The Every Day Book of History and Chronology Embracing the Anniversaries of Memorable Persons and Events in Every Period and State of the World, from the Creation to the Present Time (part 2 of 7)

Preface

The object of this work, as will be seen, is to bring together the great events of each day of the year, in all ages, as far as their dates can be ascertained, and to arrange them chronologically. It has been necessary to observe brevity in its compilation, in order to reduce it within a proper compass. Hence notices of the most eminent men are often confined to two or three lines, while individuals of less note have occasionally received more attention, on account of the absence of ready reference to them in books.

The dates are in accordance, it is believed, with the best authorities. Great care has been taken to make them so, and nothing has been inserted for which there was not at least some authority. Occasionally authors have been found to disagree in days, months, and even years, and it has been necessary to reconcile, as well as possible, such discrepancies. Much of this confusion arises from the change in the calendar; some authors following the old, others the new style, without informing us which they adhere to. The protestant countries did not all adopt the new style till 1777, about two centuries after the catholic authorities had reformed the calendar. The Russians still use the Julian era, and are now consequently twelve days behind the true time. With these difficulties in the way, no ordinary vigilance ensures an entire freedom from error in a work like this. The dates here, however, are made to conform to the new style as far as practicable. In some cases where different dates have been given, and it has been found impossible to determine the true one, the article has been inserted under different days with cross references. Repetitions have crept in however, which could only be discovered in preparing the index. Errors of this kind are perpetuated by a succession of authors following a wrong date, and are exceedingly difficult to detect, or when suspected, not easily traced to their origin. When dates have been taken from computations of time other than the Christian era, it should be understood that the corresponding day has been made to conform to our own era, and consequently perfect accuracy can not be claimed for them.

It has been said that geography and chronology are the eyes of history; in aiding to promote one of these sciences, the reader will not fail to discover how great and varied is the amount of facts brought together, rendering the work of use to persons of every age and calling. A reference to the index will show more clearly the extent of the work.

EVERY DAY BOOK

OF

HISTORY AND CHRONOLOGY.

JANUARY.

JANUARY 1.

154 B. C. It was fixed that the Roman consuls should always enter upon their office on this day, and the years were named after them. On this occasion they went in solemn procession to the Capitol to sacrifice to Jupiter Capitolinus; after which the senate held a solemn session. Those who had discharged the office of consul enjoyed the pre-eminence of rank over the other senators. They were annually elected by the people till the time of Tiberius, who ordered that they should be chosen by the senate. The last consul after whom the year was named, was Barsilius, in the year 541, in the reign of Justinianus.

38. B. C. The Spanish era, or era of the Cæsars, commenced, being the year following the conquest of Spain by Augustus. It was much used in Africa, Spain and the south of France; but was abolished by one kingdom after another during the fourteenth century, and by Portugal 1555.

404. TELEMACHUS, or St. Almachus, whose story is the foundation of Fenelon's famed work Telemaque, suffered martyrdom at Rome.

1109. The Festival of Fools was instituted at Paris, and continued prosperous for 240 years. This, with the Lords of Misrule, and the Abbots of Unreason, was doubtless designed to ridicule the Druidic saturnalia.

1308. WILLIAM TELL, the Swiss patriot, associated himself on this day with a band of his countrymen against the tyranny of their oppressors.

1349. EDWARD III, king of England, defeated the French before Calais with great slaughter.

1504. Birthday of CASPER CRUCIGER, an extensive and multifarious scholar, and a follower of Luther. He died 1548.

1515. LOUIS XII of France, surnamed the father of the people, died. Notwithstanding the faults of his education, which had been purposely neglected, he became a wise and politic monarch, who had the welfare and improvement of his country in mind. Though extensively engaged in wars, he avoided burdening the people with taxes--was economical, just and magnanimous.

1513. JUAN DIAZ DE SOLIS, coasting the southern continent, discovered the mouth of a river on this day, which in consequence he called Rio Janeiro.

1516. JUAN DIAZ DE SOLIS again entered the Rio de Solis which he had discovered three years previous. In attempting a descent on the country he was slain by the natives, who in sight of the ship cut his body in pieces, and roasted and devoured it. He was reputed the ablest navigator in the world.

1523. Knights of Malta driven from the island of Rhodes by the Turks.

1537. JAMES V of Scotland married Magdalen, daughter of Francis I of France.

1617. HENRY GOLTZIUS, a distinguished Dutch painter and engraver, died. His father was a painter on glass, and gave his son instructions in the art; but it was his own genius and application that raised him to the rank he ultimately held among the best artists of the time.

1618. Charter of the first New Netherland company expired by its own limitation.

1618. Birthday of BARTHOLOMEW ESTEBAN MURILLO, the greatest of all the Spanish painters. He was employed by the churches and convents of Seville a great number of years, which were enriched by the masterly productions of his pencil, and procured for himself an independent fortune. Having been invited to Cadiz, he there executed his grand picture of St. Catharine; but just as he was about to finish it he was dreadfully wounded on the scaffolding, and died at Seville, 1682.

1630. THOMAS HOBSON, the celebrated carrier of Cambridge, England, died. One of the most general proverbial expressions in England originated with him. He let to students and others horses, and his practice was to secure equal portions of rest as well as work for each horse. Hence when applied to for any, none but that which had its due proportion of rest could be let. "This or none" was the answer. Hence the phrase "Hobson's choice; this or none."

1644. MICHOB ADER, calling himself the Wandering Jew, appeared at Paris, where he created an extraordinary sensation among all ranks. He pretended to have lived sixteen hundred years, and that he had traveled through all regions of the world. He was visited by the literati of the city, and no one could accost him in a language that he was ignorant of; he was also familiar with the history of persons and events from the time of Christ, so that he was never confounded by intricate or cross-questions; but replied readily and without embarrassment. The learned looked upon him as a counterfeit, or madman, yet they took their leave of him bewildered and astonished.

1651. CHARLES II crowned king of Scotland at Scone.

1661. A parliament met in Scotland.

1700. The Russians began their new year.

1715. WILLIAM WYCHERLEY died, aged 81, an eminent English dramatic writer and comic poet.

1727. CLAUDE ADRIAN HELVETIUS died; a celebrated Dutch physician, who, having obtained celebrity by introducing the use of ipecacuanha in dysentery, was made inspector general of military hospitals, and died at London.

1729. Great fog in London, persons lost their way in St. James' park, and many fell into the canal.

1730. SAMUEL SEWALL, chief justice of the supreme court of Massachusetts died.

1731. EDWARD CAVE printed the first number of the well known Gentleman's Magazine.

1748. Birthday of GODFREY AUGUSTUS BURGER, a celebrated German poet, and the writer of that whimsical satire, Munchausen's Travels.

1748. JOHN BERNOUILLI, a Swiss mathematician, died. He was born at Basil in Switzerland, and educated for a merchant, but afterwards studied medicine, and finally devoted his attention to mathematics with great success. He was the contemporary of Leibnitz and De L'Hopital, and of Newton. His labors in the science were indefatigable, and his works contain an immense mass of discovery. But the details of his private life exhibit an unusual degree of acerbity and disingenuousness.

1752. The new style commenced this day in England by act of parliament. (See March 25.)

1757. Calcutta surrendered to the British under Admiral Watson, Colonel Clive and Captain Coote.

1761. Great hurricane in the East Indies, destroying a part of the British fleet; of the crews of three of the ships lost but 14 were saved out of 1100.

1776. Norfolk Burnt. Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, having abandoned the town and retired on board his ships, became distressed for provisions; and on the arrival of the Liverpool man of war, the inhabitants refusing to supply his majesty's ships, the place was reduced to ashes. The provincials themselves destroyed the houses and plantations near the water, to deprive the ships of every resource of supply.

1781. Revolt of the Pennsylvania line at Morristown, N. J. They had enlisted for three years, and that term having expired they wished to be discharged.

1787. ARTHUR MIDDLETON, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, died. He was a native of South Carolina, born 1743, and educated in England; and at the age of twenty-two made the tour of Europe. On the breaking out of the war he engaged warmly on the side of the colonies. In 1779 he distinguished himself in the defence of Charleston against the British, who afterwards ravaged his plantation and rifled his mansion, by which he suffered an immense loss of property; and in the following year he was taken prisoner. On the termination of the contest he returned to his native seat, and spent the remainder of his life in elegant and philosophical ease--a model of private wealth and public virtue; a firm patriot and an enlightened philanthropist.

1793. A beginning was made upon the Pennsylvania state canal, at Conewago falls; seventeen rocks being blasted--one for each stockholder of the canal company.

1794. The French convention abolished flogging in the army and navy and substituted other punishments more congenial with the spirit of the times.

1794. THOMAS PAINE and ANACHARSIS CLOOTS arrested by order of Robespierre and sent to prison in Paris.

1797. ZEMAUN SHAH made his triumphal entry into Lahore, the capital of the Sikhs, where he formed an army of 100,000 men with a view of marching upon Delhi.

1798. Athenæum at Liverpool was opened.

1799. The French drove the king of Naples from his capital and forced him to take refuge on board of a British man of war, in which he sailed to Palermo.

