Chapter XXXIX: Part 39

1825. ALEXANDER PAULOWITZ, emperor of Russia, died at Taganrog. His efforts to improve his country and people were unceasing and most extensive. It was during his reign that Russia was invaded by the most formidable army ever assembled in Europe, but which in a few months returned in the most wretched defeat ever known.

1840. Battle of Kotriah, in Scinde, between 4,000 Beloochees, posted among the hills, and commanded by Nusser Khan, and 900 Sepoys with 2 field pieces, under lieutenant colonel Marshall. Of the former 500 were slain, and 6 chiefs and 132 followers captured.

1848. Hungary declared itself an independent republic.

1849. EBENEZER ELLIOTT, called the _corn law rhymer_, died in England.

1852. The French senate went in a body to St. Cloud to announce officially to Louis Napoleon the result of the election, and to hail him as emperor.

DECEMBER 2.

1469. PIETRO DE MEDICI, governor of Florence, died, aged 53. He was of weak constitution, but well meaning and prudent, and was assisted by his son Lorenzo in affairs of state. Under his reign an attempt was made to wrest the reins of government from the family.

1549. MARGARET DE VALOIS, a French princess, died; noted for her learning and the encouragement she gave to commerce, agriculture and the arts among her subjects.

1552. FRANCIS XAVIER died; a French missionary, denominated the apostle of the Indies. He was one of the most zealous disciples of Ignatius Loyola; performed his mission in Hindostan, the Moluccas, and Japan, and was on the point of landing in China, when he died.

1554. FERDINAND CORTES, the conqueror of Mexico, died, aged 63, leaving a character eminent for bravery and ability, but infamous for perfidy and cruelty.

1581. JOHN DEE, an English mathematician and sorcerer, died. He was a man of uncommon abilities, learning and application, but deluded himself with experiments in the occult sciences, which he continued till he reached the age of 80.

1594. GERARD MERCATOR, a Dutch mathematician, died. He was self-educated, but attained great eminence, and published numerous valuable maps and charts which he engraved and published himself, and which have been of great use to his successors.

1615. LEWIS DE BERTHON DE CRILLON, a French general and knight, died. He distinguished himself by his valor at the siege of Calais, at the age of 15, and during a long series of wars and perilous times displayed so much courage as to acquire the title of the brave Crillon.

1723. PHILIP, duke of Orleans, regent of France during the minority of Louis XV, died at Versailles in the 50th year of his age. He was a man of talent and political tact, but these qualities were much obscured by his love of pleasure.

1779. ALEXANDER ALBANI died; a Roman cardinal and a man of great merit.

1784. FRANCIS ARNAUD died; abbot of Grand Champs, in France, and distinguished by his literary labors.

1789. HERSCHELL announced the discovery of a 7th satellite to Saturn.

1791. HENRY FLOOD, the famed Irish orator and reformer, died. As a member of the house of commons his whole energies were devoted to the promotion of the political interests and internal resources of Ireland.

1792. Frankfort treacherously given up to the Austrians, when 1,300 Frenchmen, were massacred by the Hessians, and several whose lives were spared had their hands cut off.

1792. The French under Dumourier took possession of Louvain.

1794. The United States concluded a treaty with the Oneida, Tuscarora and Stockbridge Indians, residing in the Oneida country. The former engaged to pay the Indians $5,000 for their losses in the late war; to build them a complete grist and saw mill, and hire faithful men to attend said mills for three years, and instruct some of their young men in those arts; to provide teams for carrying on the work of the mills, and to apply $1,000 to rebuild the church burnt in the war.

1796. The adventurous MUNGO PARK departed from Pisania, 200 miles from the Gambia's mouth, to explore the interior of Africa.

1804. NAPOLEON BONAPARTE inaugurated emperor of France at the cathedral of Notre-Dame, at Paris, and was enthroned with Josephine.

1805. JOSEPH BERNARD DE CHABERT, a French navigator, astronomer and geographer, died. He lost his eye sight by intense application, but his powerful memory enabled him to make many additions to the stores of scientific facts.

1805. Battle of Austerlitz; the French under Bonaparte defeated the Austro-Russian armies, under Alexander I and Francis I, who had united to check the ambition of Napoleon. The defeat was attended with the loss of 35,000 killed or drowned, 20,000 prisoners, and their whole pack of artillery.

1806. BONAPARTE decreed at Posen, a monument to the French soldiers who fell at the great battles of Ulm, Austerlitz and Jena.

1812. British again cannonaded Black Rock; the fire was returned with so much spirit that their batteries were entirely silenced.

1816. French general VANDAMME, resident at Ghent, arrested and sent to Brussels.

1816. Meeting of the citizens of London at Spafields; about 20,000 assembled to receive the report of Mr. Hunt, who had been appointed to present a petition to the prince regent, praying that two or three hundred thousand pounds should be appropriated out of the civil list fund for the relief of the poor. Only five thousand was granted, whereupon great disturbances took place.

1848. FERDINAND I, emperor of Austria, abdicated the throne, and Francis Joseph, his nephew was proclaimed emperor.

1849. ADELAIDE, the queen dowager of England, died.

1851. LOUIS NAPOLEON decreed in the name of the French people, that the national assembly and council of state were dissolved, that universal suffrage was re-established, that the first military division was in a state of siege, and that the French people were convoked in the electoral colleges from December 14 to Dec. 21.

1852. LOUIS NAPOLEON publicly proclaimed emperor at the Hotel de Ville in Paris, under the name of Napoleon III. The emperor entered Paris from St. Cloud, and took up his residence in the Tuilleries. 80,000 troops were under arms, and the day was celebrated as a grand holiday in Paris, and in the evening there was a grand illumination.

1853. The steamer Winfield Scott, having on board 500 passengers and $1,100,000 in gold, was lost in a fog at night, about 500 miles from San Francisco; the passengers and treasure were saved.

DECEMBER 3.

69 B. C. The senate published a general thanksgiving in the name of Cicero for preserving the city from the Catalinian conspiracy. It was the first that had ever been decreed to any man in the gown; all other thanksgivings having been appointed for some particular _service_ only.

1553. PEDRO DE VALDIVIA, having conquered the greater portion of Chili, and founded the city of Conception, was attacked by the Araucanians, defeated and made prisoner.

