Part 78

1441. MARGERY JOURDEMAIN, the witch of Eye, condemned to be burnt for furnishing _love potions_ to Eleanor Cobham, wife of that duke of Gloucester so eminent as a patron of science and letters.

1558. JULIUS CÆSAR SCALIGER died; an Italian physician, eminent as a Latin critic and poet.

1583. LAURENT JOUBERT, a French physician and medical writer, died.

1593. Nymegen, a strong city of Holland, surrendered to Maurice of Nassau, who added a new fort to it.

1621. ANTHONY MONTCHRESTIEN DE VATEVILLE, a French poet, torn to pieces and burnt by order of the authorities, for sedition and other crimes.

1662. HENRY LAWES, an English musician, died. He was originally a choir boy of Salisbury church, first introduced the Italian style of music in England, and composed the notes for Milton's _Comus_.

1687. EDMUND WALLER, an eminent English poet and political writer, died.

1692. A commission was granted by William and Mary to Benjamin Fletcher, governor of New York, conferring on him the government of Pennsylvania, and depriving Penn of that office. He was however, restored again in two years after.

1716. JAMES GRONOVIUS died; a Dutch writer on the belles-lettres, and a man of learning.

1766. Cumana, the capital of New Andalusia in South America, entirely destroyed by an earthquake.

1771. TOBIAS SMOLLET, a Scottish physician, died; better known as a historian and novelist.

1771. WILLIAM CLARKE, an English divine and antiquary, died.

1774. The provincial congress of Massachusetts determined to raise and enlist men for the defence of the province for the first time, under the name of minute men.

1777. SAMUEL FOOTE died; a celebrated English dramatist and actor, called the English Aristophanes.

1783. Congress insulted at Philadelphia by a band of mutineers, whom the authorities were unable to quell, adjourned to Princeton; a circumstance which doubtless led to the agitation of the question of a permanent seat of government.

1794. Coblentz surrendered to the French revolutionists. The fortifications of this city, celebrated for having been the court of the emigrant princes, had been vastly augmented during the course of the war, but the Austrian commander evacuated it on the first appearance of the French.

1794. ANTHONY PETIT, an eminent French physician, died. He was a copious and learned writer.

1800. SIMEON THAYER, an officer of the revolution, died. He was in the army led by Arnold through the wilderness to Quebec, was wounded by a cannon ball at Monmouth, and was the brave volunteer defender of Mud fort on the Delaware.

1803. FREDERICK CAVENDISH, an English field marshal died.

1805. Battle of Trafalgar; the British fleet, 27 sail and 4 frigates, defeated, after an action of 4 hours, the combined French and Spanish fleets of 33 sail. Admiral Horatio Nelson was killed, and the French admiral Villeneuve was captured. British loss 423 killed, 1164 wounded. The French and Spanish fleet was completely overthrown; but 14 escaped from the battle, and nearly the whole of those were afterwards wrecked or captured.

1841. JOHN FORSYTH, an eminent American statesman, died. As a member of the Union convention of Georgia in 1832, he was principally instrumental in preventing that state from pledging itself to nullification. He was a man of talent and eloquence and long distinguished in public life by the many important offices which he held.

1849. CHARLES E. HORN, a well known musical composer of Boston, died.

1852. SAUL ALLEY, long known as a leading merchant and capitalist of New York, died aged 74.

OCTOBER 22.

50 B. C. The civil wars of the Romans began in which Cæsar and Pompey were arrayed against each other.

615. COLUMBANUS, an Irish missionary and reformer of monastic life, died in Italy. In his character he was intrepid, violent and fearless.

741. CHARLES MARTEL, duke of Austrasia, died. He was the actual sovereign of France during 25 years, under the titles of mayor of the palace, and duke of the Franks. He repeatedly vanquished the Suevians, Frisons, Allemans and Saxons, and at the famous battle near Poictiers defeated the Saracens with such great slaughter, that it is said 375,000 of them were destroyed.

1322. HUGH, the illuminator, died at Cairo in Egypt, on his way from Dublin to the holy land.

1495. JOHN II (_the Great_) of Portugal, died. He carried war into Africa against the Moors, and extended the settlements of the Portuguese in Africa and India.

1658. Interment of Oliver Cromwell, with great pomp. "It was the joyfulest funeral I ever saw," says Evelyn; "for there were none that cried but dogs, which the soldiers hooted away with a barbarous noise, drinking and taking tobacco in the streets as they went."