1801. Union of Great Britain with Ireland.

1801. Ceres discovered by Piazzi, the astronomer, at Palermo.

1804. The numerous army which France had sent against the negroes of Hayti being compelled by disasters to fly to St. Domingo, the general and chiefs of the Haytian army entered into a solemn compact, in the name of the people of Hayti; renouncing all dependence on France, and appointed Dessalines, the oldest general, governor for life, with very extensive powers.

1806. The French republican calendar abolished, and the Christian era and reformed calendar restored.

1806. The elector of Wurtemberg proclaimed king of Swabia, and the elector of Bavaria king of Bavaria.

1807. Curacoa surrendered to the British under Sir Charles Brisbane.

1810. There had died in Philadelphia during the year ending this day 2004 persons; the population including the Liberties was about 100,000.

1810. Married at East Haddam, Conn., nine young ladies, being all that were marriageable at that time in the town.

1811. Tortosa in Valencia surrendered to the French under Suchet, who took nearly 8000 prisoners, 177 cannons, and a large quantity of provisions.

1811. Hamburgh formally annexed to France.

1811. Spanish cortes forbid the people obeying any act of Ferdinand XII, while a prisoner of Bonaparte.

1813. JEAN MOURTRIE, a Frenchman, died at the age of 115. He was a tilemaker, and continued his occupation to the age of 109. He was a pattern of honor and integrity; his gaiety made the young fond of his society; and his mild and even temper and kind disposition gained him the love of all who knew him.

1814. Great fog in London, which had commenced on the 27th of December, was now at its greatest density, extending seventy miles from the metropolis. Many persons lost their lives by falling into the river, and canals, and other places.

1814. The allied army entered France.

1814. American dragoons under Capt. Stone advanced on Buffalo, accompanied by Lieuts. Riddle, Totman and Frazer, of the United States regiment; the militia retiring, Totman was killed, and Riddle narrowly escaped being captured.

1815. WILLIAM CREECH, bookseller and twice lord provost of Edinburgh, died. He was a spirited writer.

1815. The British under Gen. Packenham opened a battery of two 18 pounders on the Americans at New Orleans; it was silenced the same day. The Americans had a boat loaded with military stores sunk; 34 men killed and wounded, and two caissons blown up by rockets. Gen. Thomas joined Gen. Jackson same day with 660 men from Baton Rouge.

1816. WILLIAM HILLHOUSE died, aged 88; for more than 50 years a member of the council and legislature of Connecticut.

1817. MARTIN HENRY KLAPROTH, a German chemist and philosopher, died. He was born at Wernigerode 1743 and followed the profession of an apothecary till 1788, when he became chemist to the Academy of Sciences at Berlin.

1817. The new Bank of the United States opened at Carpenter's hall, Philadelphia; Wm. Jones president, Jonathan Smith cashier.

1818. WILLIAM HARROD, an eccentric bookseller in Leicestershire, died.

1823. The French language abolished in the law courts of Holland, where it had long been in use, and was prevalent in society.

1825. Great Britain acknowledged the independence of the South American republics.

1835. CHARLES LAMB died. He was the author of the beautiful stories of Elia, which are universally admired. His exquisite humor, fancy, feeling and wit, have given an endurable character to his essays. The bettering of the condition of mankind was his great aim, and he was in the esteem of every philanthropist.

1835. First daily paper in Buffalo, New York.

1837. SAMUEL HULSE died at Chelsea Hospital, England, of which he had been governor since 1820, aged 90. He entered the British army in the year 1761, and at the time of his death had been upwards of three quarters of a century in the military service, and was then field marshal.

1837. Saphet in the Holy Land nearly destroyed by an earthquake. It is said that this and a subsequent shock were both predicted by a Walachian almanac maker.

1848. Girard college opened with appropriate ceremonies at Philadelphia.

1848. The state of Maryland repudiated repudiation, and resumed payment of interest on her debt at the Chesapeake bank, Baltimore.

1852. FREDERICK PHILIPS ROBINSON, an American officer, died, aged 89; he had been scarcely less than 75 years in the military ranks.

1854. Great fire at Constantinople destroyed 400 houses; among which were those of the Greek patriarch, and the patriarch of Jerusalem.

JANUARY 2.

17. TITUS LIVIUS died at Padua. His history of Rome, to which he devoted twenty years, rendered him so celebrated, that a Spaniard is said to have gone from Cadiz to Rome for the purpose merely of seeing him. His history was written in 140 books, of which only 35 are extant. Five of these were discovered at Worms 1731, and some fragments are said to have been since found at Herculaneum. Few particulars of his life are known, but his fame was great even while he lived, and his history has made him immortal.

17. PUBLIUS OVIDUS NASO, the Roman poet, died in exile at Tomos (a town on the inhospitable coast of the Black sea), aged 60. He exhibited an unconquerable predilection for poetry, and the ease and the enjoyments of life, which his fortune placed within his power. He traveled in Greece and Asia which added to his accomplishments; his works were adapted to the public taste, and he was esteemed by the learned: Horace and Virgil were his friends, and he was a welcome visitor at the court of Augustus. Until his fiftieth year he appears to have lived almost solely for poetry and pleasure. He might have hoped to pass the remaining years of his life in peace, under the shadow of his laurels, but he was suddenly banished by Augustus, for some unknown cause. His Metamorphoses, and Art of Love are often republished in our language. He painted nature with a masterly hand, and his genius imparted elegance to vulgarity; but impurity defiles the sweetness of his numbers, and his finest productions are sullied with licentiousness.

1547. Conspiracy of Genoa, headed by John Lewis Fiesco; his being drowned in the night, occasioned the failure of the scheme, in the very moment of success.

1604. The Jesuits reinstated in France.

1731. A reprieve sent to a prisoner at Newgate on condition he would suffer Mr. Chiselden to make an experiment on the tympanum of his ear. The experiment was never performed.

1741. JOHN BARBER, printer to the city of London, and the first printer that rose to the rank of mayor, died.

1757. Calcutta retaken by the English and permitted to be fortified by the subah.

1758. The Whitefield methodists observed this day in thanksgiving for the victories of the king of Prussia in favor of England.

1759. The French surprised and captured Frankfort on the Maine.

1766. JAMES EDWARD FRANCIS STUART, the Pretender, died. He was the eldest son of James II, born at London 1688. He was five months old when his father was dethroned, and the royal family fled to France. His elder sister Anne afterwards came to the throne, and some effort was made to secure his own succession; but it does not appear that he entered into the project with much spirit.

1771. LEWIS CÆSAR, count d'Estrees, marshal of France, and minister of state, died aged 76. He distinguished himself in the war against Spain, and afterwards in 1741, wherein his bravery was conspicuous and his services meritorious. In 1756 he was placed at the head of the French forces in Germany, but was superceded by Richelieu through intrigue.

1774. The coffin of EDWARD I opened by a deputation from the society of antiquarians, after it had been buried 467 years. In a coffin of yellow stone they found the royal body in perfect preservation, enclosed in two wrappers; one of them was gold tissue, strongly waxed and fresh; the other and outermost considerably decayed. The corpse was habited in a rich mantle of purple lined with white and adorned with ornaments of gilt metal, studded with red and blue stones and pearls. Two similar ornaments lay on the hands. The mantle was fastened on the right shoulder by a magnificent fibula of the same metal, with the same stones and pearls. His face had over it a silken covering, so fine, and so closely fitted to it, as to preserve the features entire. Round his temples was a gilt coronet of fleur de lys. In his hands, which were also entire, were two sceptres of gilt metal; that in the right surmounted by a cross fleure, that in the left by three clusters of oak leaves, and a dove on a globe. The feet enveloped in the mantle and other coverings were sound and the toes distinct. Its length was 6 feet 2 inches.

1777. Cannonading at Trenton; the British repulsed in their attempt to cross Sanpink creek bridge. In the night Gen. Washington retired leaving his fires burning.

1780. The Dutch admiral, Count Byland, refusing to permit the British admiral, Fielding, to search his convoy, an action ensued, and the Dutch ships, two of the line and two frigates, surrendered; after detaining seven of the convoy, the Dutch admiral had permission to proceed; but he refused without the whole of his charge, and therefore sailed into Spithead.

1788. Georgia ratified the Constitution of the United States, without amendment, being the fourth state to do so.

1795. JOSIAH WEDGEWOOD, the inventor of the scale that bears his name in the thermometer for determining the different degrees of metallic heat, died at his residence in England.

1801. JOHN GASPER CHRISTIAN LAVATER died. He was born at Zurich, in Switzerland, where his father was a physician of skill and reputation. In 1763 he traveled in Germany; in 1767 appeared as a poet; and in 1769 as a preacher of much popularity. All his activity was devoted to religion until he undertook his work on physiognomy. This great work in 4 vols. quarto, in which he had collected the features of distinguished persons from all parts of the world, made him known throughout Europe. He published several other works, and became so popular that his journeys resembled triumphs. On the capture of Zurich by Massena, he received a shot while assisting the wounded in the street, which although he lived more than a year, and wrote several works, was the cause of his death.

1809. Two French ships of war and eleven victualers, proceeding to Barcelona, were captured in the port of Caldagues by the British under Lord Cochrane.

1809. Penguin island, at the cape of Good Hope, sank, and is now only known to mariners by name.

1810. Orders were received from Paris by Murat, king of Naples, to seize and immediately dispose of all American vessels and cargoes.