1557. The bond or covenant signed at Edinburgh, by the duke of Argyle and others, renouncing the _congregation of Satan, with all the superstitious, abominations and idolatry thereof_.

1586. In Verde, in Hanover, there fell large quantities of matter, partly red, partly blackened, accompanied by lightning and thunder, a fiery meteor, which burst with a loud noise. This matter burnt the boards on which it fell.

1610. The new bell of the cathedral church of Lincoln, called _Great Tom_, placed in the steeple of St. Mary. It is the largest bell in England, being seven feet in diameter at the mouth.

1632. DE VRIES, on his second voyage, arrived at the Delaware river. He found that the little colony, left here two years before (see Dec. 12), had been destroyed by the Indians, and the ground strewed with the skulls and bones of his murdered countrymen.

1647. BUONAVENTURA CAVALIERI, an Italian astronomer, died. He was the pupil of Galileo, and enjoyed a remarkable reputation in his day, but has descended to posterity solely through his method of _indivisibles_, one of the predecessors of the doctrine of fluxions.

1658. JOHN MICRELIUS, professor of divinity at Stettin, died; a distinguished theological disputant.

1688. The abdication or flight of JAMES II, and revolution in England.

1699. Captain DAMPIER arrived at the island of Papua or New Guinea, in Australasia, and named its eastern extremity New Britain.

1705. PEDRO, king of Portugal, died in the 58th year of his age. Juan IV succeeded.

1758. Daring attempt to assassinate Joseph, king of Portugal. It was for this offence that the Jesuits were expelled the kingdom and their property confiscated--a judgment perhaps unequal to the crime.

1775. The continental flag was displayed for the first time, on board the flag ship of Esek Hopkins, who was commander-in-chief of the first American fleet.

1787. Delaware adopted the federal constitution, being the first state to do so. (7th?)

1798. Coni, the strongest fortification in Italy, was taken by the Austrians.

1800. Battle of Hohenlinden; the Austrians under the archduke John, defeated by the French under Moreau in a severe snow storm, with great slaughter, and night alone saved them from complete destruction. The Austrians lost nearly the whole of their baggage, a great number of cannon and ammunition wagons, 3 generals, and from 10 to 15,000 prisoners.

1809. Intelligence was received at London, that the Ionian isles, the principal of which are Zante, Ithaca and Cerigo, had submitted to the British. They form an independent state under the British government, and contain about 200,000 persons, who carry on a considerable commerce.

1810. The French, under general Decaen, surrendered the isle of Man to the British general, Abercrombie, with 209 pieces of ordnance.

1812. The 29th bulletin of the retreating French army was dated at Molodechno, describing their severe privations.

1814. The mayor of Lyons, in France, published an order forbidding all artists to engrave or paint the likeness of Napoleon Bonaparte.

1815. JOHN CARROLL, first catholic bishop in the United States, died, aged 80. He was born in the state of Maryland, and educated in France, where he became a Jesuit. On his return to America he rose from a parish priest to the dignity of archbishop.

1818. Illinois admitted into the union.

1821. Royal dance of torches, at Berlin, on the occasion of the marriage of the prince royal with the princess of Bavaria.

1823. JOHN BAPTIST BELZONI, one of the most eminent travelers in Egypt, died. He was an Italian, who came to England, where he obtained a subsistence by exhibiting feats of strength and activity at the amphitheatre. He was afterwards engaged in exploring and bringing to light the antiquities of Egypt.

1826. JOHN FLAXMAN, the celebrated English sculptor, died. His death is differently placed on the 7th and 9th.

1834. SIMEON DE WITT died, aged 79; surveyor-general of the state of New York. He had filled this office from the time of its establishment to that of his death, 50 years, with the highest satisfaction and ability, and was distinguished for his attainments in astronomy, engineering and physical science.

1838. JOHN BLEECKER VAN SCHAICK, a poet of some merit, died at Albany, aged 35.

1839. FREDERICK VI, king of Denmark, died. He was a benefactor to his country, which is indebted to him for the liberty of the press, emancipation from the last remains of feudal authority, abolition of the slave trade, in which Denmark set the example to the rest of Europe, reforms of the laws, the establishment of schools for general education, the introduction of popular representation, and system, order and economy in the financial affairs of the kingdom.

1839. Pope GREGORY XVI issued a bull for abolishing the slave trade; "urgently invoking all Christians of whatever condition, that none henceforth dare subject to slavery, unjustly persecute or despoil of their goods, Indians, negroes, or other classes of men, or be accessories to others in so doing; and on no account henceforth to exercise that inhuman traffic, by which negroes are reduced to slavery, as if they were not men but automata, or chattels," &c.

1849. WILLIAM L. HUNTER, a Rhode Island diplomat, died, aged 75. He studied medicine in London under his kinsman, John Hunter, but subsequently adopted the law. He was chargé at Brazil more than ten years.

1851. All attempts to oppose the assumption of power by Louis Napoleon were unsuccessful; the few barricades that were erected were soon torn or battered down.

1854. The people of Mexico completed three days' balloting, and decided with great unanimity that the republic should continue to be governed by Santa Anna.

DECEMBER 4.

1137. LOTHAIRE II, emperor of Germany, died. He was king of Saxony when he was made king of Germany, and finally invested with the title of emperor.

1139. ROGER, prior of Hexham, died; author of a history of the campaign of the Scottish army under king David.

1214. WILLIAM (_the Lion_), of Scotland, died. He confederated with Henry of England against his father, and his inconsiderate valor at the siege of Alnwick, as well as many other rash acts, brought misfortunes on himself and disgrace upon his people.

1334. JOHN XXII (_James d'Eusse_), pope, died. He rose under the patronage of Charles II, of Naples. He attempted the suppression of the Cordeliers; was an active pontiff, and respected for his frugality, prudence and sanctity.

1402. CHARLES VI granted letters patent to the priests to enact mysteries, or as they came to be called moralities, such as the conception of the Savior, &c.

1642. JOHN ARMAND DU PLESSIS DE RICHELIEU, a celebrated French cardinal and statesman, died. He was a man of great capacity and boundless ambition, whose ministry forms an era in the French government, and prepared the way for the power and grandeur of the reign of Lewis XIV.

