Chapter XXIII: Part 23

1716. ROBERT SOUTH, a celebrated English divine, died, aged 83, and was buried with great honors to his memory. He shone as a polite scholar and a wit, and is famous for his controversy with Dr. Sherlock on the subject of the trinity. His sermons were published in 11 vols. octavo.

1721. ELIHU YALE, the benefactor of Yale college, died. He was descended from an ancient and wealthy family in Wales; born in New Haven 1748; acquired an estate in the East Indies, and on his return was chosen governor of the East India company.

1738. JOHN PETER NICERON, a popular French preacher, died; also author of _Memoirs of Men illustrious in the Republic of Letters_, of which the 39th volume was finished in the year of his death. He addicted himself to laborious studies and had an extensive knowledge of ancient and modern languages.

1747. Unsuccessful attempt of the French and Spaniards to force the pass aux Exiles in Dauphiny; the chevalier Belleisle and 5,000 men were left dead on the field of battle.

1758. Battle of Ticonderoga, in which the British and provincial troops of 16,000 men under Abercrombie, were repulsed in attempting to storm the fort, then under the command of Montcalm. The British general was induced to this rash attack by the favorable report of the engineer, and from having learned that a reinforcement was expected from Canada. The French had felled a breastwork of trees in front of the fort with their branches pointing outward and sharpened, so as to form an almost impenetrable abatis: in this the assailants became entangled, and were exposed to a murderous fire. Abercrombie, finding the attack fruitless, ordered a retreat after a contest of near four hours. Nearly 2,000 of the British were killed or wounded. Of the Highland regiment nearly half were either killed or desperately wounded. The loss of the enemy, who were covered by their works, was inconsiderable.

1760. Action in the bay of Chaleur, between the British and French fleets, in which the latter were defeated with the loss of 3 large ships of war and 20 sail of schooners, sloops and small privateers.

1768. Thirty men boarded a schooner at Boston that had been seized by the officers of the customs, for having 30 hogsheads of molasses on board; they confined the officers and carried off the molasses.

1775. Lord DUNMORE, the royal governor of Virginia, with his family, took refuge on board the Fowey, British man-of-war, at Yorktown.

1776. The Declaration of Independence of the United States proclaimed from the steps of the state house at Philadelphia, and read to the army in the city of New York.

1777. Battle of fort Ann; the British defeated the Americans under colonel Livingston, who retreated to fort Edward. The Americans lost 128 cannon and considerable stores.

1778. The French fleet under count d'Estaing arrived off the Delaware, having been at sea 87 days.

1779. The British under governor TRYON plundered and burnt Norwalk, Conn. Two churches, 80 dwellings, 87 barns, 22 stores, 4 mills and 5 vessels were destroyed.

1784. TORBERN BERGMAN, a Swedish chemist and natural philosopher, died. He was the friend of Linnæus, and an able and successful investigator of the secrets of nature.

1790. RENWICK WILLIAMS, known in London as the _Monster_, was convicted of cutting the garments of Miss Porter. The judge reserved the case till he could determine whether the crime was felony or only a misdemeanor. Williams was a dancing master and for years a great nuisance in London.

1793. The dauphin, LOUIS XVII, taken from his mother and placed in the care of the _sans culotte_ cobbler, Simon, under whose tender mercies he soon yielded up his life.

1797. EDMUND BURKE, a British writer, orator and statesman of great eminence, died. His complete works have been published in 16 vols. octavo.

1813. Outposts of the American encampment at fort George attacked by the British and Indians. A company under lieutenant Eldridge was sent to support the posts, but fell into an ambush, and after an obstinate struggle 13 were killed, 5 escaped; the remainder, including lieutenant Eldridge, were taken prisoners and put to death by the Indians with great barbarity. In consequence of this event and similar outrages, general Brown received into the service of the United States a party of Seneca and Tuscarora Indians, under young Cornplanter.

1814. The Americans under Gen. SCOTT succeeded in throwing a bridge over the Chippewa, and compelled general Riall to retreat to Ten-mile creek. General Brown occupied the British works the same evening.

1822. THOMAS FANSHAW MIDDLETON, bishop of Calcutta, died. He was the first to hold that office, and was distinguished for talents and acquirements, zeal and fidelity.

1838. Treaty of peace concluded between Russia and Turkey.

1847. The canal from the Durance to Marseilles in France completed. More than one-fifth of its length is through the Alps in tunnels.

1848. To test the effect of an eclipse upon animals five healthy linnets were put in a cage together and fed; at the end of it three of them were found dead; a dog which had long been kept fasting, and which was eating hungrily when the eclipse commenced, left his food as soon as the darkness set in; a colony of ants which had been working actively, suddenly ceased from their labors at the same moment.

1850. The Alabama historical society was organized at Tuskaloosa.

1852. A destructive fire at Montreal laid waste a considerable portion of the city.

1853. The American expedition under commodore Perry arrived at Japan.

1856. PRESTON S. BROOKS, indicted at Washington for an assault upon senator Sumner, was sentenced to pay a fine of $300.

JULY 9.

597 B. C. An eclipse of the sun, foretold by Thales.

518. ANASTASIUS I, the silentiary, died; who from obscure birth became emperor of the East by marrying the widow of the emperor Zeno.

551. The city of Berytus overthrown by an earthquake. It gave birth to Sanconiatho, the Phœnician historian, about the period of the Trojan war, in the time of Hercules.

552. The Armenians commenced their era, Tuesday. The year, like the Noetic, consists of twelve months of thirty days, with an insertion of five, or (in leap year) six days, after the 5th of August, when their ecclesiastical year commences. In their correspondence with Europeans, they usually adopt, as in Russia, the old Julian style, and the months.

1228. STEPHEN LANGTON, archbishop of Canterbury, died. He was a man of great abilities as a writer and a politician. He was nominated to the office of archbishop by the pope, 1207, which being considered as an usurpation of the rights of the king of England, lead to a quarrel between those dignitaries, which terminated disastrously to the king.