1814. Dantzic surrendered to the duke of Wurtemberg.

1815. The prince regent of England extended the military order of Bath, and divided it into three classes, namely: 1. Knights grand crosses; 2. Knights commanders; 3. Companions.

1816. LOUIS BERNARD GUYTON DE MORVEAU, a French chemist, died. He was born at Dijon 1737, and distinguished himself in 1773 by the invention of the method of purifying the air by means of chlorine. He was an upright, able, eloquent and business man; and founded a school at Dijon for the study of his favorite science, chemistry. He was a member of the national assembly and convention at the time of the revolution, and assisted to establish the polytechnic school.

1827. JOHN MASON GOOD, an English physician, poet and philological writer, died. At the age of 15 he was apprenticed to a surgeon; in 1793 removed to London, and by talent and perseverance, succeeded in establishing both a literary and professional fame. He was a voluminous writer, and the extent and variety of his works evince the greatest industry, and a retentive and orderly mind. He acquired thirteen European and Asiatic languages, and at the time of his death had just completed a translation of the Psalms.

1829. Forty men and thirty horses destroyed by an explosion of fire damp in a mine near Lyons, France.

1831. BERTHOLD GEORGE NIEBUHR the historian, died. He was the son of Niebuhr the traveler, born at Copenhagen 1777, and finished his education at Edinburgh. He traveled much and received great attention wherever he went. In 1810 he delivered his lectures on Roman history at Berlin; and in 1815, on the death of his father, planned and published his biography. In 1827 he published the first volume of a remodeled edition of his Roman history; the second volume appeared a few months before his death, leaving the third unpublished.

1835. ROBERT HINDMARSH, the most distinguished among those who supported the religious views of Emanuel Swedenborg, died at Gravesend.

1837. JOHN CUFFEE, a negro slave, died at Norfolk, Va., at the remarkable age of about 120 years. He was a native of Africa, was sold as a slave in the island of Barbadoes, and brought to Norfolk about 1740.

1850. GEORGE BLATTERMAN, professor of modern languages in the Virginia university, died at Charlottesville.

1853. A new and stringent law against the liberty of the press was published in Spain.

1857. ANDREW URE, author of the Dictionary of Arts, died at London, aged 89.

JANUARY 3.

456. B. C. MYRONIDES the Athenian general defeated the Bœotians at Enophyta.

106. B. C. Birthday of MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO, the Roman orator.

1641. JEREMIAH HORROX, an English astronomer, died. He seems to have been the first to observe the transit of Venus over the sun's disc, from which he deduced many useful observations, though not aware of the full importance of that phenomenon.

1661. Secretary PEPYS seeing the comedy of the Beggars' Bush performed at Lincoln Inn Fields, says: "And here the first time that ever I saw women upon the stage."

1670. GEORGE MONK, duke of Albemarle, died. He entered the British army at an early age; and in 1639 was engaged in the unfortunate expedition of Charles I against the Scots. He was confined three years in the Tower under the parliament, during which he wrote a work on military and political affairs; but finally accepted a commission in the republican army against the Irish, the Scotch and the Dutch. But at the death of the Protector he employed his influence to reinstate the Stuarts. In 1666 he was again employed against the son of his old antagonist Tromp, in which the English fleet was much damaged, and both claimed the victory.

1717. LAMBERT BOSS, an eminent Dutch philologist, died. He was born in Friesland 1670; studied under his father who was a clergyman, became private tutor in a family of rank, and subsequently professor of Greek in the university of Franeker. He was an indefatigable student, and regretted every moment which could not be devoted to his favorite pursuit. The number and character of his works mark his industry.

1724. PHILIP V of Spain abdicated the throne in favor of his son Louis; but he dying the same year, Philip resumed the crown again.

1730. The Turks began to learn the art of war and fortification after the European model, from Count Bonneval of France, who became a Musselman.

1777. Battle of Princeton, N. J., between the British and a division of the American army, under General Washington. The British lost 100 men, and 300 more who had taken refuge in the college, were forced to surrender.

1795. JOSIAH WEDGEWOOD died. His father was a Staffordshire potter, to whose business he succeeded, and soon distinguished himself by his discoveries and improvements, insomuch that in a few years England, instead of importing the finer earthen wares, was enabled to supply her neighbors. He was a scientific, as well as an active and enterprising man--and benevolent withal.

1797. Three of the large stones in the antique pile at Stonehenge in England fell, the smallest of which weighed 20 tons. They were loosed, it was supposed, by the severe frost of that season.

1805. CHARLES TOWNLEY, an English antiquarian, died. He employed his liberal fortune in the collection of rare manuscripts and relics of ancient art, and died at the age of 68, bequeathing his collection of antiquities to the British Museum.

1805. ALEXANDER WEDDERBURN, lord of Rosslyn, died. He distinguished himself as a lawyer, and was appointed solicitor general in 1771, in which office he is remarkable for having insulted Franklin in arguing on American affairs before the privy council. He joined the administration under Pitt, in 1793, and succeeded Lord Thurlow as chancellor; from which office he retired in 1801, with the title of Earl of Rosslyn. He is the author of a work on the management of prisons.

1815. British frigate Junon, Capt. C. Upton, captured the American privateer Guerrier, of 4 guns and 60 men, from Portsmouth, N. H.

1844. LEVI HEDGE, author of a treatise on logic and editor of an improved abridgment of Dr. Brown's Lectures on the Philosophy of Mind, died at Cambridge, England.

1847. JOHN SHEPHERD, a soldier of the revolution, died at Royalton, Ohio, aged 119.

1853. The Pantheon in Paris reopened as the church of St. Genevieve.

JANUARY 4.

100. TITUS, disciple of St. Paul, died at Crete.

1569. Burial of ROGER ASCHAM, at St. Sepulchre's, London. He was a man of learning, and author of numerous works, among others, The Schoolmaster.

1649. Some barrels of gunpowder exploded and destroyed 60 houses in Tower street, London. A child in its cradle was found alive and unhurt on the roof of Barking church.

1689. Col. HENRY SLOUGHTER appointed governor of New York.

1698. The palace, except the banqueting house, of White-hall palace, in England, destroyed by fire.

1707. LOUIS WILLIAM I, marquis of Baden-Baden, died. He was born at Paris 1655, where his mother wished to educate him; but his father and grandfather stole him away at the age of three months, that he might pass his childhood among the people whom he was destined to govern. He served his first campaign under Montellucco against Turenne. He was in Vienna when that city was besieged by the Turks, and subsequently commanded against the Turks in the Danube. He was one of the greatest generals of his time; made 26 campaigns, commanded at 25 sieges, fought at 13 battles, yet was never really defeated.

1753. The first number of The World appeared, conducted by Coleman, Bonnell Thornton, Chesterfield, and others.

1762. England declared war against Spain.

1773. The town meeting of Petersham, Mass., adopted a kind of manifesto of grievances, drafted by Josiah Quincy and signed by Sylvanus How.

1775. A circular letter from the British secretary of state was addressed to the governor of the several colonies, forbidding the election of delegates to the congress proposed to be held in May. The order was disregarded, and the country has not been without its annual sessions of congress since 1774.

1778. The British, under Col. Campbell, landed at the mouth of Savannah river, Ga., and defeated the Americans under Gen. Robert Howe. They took the city of Savannah, together with 38 officers, 415 privates, 48 cannons, 23 mortars, the fort, ammunition and stores, the shipping in the river, and a large quantity of provisions.

1781. British ship Courageux, Capt. Phipps, captured in one hour the French frigate Minerva 32 guns. Minerva had 50 killed, 23 wounded; Courageux 10 killed, 7 wounded.

1784. Treaty signed between the United States and Great Britain; by which the latter relinquished her right to the sovereignty of the revolted colonies.

1789. THOMAS NELSON, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, died. He was born at York, Va., 1738. His father was an opulent merchant and sent him to England for an education. He returned 1761, and in 1774 had become a statesman of some note. Three years afterwards he was appointed brigadier general and commander in chief of the Virginia forces, and in 1781 succeeded Jefferson as governor of the state. His services elicited the public thanks of Washington.

1793. The Alien bill passed in the British parliament. During the debate on this measure the great Burke threw upon the floor a Sheffield dagger to enforce his oratory.

1795. The French crossed the Waal near Bommel, and took possession of Tiel. They also captured Rosas and 540 of the garrison.

1796. Message from Gen. Washington to congress, accompanied by the French flag presented by the committee of public safety, which was deposited among the archives.

1804. CHARLOTTE LENOX, the popular author of the Female Quixotte, &c., died.

1814. JOHN GEORGE JACOBI, a German poet, died. He was the son of a wealthy merchant; studied theology; became professor of theology and eloquence at Halle, where he published a periodical for the ladies called the Iris. He was afterwards connected with several periodicals. His works are published in 7 vols.

1825. FERDINAND IV of Naples died. The life of this prince is remarkable for the uncommon length of his reign, and its many vicissitudes, embracing a period of 65 years, and being closely connected with all the great events of Europe during the last half century. He was born 1751, and came to the throne at the age of eight. The first thirty years of his reign were attended with peace and happiness; but in 1798 the country was invaded by Bonaparte, before whom Ferdinand fled to Sicily: and afterwards in 1820 the Carbonari effected a revolution which again banished the royal family. The interposition of the Austrians, however, restored the ancient order of things, which continued till the death of the king, four years after.

