Part 14

1671. CHARLES CHAUNCEY, president of Harvard college, died, aged 80. He was a nonconformist divine, who emigrated to America; a learned and venerated man.

1697. FRANCIS BERNARD, an English physician, died; eminent for his learning, and his valuable collection of books.

1717. PETER ANTHONY MOTTEUX, died in London on his birthday (supposed to have been murdered). He was a French refugee, settled in England, where he became an eminent dramatic writer, and translated Don Quixotte.

1734. Battle of Gaustalla between the French and the imperialists under count Konigsegg; the latter of whom were defeated with the loss of 5,000 men including the prince of Wirtemberg.

1743. La Guaira, in South America, attacked by the British under Knowles. He captured one ship, and blew up a magazine but did not succeed in his principal object, which was the total destruction of the shipping. Spanish loss 700.

1767. FRANCIS BOISSIER DE SAUVAGES, a French physician and botanist, died. His reputation was so great that he was called the Boerhaave of Languedoc.

1778. Capt. JAMES WILLING took possession of Natches in the name of the U. S.

1788. THOMAS CUSHING, of Massachusetts died. He was early engaged in political life, and in 1763 appointed speaker of the council where, by his moderate and conciliatory conduct he was enabled to effect a great deal of good as a mediator between the contending parties. On the breaking out of disturbances he was sent to the first congress, and continued to fill some office till his death, when he was lieutenant governor.

1790. Marquis DE FAVRAS executed. His judges were intimidated by the mob shouting during the trial, _a la lanterne_.

1792. MATTHEW TAIT died at Auchinleck, aged 123.

1793. Lieuts. GIBBS and MOUNTESY with 21 men of the Lowestoffe frigate seized the tower of Martelli in Corsica, and hoisted the British flag for the first time in that island.

1794. French frigate La Fortunee burnt to prevent her falling into the hands of Lord Hood.

1797. JAMES DODSLEY the renowned and rich London bookseller died. He sold 18,000 copies of Burke's _Reflections on the French Revolution_.

1798. The Irish rebellion, as the discontents were called, commenced.

1799. JEAN CHARLES BORDA, a French mathematician, died. He made many improvements in hydraulics, and his experiments for the advancement of science were numerous and successful.

1801. Action off Gibraltar between the British frigate Phebe 36 guns, and the French frigate L'Africaine, 44 guns and 715 men. The Frenchman lost 200 men killed and 143 wounded, and was captured. British loss 1 killed and 12 wounded.

1802. NICHOLAS JOSEPH SELIS, a distinguished French poet, died.

1806. ELIZABETH CARTER, an English poetess, died, aged 89. She acquired nine foreign languages; but the reputation of this learned lady was established by a complete translation from the Greek of the works of Epictetus, with notes.

1807. Admiral DUCKWORTH, with 8 ships of the line and 4 frigates, together with fire ships and gun boats, effected the daring pass of the Dardanelles, without loss, and appeared before Constantinople, which until then had never seen an enemy's fleet. The Turks fired stone shot from their batteries upon the fleet, some of them weighing upwards of 800 pounds. The Turkish squadron, consisting of a 64 gun ship, 4 frigates, 3 corvettes, a brig and 2 gun boats, were burnt.

1811. Duke of Albuquerque, ambassador to England from the regency of Spain, died at London.

1816. WM. REESE died in Dublin district, Md., aged 108.

1816. A bridge of wire, 400 feet in length, for foot passengers having been constructed over the Schuylkill, was passed for the first time.

1821. Florida ceded to the United States by Spain.

1837. THOMAS BURGESS, bishop of Salisbury, died. He was the son of a grocer, and rose by his own merits. He was a man of extensive learning, and a voluminous author; was instrumental in founding the royal society of literature; and St. David's college founded by him for the education of Welsh ministers, is an enduring monument of his benevolence. To this institution, he bequeathed the whole of his extensive library.

1843. MICHAEL J. QUINN, well known to general readers as the author of _A Visit to Spain_, &c., died at Boulogne-sur-mer, France.

1844. GILBERT, a servant of Washington at the great battle of the Monongahela, died at Stanton, Va., aged 112. He was also with the general at the surrender of Cornwallis, and was accustomed on holidays to appear in regimentals during his life, to the great edification of the boys.