1685. Edict of Nantes revoked by the imbecile Louis XIV, who imagined the protestants in his kingdom were nearly extirpated. The protestants were now deprived of their religious and civil rights, which they had enjoyed nearly a century. They were driven in great numbers into different countries of Europe by the persecutions which followed, where they established the silk and other manufactures, to the great prejudice of their own country.

1707. CLOUDESLEY SHOVEL, a celebrated English admiral, wrecked off the Scilly isles, as he was returning with his fleet from the coast of Spain; 900 seamen also perished with him.

1708. HERMAN WITSIUS died; a learned Dutch divine, and theological writer.

1710. Birthday of MARIE ANNE LE PAGE DU BOCCAGE, a French lady greatly celebrated for her writings.

1724. WILLIAM WOLLASTON died; a celebrated English divine, author of the _Religion of Nature_.

1726. The island of Jamaica visited by a fearful hurricane which destroyed much property on the plantations and a fleet of ships.

1746. The assembly of New York brought in a bill to raise £2,250 by lottery towards erecting a college.

1757. Alum first discovered in Ireland.

1764. Battle of Buxar, in Bengal; the British defeated Mir Cassim, who lost 4,000 killed, 133 cannon, and all his tents, &c., taken.

1775. PEYTON RANDOLPH, first president of the American congress, died. He was a native of Virginia, and one of the most distinguished lawyers and patriots of that state.

1777. Battle of Red Bank; the Hessians under count Donop in their attack upon the American fort, were defeated with the loss of about 500 killed. Donop was mortally wounded. Fort Mifflin was attacked at the same time by water, without success, and two British men-of-war were lost.

1784. Treaty at fort Stanwix (now Rome) between the Six Nations and the United States.

1788. GEORGE III, king of England, became insane.

1791. JOHN DAVID MICHAELIS, a German theological writer, died. His works are 49 in number.

1793. British took possession of Grand Ance and Nicola Mole, in St. Domingo.

1802. SAMUEL ARNOLD, an eminent English musical composer, died in London.

1812. VINZINGERODE, the Russian general, with his aid Narishkin, rode up to Warsaw with a white flag to offer terms, was made prisoner, and despatched towards Hesse; but was retaken by a party of Cossacks.

1812. The city of Moscow wholly evacuated by the French, after a possession of 1 month and 8 days. Russian troops entered it immediately afterwards, in time to preserve the Kremlin, which had been undermined to be blown up; and within a few hours, so completely had the Russian peasants baffled Napoleon, that the town swarmed with people and the markets were stocked with provision.

1818. JOACHIM HEINRICH CAMPE, a German theologian, died. His philosophical works, as well as those which he composed for the instruction of youth, display a noble and philanthropic spirit; some of them have been translated into most of the European languages.

1824. CHARLES VAN ESS, a German ecclesiastic, died. He wrote some historical works, and a translation of the New Testament was published under his name.

1840. HENRY RICHARD VASSALL, lord Holland, an English statesman, died. He was a man of literary accomplishments, and particularly distinguished for his knowledge of Spanish literature. He is characterized as a wit without a particle of ill-nature, and a man of learning without a taint of pedantry.

1841. ROBERT BISSETT SCOTT, an English writer on military jurisprudence and a military advocate, died at London, aged 67.

1846. BATIS STONE, another of those long lived patriots of the revolution of the American colonies, died at Philadelphia, aged over 103 years. Though in nearly every battle he escaped unwounded.

1846. The steamship Great Britain ran aground on the coast of Ireland, and became too deeply imbedded to be lifted by subsequent tides. The passengers and most of the cargo saved.

1848. ALEXANDER G. MCNUTT, an eminent Mississippi lawyer, died, aged 47.

1850. The city council of Chicago passed resolutions nullifying the fugitive slave law, and releasing the police from the obedience of it. They subsequently reconsidered this action.

1855. WILLIAM MOLESWORTH, a Welsh baronet, died, aged 45. He began to make a figure before the public at a very early age, and distinguished himself in parliament and elsewhere.

OCTOBER 23.

439. Carthage, foremost in effeminacy, and second in importance among the western cities, was taken from the Romans and spoliated by Genseric, the Vandal, 585 years after the destruction of her republic by the younger Scipio.

472. FLAVIUS ANICIUS OLYBRIUS, emperor of the west, died, after a very brief reign.

524. ANICIUS MANLIUS TORQUATUS SEVERINUS BŒTHIUS, a celebrated Roman philosopher, executed. He fell under the displeasure of Theodoric.