1827. JAMES CHAMBERS, an eccentric poet, died in misery at a farm-house in Stratbroke, England. From the age of 16 to 70 he wandered about the country, gaining a precarious subsistence by selling his own effusions, of which he had a number printed in a cheap form. His compositions were mostly suggested to him by his muse, during the stillness of the night while reposing in some friendly barn or hay-loft. When so inspired, he would arise and commit the effusion to paper. He continued through life in hopeless poverty, and was a lonely man and a wanderer, who had neither act nor part in the common ways of the world.

1835. Thermometer 40 deg. below zero, at Lebanon, N. Y., the mercury becoming solid. It was severely cold throughout the United States.

1843. STEVEN THOMPSON MASON, formerly governor of Michigan, died at New York, aged 31.

1845. BENJAMIN RUSSELL, chiefly known as the conductor of the Columbian Centinel, died at Boston.

1849. SAMUEL JENKINS, a negro died at Lancaster, aged 115. He drove his master's provision wagon over the Alleganies in Braddock's expedition, and was supposed to be the last survivor of that expedition.

1849. The town of Moultan in India, after a long siege was taken by the British, but with great loss.

1852. ELIOT WALBURTON, an author of considerable note, perished in the Amazon steamship, on his way from Southampton to the West Indies.

1853. Mr. INGERSOLL, the American envoy to England, was feted by the chamber of commerce at Liverpool.

1854. Albion college, Michigan, destroyed by fire.

1856. JEAN PIERRE DAVID, a celebrated French sculptor, died at Paris, aged 65.

JANUARY 5.

62. B. C. LUCIUS SERGIUS CATILINE, the Roman conspirator, killed in Etruria. The history of his life unfolds a series of most revolting crimes; but there is reason to believe that some of them are unreal. Murder, rapine and conflagration, were the first pleasures of his life. Pompey, Crassus and Cæsar favored his schemes with a view to their own aggrandizement. Only two Romans remained determined to uphold their falling country--Cato and Cicero. The speeches of the latter in the Roman senate on the crisis of affairs are imperishable monuments of eloquence and patriotism, and produced the overthrow of the conspirators. Five of them were put to death, and Catiline being surrounded by the army under Petreius resolved to die sword in hand. The battle was fought with desperation, and the insurgents fell, with their leader at their head.

1066. EDWARD the Confessor, king of England, died. He was called to the throne 1041. He was not the immediate heir, but his claim was supported of Godwin, earl of Kent, whose daughter Editha he married. He was a weak and superstitious prince, and acquired the title of Saint or Confessor, by abstaining from nuptial connection with his queen. He was the first English monarch who undertook to cure the king's-evil by touching the patient. With him ended the Saxon line of kings.

1477. CHARLES the Bold, duke of Burgundy, killed in battle on this or the following day. This prince, the son of Philip the Good and Isabella of Portugal, early displayed a violent, impetuous and ambitious disposition; and in after life was constantly embroiled in unjust and cruel warfare, in which he performed many daring exploits. But having turned his arms against the Swiss, the fortune of war turned against him; and being deserted by his allies, with his usual temerity risked a battle with only 4000 men against a vastly superior force, was defeated and killed by the thrust of a lance in the 44th year of his age. His body covered with blood and mire, and his head imbedded in the ice, was not found till two days after the battle, when it was so disfigured that his own brother did not recognize it. With him expired the feudal government of Burgundy.

1531. The electoral college assembled at Rome and elected Ferdinand, brother of Charles V, king of the Romans. He was crowned a few days after at Aix-la-Chapelle.

1536. CATHARINE OF ARRAGON, the repudiated queen of Henry VIII, died. She was the youngest daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, born 1483. She was first married to Arthur, prince of Wales, who died five months after; and the king unwilling to return her dowry caused her to be contracted to his remaining son, Henry. The prince, at the age of 15, made a public protest against this proceeding, but finally consented to the match. Notwithstanding the inequality of their ages and the capricious disposition of the king, they had been married 20 years when the division took place. This separation led to a divorce from the pope also, and was the cause of mighty effects.

1559. CATHARINE DE MEDICIS died. She was born at Florence 1519; married, 1533, the dauphin, afterwards Henry II, of France. She was three times regent of France, and during her administration made a conspicuous figure in the annals of Europe by her political genius. By her was begun the palace of the Tuilleries; but the lasting monument of her fame and iniquity is the massacre of St. Bartholomew's, which was brought about by her intrigues, when more than 50,000 protestants were massacred in one day.

1621. PAUL VAN SOMER died in London. He was born at Antwerp, 1576, and arrived at great proficiency as a painter. His pencil was chiefly employed on portraits of royal and eminent personages, and is said to have equalled Vandyke.

1636. DE VRIES, who had recently arrived from Holland in the capacity of a patroon, sent his colonists over to Staten island from fort Amsterdam, to commence the colony and buildings.

1675. TURENNE defeated the imperialists at Turkheim.

1705. Second volcanic opening of the peak of Teneriffe, in the ravine of Almerchiga, a league from Icore. It closed on the 13th of the same month.

1722. BELL, the Traveler, arrived at Moscow on the return from China. (See July 14, 1719.) The account of this journey, and of what he saw and learned at Pekin, is the most valuable part of his book, and one of the best and most interesting relations ever written by any traveler.

1724. CZARTAN PETRARCH died, aged 184, at a village near Temeswar, in Hungary. He was born in the year 1539; and at the time the Turks took Temeswar from the Christians he was employed in keeping his father's cattle. A few days before his death he had walked with the help of a stick to the post house to ask charity of the travelers. His hair and beard were of a greenish-white color, like mouldy bread; and he had a few of his teeth remaining, and enjoyed a little eyesight. His son, who was ninety-seven years of age, declared that his father had married at an extreme age, for the third time, and that he was born in this last marriage. He had descendants in the fifth generation, with whom he sometimes sported, carrying them in his arms. His son, though ninety-seven, was still fresh and vigorous. The commandant of Temeswar on learning of his sickness, caused his portrait to be painted, and it was nearly finished when he expired.

1757. DAMIENS attempted the assassination of Louis XV, for which he was condemned to the most cruel tortures, and finally quartered by four horses. (See March 28.)

1764. A comet was first seen at Tewkesbury, England, near two small stars in the hand of Bootes.

1776. The New Hampshire provincial convention resolved to change the form of government.

1781. ARNOLD invaded Virginia with 1500 British troops; he marched to Richmond, destroyed the public stores and buildings, the rope-walk, and much private property.

1781. The British ship Warwick, Capt. Elphinstone, captured the Dutch ship Rotterdam, 50 guns and 300 men; the first material capture during that war.

1782. Trincomalee in the island of Ceylon, taken by the British under admiral Sir Edward Hughes.

1783. Onore, situated between Panian and Bombay, taken by assault by the British Gen. Matthews; the garrison and many of the inhabitants were cruelly slaughtered.

1795. The French attacked the British Gen. Dundas at Geldermalsem, and compelled him to fall back to Buren; and afterwards the whole force of Gen. Walmoden to cross the Leck.

1795. The British ships Bellona and Alarm captured the French ship Le Dumas of 20 guns, off Deseada.

1796. SAMUEL HUNTINGTON, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, died. He was born at Windham, Ct., 1732; his father being a farmer could allow him only a common school education; but his own assiduity made up the deficiency, so that at the age of 22 he commenced the study of the law with borrowed books; in 1764 he was sent to the general assembly; 1765 appointed king's attorney; 1774 raised to the bench of the supreme court; 1775 sent a delegate to the general congress of the colonies, and in 1779 succeeded John Jay as president of congress. At the time of his death he was governor of Connecticut.

1797. British ship Polyphemus, Capt. Lumesdaine, captured the French ship L'Uranie, 38 guns, off Ireland.

1798. A bill passed the house in congress paying Kosciusko $12,800; and the four daughters of count de Grasse $400 each per annum for five years.

1799. Treaty of defensive alliance between England and Turkey.

1806. Breslaw surrendered to the French under Vandamme; Lieut. Gen. De Thile, Maj. Gen. Krafti and 5500 Prussians taken.

1807. British sloop Nautilus, Capt. Palmer, lost on a rock near Peri, in the archipelago of the Seven islands. The captain refused to leave the vessel, and was lost in his 26th year.

1809. The British rear guard under Sir John Moore attacked by the French van guard under Soult. Gen. Colbert, aged 30, was mortally wounded, and the French were compelled to fall back.

1812. The French Gen. LEVAL was compelled to abandon the siege of Tariffa, defended by the British, Col. Skerritt.

1814. Gluckstadt surrendered to the British.

1814. British ships Bacchante and Saracen captured the fortress of Cattaro after a cannonade of ten days.

1827. FREDERICK, duke of York, died. He was the second son of George III, born in 1763; 1787 took his seat in the house of peers; 1789 fought a duel, firing his pistol in the air; 1791 married the eldest daughter of the king of Prussia, from whom he afterwards separated; 1793 went to Flanders at the head of the British army, and in the end showed himself unequal to the station; 1809 was called to account by the house of commons for the follies committed in the army through the influence of a female favorite; 1818 was appointed the keeper of his father, with a salary of £10,000. Although enjoying princely salaries and pensions he died universally lamented by his tailors and other creditors to the amount of some hundred thousands of pounds.