1852. WILLIAM WARE, an eminent unitarian scholar and divine, died at Cambridge, Mass., aged 54.

1856. The ship John Rutledge from Liverpool to New York encountered an iceberg and sunk. Of five boats which left the ship, only one was picked up, with but one living man on board, the survivor of thirteen who had died one by one of cold and starvation.

FEBRUARY 20.

1413. THOMAS ARUNDEL, archbishop of Canterbury, died. He was consecrated bishop of Ely at the age of 21, and became infamous by the severity of his conduct towards the reformers.

1437. JAMES I, of Scotland, murdered, at the age of 44. He fell a martyr to his attempts to abolish the anarchy and disorder which prevailed throughout his kingdom. He was the first of the Stuarts, and stands on the catalogue of royal authors. (Is also dated 21st.)

1494. MATTEO MARIE BOIARDO, count of Scandiano, died. In his _Orlando Innamorato_ he immortalized his own peasants and the charms of the scenery at Scandiano in the persons of his heroes and the beauties of nature.

1571. LEWIS CASTELVETRO, an Italian critic, died. He was famous for his parts, but more famous for spleen and ill nature. He distinguished himself chiefly by his _Commentary upon Aristotle's Poetics_, where, Rapin assures us, he always made it a rule to find something to except against in the text.

1579. NICHOLAS BACON, an English statesman, died. He was appointed lord keeper of the great seal on the accession of Elizabeth, and was an able and judicious counsellor of that queen during 20 years.

1579. DRAKE, after many profitable captures in the Pacific, arrived at Lima, where he plundered all the ships in the harbor, in one of which was found a chest full of reals of silver, and a good store of silks and linen cloth.

1648. THOMAS DAMME buried at Minshull, England, "being of the age of seven score and fourteen" (154 years).

1725. A party of 40 New Hampshire volunteers on an excursion for hunting Indians, discovered a party of ten encamped for the night round a fire. Advancing cautiously at midnight, the enemy were found asleep and the whole shot. They were marching from Canada well furnished with new guns and ammunition, and a number of spare blankets, moccasins and snow shoes, for the accommodation of the prisoners they expected to take, and were within two miles of the frontiers. The party entered Dover in triumph, with the ten scalps stretched on hoops and elevated on poles; and received a bounty of £100 for each scalp, at Boston, out of the public treasury.

1736. A bill was introduced into the British parliament, placing a duty of 20 shillings a gallon on spirituous liquors, and £50 license for selling them, in order to prevent their excessive use; but was defeated so far as to tolerate punch at a low rate, the merchants of Bristol and Liverpool fearing the lessening of consumption on rum and other things distilled from molasses.

1737. ELIZABETH ROWE died; an English lady distinguished for her piety and literary talents.

1745. British ship Chester, Capt. Geary, captured the French ship Elephant with $24,000 on board.

1749. USHER GAHAGAN, executed at Tyburn. He was a gentleman by birth, and a scholar; he edited a beautiful edition of the classics, and translated Pope's _Messiah_ and _Temple of Fame_ into Latin verse. His crime was that of clipping coin!

1762. TOBIAS MAYER, a distinguished mathematician, died at Gottingen. His lunar and solar tables, as well as his original suggestions on the repeating circle are of much value.

1771. JOHN JAMES DE MAIRAN, a French philosopher, died. He succeeded Fontenelle as secretary to the academy of sciences, and is the author of a _Treatise on Phosphoric Light_, &c.

1772. The royal marriage act of England was passed. This was another of those attempts to perpetuate regal domination.

1778. LAURA BASSI died; she was honored with the degree of doctor of philosophy, for the great mental acquirements displayed in her lectures on that subject, and was distinguished as possessing every amiable virtue.

1780. British under General Clinton invaded South Carolina.

1781. ROBERT MORRIS appointed by congress superintendent of finance.

1790. JOSEPH II, emperor of Germany, died. He was an able and benevolent monarch, who devoted his attention closely to the affairs of the kingdom, and introduced many useful institutions.

1790. At Blackwall, England, while excavations were being made for a wet dock several hazel trees, with nuts, were found deeply imbedded below several strata of sand and clay.

1797. Treaty of Tolentino between Bonaparte and the pope.

1799. El Arish, and subsequently Gaza, with most towns in western Palestine, were taken by the French.

1799. LEOPOLD II, died; grand duke of Tuscany 25 years, and elected emperor of Germany, 1790. He evinced great abilities.