1386. Battle of Sempach, in the canton of Lucerne, which established the independence of Switzerland. Leopold II, duke of Austria, was killed in this battle.

1535. ANTHONY DUPRAT, a very eminent French statesman, died. He was president of the parliament of Paris, and a man who, to increase his fortune or enlarge his power, did not hesitate to sacrifice either fame or virtue.

1546. ROBERT MAXWELL died. He was chiefly instrumental in bringing and procuring the passage of an act in the Scottish parliament permitting the reading of the scriptures in the vulgar tongue.

1598. DAVID BOUCHARD, governor of Perigord, killed at the siege of Lisle. He was a famous chieftain under Henry IV of France.

1669. The encenia, or dedication of the incomparable theatre at Oxford, endowed and founded 1664, by archbishop Selden. The first act held in a secular building was kept there on the same day. Wren adopted his ground plan from the theatre of Marcellus at Rome.

1693. The English or confederated army defeated by the French at Landon.

1742. JOHN OLDMIXON, an English historian and poet, died. He was a man of learning and abilities, but a violent party writer, and a severe and malevolent critic.

1746. PHILIP V of Spain, died. His accession to the throne was opposed by the archduke of Austria, and gave rise to one of the most bloody wars on record.

1755. Memorable defeat of BRADDOCK on his march to fort Du Quesne. The English army of 1,200 was ambuscaded, the general having neglected all precautions against such an event, and totally routed by the French and Indians, about 900 in number. Of 85 officers 64 were killed, and about half the privates. The remains of the army were brought off by Washington, who was the only officer on horseback that escaped.

1762. Revolution in Russia, followed by the abdication of Peter III. The empress Catharine was declared autocratrix, and Peter imprisoned, where he died seven days afterwards.

1762. A substance called honey dew fell in the neighborhood of Rathiermuc, Ireland, which loaded the trees and long grass in such a manner that quantities of it were saved by scoops.

1766. JONATHAN MAYHEW died; a distinguished American clergyman, and missionary among the Indians.

1776. The leaden statue of George III, in New York, thrown down by the revolutionists, and sent to Litchfield, Conn., where the women manufactured it into bullets.

1781. Captain EGGLESTON, of Lee's legion, routed a British foraging party at Friday's ferry, Congaree river, and took 45 dragoons.

1785. WILLIAM STRAHAN, an eminent Scottish printer, died. Having served a regular apprenticeship, he settled in London, where he rose to great eminence in his profession, and finally sat in parliament.

1790. Action off cape Musalo, between the Swedish fleet under the king in person, and the Russian fleet. It continued into the following day, and resulted in the destruction of 5 Russian frigates, 15 galleys, 2 floating batteries, 9 galliots, and 2 other floating vessels. The Swedes lost but one of their galleys burnt.

1794. Seventy-one persons were guillotined at Paris.

1805. GEORGE WOLFGANG PANZER, a distinguished German bibliographer, died. He published a catalogue of all the works known to have been printed from the invention of the art of printing to the year 1536. The works in all languages are chronologically arranged, the place of printing given, also a short account of them, and the libraries and publications in which they are contained.

1806. Confederation of the Rhine signed at Paris, between Bonaparte and several of the smaller German states, who placed themselves under the protection of France, and renounced their connection with the German empire.

1810. The kingdom of Holland annexed to France; Amsterdam to rank as the third city in the empire, Paris being first and Rome second.

1814. United States army under general Brown left Riall's works on the Chippewa, and pursued the British to Queenstown, and encamped there.

1816. Rio de la Plata declared itself independent of Spain, and took the title of the United Provinces of South America.

1818. RICHARD BEATNIFFE, the well known author of the _Norfolk Journal_, died at Norwich, England.

1830. Erzeroum, the capital of Turkish Armenia, surrendered to the Russians.

1831. The Belgian congress acceded to the articles agreed on at London by the plenipotentiaries of the five great powers, and declared Leopold of Saxe-Coburg king of Belgium.

1838. ROBERT GRANT, governor of Bombay, died; a man greatly respected for his talents and his public services.

1843. WASHINGTON ALSTON, the great historical painter of South Carolina, died.

1850. ZACHARY TAYLOR, president of the United States, died, aged 65. He was a general in the United States army, and won laurels in the Mexican war.

1853. CHARLES CALDWELL, a medical writer and teacher of great celebrity, died at Louisville, Ky., aged 90.

1854. RICHARD SHUBRICK PINCKNEY, a naval officer of the United States, died at Charlestown, S. C., aged 57. He entered the navy in 1814, and was engaged in the operations against the Algerine pirates of the Mediterranean, where he was severely wounded. He commanded the Decatur during the Mexican war.

JULY 10.

70. Conflagration of the second temple of the Jews, in the night following the ninth day of Lous (Ab) the second year of Vespasian.

138. PUBLIUS ÆLIUS ADRIAN, emperor of Rome, died. He was a renowned general and great traveler; and on a visit to Britain built the British wall, extending from Newcastle to Carlisle, 80 miles in length.

983. Pope BENEDICT VII died.

1024. BENEDICT VIII, pope, died. To the arts of the politician he added the valor of the warrior, and exterminated the Saracens who invaded Italy. He also defeated the Greeks, who were ravaging Apulia.

1212. Burning of London bridge, when 3000 persons inhabiting that borough perished in the flames.

1440. An anniversary was held in Haarlem for two days, commemorating the invention of printing on movable wooden types in this year, by Lawrence Coster. The emblems on his monument are a branch of beech, a winged A, a wreathed snake and a lamp. It was also celebrated by the printers of Dortrecht and Rotterdam.

1460. Battle of Northampton, England; the forces of Henry VI defeated by earls Warwick, Salisbury and March, with great slaughter among the gentry and nobility on both sides, and Henry was taken prisoner.

1472. The siege of Beauvais, France, raised by Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, who had invested it with an army of 80,000 men. An anniversary is still held on this day in memory of the heroine Jeane Hachette, and her regiment of women, who signalized themselves at this famous siege.