1649. WILLIAM DRUMMOND, a Scottish poet and historian, died. He preceded Waller in polishing English versification.

1654. The expedition under Venables and Penn, sailed for America.

1664. The English, under the duke of York, destroyed 130 of the Bordeaux fleet.

1672. The king of England shut up the exchequer, and suspended payment.

1679. THOMAS HOBBES, a celebrated English writer, died. He published his religious, political and moral principles in a complete system, which he called the _Leviathan_. It is said that few writings have had a more pernicious influence in spreading irreligion and infidelity than his, and yet that none of them were directly leveled against revealed religion.

1679. JOHN BIRKENHEAD died; professor of moral philosophy at Oxford, a zealous royalist, and a popular courtier.

1680. THOMAS BARTHOLINE, a learned Danish physician, died. He lost his library by fire, but that his pursuits might not be interrupted he was made librarian to the university. His works are chiefly medical.

1717. Mr. SHIPPEN, a member of the British parliament, from _Salt Ash_, sent to the tower for saying, "The king's speech was fitted rather for the meridian of Germany than England." The king had little acquaintance with the English language.

1732. JOHN GAY, a celebrated English poet, died; whose fables will ever be admired. His play of the _Beggar's Opera_ was received with greater favor than had ever been known on any former occasion.

1746. Genoa surrendered to the Austrians, and was subjected to the most cruel contributions.

1777. Sir WILLIAM HOWE marched the British army from Philadelphia, to Whitemarsh, for the purpose of attacking Washington, but marched back again without making the attack.

1783. WASHINGTON took leave of the officers of the American army in New York.

1789. The city and suburbs of London, overspread with a dense fog, so that the stages traveling between the city and the surrounding villages, were at five in the afternoon, obliged to be preceded by men with lanterns, a thing unprecedented in the memory of any one living.

1792. WILLIAM FORDYCE, an eminent Scottish physician and philanthropist, died in London where he enjoyed an extraordinary reputation.

1798. Minister PITT'S bill, establishing the ten per cent income tax, was introduced into the British parliament.

1808. CHARLES LOUIS FERNOW died; a distinguished German writer on the fine arts. His father was a common laborer, and his early years were those of a talented youth struggling with poverty and other difficulties. After finishing an apprenticeship as an apothecary, he maintained himself by portrait painting and teaching drawing; and finally devoted his attention to the history of the fine arts and Italian literature. His productions are valuable.

1808. Madrid, being invested by Bonaparte, surrendered. The Spaniards were disarmed, and the town filled with the French army. The pavement had been taken up; the streets barricadoed; the houses on the outskirts loopholed; but in a few days tranquility seemed completely re-established; the French soldiery observed excellent discipline; the shops were re-opened, and the theatres frequented as usual. Such is in most cases the enthusiasm of a great city.

1808. The inquisition abolished by Bonaparte this day.

1815. CHRISTIAN GODFREY GRUNER, a celebrated German physician, died. He was one of the most prolific writers on medical science; having written 50 large works, and as many essays.

1819. Alabama admitted into the union.

1823. SUSAN HUNTINGTON died at Boston; an intelligent American authoress, whose _Life of Wisner_ has passed through several editions in Europe and America.

1826. ABRAHAM ROBERTSON, an eminent English astronomer, died.

1829. Abolition of the rite of suttee, or immolation of Hindoo widows on the funeral pile of their husbands; the British government interposed to prevent its continuance.

1829. Commencement of a revolution in Mexico; Bustamente, the vice-president, issued a proclamation against the government of Guerero, demanding the resignation of his extraordinary powers.

1830. WILLIAM B. GILES, died at his seat in Amelia county, Virginia. He was chiefly instrumental in getting up the celebrated resolutions of Virginia, 1798-99, and the no less celebrated Virginia report.

1831. General TORRIJOS, with 54 of his partisans, taken and executed, at Malaga, in Spain.

1836. RICHARD WESTALL, an eminent English artist, died. He was the author of a great number of works and designs, and well known for his numerous beautiful illustrations of elegant literature.

1839. SAMUEL BUTLER, an English prelate, died. He was the author of various publications, and collected a library valued at £30,000.

1840. JOHN ROBINSON, an English prelate, died, aged 66. He compiled a theological dictionary, and a work on the antiquities of Greece, ancient and modern history, and some others.

1845. ELISHA BLACKMAN, the last survivor of the Wyoming massacre, died at his residence, in Hanover, Wyoming valley, aged 89, and was buried with military honors.

1851. GEORGE CRABBE, an eminent English author, died near London, aged 73.

1852. An earthquake at Acapulco did great damage to the city, though without destroying any lives. Shocks were continued for a considerable time.

1853. Kalafat attacked by the Russians, who were repulsed with great slaughter.

DECEMBER 5.

1056. MACBETH, usurper of the Scottish throne, slain by Macduff, after a reign of 17 years.

1492. COLUMBUS discovered the island of Hispaniola, called by the natives _Hayti_, or high country, from its mountains; _Quesqueya_, or the whole, from its dimensions; and _Bohio_, or house, from its very superior civilization.

1518. JOHN JAMES TRIVULCI, marshal of France, died. He was banished from Milan, his native country, and entered into the service of Charles VIII, under whom he distinguished himself repeatedly in battle.

1537. An order for the expulsion of all the gypsies from England.

1560. FRANCIS II, of France, died, aged 17, after a reign of 17 months. He had lately married Mary, queen of Scots.

1639. HENRY WOTTON, an English statesman and poet, died, leaving many writings.

1712. ANNE MARY DE TREMOUILLE URSINS died at Rome, aged 80. She was a woman of great powers of mind, who as maid of honor to the queen of Spain, possessed so much influence over the court as to give her the direction of the affairs of the nation.

1734. PETER TILLEMANS died; a distinguished landscape painter of Antwerp, who settled in England and enjoyed there the patronage of the great.

1754. Battle of Leuthen, or Lissa; the Austrians and Saxons under count Daun defeated by the Prussians under Frederick II, with the loss of 6,000 killed, 21,000 taken prisoners, 134 cannon, and 4,000 baggage and ammunition wagons.

1775. The Americans under Gen. Montgomery and Arnold appeared before Quebec.

1784. PHILLIS PETERS, known to the literary world by her miscellaneous writings, died at Boston. She was an African who acquired the English language, and made some progress in Latin.