1841. JAMES ABRAHAM HILLHOUSE, an eminent American poet, died at New Haven, Ct., aged 51.

1845. The national debt of England amounted at this time to £794,193,645.

1849. The discovery of the magnetic clock by Dr. Locke of Ohio, announced to the secretary of the navy by Lieutenant Maury of the National observatory.

1852. EUGENE LEVESQUE died at Paris, aged 81; author of travels in America.

1852. BENJAMIN LA ROCHI died at Paris, aged 54; French translator of Shakespeare.

1852. BARON KEMENYI, a Hungarian chief, eminent for his patriotism and exploits in the struggle with Austria and Russia, died aged 53.

1853. CHARLES W. MORGAN, an American commodore, died, aged 63. He was a nephew of Gen. Morgan of the revolution, and distinguished himself in the action between the Constitution and the Guerriere.

1853. Revolution in Mexico; Gen. Arista resigned, and Cevallos elected president ad interim.

1854. The steamer San Francisco, which had withstood a heavy gale, was foundered at sea. Of 700 persons on board 247 had been washed overboard before assistance arrived.

1855. Gen. CASTILLA defeated Pres. Echenique and entered Lima in triumph.

1855. The entire Victoria bridge across the St. Lawrence, carried away by the ice.

JANUARY 6.

1402. Birthday of JOAN OF ARC.

1540. HENRY VIII married Anne, daughter of John, duke of Cleves. This was his fourth wife. He had asked her hand in marriage after having seen a portrait of her by Holbein; and becoming disgusted with her in six months bestowed upon her the epithet of Flanders mare, and sent her home. She retired, not much disconcerted, to her own country, where she died 1557.

1649. ANNE OF AUSTRIA, queen regent of France, obliged to fly from Paris to St. Germain.

1698. Birthday of METASTASIO, the celebrated Italian poet.

1711. CHRISTOPHER BATEMAN, a noted English bookseller, died. He suffered none to open a book in his shop till it was bought.

1724. The bishop of London preached a sermon against masquerades, which produced a decree that no more than six masquerades, the number already subscribed for, should be held.

1725. Pope BENEDICT XIII, in great state and measured ceremony, opened with a golden hammer the holy gates of the four great churches which had been shut 25 years, for obtaining indulgences, &c.

1734. JOHN DENNIS, an English dramatist and critic, died. He was the son of a saddler, born in London 1657, and liberally educated. His first play appeared in 1697, and was followed by many dramatic pieces and poems which were sufficiently worthless to procure their author an imperishable notoriety in the Dunciad, where Pope has gibbeted him. He squandered a fortune which had been left him by an uncle, and not being able to subsist by his pamphlets and criticisms for the magazines, depended upon his friends for a living; and even those whom he had made his enemies joined in the benefit for him at the Haymarket theatre, after he had become blind and partially insane. One of his plays, which was condemned, is famous for a new kind of thunder introduced in it; a few nights after its representation, the players made use of the contrivance in Macbeth, when the author rose in the pit and with an oath claimed it as his thunder. His thunder is said to be that still used in the theatres.

1738. JEAN BAPTIST LABAT, a missionary and traveler, died. He was born at Paris 1663, and became a Dominican priest in Norway, where he taught mathematics and philosophy also. In 1693 he embarked for Martinique as a missionary; and during several voyages in service of the mission, visited all the Antilles. When the English attacked the island of Guadaloupe, he rendered his country important services as an engineer. He afterwards traveled much in Europe, and published his travels. His voyage to the West Indies has been translated into several languages, and is a truly scientific work.

1763. Unsuccessful and very disastrous attack by two English ships on Buenos Ayres. The commodore and nearly 300 of the crew were drowned.

1766. The wild man PETER taken in the Hartz forest and presented to George II, was brought from Cheshunt and shewn to George III and his queen. Like Shakespeare's Caliban, he could bring wood and water but not articulate any language.

1777. The American army, under Gen. Washington, went into winter quarters at Morristown, N. J.

1781. ARNOLD detached Lieut. Col. Simcoe, from Richmond to Westham, Va., who destroyed the cannon foundry and a quantity of public stores which had been removed from Richmond.

1785. The Halsewell, East Indiaman, Capt. Richard Pearce, wrecked on the island of Purbeck; of 240 persons but 74 were saved.

1794. The duke of Brunswick resigned his command as generalissimo of the coalition against France.

1795. French frigate La Pique, 33 guns, captured off Marigalante by the British frigate Blanche, Capt. Faulkner, who was shot through the heart; also 7 of his crew killed and 21 wounded. La Pique had 76 killed, 113 wounded, and 30 were lost when her mast went overboard.

1810. JAMES RICHARD DACRES died of a fall from his horse. He was vice-admiral of the Red, and father of the Capt. Dacres captured by Hull.

1813. ALEXANDER issued his ukase at Wilna, directing the foundation stone of a new church to be instantly laid in Moscow, dedicated to Christ our Savior, as a perpetual monument to future generations of the deliverance of Russia from the French, and the devotion of his people.

1816. FRANCIS NORODSKY, a Polish gentleman, died at Warsaw, aged 125. The Polish government allowed him a pension of 3000 florins, which the emperor Alexander continued till his death.

1817. General THOMAS died, at Milledgeville, Georgia, of cancer in the mouth.

1823. The siege of Missolonghi raised. Mavrocordato, the commander in chief, had thrown himself into the town on the 5th of November with 380 men, and 22 Suliots under Marco Botzaris, and though almost destitute of artillery and ammunition, defended it against the Turkish forces. On the 23d November it was relieved by sea, and the enemy were repulsed in several assaults, when they finally abandoned the walls.

1831. Died at Geneva, RODOLPHE KREUTZER, a distinguished violinist and musical composer.

1836. ABRAHAM VAN VECHTEN died at Albany, aged 75. He was a highly respected man, an eminent lawyer, and one of the fathers of the New York bar.

1839. A tremendous gale or hurricane in the west of England, which did great damage at Liverpool.

1840. Madame D'ARBLAY, the well known novelist, Miss Burney, died at Bath. Lord Chancellor Thurlow said her Cecilia was worth all the books in his library.

1841. Great freshet in the Hudson river and tributaries.

1849. GEORGE SINNET, a native of Germany, the last survivor of Gen. Wolfe's army, died at Brighton, Nova Scotia, aged 120.

1854. Russians defeated at Citale, near Kalafat, with a loss of 2500 men.

JANUARY 7.

1328. EDWARD II of England deposed by parliament, and his son, Edward III, proclaimed king.

1558. Calais, in France, retaken by the French after a short siege of one week, having been in the possession of the English 200 years, during which it had become a thriving place, and the seat of a considerable trade in wool.

1610. GALILEI discovered the satellites of Jupiter.

1657. THEOPHILUS EATON, first governor of the colony at New Haven, died. Before coming to America he was employed by the king as an agent at the court of Denmark. He was one of the original patentees of Massachusetts. On the settlement of New Haven he was chosen governor, for which office his integrity, dignity and wisdom peculiarly fitted him, and which he filled till his death.

1681. The commons of England resolved that till a bill be passed, excluding the duke of York from the throne, no supplies could be granted without danger to the state.

1692. The philosophical ROBERT BOYLE died leaving a sum of money for a monthly sermon against atheism.

1715. FRANCOIS DE SALIGNAC DE LA MOTTE FENELON, died. He preached his first sermon at the age of 15; and he was distinguished for learning and piety. The celebrated romance, Telemaque, was published against his will by the treachery of his servant, and involved him in difficulties with the king, who considered it a satire upon his reign. During the revolution of 1793 his coffin was dug up to furnish lead for bullets. In 1819 a monument was erected to his memory by public subscription, and in 1826 a statue by the sculptor David was placed at Cambray. The age in which he lived could not appreciate his worth.

1740. A rock fell on a large number of young people while at play on the first Monday of the year, at Kirkaldy, Scotland.

1758. ALLAN RAMSAY, a Scottish poet and author of the Gentle Shepherd, died.

1767. THOMAS CLAP, an American mathematician and natural philosopher, died. He graduated at Harvard college, and by singular industry made great acquisitions in almost every branch of learning. In 1739 he was elected president of Yale college, and continued in that office till the year before his death. He constructed the first orrery in America.

1779. LAFAYETTE embarked at Boston, in the frigate Alliance, for France.

1779. The Mirror, appeared at Edinburgh, to which Mackenzie the novelist was a principal contributor.

1782. The Bank of North America opened for business in Philadelphia. It was the first bank regularly established in America.

1785. Mr. BLANCHARD, the æronaut, accompanied by Mr. Jeffries, an American gentleman, made the bold attempt to cross the British channel, from Dover to Calais, in a balloon filled with inflammable air, then beginning to be used. They left the English coast at 10 o'clock, and at half-past two, reached the French side, a distance of twenty-three miles.

1798. The French army under General Menard, entered Switzerland with a design to revolutionize the cantons after the model of the French republic.

1806. PAULINUS, better known as John Philip Werdin, died at Rome. He was one of the first Europeans who acquired a knowledge of the Sanscrit language.