1559. HENRY II, of France, died. He was a persecutor of the protestants, and during the thirteen years of his reign, much embroiled in war. He recovered Calais from the English, and was wounded at a tournament, of which he died. (See June 26, 1574; 29, 1559.)

1579. WILLIAM WHITTINGHAM, dean of Durham, died. He was one of the translators of the Genevan or German Bible, usually called the _Breeches Bible_.

1584. WILLIAM I, prince of Orange, assassinated. He is styled the father of the Dutch republic, having brought about the union of the provinces. He was shot in the breast with three balls by an assassin supposed to have been employed by the king of Spain, who claimed the sovereignty of the Netherlands.

1634. DE VRIES sailed from the Texel in the ship King David, 14 guns, with 25 head of cattle, and 30 planters, intending to form a colony on the coast of Guyana.

1680. LEWIS MORERI, a learned French writer, died, aged 37; author of the great historical dictionary, which appeared 1674, and was afterwards enlarged to 10 vols. folio, and greatly improved in the numerous editions it underwent.

1683. FRANCIS EUDES DE MEZERAI, a French historian, died. He entered upon the laborious character of historian of France at the age of 26, and his work was received with universal applause. Several other books were also published by him, reflecting great honor upon his integrity, candor and faithfulness.

1686. JOHN FELL, an English prelate, died. During the civil war he bore arms for the king, and lost his offices by his loyalty. He was distinguished for learning and assiduity, and published many excellent works.

1688. The city of Smyrna in Asia destroyed by an earthquake.

1689. "Here lyeth the Body of Mr. David Gardiner, of Gardiner Island, deceased IVLY 10, 1689, in the Fifty-fourth year of his Age. Well, sick, dead, in one hour's space. Hartford, Con." He was the first white child born in Connecticut.

1704. The fortress of Gibraltar in Spain taken by the British.

1733. Nearly 800,000 quarters of grain exported from England to Portugal; cost, £1,000,000 sterling.

1767. ALEXANDER MONROE, a Scottish physician, anatomist and writer, died. His _Osteology_ has been translated into several languages.

1776. New York declared an independent state.

1777. Major-general Prescott, commander of the British army at Newport, surprised at night in his quarters, and carried off by a party of 40 Americans.

1780. French fleet under admiral Ternay, arrived at Rhode Island, having on board 6000 French troops under count Rochambeau, intended for the American service.

1791. Battle of Maclin; a body of 70,000 Turks under the grand vizier, defeated by the Russians. The Turks lost 4000 killed, and the whole of their camp; 30 cannon, and 15 standards were taken. The flower of the Asiatic troops, with their chiefs were in this battle.

1792. CHABANON, a French dramatist and translator, died. His best works belong to a species of criticism which is characterized by learning and taste.

1794. Battle in India between the British army, and the Hindoos under Viziaram Rauze, rajah of Vizigapatam. The rajah and most of his officers were killed; British loss 10 killed, 50 wounded.

1796. Island of Elba seized by the English under Duncan and lord Nelson.

1799. The French under LA GRANGE surprised the Mamelukes at Sababier, in Egypt, took their baggage, 50 horses and 700 camels.

1799. Action between American ship Planter, captain Watts, 18 guns and 43 men, and a French privateer of 22 guns, which was beaten off "after an action of 5 glasses." Two female passengers, Mrs. MacDowell and Miss Mary Harley, dressed the wounded and supplied cartridges. The Planter had 4 killed, 8 wounded.

1804. FRANCIS AMBROSE DIDOT, a learned and ingenious French printer, died. He made some important improvements in the printing press and paper mill, and is supposed to have hastened his death by a too close application to the revision of an edition of Montaigne's works.

1810. Ciudad Rodrigo surrendered to the French under Massena, with a garrison of 6000, after having been bombarded 25 days, a great quantity of artillery, ammunition and rich stores were taken. This fortress was built by the Spanish as a rampart against Portugal, from which it is distant only 8 miles. (See Jan. 19.)

1810. Holland incorporated with the French empire, by which all the 17 provinces of the Netherlands were united under the dominion of Napoleon.

1826. LUTHER MARTIN, an eminent lawyer and one of the delegates from Maryland in forming the constitution of the United States, died, aged 82.

1828. LOUIS AUGUSTIN GUILLAUME BOST, a well known French naturalist and professor at the Jardin du Roi, died.

1834. Abolition riots in New York.

1850. JAMES LOVEL, oldest member of the society of the Cincinnati, died at St. Matthews, S. C., aged 92.

1852. A fire in Boston destroyed the Mariner's church, the Sailor's home, the Boylston school house, and many dwellings and stores.

1855. The British bombarded the Redan tower at Sebastopol, for one day.

1856. JOHN LOCKE, an American physician and naturalist, died at Cincinnati, aged 64. He was a native of Maine, but spent a considerable portion of his life in Cincinnati; was connected with the geological survey of the state, and of lake Superior, and seems to have had a knowledge of various other sciences.

JULY 11.

472. PROCOPIUS ANTHEMIUS, emperor of Rome, murdered. He acquired the title of Augustus by his valor. Ricimir, a general to whom he had given his daughter in marriage, burst the gates of Rome, and imbrued his hands in the blood of his father-in-law, while his barbarian followers were indulged without control, in the three-fold license of murder, rapine and indiscriminate pillage.

1103. ERIC (the good), king of Denmark, died at Cyprus.

1191. Acre, in Palestine, surrendered by the Saracens to the crusaders under Richard of England and Philip of France, who had besieged it two years. Nine battles were fought in the vicinity of mount Carmel, with such vicissitudes of fortune, that in one attack the sultan forced his way into the city, while in a sally the Christians penetrated the royal tent. There were slain, by the computation of the minister of Saladin, 100,000 Christians.

1450. JACK CADE, an Irishman who headed a rebellion in England, was slain near Lewes, and his head placed on London bridge.

1576. MARTIN FROBISHER, the navigator, descried Friesland "rising like pinnacles of steeples and all covered with snow;" and entered, with his two small barks, the strait which bears his name.