1340. NICOLAS, of Lyra, a Norman Jew, died. He was converted to Christianity, taught divinity at Paris with great reputation, and wrote commentaries on the Bible and controversies with the Jews.

1389. The first charter to the town of Linlithgow, in Scotland, was given by Robert II. Here yet stands the old palace in which the unfortunate Mary, queen of Scotland, sometime resided.

1526. Date of the bishop of London's charge to his clergy, to destroy the English copy of the New Testament, as ruinous to the souls of their people.

1616. ACHILLE DE HARLEY, president of the parliament of Paris, died. He acquired great respect by the learning, firmness and dignity with which he sustained his office.

1641. Rebellion in Ireland; the catholics under Phelim O'Neil, rose against the protestants, and cruelly massacred men, women and children to the number of 40,000, and by some accounts more than 100,000.

1642. Battle of Edgehill, between the royalists, under Charles I and prince Rupert, and the parliament forces, under the earl of Essex. About 5,000 men fell on the occasion, among whom was general Bertie; the victory was undecided.

1667. The foundation stone of the first pillar in the Royal Exchange, London, laid by the king.

1679. The _Meal Tub_ plot discovered in England.

1706. JOHN FOY VAILLANT, a celebrated French physician, medalist and traveler, died.

1707. The first parliament of Great Britain met after the union with Scotland.

1708. The town of Lisle surrendered, and the garrison retired into the castle, except the horse, which were allowed to march away. The allies acknowledged a loss of 12,000 men in taking the town only.

1713. ARCHIBALD PITCAIRNE, an eminent physician and scholar, died at Edinburgh.

1730. ANNE OLDFIELD, a very celebrated English actress, died; and after lying in state in Jerusalem chamber, was buried at Westminster with great pomp.

1764. JOHN LECLAIR, an eminent French music composer, assassinated at Paris.

1785. WILLIAM COCHRANE, a Scottish painter, died. His pieces acquired great celebrity.

1789. Two robbers seized by the citizens of Paris, and hung on the spot, under pretence that the authorities were too slow and dilatory.

1801. JOHN GOTTLIEB NAUMANN, an eminent German music composer, died. He was found in obscurity at the age of 13, and taken to Italy, where he commenced his career. His operas are very numerous.

1814. British ship Bulwark captured American privateer, Harlequin, 10 guns, 115 men.

1825. PLINY FISK, a zealous American missionary, died at Beyrout, in Syria. Although extremely indigent, he procured a regular education, subsisting two years upon bread and milk, and carrying his corn to mill upon his shoulders. Yet so great was his application, that he enabled himself to preach in Italian, French, modern Greek and Arabic.

1826. Date of JAMES SMITHSON'S will, which ultimately placed in the hands of the United States of America, a large sum for the diffusion of knowledge among men.

1841. GEORGE FREDERICK BELTZ, author of several works on antiquities and heraldry, died at Basle.

1844. The steam boat, Lucy Walker, stopping at New Albany, on her route from Louisville to New Orleans, exploded her three boilers at once, killing between 50 and 60 persons, and wounding others.

1848. General WINDISCHGRATZ, summoned the city of Vienna to surrender.

OCTOBER 24.

996. HUGH CAPET, king of France, died. He acquired the throne by his merits and courage, and became the head of the third race of the French monarchy.

1553. JOHN WAYLAND, queen Mary's "allowed printer," received his charter; yet Thomas Green, a journeyman of his, was imprisoned and whipped, for printing a book entitled _Antichrist_.

1601. TYCHO BRAHE, the Danish astronomer, died. He chose the study of astronomy when it was a science of small repute; and though he immortalized his name, yet it is to be regretted that he should have been led into so visionary a scheme as his _system_ exhibits, from a mere spirit of opposition to Copernicus.

1612. Sir PECKSAEL BROCAS, for his adulteries, was compelled to stand at St. Paul's cross, in London, arrayed in a white sheet with a stick in his hand.

1644. The English parliament issued an ordinance, that no quarter should be given to any Irish papist, who should be found in hostility to the parliament.

1648. German thirty years' war concluded by the treaty of Westphalia. It commenced 1618, having grown out of the reformation. It spread from one end of Germany to the other, and left the country a scene of desolation and disorder, wasted by fire, sword and plague, which was followed by a great scarcity, owing to a deficiency of laborers. The art of war was the only one that had gained any thing, and that principally by the genius of Gustavus Adolphus, who made an era in military tactics, and was the first who had a train of artillery in his army.