1807. British order in council prohibiting neutrals from trading from one port of France or her allies to another, or to any other where Great Britain was refused that privilege.

1811. Ship Rapid, of Boston, Capt. Dorr, with $280,000 on board, totally lost off the coast of New Holland; captain and crew saved.

1812. JOSEPH DENNIE, an American editor, died. He was born at Boston 1768, and educated for the bar; but his literary taste and habits interfered with his profession, which he resigned and established at Boston a weekly paper called The Tablet; and subsequently edited the Farmer's Museum at Walpole, in which he published a series of popular essays under the signature of The Lay Preacher. He was afterwards editor of the Port Folio at Philadelphia, where his superior endowments would have procured him an independence, but for some unfortunate propensities which deprived him of health and happiness.

1817. First paper in Chautauque co., N. Y.

1822. Liberia in Africa colonized under the direction of Dr. Ayres. Cape Montserado with a large tract of adjoining country was purchased of the natives by the American colonization society, and a settlement commenced by 28 colonists; in six years the number had increased to 1200 under the care of Ashmun.

1830. THOMAS LAWRENCE, a distinguished English portrait painter, died. By industry and force of talent he rose in his profession, till on the death of Sir Joshua Reynolds he was made painter to the king, and in 1815 was knighted. His income for the last twenty years of his life was from 10,000 to 20,000 pounds; but he died poor, owing to his purchasing the best productions at the most extravagant prices.

1841. LOUIS EDWARD BIGNON, Napoleon Bonaparte's historian, died.

1843. Mrs. WINGATE, died at Stratham, N. H., aged nearly 101 years.

1850. JOHN H. KYAN, a native of England, and inventor of Kyanized wood, died at New York.

1850. SAMUEL MILLER, an eminent American theologian and sometime president of Princeton college, died, aged 91.

JANUARY 8.

1167. EDGAR, king of Scotland, died, and was succeeded by his younger brother, Alexander I.

1536. CATHARINE OF ARRAGON, died; queen of Henry VIII and mother of Mary, queen of England.

1642. GALILEO GALILEI, the astronomer, died, aged 78.

1676. French Admiral Duquesne defeated the Dutch and Spanish fleets under De Ruyter, who had both legs shattered.

1704. LAURENTIO BELLINI, a Florentine anatomist, died, aged 61. He was held in great estimation by prince and pontiff. His theory and practice are out of date now, and his works also, in consequence of the vast improvements in medicine and surgery since his day.

1775. JOHN BASKERVILLE, an English printer and type founder, of rare celebrity, died. As a philanthropist he was also well known to large circles.

1777. British evacuated Elizabethtown, N. J.; Gen. Maxwell fell on their rear, and took 70 prisoners and a schooner loaded with baggage.

1780. British Admiral Rodney captured 22 sail of Spanish ships. One of these, the Guipuscaio, of 64 guns, was named the Prince William, from a son of George III who was in the action.

1784. Whitestown, N. Y., settled about this time.

1795. French ship Esperance, 22 guns, captured off Cape Henry by British ship Argonaut, Capt. Ball.

1796. SAMUEL HUNTINGDON, governor of Connecticut, and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, died aged 64.

1796. French took by surprise the British camp at Mount William, island of St. Vincent, West Indies. British lost 54 killed, Brig. Gen. Strutt and 109 wounded, and 200 missing.

1799. French privateer cutter La Rancune, from St. Maloes, captured, by the British cutter Pigmy, Capt. Shepheard, who at the same time recaptured two British brigs, prizes to La Rancune.

1815. Battle of New Orleans. The city was attacked by the British under Packenham, consisting of 15,000 disciplined troops, and was defended by 6000 militia and volunteers, under Gen. Jackson, prepared to die in its defence. The result was a brilliant victory over the British. Packenham was killed, and 5,000 men surrendered--the rest fled to their vessels. The loss of the Americans was trifling, 13 killed and wounded, that of the British 2,600.

1815. Total loss of the Americans in this war up to the last battle, 1344 killed, 2673 wounded, 651 missing, 1351 taken prisoners.

1817. Two shocks of earthquake at Charleston, S. C, and at Savannah, Ga.

1825. ELI WHITNEY, inventor of the cotton gin, died.

1848. The lives of thirty persons lost by the bursting of the boilers of the steamer Blue Ridge on the Ohio river. The boilers had been in use nine years.

1849. The pope threatened all who should take part in electing a new assembly, with excommunication.

1850. First ship in the United States dry dock at Brooklyn.

1853. CHARLES HUMPHREY ATHERTON, an eminent New Hampshire lawyer, died, aged 79.

1854. WILLIAM CARR BERRESFORD, a distinguished British field officer and nobleman, died, aged 85.

1854. Metropolitan hall and Lafarge hotel, two of the finest buildings in New York destroyed by fire.

JANUARY 9.

1514. ANNE OF BRETAGNE, queen of France died, aged 37.

1584. WILLIAM CARTER, a daring London printer, hanged, boweled, and quartered at Tyburn, for printing lewd pamphlets, popish and others, and particularly a Treatise on Schisme.

1596. FRANCIS DRAKE, the English navigator, died. He served with distinction under his relative Sir J. Hawkins; and having lost all his property in an action with the Spaniards, he conceived an inveterate hatred against them. He signalized himself in the destruction of the Spanish Armada; and finally died on the coast of America in a war against the Spanish settlements. He made the first voyage round the world. To him is attributed the introduction of the potatoe into Europe. The day of his death is differently stated.

1621. The Plymouth colonists commenced the erection of their projected town, which they built in two rows of houses for greater security. The same street still exists, leading to the water side.

1658. Birthday of NICHOLAS COUSTON, a famous French sculptor, from whose labors the art of statuary received a noble impulse. He died at Paris 1733.

1757. BERNARD LE BOVIER DE FONTENELLE, a French author of great repute, died. He was born at Rouen 1657; his mother was the sister of Corneille. Although his works are now obsolete in consequence of the advancement of science, no learned man exerted a more decided influence on the age in which he lived than Fontenelle.

1766. THOMAS BIRCH, an English historian and biographer, died. He was of quaker parentage, and by unwearied industry educated himself. His literary labors were prodigious, which early rising and a strict economy of time enabled him to perform. He bequeathed his library to the British museum; it contained an incredible number of MSS. in his own handwriting.

1770. CATHARINE TALBOT, authoress of Reflections on the Seven Days of the Week, and a contributor to the Rambler, died.

1779. JOHN REINHOLD FOSTER, author of Northern Voyages, and who circumnavigated the globe with Cook, died in his 70th year.

1788. Connecticut, the fifth state which adopted the constitution of the United States without amendments.

1792. Treaty of peace signed at Jassy between Russia and Turkey.

1793. MR. BLANCHARD, the French æronaut, made the first balloon ascension in the United States, at Philadelphia, in the presence of General Washington.

1795. Thiel in Holland taken by the French under Macdonald.

1799. The habeas corpus act suspended in Great Britain.

1805. NOBLE WIMBERLY JONES, a revolutionary character, died. He came to America under Gen. Oglethorpe, and at the breaking out of the war was a practicing physician in Savannah. He was elected to the Georgia legislature a number of years and then resumed his practice again, at the solicitation of many of his former patients.

1809. Congress passed laws to enforce the embargo.

1810. The Diocesan court of the officiality of Paris pronounced a nullity of marriage between Bonaparte and Josephine.

1811. The Spanish cortes published a manifesto declaring their determination not to enter into a treaty with Bonaparte until his troops should have entirely evacuated the Peninsula.

1811. The whole militia of New Orleans ordered into immediate service by Gov. Claiborne to suppress a negro insurrection.

1812. Valentia in Spain surrendered to the French under Suchet, with 374 cannons, 18000 troops and stores of all kinds.

1813. British manifesto against the United States.

1815. Truce between Gen. Jackson and Gen. Lambert to bury the dead of the battle of the previous day.

1815. The British began the bombardment of the American fort St. Philip, defended by Major Overton, which was kept up daily until the 17th.

1816. A society instituted at Trenton, N. J., for forming a colony of blacks.

1818. OLD JOHN died. During eighty years, from the premiership of Walpole to that of Liverpool, he acted as messenger in the Royal printing office, London. He styled himself King's messenger.

1827. ELIZABETH OGILVY BENGER, an English authoress, died. In her 13th year she wrote a poem, and afterwards attempted the drama. Her reputation is based upon her Historical Biographies, which were originally published in 10 vols.

1828. FRANCIS DE NEUFCHATEAU, a French statesman, died. He was born 1750, and in his 13th year published a volume of poems, which indicated more for the future than was realized. He took part in the affairs of the revolution, but was condemned for his moderation. Napoleon took him into favor; his pursuits were chiefly literary, however.

1843. Great fire at Port-au-Prince; 600 houses burnt and property to an immense amount destroyed. The blacks who inhabited the mountains rushed down and completed the work of destruction, by firing and plundering such houses as the fire had not reached, and committing every sort of excess.

1854. The Astor library in New York opened to the public.

JANUARY 10.

1640. MAURICE ABBOT, a distinguished London merchant, died. He acquired great consequence by his own efforts in commercial affairs, and was employed in 1624 in establishing the settlement of Virginia. At the time of his death he was mayor of London.