1802. JOHN MOORE, a distinguished Scottish physician, and popular author, died. He wrote on the society and manners of different countries in Europe, which his acute discernment and lively imagination enabled him to describe with great accuracy and pleasantry.

1803. British evacuated Egypt.

1808. GERARD LAKE died. He was made a peer of Great Britain for his successes as a general in India.

1809. RICHARD GOUGH, a learned and eminent English antiquary, died.

1809. Saragossa surrendered to the French. The garrison was reduced to 12,000 men, who, when they marched out of the city, had more the appearance of spectres than of human beings. During this second siege 54,000 perished, of whom one fourth were soldiers.

1810. ANDREW HOFER, the leader of the Tyrolese insurrection, executed. He was a brave patriot, and met his fate with heroic firmness.

1811. Battle of San Christoval in Spain, in which general Mendizabal was defeated with the loss of about 12,000 killed and prisoners, by the French under Soult, whose loss was stated at 400 only.

1811. FRANCIS II, of Germany, issued an edict, fixing the current value of bank paper at one fifth of its nominal value.

1817. SAMUEL MEREDITH died at his seat in Wayne county, Pa.; first treasurer of the United States under the federal constitution, which office he resigned in 1801.

1820. ARTHUR YOUNG died; a distinguished English author on agriculture.

1822. JOHN STEWART, commonly called _walking John_, died in London; to gratify the "amor videndi," he had perambulated much of the globe.

1835. A tremendous earthquake in Chili. The city of Conception, containing 25,000 inhabitants, was reduced to a heap of ruins, not a single house left standing; many other towns and villages were demolished. At first the sea retired and left the vessels in the harbor aground; but it soon rushed violently back 30 feet above its level.

1836. MARY CRAWFORD, died at Castine, Me., aged 100 years and six months; widow of Dr. Wm. Crawford, chaplain and surgeon at Fort Point during the revolution.

1841. JAMES G. BROOKS died; known in early life as an American poet, and later as an editor of several newspapers.

1843. PETER AUGUSTUS JAY, well known in the state of New York as a statesman and historian, died.

1846. The first legislature of Texas under the U. S. met at Austin. Gen. Henderson was elected the first governor.

1849. NEWTON M. CURTISS, author of a number of popular novels, died at Charlton, N. Y., aged 34.

1854. ELLIOTT CRESSON, president of the Pennsylvania colonization society, died, leaving $127,000 to charitable institutions.

1854. The most violent snow storm that had occurred since 1831, commenced at Washington, and extended over the Middle and New England states.

1855. JOSEPH HUME, the English statesman died, aged 78. He was a member of the house of commons 37 years.

FEBRUARY 21.

1340. The king of England assumed the title of the king of France, quartering his arms with the motto, "Dieu et mon Droit."

1513. GIULIANO DELLA ROVERA, (pope Julius II,) died. He was originally a fisherman. He built St. Peter's at Rome, to procure means for which he ordered the sale of indulgences, which was one of the immediate causes of the reformation; so that it may be said without paradox, that St. Peter's is the great monument of protestantism. He is considered one of the most immoral of the popes, though a generous patron of the polite arts.

1595. ROBERT SOUTHWELL, called sometimes the English Jesuit, died. He was esteemed no inferior poet in his day.

1633. Order of the privy council to stay several ships in the Thames, ready to sail for New England with passengers and provisions. The jealousy of the government was early directed towards the infant colony of Massachusetts. It was observed by one of the kings, that the _wheat_ of the population was sifting across the Atlantic. These orders were ineffectual, for great numbers continued to emigrate, and scarce a vessel arrived in the colony that was not crowded with passengers.

1660. The secluded members of the long parliament again took their seats and voted Monk to be general of the English, Scotch and Irish forces.

1668. JOHN THURLOE, secretary of state to the two Cromwells, died. He was a man of very amiable character, and exercised all possible moderation towards persons of every party.

1676. Two or three hundred Indians principally Narragansetts, surprised the town of Medfield, Mass., killed 18 men, women and children, and burnt half of the town.

1682. The following appears in the minutes of the governor and council of Virginia: "John Buckner called before the Ld. Culpepper and his counsel for printing the laws of 1680, without his excellency's license, and he and the printer ordered to enter into bond in £100 not to print anything hereafter until his majesty's pleasure shall be known."

1684. CHARLES SPON, an ingenious and learned French physician, died at Lyons. He wrote Latin verse with ease and elegance, and corresponded with most of the learned men of Europe.

