Part 89

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.

1757. COLLEY CIBBER, poet laureate to George II, died. He was also a very noted comedian. He wrote a curious apology for his life.

1764. JOHN OTHO TABOR died at Frankfort. He was a native of Lusatia, became counselor to the landgrave of Hesse Darmstadt, and wrote several works on law.

1776. The neighborhood of Philadelphia having became the seat of war, congress adjourned to Baltimore.

1777. ALBERT HALLER, an eminent Swiss physician, died. He was a voluminous writer, and one of the most acute, various and original men that have appeared since Boerhaave.

1781. Action between the British fleet, 12 sail, under Kempenfelt, and a French convoy, protected by 19 heavy ships of the line, and 2 armed _en flute_. Of the merchantmen, 20 were captured, having on board 1,100 troops, and about 600 seamen, besides valuable cargoes of military stores, cannon, &c.

1782. Action between British ship Mediator, and American ship Alexander, 24 guns, captain Gregory, and French ship Menagerie, 212 men, laden with powder, naval stores, &c. The two latter were captured without any loss on the part of the British.

1783. JOHN SCOTT died; an English quaker poet, called the poet of Arnwell.

1787. Pennsylvania (the second state), ratified the constitution of the United States, without amendments.

1789. RICHARD ALTON, an Austrian general, died. He commanded in the Low countries, in 1787, and though a strict disciplinarian and a man of bravery, betrayed so much weakness during the insurrection in Brabant, that he was sent for to answer charges, and died on the journey.

1793. Battle of Mans; the royalists of La Vendee defeated with great slaughter by the French under Marceau.

1804. JOHN BOYDELL died; a most distinguished encourager of the arts of painting and engraving, in England.

1809. Action at night between British sloop Trincomale, and French privateer Iphigene. The sloop was blown up and all on board but two perished; the privateer had her side stove in and her masts forced out by the shock, and lost 115 men.

1822. Napoli di Romania, the ancient Nauplia, surrendered to the Greeks, after a long and tedious blockade, during which the Turkish garrison was reduced to feed on the corpses of their companions. The crescent had been flying on the fortress uninterruptedly since 1714, at which time it was treacherously given up to the Coumourgi, and made the seat of the Turkish government for the Morea.

1830. BENJAMIN CONSTANT, a distinguished French author, and one of the greatest orators of his day, was honored with a magnificent funeral.

1834. The Carlists, of Spain, under Gen. Eraso, defeated at Soraida, by the troops of the queen, under general Mina.

1834. The government of Greece transferred from Napoli to Athens.

1836. JOHN DAVIDSON, an English traveler, murdered by the El Hareb tribe of Africans, on his way to Tombuctoo. He commenced traveling in 1826, and had visited North and South America, India, Egypt, as far as the second cataract, Syria, Palestine, Turkey, Greece, Italy, France and Germany, and had proceeded to within 25 days' journey of the city of Tombuctoo. He was conversant with the different languages of the east, and possessed extraordinary enterprise and great accomplishments as a traveler.

1838. CHARLES PHILIP WREDE, a Bavarian field-marshal, died. He distinguished himself under Bonaparte, in the war against Austria, and was severely wounded at the battle of Wagram. In the celebrated Russian campaign he commanded, with great credit, the Bavarian contingent army.

1840. J. D. E. ESQUIROL, who so successfully introduced a new mode of treating the insane, died.

1842. ELKANAH WATSON, a great friend of and writer on internal improvements, died at port Kent, Essex county, N. Y., aged 86.