1645. WILLIAM LAUD, archbishop of Canterbury, beheaded on Tower hill, aged 70. Sentenced to be hung for political misdemeanors, he was pardoned by the king; but parliament overruled the pardon, and substituted the privilege of being beheaded instead of hanging. He acquired so great an ascendency over Charles as to lead him, by the facility of his temper, into a conduct which proved fatal to that prince, and by which he lost his kingdom, and met the same fate four years after at Whitehall.

1661. A proclamation issued by the king of England prohibiting conventicles for religious meetings.

1661. The fifth monarchy men, headed by Venner, a wine cooper, arose to proclaim "King Jesus against all the powers of the earth." But King Charles's power was found too strong for them.

1754. EDWARD CAVE died, an English printer and founder of the Gentleman's Magazine. When his indentures expired as a printer's apprentice, he was employed in the post office, and occupied his leisure in writing for the newspapers. In 1731 was first published the Magazine, and it has continued to this day, more than a century, amid the crowd of magazines which have perished around it; and is one of the most successful and lucrative periodicals that history has upon record.

1756. FRANCOIS, marquis de Beauharnois, died at Paris. He was a member of the national assembly, and took part in the king's favor; subsequently joined the army under Conde; and was banished by Napoleon in 1807. The heroic wife of Lavalette was his daughter.

1757. The British under Admiral Watson took by assault, Houghley, situated about thirty miles above Calcutta.

1761. EDWARD BOSCAWEN, the English admiral, died. He was born 1711, and entered the navy at an early age. He acquired honorable distinction under Vernon, and afterwards signalized himself in many important contests with the French, in which he had the singular fortune to take the French commander, M. Hoquait, a prisoner three times, viz. in 1744, 1747 and 1755. On his return to England in 1759, after destroying the Toulon fleet in the Mediterranean, he was rewarded with a pension of £3000 a year.

1763. CASPER ABEL, a voluminous German historian and antiquary, died.

1765. Stamp Act passed the British Parliament. How little did that body anticipate the consequences that were to follow their decision on that subject.

1776. The New Hampshire convention dissolved itself and assumed legislative powers, chose twelve counselors as an executive branch, and delegates to Congress, which were recognized.

1782. GEORGE COSTARD died. A classical, mathematical and oriental scholar, whose reputation as an author is chiefly derived from a History of Astronomy, highly appreciated in Europe.

1791. Vermont, the last of the thirteen original states which composed the Union, adopted the constitution and took her place in the confederacy.

1795. The French frigate Iphigenie, 32 guns, captured by the Spanish fleet off Catalonia.

1797. French sloop Atalante, 16 guns, captured off Scilly by the British frigate Phœbe, 36 guns, Capt. Barlow.

1800. The first soup establishment for the poor was opened at Spitalfields, London.

1806. The Dutch surrendered the cape of Good Hope to the British.

1808. PHILLIPS COSBY, British admiral of the Red, died aged 78.

1809. Samana taken by the British, together with two privateers, and four vessels laden with coffee.

1812. London involved for several hours in impenetrable darkness. The sky, where any light pervaded it, showed the aspect of bronze. It was the effect of a cloud of smoke, which, from the peculiar state of the atmosphere, did not pass off. Were it not for the peculiar mobility of the atmosphere, this city of a hundred thousand chimneys would be scarcely habitable in winter.

1815. The British under Gen. Lambert having abandoned the enterprise on New Orleans began to re-embark their artillery and munitions, preparatory to a general retreat.

1816. The schooner Eliza cast away near Newport; the captain and crew saved by Com. Perry, who with part of the crew of the frigate Java, went five miles in a boat to their relief.

1824. THOMAS EDWARD BOWDITCH, the African traveler, died. He went to Africa at the age of 21, and engaged in a series of expeditions into the country. In 1822 he went out from England with a view of devoting himself to the exploration of the African continent. He had only arrived at the mouth of the Gambia when a disease occasioned by fatigue and anxiety of mind put an end to his existence.

1833. ADRIEN MARIE LEGENDRE, so well known as a profound mathematician, died at Paris. His life work on geometry is much used.

1840. The uniform penny postage commenced in England; the number of letters despatched from London on this day being 112,000; the average, for January, 1839, being 30,000.

1840. Battle between the Russian and Khivian cavalry; the latter commanded by the khan in person were completely routed and pursued to the city of Khiva.

1848. MISS CAROLINE HERSCHEL, member of the Royal astronomical society, London, died at Hanover.

1855. MARY RUSSEL MITFORD died, aged 68; a distinguished English authoress.

1856. THOMAS H. PERKINS, a wealthy and liberal Boston merchant, died aged 89. His was the first American firm engaged in the China trade.

JANUARY 11.

395. THEODOSIUS THE GREAT, emperor of Rome, died. He was born about the year 346, and on coming to the throne distinguished himself by his orthodoxy, and his zeal against heresy and paganism. His public and private virtues, which procured him the name of The Great, will scarcely excuse the fierceness of his intolerance, or the barbarity of his anger and revenge.

1569. The first English lottery drawn at London. It continued day and evening four months. The prizes were money, plate and merchandise. It had been advertised two years at the time it took place.

1698. PETER, the czar of Russia, arrived in England and wrought as a mechanic in the dockyard at Deptford, as well as in the workshops of various mechanics, with view of carrying the English arts into his own country. He was well received by William III.

1751. A globular bottle of glass was made at Leith measuring 40 by 42 inches, the largest ever made in Britain.

1753. SIR HANS SLOANE, the eminent English naturalist, died, aged 93. He was born at Killileagh in Ireland; studied medicine in London, and settled there in the practice of his profession. He was the second learned man whom science tempted to America. His museum, composed of the rarest productions of nature, he bequeathed to the public, on condition of the payment of £20,000 annually to his family, and was the foundation of the British Museum.

1775. The first provincial congress of South Carolina met at Charleston.

1778. CHARLES LINNE (or Linnæus), the Swedish botanist, died, aged 71. In his twenty-fourth year he conceived the idea of a new arrangement of plants, or a sexual system of botany. In 1732 the Academy of Sciences at Upsal appropriated 50 Swedish dollars to send him on a tour through Lapland, and with this small sum he made a journey of more than 3500 miles, unaccompanied, traversing the Lapland desert, and enduring many hardships. A series of offices and honors were conferred upon him, till in 1753 he was created a Knight of the Polar Star, an honor never before conferred on a literary man; and in 1761 he was elevated to the rank of nobility.

1778. A collection amounting to £3815 was made for the 924 American prisoners in England. Dr. Franklin, at Paris, applied to the British ambassador for an exchange of prisoners, but his lordship was pleased to return only the following answer: "no application received from rebels unless they come to implore his majesty's pardon."

1782. Ostenburg, near Trincomalee, in the island of Ceylon, taken from the Dutch by the British Admiral Hughes.

1795. The French, under Pichegru, crossed the Waal on the ice at different points.

1800. WILLIAM NEWCOME, archbishop of Armagh, died, aged 79. He rose gradually in the church to the primacy of Ireland; was a worthy man, and author of a great number of theological works.

1801. CIMAROSA, the celebrated Italian musician, died.

1803. The Hindostan, East Indiaman, lost on the Culvers, off Margate, in a dreadful storm.

1805. Letters of marque and reprisal issued by Great Britain against Spain.

1807. Breig in Silesia surrendered to the French and Bavarians; 3 generals, 1400 Prussians, and considerable magazines were captured.

1810. In the night the mercury in three thermometers froze at Moscow and withdrew into the ball. At Iraish it was observed at -44½° of Fahrenheit immediately before it froze.

1811. MARIE JOSEPH DE CHENIER, a French poet, died. By flattering the passions of the people he soon gained great popularity, and during the revolution was one of the most violent democrats.

1815. Cumberland island, Georgia, taken possession of by Capt. Barrie of the British ship Dragon. Same day British sloop of war, Barbadoes, Capt. Fleming captured privateer schooner Fox, of 7 guns and 72 men from Wilmington.

1817. TIMOTHY DWIGHT, president of Yale college, died, aged 65. He entered Yale college at the age of 13, and became a tutor at 19. His health becoming impaired, by the advice of his physicians he traveled, walking 2000 and riding 3000 miles in the course of a year. It had the effect to restore his constitution completely. His published works consist of theology, poetry and travels. His biography is interesting; he was an uncommon character.

1829. GREGORIO FUNES, a patriot of La Plata, died at Buenos Ayres. He was actively engaged in the South American revolution from its commencement. He was also an author.

1839. ALEXANDER COFFIN, the last survivor of the original proprietors who settled the city of Hudson in 1784, died, aged 99. He was highly respected for his talents, integrity and usefulness.

1839. Earthquake at Martinique, which did great damage, particularly at Fort Royal, where only 18 houses were left standing, of 1700, and 900 hundred sufferers were dug out of the ruins.

1843. FRANCIS S. KEY, district attorney of the United States and author of the national song, the Star Spangled Banner, died in Baltimore.

1853. Russia, Austria and Prussia, after considerable delay, finally acknowledge Napoleon III as emperor of France.

1853. The caloric ship Ericsson made her trial trip from New York to the Potomac.

JANUARY 12.