1784. A violent storm off the coast of England, which destroyed a vast amount of shipping. A British fleet of 150 sail went out of Yarmouth road that morning, and was totally dispersed, all the sails torn in shreds, and a great many of the ships foundered, their crews in some instances being lost entirely.

1788. Admiral GREIG, a Scottish naval commander in the service of Russia, was buried at Revel with great honors.

1792. JOHANN WOLFGANG THEOPHILUS MOZART, a celebrated German musician, died. His works will ever rank with those of the greatest masters.

1793. ARMAND GUY SIMON DE KERSAINT, a French count, and naval officer of high merit, beheaded at Paris.

1793. JOHN PAUL RABAUT DE ST. ETIENNE, a French protestant minister, guillotined for his bold and eloquent defence of the king.

1793. Battle of Martigne; the French under Danican defeated by the Vendeans.

1795. JOHN BEWICK died; an English engraver on wood, of great excellence; who with his brother carried the art to a state of perfection before unknown.

1806. The French under MURAT crossed the Vistula and occupied Praga.

1808. WILLIAM HAWES, an English physician and philanthropist, died. He was the founder of the Royal humane society, for the recovery of persons apparently dead by drowning, strangulation or suffocation; an institution which has renewed the lives of thousands that would otherwise have perished.

1813. CHARLES JOHN MARIA DENINA, an Italian historian, died at Paris; the author of many excellent works.

1815. A foot-ball match at Carterhaugh, Ettrick forest, between the Ettrick men and the men of Yarrow. One party was backed by the earl of Home, the other by sir Walter Scott, sheriff of the forest, who wrote two songs for the occasion.

1819. FREDERICK LEOPOLD STOLBERG, a German writer, died. His works consist of travels, history, poems, dramas and translations.

1835. THOMAS PRINGLE, the first editor of _Blackwood's Magazine_, and for many years secretary to the London anti-slavery society, died at London.

1837. JAMES MARSHMAN, an eminent and learned baptist missionary, died at Serampore, aged 70. He was the son of a poor English weaver, who having received his education, went to India in 1799. He published a Chinese grammar, and a translation of the entire scriptures.

1838. The French evacuated the city of Vera Cruz. In an engagement between the French and the Mexicans, Santa Anna, who commanded the Mexicans, was wounded so as to oblige an amputation of his leg.

1851. KOSSUTH, the Hungarian general, arrived at Staten island, and the next day, as the guest of the city of New York, reviewed the troops, which formed a military and civic procession in his honor.

1853. The steamer Humboldt, of the New York and Havre line, run upon a rock in attempting to enter the harbor at Halifax, and was lost.

DECEMBER 6.

342. St. NICHOLAS, an eminent Grecian bishop, and the patron of children, died. At the council of Nice he was said to be like a sun among so many stars.

884. CARLOMAN, king of France, died.

1139. ALPHONSO I, king of Portugal, died; celebrated for the defeat of five Moorish kings at the battle of Ourique.

1216. Hertford, in England, taken by the French under Louis the dauphin.

1352. CLEMENT VI (_Peter Roger_), pope, died. He was a doctor of the Paris university, and is represented by Petrarch as a worthy, generous and learned prelate; but is differently represented by others.

1527. Pope CLEMENT VII escaped in disguise from prison, although, by a treaty with the emperor Charles V, he would have been liberated the following day.

1540. Diet of Worms; conference between the popish and protestant divines; Melanchton and Eckius maintained the principal part of the dispute.

1540. THOMAS DAVIDSON, licensed by the "rycht excellent prince James V, king of Scots, to print the new actis and constitutionis of parliament."

1541. Emperor CHARLES V, obliged by a storm to relinquish his attempt on Algiers and return to Europe.

1557. JOHN MACCHABAEUS (_or Macalpine_) died. He was a Scotchman, who resided sometime at Wirtemberg, with Luther and Melanchton. He was afterwards invited to Copenhagen, where he assisted in translating the Danish Bible.

1648. Colonel PRIDE prevented about 200 members of parliament from entering the house. This is usually called _Pride's purge_.

1670. HENRY JENKINS, an Englishman, died at the remarkable age of 169. He retained his faculties to the last, and was once examined in court on a circumstance that happened 140 years before. As he was born before parochial registers were kept, no parish would support him, and he was obliged to beg for a subsistence.

1672. JASPER MAYNE died; an English divine, poet and dramatic writer.

1675. JOHN LIGHTFOOT died; an eminent English divine, distinguished as an able scholar and an eloquent orator.

1688. Flight of MARY D'ESTE, queen of James II, of England, with her child, afterwards the _pretender_.

1711. JANE SCHRIMSHAW died in Rosemary hospital, near London tower, aged 127.

1718. NICHOLAS ROWE died; an eminent English poet and dramatic writer.

1726. FLORENCE CARTON D'ANCOURT, an eminent French actor and dramatic writer, died. He was the author of 32 plays.

1734. ABIGAIL MASHAM, the favorite of queen Anne, died; noted in the history of the time for her political intrigues.

1776. The capture of Rhode Island by the British under Gen. Clinton and sir Peter Parker. "It is called the _Eden of America_," says an English work, "and celebrated (very naturally) for the beauty of its women."

1787. LA PEROUSE reached the Navigator's islands, in Polynesia.

1790. Kentucky was erected into an independent state.

1798. Turin and Piedmont relinquished to the French by the king of Sardinia.

1806. Thorn, in Prussia, taken by the French under marshal Ney, after a slight resistance.

1812. Boston privateer brig Montgomery, of 18 guns, captured British ship Surinam, 20 guns.

1815. A magazine at Dantzic containing 6,000 pounds of powder, with filled bombs and shells, blew up, destroying 700 houses and killing upwards of 600 persons.

1834. EDWARD IRVING, a celebrated and eccentric Scottish preacher, died. He was minister of the Caledonian church in London, and, by the force and eloquence of his discourses, attracted large congregations; the greatest orators and statesmen, the wealthy and fashionable hurried to hear him. But he became finally subject to the wildest vagaries, in respect to the _unknown tongues_, and was ejected from his place.

1835. NATHAN SMITH, an eminent lawyer of Connecticut, died at Washington. He was several years United States attorney for Connecticut, and senator in congress, and was respected for his integrity and ability.