1628. WILLIAM DANIEL died; a famed Greek and Hebrew scholar, translator of the New Testament and liturgy into Irish.

1708. Battle of Oudenarde, in Belgium, between the French and the allied army under the duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene. The French were defeated with the loss of 15,000; loss of the allies 5000.

1724. MARY MANLEY died; an English authoress, of considerable reputation as a writer, but of a wanton and licentious character. She wrote principally plays and romances.

1754. The Indians, who had been assembled to attend the congress of the colonies at Albany, were dismissed apparently well pleased and had engaged their coöperation with the colonies against the French. One of the sachems chalked out a sketch of the interior forests, rivers and lakes, with a clear discernment of their relations, and made the judicious remark, that Louisburg was one key of the inland country, and New York another, and that the power which had both, would open the great chest, and have Indians and all.

1763. PETER FORSKAL died; a celebrated Swedish naturalist and oriental traveler.

1764. ANDREW CANTWELL died; an Irish practitioner and writer on medicine of considerable abilities.

1782. JOHN JAMES FLIPART, a French engraver of great merit, died.

1782. Savannah, Georgia, evacuated by the British, and taken possession of by general Wayne.

1789. JAMES NECKER, the prime minister and great financier, ordered to leave France.

1797. CHARLES MACKLIN, an Irish actor and dramatic writer, died, aged 107. His name was M'Laughlin, which he changed for one more euphonious. His last performance was at the age of 90, when his memory failed him, and he took leave of the audience forever. His comedies still keep the stage.

1804. A duel fought between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, at Hoboken, opposite New York. On the first fire Hamilton fell mortally wounded, on the same spot where, a short time previous, his eldest son had been killed in a duel. He lingered until the afternoon of the following day, when he expired.

1807. MICHAEL NEKITITCH MINAVIEW, a Russian author of much distinction, died. One of his most admired productions is _Oskold_, which describes the march of the northern nations against Constantinople.

1809. Battle of Znaim; the French under Marmont, duke of Ragusa, defeated the Austrians, took 2 standards, 3 cannon and 3000 prisoners.

1811. Earthquake at St. Michael's one of the Azores; an island was formed where the water had been 30 fathoms in depth.

1812. United States frigate Essex captured a British transport with a detachment of the first regiment of Royal Scots on board.

1813. Blackrock taken by the British, who burnt the barracks, blockhouse, and other buildings, spiked several cannon, and took off a quantity of provisions, leaving on the shore a part of their killed and wounded.

1814. United States brig Rattlesnake captured by a British 50 gun ship. The Rattlesnake had some time previous thrown overboard all her guns except two, to escape another British man-of-war.

1814. The fort at Eastport, Moose island, mounting six 24 pounders, commanded by major Putnam with about 80 men, surrendered to a large British force. In consequence of this capture, the whole of the islands in Passamaquoddy bay fell into the hands of the enemy.

1818. The use of the French language in judicial proceedings and by the public authorities abolished in the Netherlands, only allowing advocates to make use of it for a certain time.

1853. An earthquake destroyed the city of Teheran, the capital of Persia, having a population of 60,000.

1853. SAMUEL APPLETON, one of the most opulent, benevolent and public spirited citizens of Boston, died, aged 87. His charitable donations for many years exceeded $25,000 per annum.

JULY 12.

100 B. C. Birthday of JULIUS CÆSAR, the Roman emperor. Pliny says of him that he could employ at the same time his ears to listen, his eyes to read, his hand to write, and his mind to dictate.

1174. King WILLIAM of Scotland taken by the famous chief-justiciary, Glanville. This success of the arms of king Henry has been attributed to his having, on the Thursday previous, done penance at the tomb of Thomas a Becket.

1191. The Christians took possession of the city of Acre. The two western kings planted the royal standard each in his own portion of the conquest, and divided the booty of the Saracens between them.

1212. The Christians defeated the Moors at Toulouse.

1536. DESIDERIUS ERASMUS, the celebrated Dutch philosopher, died. He was the most learned man of the age in which he lived, and greatly contributed to the restoration of learning in Europe. The _New Testament_ in Greek (of which he was the first actual publisher, 1516), written with his own hand, is, with other relics, including his sword and pencil, to be seen at Basil, where he died.

1543. Marriage of HENRY VIII with the protestant lady, Catharine Parr, his sixth queen. Kate was a _doctor_, and a lover of learning; and survived the queen-killer.

1566. First stone of the walls of the Tuilleries at Paris laid, in the presence of Charles IX and his mother, Catharine de Medicis. The site of this famous palace had been occupied by a manufactory.

1581. MAURICE CHAUNCEY died at Paris; a French historian prior of the Carthusians, and confessor to queen Mary.

1609. HUDSON having continued his course westward for some days, first obtained sight of the American continent, and on the 17th, the fog having cleared up, ran into Penobscot bay, in the state of Maine.

1625. PAUL BENI, a learned Italian author, died. He censured the dictionary of the della crusca academy at Florence, and refuted its opinions in his defence of Tasso and Ariosto. His works were collected in 5 vols. folio.

1676. HENRY STUBBE, a learned English author, drowned. His writings are very numerous and instructive, and evince great research; at the same time they abound in abuse, satire and malevolence.

1691. Battle of Aghrim in Ireland; the French under Gen. St. Ruth defeated and himself killed by the forces of William III under Gen. Ginckle. Of the French and Irish catholics 4000 were slain and 600 taken, with their baggage, artillery, &c.; English lost 800 on the field.

1691. Cardinal PIGNATELLI elected pope, and took the name of Innocent III.

1712. RICHARD CROMWELL died, aged 82. He assumed the protectorate of England on the death of his father, but found himself inadequate to sustain the office, and resigned it to retire to more peaceful pursuits. He inherited little of his father's ambition.

1637. JOHNSON, "a stranger in London," addressed Cave, editor of the _Gentleman's Magazine_, "having observed in his papers very uncommon encouragement to men of letters." In this letter he proposed a translation from the Italian of Sarpi.