1655. PETER GASSENDI, a celebrated French philosopher, died. He was at once a theologian, metaphysician, philosopher, astronomer, naturalist and mathematician; eminent in some, and above mediocrity in all those sciences.

1678. Desperate action between the English ship, Concord, captain Grantham, and the Algerine admiral ship, Rose, commanded by Canary, a Spanish renegado, who was beat off.

1682. WILLIAM PENN first arrived in America, and landed at New Castle, Delaware, with 100 passengers. Next day possession of the country was given him.

1819. Erie canal opened from Utica to Rome.

1812. Battle of Ouschatch; the Russians under Steingel and Sassanoff defeated the Bavarians, who lost 300 killed and 200 taken.

1821. A new organization of the Spanish church introduced, abolishing all the monasteries but ten or twelve, declaring all legacies and gifts to monasteries, churches and hospitals, unlawful, and curtailing the whole ecclesiastical establishment, so as to effect a saving of 44½ million dollars to the nation. The old order of things was restored to its former footing two years afterwards, on the restoration of the king to absolute power.

1821. ELIAS BOUDINOT, first president of the American Bible society, died. He was president of Congress in 1782, a man of great excellence of character, and left his large estate principally to charitable purposes.

1838. JOSEPH LANCASTER, promulgator of the Lancasterian system of mutual instruction, died in New York, aged 68.

1842. Great storm of wind and rain in the island of Madeira; 200 houses were swept away at Funchal, the capital.

1842. A destructive fire occurred at Canton, China, by which more than 1,400 houses were burnt.

1845. WILLIAM RUDE, of Cumberland, R. I., died, aged 98. He was at the battle of Bunker hill, and nearly every other during the revolutionary struggle, but escaped unhurt.

1845. England and France, having engaged by a public armed intervention to put a stop to the war between Buenos Ayres and Montevideo, declared a strict blockade of the port of Buenos Ayres.

1846. HENRY, an African, died in Woodford county, Ky., aged 112. At the age of 84 he married his fourth wife, and raised a family of 7 children.

1852. DANIEL WEBSTER, the greatest of American orators, died at Marshfield, aged 70. As a statesman, in the most complete meaning of the term, few Americans have ever equaled and none surpassed him.

1854. PIERRE SOULE, the United States minister to Spain, on landing at Calais from England, en route for Spain, was stopped by the French police, and returned to London.

1855. ROBERT H. MORRIS, a distinguished New York politician, died at Astoria, aged 51.

1855. JAMES OLIVER VAN DE VELDE, second bishop of Natchez, died, aged 63. He was a Belgian, who early united with the Jesuits, and was sent to America. He was sometime president of the catholic college at St. Louis, and afterward bishop of Chicago. He was held in very high estimation by all denominations.

OCTOBER 25.

322 B. C. DEMOSTHENES, the Athenian orator, died at the isle of Calauria, as is supposed by poison, to save himself from falling into the hands of his enemies alive.

1154. STEPHEN, king of England, died. He usurped the throne, which belonged to Matilda, wife of Henry IV, of Germany, whose son Henry II, succeeded him.

1400. GEOFFREY CHAUCER, the father of English poetry, died.

1415. Battle of Agincourt, in France; the English army had been reduced by disease and sword from 30,000 to 15,000, when on ascending the heights of Blangi they saw the French army of 50,000 men drawn up to oppose their progress. There was no alternative but to give battle, which resulted in the defeat of the French, who lost 10,000 killed, and 14,000 taken prisoners; while the loss of the English was but 40 men.

1499. The bridge of Notre Dame, at Paris, fell.

1555. CHARLES V resigned the sovereignty of the Low Countries, in the presence of the states at Brussels, in favor of his bigoted son Philip.

1691. GEORGE LEGGE, an able English naval officer, died in the Tower, whither he had been sent on suspicion of favoring the revolution.

1692. PETER SCHUYLER was admitted by Gov. Fletcher to the council board, his peculiar qualifications being required by the administration.

1701. Philadelphia first chartered by William Penn; Edward Shippen was appointed mayor.

1714. SEBASTIAN LE CLERC died; a French engraver, who rose from obscurity to eminence.

1731. Several valuable manuscripts destroyed in the Cottonian library at Westminster, by a fire.

1735. CHARLES MORDAUNT, a renowned English naval officer, died. To bravery and heroism he added a penetrating genius and a mind highly polished.