1843. JOHN M. TAYLOR, commissary-general of the American army under Gen. Montgomery at Quebec, 1775, died at Philadelphia, aged 92.

1844. NATHAN ROGERS, an artist of merit and reputation, died, aged 57. He was a member of the national academy of design, and lent his aid to institutions of morals and charity.

1848. The king of Prussia dissolved his assembly and promulgated a new constitution.

1852. HORATIO GREENOUGH, an eminent American sculptor, died at Somerville, Mass., aged 47. He spent most of his life in Italy in the pursuit of his art, where he produced his colossal statue of Washington, and other works which stamp his fame.

1855. ANSELM ROTHSCHILD died at Frankfort, Germany; the founder of the great financial house of the Rothschilds.

DECEMBER 7.

424 B. C. The accession of Darius II (_Nothus_). This is also the date of the battles of Delium and Amphipolis, where Xenophon and Thucydides were present, and of the occupation of Cytheria by the Athenians.

43 B. C. MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO, the celebrated Roman orator, statesman and philosopher, assassinated at his villa, by Popilius, at the instigation of Antony.

983. Otho II (_the Bloody_), emperor of Germany, poisoned.

1154. Landing of Henry II in England from France.

1229. The _boy bishop_ said vespers before Edward I at Heton near New Castle upon Tyne. On Childermas the scholars of St. Paul's and other schools were enjoined to hear the "Chylde Bishop's sermon."

1542. MARY STUART, sole daughter and heir to king James V, born.

1626. JOHN DAVIES, an eminent English lawyer and poet, died. His works on legal subjects are numerous and valuable.

1641. RALPH BROWNRIG, bishop of Exeter, died. He had the hardihood boldly to advise Cromwell to restore Charles II to his throne.

1657. CROMWELL sent an agent to the duke of Savoy to negotiate respecting his protestant subjects.

1666. Ten of the Scottish covenanters executed at Edinburgh.

1672. RICHARD BELLINGHAM, governor of Massachusetts, died. He had exercised the offices of governor or deputy for 23 years.

1683. ALGERNON SIDNEY, an English patriot and political writer, beheaded at the age of 66.

1721. BERNARD ALBINUS, a celebrated German physician, died. He was professor at Frankfort and Leyden.

1741. Revolution in Russia.

1776. British under Cornwallis marched to Princeton.

1787. The deputies of the Delaware state convention signed the constitution of the United States, which they had agreed by vote to adopt the day previous. She was the first state that ratified the instrument.

1796. WASHINGTON met both houses of congress for the last time as president of the United States.

1799. Battle of Sediman, in Egypt; the French under Dessaix defeated 3,000 Mamelukes and 10,000 Arabs under Murad Bey.

1805. Action off cape St. Mary between the British ship Polyphemus, 64 guns, and Spanish ships Santa Gertruyda, with twelve hundred thousand dollars on board, and El Felix, valued at nearly one million, both of which were captured.

1812. BONAPARTE in disguise with Caulincourt arrived at Wilna in a sledge.

1815. MICHAEL NEY, a French marshal, shot. His career under Bonaparte was distinguished during ten years, by great military skill and daring bravery. On the second restoration of the Bourbons he was condemned to death.

1822. JOHN AIKIN, an English surgeon, died; better known as a writer of great erudition. He edited the first twenty volumes of the _Monthly Magazine_, the _Athenæum_, various editions of the poets, and was one of the writers of the _General Biographical Dictionary_ in 10 vols. quarto.

1832. VICTOR JACQUEMONT, a distinguished French naturalist, died at Bombay, aged 32.

1835. The rail road from Nuremberg to Furth, the first rail road in Germany, opened, and the journey made in 15 minutes. The monumental stone has the inscription: "Germany's first iron rail road, with steam power, 1835."

1842. THOMAS HAMILTON, the author of _Cyril Thornton_, a contributor to _Blackwood's Magazine_, &c., died at Pisa, in Italy.

1853. A statue inaugurated to marshal Ney at Paris, on the place where he was shot on this day of the month, in 1815.

DECEMBER 8.

1275. Meeting of _Stationarii_, or booksellers, at London. For a quarter of a century previous to this time, booksellers not unfrequently kept school in their porches. The portal at the north end of the cathedral in Rouen is still called _Le Portail des Libraires_, the porch of the booksellers.

1315. Battle of Morgarten, or Ægeri, in Switzerland; the Austrian army of 20,000 under the archduke Leopold, defeated by 1,600 mountaineers in the pass between the mountain and the lake.

1437. SIGISMUND, emperor of Germany, died. He volunteered his assistance to tranquilize the church, and proposed the famous council, which consisted of 14,000 ecclesiastics and 16,000 noblemen. His perfidy in allowing Huss and Jerome of Prague to be burnt, after giving them a passport of safety, armed against him the bravest of his subjects, and led to a civil discord and bloodshed of sixteen years' duration.

1493. Isabella, the first European town in America, founded by Columbus. All his men, provisions and utensils, were landed on a plain near a rock, on the island of Navidad, in the West Indies, and a fort erected. The town was named in honor of the Spanish queen, to whom the great navigator was much indebted.

1612. Great earthquake at Munster.

1643. JOHN PYM died; a celebrated English republican, distinguished for his virulence against Charles I.

1660. First time of the appearance of a female on the public stage; the character was Desdemona.

1661. An order of both houses of parliament was passed for hanging the carcasses of Oliver Cromwell, John Bradshaw, Henry Ireton and Thomas Pride upon the gallows at Tyburn, and then burying them under the gallows.

1677. NICHOLAS PAVILLON, an eminent French ecclesiastic, made bishop of Alet by Richelieu, and afterwards deposed, died in exile.

1691. RICHARD BAXTER, a celebrated English nonconformist divine, died. He wrote a vast number of books; his practical works were collected in 4 vols. folio.

1695. BARTHOLOMEW D'HERBELOT, a French orientalist, died. He wrote a _Universal Dictionary_, "containing whatever relates to the knowledge of the eastern world."

1709. THOMAS CORNEILLE, a French dramatist, died. He wrote 42 dramatic pieces, which were received with greater applause than those of his brother Peter, but have been lost and forgotten.

1741. VITUS BEHRING, a Danish navigator, died. He was a commodore in the Russian service, and was employed in exploring some of the northern coasts of America, where he died, after having made some important discoveries, among which was the strait that bears his name.