1730. LAWRENCE CORSINE elected pope, the conclave having sat four months.

1776. Lord HOWE arrived from Europe with a formidable squadron and 30,000 men, chiefly Hessians, and joined his brother Gen. Howe on Staten island.

1776. Capt. COOK sailed on his third and last voyage of discovery.

1779. BIŒRNSTAHL, a learned Swedish professor of the oriental languages, died at Salonica in Turkey.

1780. SUMPTER with 133 men attacked and defeated a detachment of British at Williamson's plantation, South Carolina.

1791. BABA MAHOMET, dey of Algiers, died, aged 80. He was one of the most singular characters of the age; raised himself from a common soldier to the throne, and governed a nation of barbarians more than 25 years with uncommon reputation. He was succeeded by Sidi-Hassan, his prime minister, whose succession was accomplished, for the first time, without bloodshed.

1793. The first official trial of the Clauda Chappe telegraph was made with complete success; transmitting despatches forty-eight leagues in 13 min. 40 sec.

1794. Battle of Edikhoffen commenced, which continued three days. The French lost 1000 killed, and 6000 prisoners fell into the hands of the Prussians; notwithstanding which the French finally obtained the victory, and obliged Moellendorf to retreat 60 miles.

1796. Ninety-four prisoners taken by the Algerines on board American vessels, were redeemed by the United States consul at Algiers.

1798. The knights of St. John at Malta surrendered to Bonaparte. They had possessed the island nearly 270 years, and under them it had risen from a state of destitution to a place of great opulence and luxury; and the military works which remain to this day, are a monument of their perseverance and power.

1801. Action off the coast of Spain between the British fleet, 5 sail of the line, and the combined French and Spanish fleet of 13 sail, and a considerable number of gun boats. Two of the Spanish ships, of 112 guns each, blew up, another of 74 was taken, and the remainder made their way into Cadiz.

1803. CHARLES JORDAN died in Anson county, North Carolina, aged 114. His favorite amusement was hunting, and only four days before his death he killed two deer at a shot.

1804. ALEXANDER HAMILTON, an American statesman, died of a wound received in a duel with Col. Burr. Hamilton was born on the island of St. Croix 1757, and came to New York in 1773. At the commencement of the war he joined the army, and was an aid-de-camp to Washington, and afterwards a major-general. He continued in the service until the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, where the troops under his command stormed and took the British works. He afterwards commenced the practice of law in New York, and rose to the highest eminence in the profession. He was appointed secretary of the treasury under Washington. As a statesman and a financier he revived the public credit, and placed the United States revenue on a permanent footing. Of all the coadjutors and advisors of Washington, Hamilton was doubtless the one in whose judgment and sagacity he reposed the greatest confidence, whether in military or civil career; and of all the American statesmen, he displayed the most comprehensive understanding and the most varied ability, whether applied to subjects practical or speculative. A collection of his works was issued in New York some time after his death, in 3 vols. octavo.

1807. Ratification of the peace between Bonaparte and the king of Prussia at Tilsit.

1812. The United States frigate Constitution completely manned and equipped, under the command of Com. Isaac Hull, left Annapolis in Chesapeake bay, for New York, and made a singular escape from the British squadron, consisting of a sixty-four gun ship, three frigates and a schooner, by running into Nantucket harbor. She was chased sixty hours, and escaped by _kedging_, an invention of Chas. Morris.

1812. Gen. HULL, with an army of United States volunteers invaded Canada.

1814. JOHN SWIFT, a revolutionary soldier and brigadier general in the United States army, killed whilst reconnoitering the British positions at Queenstown. He had surprised an outpost, and was most basely shot in the breast by a soldier who had begged and received quarters. Swift however, killed the soldier himself.

1816. A slide from the bank of West Canada creek, near the village of Herkimer, carried nearly five acres of land into the creek.

1816. A dreadful storm burst upon the town of Worchestz, in Hungary, which injured every house in the place; damage estimated at four millions of florins.

1823. The Diana steam boat, built at Kidderpore, near Calcutta, launched; and on the same day she made her first voyage on the Ganges between Calcutta and Chinsoorah in six hours and a half. This was the first appearance of these boats in the east.

1832. The monolithic column, in honor of Alexander of Russia, was debarked at St. Petersburg. It measures 12 feet in diameter at the base, and is 84 feet in length; being the largest pillar of modern erection. It was raised upon its pedestal in September following.

1836. WILLIAM MURRAY died near Jonesborough, Tenn., aged 111.

1838. JOHN JAMIESON, an eminent Scottish seceder, died, aged 80. He is the author of several theological and miscellaneous works, and of a celebrated _Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language_.

1841. WM. JAMES MCNEVEEN, so celebrated as a physician and author, died at New York.

1851. DAGUERRE, inventor of the daguerreotype, died at Paris, aged 61.

1854. LOUIS DWIGHT died at Boston, aged 61. He was a native of Stockbridge, Mass., and graduated at Yale college in 1813. On the formation of the Prison discipline society, he was appointed corresponding secretary, and devoted the remainder of his life to the promotion of the interests of this important institution of public economy and Christian philanthropy.

1855. A convention of the friends of slavery was held at Lexington, Mo.

1855. A mob at Jonesville, Mo., seized a prisoner whom a jury had found guilty of murder, for which the statute punishment was imprisonment for life, and hung him on a tree.

1856. The Crimea was evacuated by the last of the allied forces of Great Britain and France.

1856. The submarine telegraph cable was laid across the St. Lawrence gulf, from cape Race cove, Newfoundland, and Ashby bay, cape Breton, a distance of 85 miles, and messages transmitted from place to place.

JULY 13.

325. The first œcumenical council, that is, council of the whole habitable earth, assembled at Nice, now Isnick, in Bythinia, where 318 fathers of the church subscribed the ordinances regulating the festival of Easter, and establishing the Godhead, in opposition to the dogmas of Arius.