1751. An extraordinary eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

1757. AUGUSTINE CALMET, a learned French ecclesiastic, died. He was well acquainted with the oriental languages and published several learned works, which are still in use.

1760. GEORGE II, of England, died suddenly at Kensington from the extraordinary circumstance of a rupture of the right ventricle of the heart, in the 77th year of his age and the 34th of his reign.

1764. WILLIAM HOGARTH died; one of the most original of painters. He was originally destined for a copperplate engraver, to which art he served an apprenticeship.

1779. The British evacuated Newport, R. I.; to the honor of Gen. Pigot, no wanton injury was committed.

1780. JOHN HANCOCK chosen first governor of Massachusetts, under their new constitution.

1780. Gen. MARION attacked near the high hills of Santee, 200 British and tories, under Col. Tyne; killed or took nearly half of them, and most of their horses, &c.

1781. Americans under Col. Willett, of New York, defeated 600 British under major Ross.

1788. WILLIAM JULIUS MICKLE, an English poet, died. He commenced life as a brewer, but failing in business took up literature in which he succeeded.

1793. Battle of Wazenau; the Austrians under Wurmzer defeated the French, who lost 3,000 men, all their baggage and 10 cannon.

1794. Venlo, an important fortress on the Meuse, surrendered to the French republicans; the commandant, Gen. Puffer, first requiring the French Gen. Lourent to assure him upon the honor of the French nation, that the garrison had no hopes left of being relieved by the allied powers.

1798. NELSON arrived at Malta with 14 ships of war and summoned Valetta to surrender, offering to transport the French home. The offer being refused the place was invested, and the siege left in charge of Capt. Ball, Nelson being forced to depart to refit his ships, which were damaged at the recent battle of Aboukir.

1806. HENRY KNOX died; major-general in the army of the United States during the war of the revolution, and secretary of war under Washington.

1806. The French under Davoust entered Berlin, the capital of Prussia, where they found 500 cannon, several hundred thousand pounds of powder and some thousands of muskets.

1806. Spandau, a fortress nine miles from Berlin, surrendered to the French under Victor; they found there oats and provisions for the French army for two months, and ammunition sufficient to double the stores of the artillery.

1806. A battalion of Saxons under baron Hund surrendered to the French at Little Somerda, in Thuringia.

1812. Action between American frigate United States, 54 guns, Com. Decatur, and British frigate Macedonian, 49 guns. The latter was captured after an action of an hour and a half, with the loss of 104 killed and wounded. American loss 12.

1813. Action between the United States frigate Congress, Capt. Smith, and British ship Rose, in which the latter was captured and destroyed.

1813. British and Indians repulsed in an attack upon the United States troops under Gen. Izard.

1826. First daily paper at Rochester, N. Y., issued.

1836. The Luxor obelisk erected in Paris in the Place of Louis XV, in the presence of the royal family and about 250,000 spectators.

1842. SAMPSON SALTER BLOWERS died at Halifax, aged 100. He was born in Boston, and studied law under Gov. Hutchinson; but adhering to the British party was proscribed. He was nearly 40 years a supreme court judge.

1844. The Providence theatre burnt, destroying the valuable scientific apparatus used by Dr. Lardner in his lectures.

1847. Tobasco was bombarded by a portion of the Gulf squadron under Com. Perry, and all the vessels in the port were captured or destroyed. Com. Perry lost 1 killed, 3 wounded and 2 drowned.

1848. DIXON H. LEWIS, an important member of congress from Alabama during a quarter of a century, died at New York, aged 46.

1849. TOBIAS E. STANSBURY, a revolutionary officer, died near Baltimore, aged 93. A great portion of his long life was spent in the service of his country.

1849. BENJAMIN ABBOT, for half a century an eminent New England teacher, died at Exeter, N. H., aged 87. As principal of Phillips Exeter academy, he directed the studies of pupils who became eminent men in the land.

1852. The grand duke of Tuscany refused to give audience to an English protestant deputation in favor of Rosa and Francisco Madiai, under confinement for distributing Bibles.

1854. LEWIS EDWARD NOLAN, a distinguished British cavalry officer, was killed at Balaclava. He was well versed in all the languages of modern Europe, and a military writer.

1855. The Russians under Gen. Liprandi, 30,000 strong, attacked the allies at Balaclava, carried and maintained two Turkish redoubts, and captured several guns; but were repulsed by the English and French.

OCTOBER 26.