1745. JOHN ROQUE, a French traveler, died at Paris. He published an account of his travels in Arabia Felix, Palestine and Syria.

1746. CHARLES RATCLIFFE, earl of Derwentwater, executed at Towerhill, London. He had resided 30 years in France.

1751. LOUISA, youngest daughter of George II, queen of Denmark, died.

1775. A number of American whaleboats under captain Manly captured three British ships with various stores intended for the army.

1776. WASHINGTON retreated across the Delaware. The British, on the same day, blocked up commodore Hopkins' squadron and a number of privateers at Providence.

1792. HENRY LAURENS, a patriot of South Carolina, died. He was distinguished for talent and activity, and succeeded Hancock as president of congress. He was captured by the British on a mission to Holland, and confined a long time in the tower of London. At his death he left a property of about $250,000 to his son, on condition that he should burn his body on the third day after his death.

1803. HIPPOLYTUS THEODOROVITCH BOGDANOVITCH, a Russian poet, died. His poem of _Dushenka_ procured him the favor of the queen and the whole nation. It is founded on the mythological story of Psyche, but so unlike any thing that had preceded it in that language that he immediately became the favorite of all classes.

1806. ANDREW DALSELL, professor of Greek at Edinburgh, died; an amiable and a learned man.

1821. EBENEZER COBB died at Kingston, Mass., aged 107. He was the cotemporary for ten years of Peregrine White, the first born child of English parents in America. His mode of living was extremely simple, having tasted tea but twice in his life. He shrewdly remarked, a short time before his death, that it was very unusual for persons of his age to die.

1847. The United States brig-of-war Somers thrown on her beam ends by a squall near Vera Cruz, and 2 officers with 39 out of 76 of her crew drowned. The French and Spanish men-of-war lying at Sacrificios rendered much assistance and received the thanks of congress.

1848. The first deposit of California gold made in the United States mint by David Carter.

1851. Battle of Longomilla, between the government troops of Chili under general Bulnes, late president, and the rebels under general Cruz, who was defeated and his troops dispersed.

1854. The immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary proclaimed by the pope, in St. Peter's church, Rome, as a dogma of the catholic faith.

DECEMBER 9.

493 B. C. MENENIUS AGRIPPA met the plebeian seceders, encamped on the Mons Sacer, near Rome, and delivered to them there the memorable apologue of the belly and the members.

1150. A great frost in England mentioned by Matthew Paris, began on this day and continued about two months and ten days, so that "both foot and horse crossed the Thames." In that year all the prelates in council were shut up by king Stephen for refusing to crown his son; more remarkable for the appearance of Gratian's twenty-four years' labor, the _Decretals_.

1165. MALCOLM IV, king of Scots, died of a lingering disease, at Jedburgh, after a short reign. His subjects were rebellious, but by his vigor he overcame them all.

1565. PIUS IV (_John Angelo de Medicis_) died. He was not of the Florence family, but brother of the famous marquis de Marignan, and distinguished as an ambassador. He evinced his zeal for the church by his enmity against the Turks and heretics.

1641. ANTHONY VANDYCK, the celebrated Dutch painter, died. He was a pupil of Rubens, and excelled his master in delicacy of coloring. His pictures preserve in high perfection the dress and costume of the times.

1669. CLEMENT IX (_Julius Rospigliosi_) died of grief, at the loss of Candia, which was taken by the Turks. His reign was disturbed by the schisms of the Jansenists.

1674. EDWARD HYDE, lord of Clarendon, died at Rouen, in France, in exile. His name is immortalized by the _History of the Rebellion_, a splendid monument of his genius and impartiality, which he finished in exile.

1680. Comet seen at Albany.

1683. JOHN OLDHAM, an eminent English poet, died of small pox. His genius lay chiefly in satire.

1694. PAUL SIGNERI died at Rome; a theological writer, and a popular preacher and active missionary of the Jesuits.

1702. HAAGEN SWENSDEN executed for stealing and marrying Mrs. Pleasant Rawlins, an heiress.

1708. JOHN HIGGINSON died; the first minister of Salem, Mass.

1788. JONATHAN SHIPLEY, bishop of St. Asaph, died. He was a distinguished prelate and eminent among his episcopal brethren for his firm and determinate opposition to the American war.

1798. JOHN REINHOLD FORSTER, an eminent English writer on natural history and philosophy, died at Halle, in Germany. He accompanied Cook in his second voyage round the world.

1804. The British under admiral POPHAM attacked fort Rouge at the entrance of Calais harbor with explosion vessels.

1808. The Chinese interdicted the English from trading until their soldiery were drawn from Macao.

1808. The British rejected the French and Russian proposals for peace.

1811. Americans under general Harrison left the battle ground at Tippecanoe, on their return to the United States.

1813. Battle on the Nieve, near Bayonne; the British under general Hope attacked the French under Soult, without obtaining any decisive advantage.

1814. JOSEPH BRAMAH, a very ingenious English engineer and mechanist, died.

1815. The exiled emperor NAPOLEON, took possession of the villa of Longwood. This year, at its dawn, found him sovereign of the little island of Elba; ere the vernal equinox he was again emperor of France; before the summer solstice he was finally defeated at Waterloo; the year closed over him a solitary exile.

1816. The bank of England commenced paying specie on one and two pound notes dated prior to 1812.

1824. Battle of Ayacucho, in Peru, between the royalists under La Serna, 9,310, and the patriots, 5,780, under Sucre, which terminated in the total defeat of the former, who lost 1800 killed, and their general taken prisoner. Loss of the patriots, 370 killed. This victory accomplished the delivery of Peru from the Spaniards.

1824. JOSE LA SERNA, viceroy of Peru, wounded and taken prisoner at the battle of Ayacucho, which put an end to his authority in that state. He commenced his career in the artillery, and served at Saragossa under the celebrated Palafox. His skill in the art of war did not avail him against the determined bravery of the revolutionists.

1831. Disturbances in Ireland; the soldiers fired upon a mob of 2000 Irish; whereupon the mob rushed upon the soldiery and killed 19 out of 34.

1831. IBRAHIM PASHA completely defeated before St. Jean d'Acre.

1833. JOHN JEBB, bishop of Limerick, died. He was an accomplished author, a learned theologian, and an amiable man. His publications, though not numerous, were of high merit.