573. Pope JOHN III died.

1024. HENRY II, emperor of Germany, died. He was successful in arms against the Greeks and Saracens, whom he drove from Calabria, restored peace and tranquility in Italy and Germany, and increased his popularity by various deeds of benevolence and kindness wherever he went.

1377. Isle of Wight taken by the French and plundered.

1568. ELIZABETH committed MARY queen of Scots to the castle of Bolton, a prisoner.

1571. GEORGE FABRICIUS, a learned German poet and historian, died, aged 55.

1621. THOMAS HARIOT, an English mathematician, died. He accompanied sir Walter Raleigh to America, and wrote an account of Virginia. It is said that Descartes drew from his works many of his improvements in algebra.

1629. GASPARD BERTHOLIN, a Swedish physician and divine, died. He is said to have learned to read perfectly in 14 days at the age of 3, and to compose with correctness Greek and Latin orations at the age of 13. His works are on anatomy, metaphysics, logic and rhetoric.

1637. Battle with the Pequods, in which the last body of that formidable tribe was exterminated. They had secreted themselves in a swamp near where Fairfield now stands, in Connecticut; when some of the rangers who were in pursuit of them discovering their lurking place, rushed in upon them, in defiance of their arrows, and the hazard of being swallowed in the miry bogs. After a fruitless parley, the Indians refusing to come to terms, the soldiers were ordered to cut through the swamp with their swords, in order to hem them in, till they were begirt in a narrow space and remained all night sorely galled by the fire of their besiegers. Taking advantage of a dense fog, some of the stoutest made their escape, leaving the rest to the mercy of their conquerors. They were discovered in the morning sitting in crowds, sullenly refusing to ask for their lives, and were shot by dozens or cut in pieces. The male children which were taken were sent to the Bermudas, and the females distributed to the English towns. This overthrow of a great and powerful nation, cast a terror upon the arms of the colonists, which brought other tribes to a lasting peace.

1650. Dr. LEVINS, a civilian, was hanged for having in his possession blank commissions from Charles II, against the commonwealth.

1677. WILLIAM BERKELEY, governor of Virginia, died in England, after having administered the office nearly 40 years. His measures were generally bigoted and revengeful.

1730. ELIJAH FENTON, an English poet and divine, died. He assisted Pope in the translation of the _Odyssey_.

1750. The excessive heat of the weather at this time caused the fish in the Thames to assemble in shoals under the bank, where they were readily caught.

1759. Battle of Zullechan, in which the Prussians were defeated by the Russians.

1762. JAMES BRADLEY, an English astronomer, died. He made some important discoveries, and greatly improved the instruments which enrich the celebrated observatory at Greenwich.

1772. Captain JAMES COOK sailed on his second voyage round the world.

1774. CHARLES FREY DE NEUVILLE, a French Jesuit, died, aged 81. He was long known as an eloquent preacher; but on the suppression of his order he retired into privacy.

1774. WILLIAM JOHNSON, Indian agent, died at his seat near Johnstown, during the sitting of a convention at his place. He was a man of stern and determined purpose, but urbane and conciliatory when necessary, and held a greater controlling influence over the Indians than any other individual since the settlement of the province.

1785. STEPHEN HOPKINS, a signer from Rhode Island, died. He was a man of learning and a powerful speaker. His signature to the declaration is indicative of a tremulous hand, owing to a nervous affection, which compelled him, when he wrote, to guide his right arm with his left.

1788. An extraordinary and destructive hail storm happened in France, converting many of the richest autumnal prospects into arctic desolations.

1793. JEAN PAUL MARAT, a notorious leader of the French revolution, assassinated. He was a humble physician in Paris when the storm of anarchy burst forth, and became the most insatiable advocate of human slaughter of all the blood-thirsty demons by whom he was surrounded. He endeavored to get up a general massacre, and publicly demanded 270,000 executions.

1795. Action between the British fleet, admiral Hotham, and the French fleet. French ship Alcide struck, but took fire and blew up with several hundred of her crew on board, who perished.

1807. JAMES BERNOUILLI 3d, a Swiss astronomer, died. He was one of an illustrious family of scientific men.

1809. Senegal, in Africa, taken by the British.

1810. FRANCIS JAMES JACKSON, British minister, burnt in effigy before the door of his lodgings in Albany.

1813. A British fleet of 11 ships, captured and plundered Portsmouth and Ocracoke, in North Carolina, and took the privateers Anaconda of New York, and Atlas of Philadelphia, then lying in port.

1831. JAMES NORTHCOTE, an English artist of some celebrity, died in Argyle st. London.

1843. JOHN ROWAN, an eminent statesman and jurist, of Kentucky, died at Louisville.

1851. JOHN LINGARD, the well known catholic historian of England, died at Hornby, aged 82.

1854. San Juan bombarded by the United States sloop of war Cyane, captain Hollins; and a party landing from the sloop burnt the entire town, with the exception of two small buildings. A demand had previously been made upon the authorities, by Capt. Hollins, for satisfaction for alleged injuries, but without effect. A considerable portion of the property destroyed belonged to Americans. One British vessel of war in the harbor protested against the act.

1854. Battle of Gaymas, between some Frenchmen under count Raousset de Boulbon, and the Mexicans under Col. Yanez. The former were defeated, the count taken prisoner, and shot on the 12th August.

1854. A riot occurred at Buffalo growing out of street preaching.

JULY 14.

66. It was on the 14th of _Lous_, during the festival of Zylophory, or wood carrying, at Jerusalem, to feed the perpetual fire at the sacred altar, that the zealots destroyed the house of Ananias the chief priest, and the palaces of Agrippa and Berenice, with all the public archives, containing the bonds of debtors, "the nerves of the city."

1099. Jerusalem taken by the crusaders.

1420. Battle of Prague; 4000 Hussites under their celebrated leader Zisca, repelled the Bohemian army of 30,000 under the emperor Sigismund.

1514. CHRISTOPHER BAINBRIDGE, an English archbishop, poisoned at Rome. He was the envoy of Henry VIII to the pope, where he distinguished himself.

