

1779. SIMON BARNARD, a celebrated aid-du-camp of Napoleon, and for some time chief of the engineer corps of the United States, was born at Dôle, in France.

1786. GUSTAVUS, king of Sweden, read the eulogy of Creutz, the poet and statesman, who died a short time previous. Creutz signed with Franklin a treaty of amity between the United States and Sweden, 1783.

1788. Maryland, the 7th state in succession, adopted the constitution of the United States; votes 63 to 12.

1789. Mutiny on board the ship Bounty on her voyage from Otaheite, whither she had sailed to procure fruit trees to stock the West India islands. The vessel had on board 1015 plants of the bread fruit tree. Lieut. Bligh and 19 of the crew were compelled to go into an open boat; "they reached the island of Timor in June, after a perilous voyage of 1200 leagues."

1789. THOMAS HUTCHINS, geographer-general of the United States, died. He was a native of New Jersey, and was in England at the commencement of the revolutionary war, where he refused some excellent offers, and was subsequently imprisoned and lost £12,000 on suspicion of holding correspondence with Franklin in Paris. He afterwards returned to America, served under Greene in South Carolina, and published several historical and geographical works, with charts and maps.

1793. Battle of Duren; the French defeated by the Austrians under Clairfait, with a loss of 2000, and their military chest, 12 cannon, and 13 ammunition wagons.

1796. Action off Lizard point, between the British ship Indefatigable, sir Edward Pellew, and French frigate La Virginia, 44 guns; the latter captured.

1796. CHARETTE, the Vendean chief, executed at Nantes. This afforded General Hoche an opportunity to subdue the royalists in France.

1797. ROBERT PARKER hanged for burglary at Knoxville, Tennessee.

1799. The French ambassadors were assassinated at Radstat. The infamy of this base action is shared by the French emigrants and Austrians.

1799. Battle of Adda, in Italy; the Russians under Suwarrow defeated the French under Serrurier, who, with his division, was taken prisoner.

1804. Surinam, or Dutch Guiana, in South America, taken by the British; the Dutch surrendered 2000 prisoners, 282 cannon, and several vessels.

1813. Spesutie island taken possession of by the British, situated near the head of Chesapeake.

1813. Privateer Yorktown, Capt. Riker, of New York, captured the British brig Avery, with a valuable cargo, and brought her safe to port.

1813. MICHAEL LAVRIONOVITCH GOLENITCHEFF KUTUSOFF-SMOLENSKI, the famous Russian field-marshal, died. He commanded the Russian army destined to oppose the invasion of Bonaparte in 1812.

1814. BONAPARTE embarked for Elba from Frejus. He had landed at this place on his return from Egypt, when about to commence that astonishing career, which will be remembered in the history of Europe to the end of time; but which now, to all appearance, was about to terminate, and that at the very point from which it had started.

1851. EDWARD CODRINGTON, a British admiral, died, aged 81. He distinguished himself under Howe and Nelson, but his name is chiefly renowned by the famous action of Navarino, where he had chief command.

1854. The American barque Hespar, bound for Antwerp, came in collision with the Bremen barque Favorite, for Baltimore, having 180 passengers on board, all of whom perished.

1854. WILLIAM HENRY PAGOT, marquis of Anglesey, died, aged 86. He distinguished himself in several campaigns, especially in the Peninsular war, and was raised to the rank of field marshal.

1855. GIOVANNI PIANORI, a hired bravo, attempted to shoot Louis Napoleon while riding in the Champs Elysees.

1856. The receipt of the ratification of the treaty of peace by all the foreign powers was announced officially in England, and a day of thanksgiving throughout the United Kingdom was appointed.

1857. FREDERICK EMERSON, an eminent American instructor, died, aged 68. He was the author of a popular arithmetic used in the public schools.

APRIL 29.

997. ADALBERT, archbishop of Prague, murdered. His zeal led him among foreigners as a missionary; after visiting Bohemia, he went among the Poles, by whom he was killed. Boleslaus purchased his body for its weight in gold.

1075. WALTHEOF, earl of Huntingdon and Northampton, executed by William the conqueror. He had married Judith, William's niece; and being considered by the English as the last resource of their nation, they most grievously lamented his death.

1205. King JOHN, along with wine of various kinds to be transmitted to Windsor, ordered to be sent immediately the romance of the _History of England_.

1594. THOMAS COOPER, an English prelate, died; highly commended for his great learning and eloquence.

1643. FERDINANDO, lord Fairfax, the father of the famous General Fairfax, defeated at Bramham moor, by the earl of Newcastle.

1649. DOCKIER, a prominent leader of the _Levelers_, in the times of the English commonwealth, was shot by order of the government.

1652. A great eclipse of the sun in England. The almanacs of the day did not let so favorable an opportunity escape for exercising their power over the ignorant, and accordingly their prognostics created such a terror among the inhabitants "and so exceedingly alarmed the whole nation," says Evelyn, "that hardly any one would work, nor stir out of their houses. So ridiculously were they abused by ignorant and knavish star-gazers."