1835. President's message reached Boston in 26 hours and 50 minutes from Washington. It was formerly announced as an instance of extraordinary speed that the message reached Boston in 64 hours. In 1841 the message reached New York in 8 hours 53 minutes, and probably was in Boston within another 8 hours. Dr. Franklin once expressed an opinion that the time would come when the mail might be conveyed from Philadelphia to Boston in a fortnight, and _perhaps_ in a week. The regular time is now 24 hours.

1842. SAMUEL WOODWORTH, well known as an American poet, died in New York. He was the author of the popular song, the _Old Oaken Bucket_.

1850. BEM, the Hungarian general, died at Aleppo.

1853. The men and women of Harbor creek, near Erie, Pa., turned out in large numbers, tore up the rail road track, burnt the ties and bridges over the culvert, and plowed down the track to its former level.

1854. The king of the Sandwich islands to prevent the overthrow of his government by lawless violence, accepted the aid of the naval forces of the United States, Great Britain and France.

1856. FATHER MATTHEW, called the apostle of temperance, died at Cork, Ireland, aged 66. He devoted himself in early life to the regeneration of his countrymen among the poorer classes who had fallen under the tyranny of strong drink.

DECEMBER 10.

590 B. C. The tenth day of the month Thanet was observed as a fast in memory of the investment of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. Zechariah promised the extinction of this day of grief, in joy and feasting, upon the restoration of the house of Judah, B. C. 518.

493 B. C. The immortal day when _tribunes_ for the Roman people were first chosen; the anniversary also of their authority afterwards.

270 B. C. EPICURUS, the Athenian philosopher, died on the 10th day of Gamelion, having three days before observed his 71st anniversary. He taught a rational philosophy and with his disciples lived conformably to the rules of wisdom and frugality, although his name is unjustly associated with folly and feasting. His academy was the best regulated society that had ever been seen.

536. Rome opened her gates to Belisarius; the garrison departed without molestation along the Flaminian way, and the city, after sixty years of servitude, was delivered from the yoke of the barbarians. Leutherius, the Gothic chief, was sent to bear the keys of the city to his imperial master.

1282. LLEWELLYN AP GRUFYDD, a Welsh prince, killed. He heroically resisted the invasion of Edward I of England; but fell, and the liberty of his country perished with him after an independence of 800 years.

1506. Bologna captured by pope Julius I, who entered in triumph.

1508. The league of Cambray formed against the Venitian power. The pope, the emperor of Germany, and the kings of France and Spain, were the parties to it.

1520. LUTHER destroyed the papal bull against himself, with the works of the anti reformers, in a public fire behind the walls of Wittemberg.

1548. Battle of Pinckney field, near Musselburgh, in which 13,000 of the Scots were slain.

1577. On Sanctobertis eve a great number of persons paraded the streets of Perth in disguise. One clad in the devil's coat; the horse of another walked in men's shoes.

1586. ELIZABETH signed the warrant for the execution of Mary.

1626. EDMUND GUNTER, an English mathematician and astronomer, died. He distinguished himself by many important improvements in mathematical instruments for the use of navigation, &c.

1672. A monthly post established from New York to Boston.

1674. JOHN VAUGHAN, an eminent English law reporter, died; "more admired for his talents than loved for his courteous manners."

1681. The British factor, captain DREW, arrived at Chester, on the river Delaware, from England, with settlers for Pennsylvania; they remained there all winter, the river having frozen over that night. She was one of the three ships that left England with the first settlers. One of them, the Amity, arrived before her; the third was blown off the coast to the West Indies, and did not arrive until the next spring.

1688. JAMES IV deserted the English throne, embarked for France, and ordered his army to be disbanded.

1697. The peace of Ryswick, which had been signed in September, proclaimed in Boston, and the colonies had repose from war. Some of the Indians continued their hostilities, but finding themselves unsupported by the French, they took measures for peace.

1697. The population of New France, exclusive of Acadie, was 8,515, and could arm about 1,000 men.

1747. DUNCAN FORBES, an eminent Scottish lawyer, died. He wrote chiefly on theological subjects.

1757. Breslau retaken from the Austrians by Frederick II of Prussia. The Austrians lost 13 generals and 18,000 men prisoners.

1768. The royal academy of London instituted.

1792. JOHN JOSEPH SUE died; professor of anatomy at Paris, and a writer on anatomy and surgery.

1801. JONATHAN BATTISHILL, an eminent English musical composer, died. "To a profound knowledge he added great taste and a fine imagination."

1804. New York historical society instituted.

1807. Kingdom of Etruria dissolved and annexed to France.

1808. JAMES SULLIVAN, governor of Massachusetts, died. He rose to great usefulness unaided by opulence or family connexions.

1809. Gerona in Spain surrendered to the French after a siege of six months.

1813. French under SOULT endeavored to force the British under Wellington to repass the Nieve but were repulsed.

1813. The United States troops under general McClure burnt Newark adjoining fort George, destroyed that fort, removed the public stores, and retired to the south side of the Niagara river.

1817. Mississippi admitted into the confederacy.

1833. The house of assembly in Jamaica passed a bill for the abolition of slavery.

1834. ALEXANDER CHALMERS died; one of the most eminent biographers that Great Britain has produced. He commenced a laborious literary life in London and no man, it is said, ever edited so many books for the booksellers. He published a _General Biographical Dictionary_ in 32 volumes.

1835. The fortress of San Antonio surrendered by the Mexicans to the Texans under colonel Milan; the captors found 1900 rounds of powder and ball, 24 pieces of cannon, and a large amount of military stores, &c.

1836. A decree of the queen of Portugal published, abolishing the slave trade in the Portuguese dominions.

1842. PLEASANT HENDERSON, a soldier of the revolution from North Carolina, died in Tennessee. He was a companion of Daniel Boone in many of his wanderings and was for more than thirty years a clerk of the North Carolina house of commons.

1842. ROWLAND HILL, viscount Hill, the well known coadjutor of the duke of Wellington in the peninsula campaigns, died in his 70th year, near Shrewsbury, England.

1845. JESSE D. ELLIOT, an American commodore, died at Philadelphia, aged 62. He contributed much to Perry's success on lake Erie.