1717. PETER ALIX, a French protestant of eminent piety and learning, died. He resided in England, where he was greatly esteemed and honored.

1730. BENEDICT XIII, pope of Rome, died. He was a Dominican of Venice, and before his elevation bishop of Benevento, where his palace was destroyed by an earthquake, and he narrowly escaped. He filled the pontifical office six years, and sustained an excellent character.

1746. Le Bourbon and La Charite, French ships, captured by Com. Knowles in a heavy gale. The military chest belonging to the French vessels contained £5,000.

1759. Action between the British frigate Vestal, Capt. Hood, and the French frigate Bellona, which resulted in the capture of the latter, with the loss of 42 killed. British loss 2 killed and 22 wounded.

1760. The neighborhood of Mt. Vesuvius overflowed by burning lava.

1760. Commodore THOUROT arrived in the bay of Carrickfergus with a 43 gun ship and two sloops of war, and having landed 800 men, attacked the town, which, with the castle, he carried after a smart action. The French embarked a few days after, and meeting with a British squadron, an action ensued in which Thourot and 300 of his men were killed.

1792. JACOB SCHNEBBELIE died at London. From the profession of a Swiss confectioner, he rose to be one of the best draughtsmen in England, but too intense application to his studies hastened his death.

1796. Field Marshal CLAIRFAIT, the Austrian general, resigned, and was succeeded by the Archduke Charles, for whom a new rank was created, that of field-marshal-general, being the highest military rank in the empire.

1799. GILBERT WAKEFIELD was fined £100 and condemned to two years confinement, for his pamphlet against the bishop of Landaff.

1805. Dominica attacked by a French squadron, which was repulsed by the British under Gen. Provost.

1810. Action between the British ship Horatio, and French frigate Necessity, 21 guns, which last was captured in one hour.

1812. Action between the British ship Victorious, Capt. Talbot, and the Venitian ship Rivoli, 74 guns. The latter was captured, after an engagement of 5 hours, with the loss of 400 killed and wounded; British loss 42 k. 99 w.

1813. Ogdensburgh, N. Y., taken by the British.

1814. The British, about 2000 in number, under Col. Scott, crossed over to the French mills, burnt the arsenal at Malone, N. Y., pillaged the town and carried off some provisions. The enemy retreated in great haste, and lost 200 men by desertion. Gen. Wilkinson endeavored to come up with him, but was prevented by the weather.

1818. DAVID HUMPHREYS, an officer of the revolution, died. He was a native of Connecticut, and successively aid to generals Putnam, Greene and Washington. He is also known as a poet of very fair pretensions.

1824. EUGENE DE BEAUHARNAIS, duke of Leuchtenberg, died. He was the son of Josephine Tacher de la Pagerie, afterwards wife of Napoleon. He distinguished himself in the army, and was made viceroy of Italy, the government of which he managed with great prudence. With the fall of Napoleon he lost his titles and offices, but was in a measure indemnified by the articles of Fontainbleau, the congress of Vienna, and the duke of Bavaria. Under a simple exterior prince Eugene concealed a noble character and great talents.

1831. ROBERT HALL died at Bristol, England; a very eminent man and a celebrated preacher.

1838. ANTHONY ISAAC SYLVESTRE DE SACY died, aged 80; renowned principally for his extensive critical knowledge, particularly in oriental languages and literature; esteemed, in this department of learning, the first scholar of his age.

1839. CHARLES ROSSI, a celebrated sculptor, died at London, aged 77.

1840. WILLIAM FREND, died in London, aged 84; a writer on algebra, taxation and various other subjects.

1845. SYDNEY SMITH, canon of St. Paul's in London, and well known to Pennsylvania repudiators, died in London.

1855. CHARLES ROGER DOD, assistant editor of _The Times_ newspaper, died aged 62.

1856. The students of South Carolina college, armed with rifles, surrendered to the governor of the state and a posse of armed citizens.

FEBRUARY 22.

1371. DAVID II of Scotland died. He was the son of Robert Bruce, was taken prisoner by the English in 1346 and detained in the tower 10 years.

1609. FERDINAND I, grand duke of Tuscany, died. He was eminent for the wisdom and energy of his government.

1630. The first day of public thanksgiving in Massachusetts. The day had been appointed, for a general fast. No ship had arrived in a great length of time, and their stock of provisions was nearly exhausted. At this critical moment a vessel arrived from England laden with provisions; and they immediately changed the day of public fasting into one of public feasting. And it is quite probable that the day was observed with something more than an outward show of thanksgiving on that occasion.