1584. BALTHAZAR GERARD, the assassin of William prince of Orange, whom he shot through the breast with a pistol as he was going out of his palace at Delft, was executed in the same manner as Damiens (q. v.) and died, in his own conceit, a martyr of the church of Rome.

1675. Mendon, Mass., attacked by the Nipmuck Indians, and several persons killed. Mather says: "blood was never shed in Massachusetts, in the way of hostility, before this day."

1678. The expedition under M. de la Salle set out from Rochelle, consisting of thirty men, among whom were pilots, smiths, carpenters, and other useful artists.

1683. MUSTAPHA, the grand vizier, sat down before Vienna with an army of 150,000 Turks, and opened the trenches.

1694. Bombardment and destruction of Dieppe, in France, by the English.

1699. WILLIAM BATES, an English non-conformist divine, died. He was chaplain to Charles II, a man of great learning, and the intimate friend of the first men of the kingdom.

1711. The prince of Nassau, stadtholder of Friesland, was drowned in his coach while ferrying over the Hollandsdiep, near Moerdyk.

1719. BELL, the traveler, left St. Petersburg with Ismayloff the ambassador and a numerous retinue for China. They took the route by Moscow, Siberia and the great Tartar deserts, and did not reach Pekin until sixteen months after their departure from the Russian capital, having undergone great fatigue during the journey.

1741. EDWARD SYNGE, an Irish bishop, died. He distinguished himself for above twenty years as an active and laborious parish priest; and his tracts, written in a popular style, have been considered of so much value as to require frequent editions.

1742. RICHARD BENTLEY, a celebrated English divine and classical scholar, died. His editions of the ancient classics procured him a great reputation for learning, but they were made the medium for retorting upon his contemporaries, who assailed him on all sides.

1748. An eclipse of the sun observed at London. 10 digits eclipsed, and Venus seen in a crescent form through a telescope.

1762. PETER III (_Fedrowitch_), emperor of Russia, died in prison. He acquired the enmity of the nobility and clergy by trenching upon their privileges, and introducing foreign customs, and was hurled from his throne by a conspiracy, after a reign of six months, and probably murdered.

1766. The grand junction canal commenced, uniting the Trent with the Mersey, and opening a water communication with both the east and west coasts of England. This great improvement was originated with Brindsley, who is represented to have "handled rocks as you would plum pies, and made the four elements subservient to his will."

1774. Captain FURNEAUX, who sailed in the discovery ship Adventure with captain Cook, returned with the ship, having reached 67° 10´ north, and circumnavigated the globe.

1776. WASHINGTON refused to receive a letter from lord Howe, addressed to "George Washington, Esq.," and afterwards another addressed to "George Washington, &c., &c., &c." The British lion, on further study, gave his message the proper direction.

1780. CHARLES BATTEUX, a French philosopher, died; eminent for his erudition and his private virtues, and author of several works on classical literature.

1788. Congress ratified the constitution framed by the convention of which Washington was president, and it went into operation the ensuing March.

1789. Marquis DE MIRABEAU, an advocate of Quesnay's sect of political economists, and author of _Ami des Hommes_, died. He was father of the fiery orator, count Mirabeau.

1789. Destruction of the Bastile, at Paris. This awful fortress of despotism, of which the name had for ages inspired terror, and which had withstood a vigorous siege about two centuries previous, was invested by a mixed multitude of citizens and soldiers. De Launay, the governor, displayed a flag of truce and demanded a parley, but abusing the confidence which that signal inspired, he discharged a heavy fire of cannon and musketry on the besiegers. This act of treachery, so far from intimidating the people, inflamed their rage and rendered them desperate. They renewed the attack with frenzy, and carried the prison by assault. The governor was seized and massacred, and his head carried in triumph through the streets. The Bastile was razed to the ground, and with it the despotism of the French monarchy fell prostrate in the dust. It cost 200,000 livres to demolish this edifice to its foundations, and the materials were sold for 36,000.

1790. GIDEON ERNEST LAUDOHN, an Austrian field marshal, died. He was commander-in-chief of the Austrian forces, and so high was his reputation, that Frederic the Great of Prussia admitted that he feared nobody so much as Laudohn.

1790. Grand national confederation of France, at Paris, in the field of Mars, when the civic oath was administered. Accommodations were made for exhibiting at one view 350,000 persons on this occasion, in a vast amphitheatre.

1791. Commencement of the Birmingham riots, which were occasioned by the celebration of the anniversary of the French revolution, by some private individuals. The destruction of property was very great; Dr. Priestly's house, library, manuscripts and philosophical apparatus were totally consumed.

1794. British squadron captured, on the American station, 14 sail of French ships laden with provisions.

1795. The British took Simonstown, cape of Good Hope.

1796. The British post of Oswego delivered up to the Americans, agreeable to treaty stipulations. The British had continued to occupy stations within the state of New York since the revolution. As they marched out the United States troops marched in, planted a standard on the ramparts, and fired a salute of 15 guns.

1798. Congress passed the famous act for the punishment of sedition, &c., against the United States, commonly called the _gag law_.

1798. Battle of Chebriessa, in Egypt, the French under Bonaparte defeated the Mamelukes by land and water.

1807. GEORGE SAVILLE CAREY, an English dramatist and poet, died. He was bred to the profession of a printer, which he left for the stage. His writings all tend to awaken patriotic, generous and amiable emotions.

1808. Battle of Riosecco, in Spain; the French under Gen. Bessieres, came upon the united armies of Castile and Leon, and defeated them in a desperate action, in which 20,000 Spaniards perished. This calamitous battle opened the gates of Madrid to Joseph Bonaparte.

1813. The United States schooner Asp, of twenty men and two guns, attacked by five British barges; after a gallant resistance, in which she lost ten of her men and her commander, she was abandoned to the enemy.

1814. The British schooner Balaboo, of six guns, captured by the American privateer schooner Perry of five guns, after a running fight of fifty, and a close action, of ten minutes.