1846. JAMES GRIERSON died at Masharene, New Brunswick, aged 105. He was one of the loyalists that left the United States during the revolution.

1848. LOUIS NAPOLEON elected president of the French; 5,534,520 voting for him.

1852. WILLIAM EMPSON, professor of law in the East India college at Hoxley, England, died, aged 62. He was editor of the _Edinburgh Review_.

1855. The emperor FAUSTIN I left Port-au-Prince with 30,000 men to subjugate the Dominican republic; his forces were completely routed and dispersed.

DECEMBER 11.

361. JULIAN, the new emperor, made his triumphal entry into the eastern capital, having traversed with victory the whole continent of Europe, from the Atlantic.

1282. MICHAEL VIII (_Palæologus_), emperor of Rome, died. He was regent of the eastern empire, and took advantage of his situation to assume the supreme power. He retook Constantinople, which had been 58 years under the power of the French, and labored to reconcile the eastern and western churches.

1595. PHILIPPE DE CROI, duke of Aarschot, died; a Flemish nobleman and general, who, in an attempt to free his country of Spanish dictation, was unsuccessful, and exiled.

1620. The Plymouth adventurers, having sounded the harbor, and found it fit for shipping, went ashore and explored the adjacent land, where they saw cornfields and brooks; and judging the situation to be convenient for a settlement, they returned with the welcome intelligence to the ship.

1652. DIONYSIUS PETAVIUS died; a French Jesuit of great erudition, and an author.

1657. Writs issued by Cromwell to sixty individuals, to meet at Westminister, and compose a house of lords.

1697. JOACHIM KUHNIUS, a learned Pomeranian, died. He was principal of the college of Octigen, and acquired great celebrity by his publications.

1699. The king of Sweden defeated the Muscovites at Narva.

1704. ROGER L'ESTRANGE, an English gentleman and scholar, died. He was unsuccessful in his enterprises in favor of Charles I; but on the restoration he returned to England, and printed the first regular English newspaper, 1663, under the title of the _Public Intelligencer_. He was the author of some political tracts, and translations from different languages.

1714. GEORGE I, and his cabinet, issued an order forbidding the clergy to meddle in their sermons with the affairs of state.

1718. CHARLES XII, of Sweden, killed; supposed to have been struck by a cannon ball in the trenches, at Frederickshall; a fortress which he was then besieging near the bay of Denmark.

1747. EDMUND CURL died; one of the characters mentioned in Pope's _Dunciad_. His character for morality was not without blemish, and he was highly injurious to the literary world, in his profession of book maker and seller, by his piracies and forgeries. He lost his ears in the pillory, by sentence of the law, for issuing obscene publications.

1753. The dey of Algiers assassinated by a soldier, as he was distributing pay to about 300 in the court yard of his palace. The assassin seated himself in the chair of state, and was taking measures to secure his power, when he was shot with a carbine.

1756. THEODORE NEWHOFF, king of Corsica, died in England, where he had been long confined in prison for debt.

1758. The old castle of the Douglasses, so famed in Scottish history, was accidentally burned to the ground.

1794. Assault on the works of Nijmegen, a strong city of Holland; general Bushe, of the allies, was killed by an 8lb. cannon ball.

1794. Battle of Roussilon; the Spaniards and Portuguese defeated the French, killed 800, took 600 prisoners, and 50 cannon.

1806. Saxony erected into a kingdom, under Frederick Augustus, by the treaty of Posen, between Bonaparte and the elector.

1807. The Dutch fleet burnt at Greisse, in Java, by the British squadron, under sir Edward Pellew.

1812. Wilna entered by the Russians, where they found vast magazines, 30 cannon, upwards of 5,000 in the hospitals, including some distinguished officers, and took about 10,000 prisoners.

1813. The French, under SOULT, again repulsed in an attempt to force the British under lord Wellington to repass the Nieve.

1816. Indiana admitted as a new state into the Union of the United States.

1828. BERANGER was sentenced by the French court of correctional police, to pay 10,000 francs ($1,800) fine, and to undergo nine months' imprisonment, for having attacked the dignity of the church, and of the king, in his poems.

DECEMBER 12.

1656 A. M. The rain of the deluge having ceased to fall, having continued 40 days, from the 17th of the 2d month, answering to our 2d Nov., q. v.

404 B. C. DARIUS II (_Nothus_), king of Persia, died, after a reign of nineteen years, and was succeeded by Artaxerxes Mnemon, his son. Cyrus, the younger, another of his sons, carried on several successful wars during the reign of Darius.

1271. RICHARD, king of the Romans, died, at Berkhamstead, England.

1600. JOHN CRAIG, a Scottish ecclesiastic, died. He was at first a Dominican, and by his talents recommended himself to cardinal Pole. But, becoming a heretic, narrowly escaped being burnt. He afterwards became the coadjutor of Knox, the great reformer.

1611. THOMAS SUTTON, a rich English bachelor, died. He was the founder of the Charter house.

1630. DAVID PIETERSZEN DE VRIES, who had associated himself with Samuel Godyn, Kilian Van Rensselaer, Samuel Bloemart, and Jan de Laet, sailed from Texel for the South (Delaware) river, intending to plant a colony there. Godyn being informed that whales were plenty in those regions, and fish oil being 60 guilders the hogshead, the vessel was laden with utensils for fishing, and planters and cattle for the colony.

1653. OLIVER CROMWELL declared lord protector of England for life, and the same day dissolved the convention called Barebones's parliament, by the corporal of the guard and a file of soldiers.

1671. VOPISCUS FORTUNATUS POLEMPIUS, a Dutch physician and professor at Louvain, died, leaving several valuable works.

1676. WILLIAM MORICE, a learned Englishman, died; secretary of state under Charles II.

1680. The extraordinary comet of this year observed throughout Britain.

1685. JOHN PELL died; an English divine, and very eminent mathematician.

1688. JAMES II, of England, made his escape from London.

1731. JOHN HORSLEY died; author of a very learned and excellent work entitled _Britannia Romana_; being an ample account of the vestiges of the Romans in Britain.

1733. The bills of mortality in London this year, showed the death of 14,372 males, and 14,861 females.

1753. An act passed the provincial assembly, of New York, that mortgages should be subjected to public registry for the prevention of frauds. But this act, though a useful one, did not reach all the mischiefs intended to be prevented.