1644. CHARLES I, having summoned a royal parliament, they met this day at Oxford to the number of 44 lords and 118 commoners; the session was opened with a speech from the king.

1674. JEAN CHAPELAIN, died. He attracted the notice of Cardinal Richelieu by a preface which he wrote for the _Adonis_ of Marini. Chapelain was talented and learned, obsequious and discreet, and these made his fortune, for he could be of service to the cardinal, who had the weakness to set up for a _bel esprit_. He became one of the first members of the _Academie Francaise_, received a large pension, and became the oracle of the poets of the time, and was universally esteemed. It would have been better if he himself had not set up for a poet. In 1630 he commenced an epic, _La Pucelle_. It was announced twenty years before its appearance, and the public expectation was greatly disappointed; it soon became an object of ridicule.

1717. Great snow in New England; 6 feet deep in Boston. It commenced on the 20th, on which day Dr. Brattle was buried, and many who attended his funeral were unable to get home for several days.

1731. FREDERICK RUYSCH, an eminent Dutch anatomist, died.

1732. Birthday of GEORGE WASHINGTON. He was the third son of Augustus Washington, and was born at Bridges Creek, Va.

1744. Partial action off Toulon between the combined French and Spanish fleets under M. De Court, and the British fleet under admirals Matthews and Rowley. The Poder, a Spanish 60 gun ship, was burnt. British loss 92 killed, 185 wounded.

1746. WILLIAM COUSTON, director of the French academy of painting and sculpture, died.

1766. British stamp act repealed.

1770. A mob, principally boys, attacked the house of Mr. Richardson, Boston, owing to his having attempted to remove the mark set against the house of one Lille, who had contravened the non-importation law. Richardson fired upon the mob and killed Christopher Snider, a boy 11 years of age, who was recorded in the public prints as the first martyr to American liberty.

1780. An ox roasted on the ice at Philadelphia, the ice being 17 inches thick.

1782. The island of Montserrat surrendered to the French, under Count De Grasse.

1787. The assembly of notables of France assembled.

1797. The French made a descent on Wales.

1806. JAMES BARRY, an Irish painter, died. He was patronized by Burke. His greatest effort is a series of allegorical pictures in possession of the Society of arts, London.

1809. LOUIS, count of Cobentzel, died at Vienna. He was born at Brussels 1753. He entered into the military service of Austria at an early age, and was employed as an embassador to the court of Copenhagen before he had attained his twentieth year; and was continued in that capacity at some one of the European courts during the whole of his life.

1810. CHARLES BROCKDEN BROWN, an American novelist, died aged 39. He holds a distinguished rank among American authors.

1810. The island of St. Eustatia surrendered by the Dutch to the British.

1811. The British ships Cerberus and Active captured 22 vessels from Otranto, with provisions and troops.

1812. Ogdensburg, New York, attacked by the British and Indians under Frazer and McDonnell. Forsythe was compelled to evacuate it. The British took 12 cannons, 1400 stands of arms, 300 tents, some provisions, and all the vessels and boats. American loss 27; British loss 64 killed and wounded.

1814. BLUCHER defeated by the French under Boyer; the former set the bridge and town of Mery on fire and fled.

1816. ADAM FERGUSON, an eminent Scottish writer, died. He was sent to America as secretary to the mission in 1778 to effect a reconciliation between the two countries.

1835. JANE JARMON died near Wadesborough, N. C., aged 105.

1836. JOICE HETH died at New York; a blind negro woman, who had been carried about the country as a show, under the pretence that she was 162 years of age and had been the nurse of General Washington. On a post mortem examination it was found that she could not have been more than 80 years old.

1841. A land slide in the commune of Gregano in Italy, by which 113 persons lost their lives. The town of Reggio, in Calabria, nearly destroyed by an earthquake.

1855. The San Francisco bankers suspended payment, causing a panic.

FEBRUARY 23.

303. The soldiers of Diocletian demolished the principal church of Nicomedia, and committed the sacred volumes to the flames.

1447. GABRIEL CONDOIMERO (Pope Eugenius IV), died. He was elected to the papal throne 1431, afterwards unjustly deposed, and again restored.