1817. ANNA LOUISA GERMAINE NECKER, baroness de Stael Holstein, died. Her talents were so early displayed that she was said never to have been a child, and she became distinguished at an early age as a writer, and by the spirit of her conversation. She was banished twice by Napoleon for attempting to thwart his government. Her works form 17 vols.

1834. EDMUND CHARLES GENET, a French statesman, died. He was a minister to the United States in 1793, and when superceded he remained in the country, and settled on the Hudson river.

1836. ISABELLA JAMES died at Montego bay, Jamaica, aged 110.

1848. A portion of the levee fell in at New Orleans, by which a number of persons were drowned and much property destroyed.

1852. The college of the Holy Cross, at Worcester, Mass., destroyed by fire, partially damaging the library, which was otherwise wholly saved.

1853. Com. PERRY landed at Japan, and delivered to the imperial commissioners the letter from the American president.

1853. The crystal palace opened at New York, in presence of the president of the United States, and many other dignitaries.

1854. Duc D'ECKLINGEN, second son of marshal Ney, died at Gallipoli. He commanded a brigade of cavalry in the French army of the east.

1854. ABBAS PASHA, viceroy of Egypt, died at Benha, a small town on the Nile. He had reigned over Egypt since 1848. He was very unpopular, and under his rule the population decreased, and those that remained lived in great wretchedness. The only remarkable work of his reign was the commencement of the railway from Cairo to Alexandria.

1856. ENOCH LEWIS, a prominent member of the society of Friends, died at Philadelphia, aged 81. He wrote much in explanation of the principles and practice of his sect, was for many years editor of the _Friend's Review_, and was also noted for his attainments in mathematics.

JULY 15.

496 B. C. Battle of Regillum, in which it is said the twin knights Castor and Pollux appeared upon white horses and assisted the Romans. In memory of this event an annual cavalcade was instituted at Rome, during which the knights, robed in purple, and crowned with olive wreaths, rode in solemn procession from the temple of Honor to the Capitol, where the censor, seated on his curule chair, passed judgment on their characters.

238. MAXIMUS and BALBINUS, emperors of Rome, murdered by the prætorian guards.

1099. Jerusalem taken by the crusaders on the 39th day of the siege. Two huge movable towers had been constructed, and rolled with great labor to the foot of the fortifications. From the tops of these they fought the besieged on even terms till afternoon, when a warrior named Letolde leapt upon the ramparts and was followed by all the other knights, and drove the Saracens down into the city. The standard of the cross was planted in triumph on the walls, and after 460 years of bondage, the holy city passed from under the Moslem yoke. The victory thus bravely won, was tarnished by the ferocity of the conquerors. The number who were slain in the city amounted to 70,000, and the Jews were burnt in their synagogues.

1535. TRAJAN'S floating palace (which was sunk at a great depth in lake Nemi, Italy, 1340 years before) explored by Marchi in a diving machine. It was found in a tolerable state of preservation, measuring 500 feet in length, 270 in breadth and 60 in depth. This magnificent work was designed for the retirement of a prince celebrated for his magnificent taste, and were it possible to rescue it from its present position, or examine the interior, many valuable relics might be brought to light, to enrich the cabinet of the antiquarian if not to subserve the use of the sciences.

1546. The protestants having assembled a force of 70,000 foot, 15,000 horse, and 6,000 pioneers, with 120 cannon, 800 ammunition wagons, 8,000 beasts of burden, determined to support their cause by the force of arms. They issued a manifesto, and sent a letter to Charles V. (See July 20.) They were, however, overcome without battle, in consequence of having separated themselves into small bodies early in 1547.

1557. ANNE OF CLEVES, one of the queens of Henry VIII of England, died. The king demanded her in marriage after having seen her picture. But the painter had flattered the beauty, and the king becoming disgusted with what he termed a _Flanders mare_, obtained a divorce and sent her home again. She retired, seemingly unconcerned, and no doubt considered it a matter of great good fortune to have escaped with life.

1557. A great dearth of breadstuffs in England; wheat £2 13s. 4d.; malt £2 4s.; peas £2 6d. per quarter.

1567. MARY, queen of Scots, unable by entreaties or threats, to induce her followers to fight any longer in her cause, surrendered herself up to her disaffected subjects, by whom she was imprisoned.

1570. IGNATIUS AZEVEDO, a Portuguese Jesuit, murdered. He relinquished the enjoyment of a large fortune to embark as a missionary to India, was captured by pirates, and with nineteen of his companions, barbarously massacred, near Palma.

1575. HENRY, duke of Anjou, divested of the Polish crown, in full diet, and the throne declared vacant.

1610. The Halve Maan, in which the first white man sailed up the Hudson river, arrived at Amsterdam on her return, having been detained in England since Nov. 7 of the previous year.

1614. PETER DE BOURDEILLES, lord-abbot of Brantome, in France, died. He served an apprenticeship in arms under Francis of Guise, and is supposed to have visited most of the countries of Europe, either in a military capacity or as a traveler. His memoirs or works were published in 1666, and several editions have since been printed. It is represented to be a rare work, but has never been translated into English. (_Biog. Univer._ says July 5, q. v.)

1685. JAMES, duke of Monmouth, beheaded. He was the natural son of Charles II, against whom he rebelled; and on the accession of James II, he invaded England, was defeated, (See July 5,) imprisoned and finally brought to the scaffold, after having made the most humiliating petitions for his life.

1715. BELL, the Scottish traveler, left St. Petersburg for Persia, with the Russian embassy, in the quality of physician. They were obliged by the severity of the weather to halt at Cazan and pass the winter, and were detained there till June 4, 1716. They then proceeded by Astraken, the Caspian sea and Tauris to Ispahan, where they arrived in 1717.

1716. The island of Corfu, besieged by 80,000 Turks, and defended by the Venetians, was attacked by the Turkish admiral with 22 ships, and an attempt was made by the land forces to storm the citadel; but the Venetian fleet destroyed that of the Turks, and the garrison, making a counter sally with 2000 men, took the Turks by surprise in the rear, who fled, leaving 4000 dead in the trenches.