400. B. C. XENOPHON, with the 10,000, forced a passage through the defiles of Armenia.

1519. MAXIMILIAN I, emperor of Germany, died. He was elected king of the Romans 1486, and ascended the imperial throne 1493. Under him the Turks were checked in their enterprises against Germany, and repelled from his hereditary territories.

1598. The Marquis DE LA ROCHE received from Henry IV a commission to conquer Canada. He sailed from France with a colony of convicts from the prisons. He landed them on the Isle of Sable, and sailed for Acadie, from whence he returned to France. The survivors of the colony, twelve in number, were taken off seven years afterwards, and presented to the king in their sealskin clothes and long beards. He gave them fifty crowns each and pardoned their offences.

1640. An engagement of four days' duration near the Island Tamaraca, Brazils, between the Dutch and Portuguese, in which the latter were defeated and the Dutch admiral killed.

1678. A remarkable darkness at noon in England.

1777. General MERCER died of the wounds of the battle of Princeton.

1781. The states general of Holland issued letters of marque and reprisal against England.

1793. ARTHUR LEE, a distinguished American statesman, died at Urbana, Va. The long and faithful services which he rendered his country during his arduous struggles for independence, in the alternate character of ambassador and statesman, are universally known and acknowledged.

1794. JOHN GEORGE ADAM FORSTER died, aged 40. He was of Scotch descent, born in Prussia, studied at St. Petersburg, taught German and French in England, accompanied Cook in his voyage round the world, accepted the professorship of natural history at Hesse Cassel, was appointed historiographer of a Russian expedition round the world; this project being frustrated by the Turkish war, he went to Germany, and residing at Mentz when the French took that city 1792, was sent by the republicans to request a union of that city with France. During his absence the Prussians retook the city, by which he lost all his property, including his books and papers, and died soon after. The Germans number him among their classical writers.

1795. In consequence of a great thaw, the communication of the main army of the French under Pichegru and the four divisions that crossed the Waal the day before on the ice, was totally interrupted during two days.

1795. Mr. PITT recommended in the British parliament that a premium be given by government to large families.

1805. British frigate Doris, Capt. Campbell, lost on the Diamond rock, Quiberon bay. The crew saved themselves and blew up the frigate.

1805. The thermometer at Danbury, Ct., stood at 19° below zero; being the coldest weather known there since 1780.

1807. A fatal explosion at Leyden, in Holland. A vessel containing 40,000 pounds of powder, moored before the house of Prof. Rau, exploded with a tremendous crash. Upwards of 200 houses were overthrown, besides churches and public buildings, 150 persons killed and 2000 wounded.

1809. Cayenne surrendered by the French, to the British and the Portuguese under Capt. Yeo.

1815. National fast in the United States.

JANUARY 13.

857. ETHELWULF, son of Egbert, sometimes styled the first king of England, died. In his reign the tax called Peter's pence was levied.

1399. The Tartars, under Tamerlane, pillaged the imperial city of Delhi, and two days after wantonly massacred the entire Indian population.

1400. RICHARD II of England murdered. He came to the throne at the age of 11, and after a turbulent reign of 22 years, was deposed and imprisoned.

1404. It was enacted at this short parliament of Henry's that no chemist shall use his craft to multiply gold or silver.

1560. JOHN DE LASCI, a learned Pole, died.

1618. GALILEO discovered the fourth satellite of Jupiter.

1669. JOHN BOCHIUS, a Dutch poet, died. He excelled in Latin, and is called the Virgil of the Low Countries.

1691. GEORGE FOX, founder of the sect of quakers, died, aged 67. His father was a poor weaver, and George was apprenticed to a shoemaker; but he left his employment and wandered about the country in a leather doublet, and finally set up as a teacher. He visited different countries, and had the satisfaction to see his tenets taking deep root in his life time.

1705. A house in London where fireworks were manufactured, blew up, and destroyed 120 houses, and killed 50 persons.

1711. The last No. of the Tatler appeared (No. 271).

1715. Great fire in Thames street, London; many lives lost.

1716. ELIZABETH PATCH died at Salem; the first female born in the old colony of Massachusetts.

1717. MARIA SYBILLA MERIAN, the distinguished painter, and writer on entomology, died at Amsterdam.

1738. The famous convention of Pardo signed.

1759. Execution of the conspirators against the life of the king of Portugal. The whole family of the Marquis Tavora was executed, and the name suppressed for ever.

1797. British ships Indefatigable, 44 guns, and Amazon, 42 guns, had a night action of six hours, in the bay of Audierne, with the French 74 gun ship Les Droits des Hommes, 1600 men; the latter was driven on shore, and the crew made prisoners; Gen. Renier and 750 men were lost in the action. The Amazon was also lost in the action.

1798. Lieut. Lord Camelford shot Lieut. Charles Peterson, at English harbor, Antigua, for disobedience of orders, was afterwards tried and acquitted.

1798. The Swiss cantons armed against France.

1809. The French under Marshal Victor defeated the Spanish under Castanos at Cuenca.

1811. The British merchant ship Cumberland, Captain Barrat, beat off 4 French privateers, and took 170 men who had boarded her.

1814. British and Prussians repulsed in an attack on Antwerp; part of the suburbs were burnt.

1814. The emperor of Russia and king of Prussia crossed the Rhine to invade France; the emperor of Austria, who had arrived the evening before at Cassel, went out to meet them, and they entered Basil, in Switzerland.

1814. General thanksgiving throughout Great Britain for the successes gained over Bonaparte.

1814. Capt. Barrie of the British ship Dragon, took the fort on Point Peter and the tower of St. Mary's, in Georgia; they afterwards destroyed the fort.

1817. The ship Georgianna, of Norfolk, experienced a tremendous shock in the Gulf stream supposed to be by earthquake; the day was calm.

1822. JOHANN GOTTLIEB SCHNEIDER, a German philologist and naturalist, died, aged 72; a voluminous author.

1836. KARL CHR. TRAUG. TAUCHNITZ, an eminent German printer, died, aged 75. At the age of 35 he commenced business for himself with a single press; but his establishment soon became very extensive, including a letter foundry and book store. He was most indefatigable in improving and perfecting whatever he undertook, as his publications attest. His founts of oriental type were unsurpassed in Germany.

1838. Chancellor ELDON died.

1840. Steam boat Lexington burnt, on her passage from New York to Stonington. Of 145 persons on board, only four escaped with their lives. Among the sufferers were many highly esteemed and valuable members of society.

1848. A severe battle took place at Chillianwallah between the British and Sikh forces without decisive results.

1854 An earthquake at Finana in Spain, crumbling down the Alcazaba, an ancient Moorish castle, prostrating houses and causing chasms in the streets, and loss of lives.

JANUARY 14.

1526. Treaty of Madrid between the emperor Charles V, and Francis I of France, by which the latter obtained his liberty.

1604. The episcopal divines and puritans held a conference at Hampton court in the presence of King James.

1611. EDWARD BRUCE, a Scottish statesman, died. He occupied some of the highest offices under the government, and his services were important in establishing the peaceable accession of James to the English throne.

1622. PIETRO SARPI, better known as Father Paul of Venice, died, aged 90. He employed the latter part of his life in writing a history of the council of Trent, in which he has developed the intrigues connected with the transactions of that famous assembly, with a degree of boldness and veracity, which renders the work one of the most interesting and important productions of the class to which it belongs.

1634. Of seven sailors left at Spitzbergen in the fall of 1633, by the Dutch fishermen, for the purpose of wintering there, the first of the number died. The journal which they kept relates that they sought in vain for green herbs, bears and foxes, in that desolate region. In November the scurvy appeared among them. Their journal ended February 26, and they were all found dead on the return of their countrymen in spring. (See April 16.)

1696. MARIE DE RABUTIN SEVIGNE, a French woman of quality, died, aged 70. Her Letters (11 vols. 8vo.) are models of epistolary style, and have been translated into English.

1738. The famous convention of Pardo signed.

1739. The pope issued an edict against the assemblies of freemasons, under penalty of the rack and condemnation to the galleys.

1742. EDMUND HALLEY the astronomer, died, aged 86. He devoted himself to mathematics with great success, and spent much time abroad in astronomical observations and experiments. His astronomical pursuits tended greatly by their results to improve the art of navigation.

1753. GEORGE BERKLEY, bishop of Cloyne in Ireland, died, aged 85. He appeared as an author before his twentieth year. He devoted seven years and a considerable part of his fortune in an effort to establish a college at Bermuda, for the education of Indian preachers, which miscarried. He published several philosophical, mathematical and theological works, and is said to have been acquainted with almost every branch of human knowledge.

1781. French took the island of Nevis.

1783. CERVETTO, an Italian of extraordinary musical genius, died at London, aged 103. He was a member of the orchestra of Drury lane theatre.

1784. Congress ratified the definitive treaty of peace.

1792. JOSEPH JACKSON, a celebrated English type founder, died. While an apprentice his master had carefully kept from his view the mode of making punches, but by boring a hole through the door he got an occasional glimpse of the art, and succeeded.

1795. Intense frost in Holland, which enabled the remainder of the French army to cross the Waal.

1795. The French were repulsed in an attack on all the posts of the allies, from Arnhem to Amerongen. In the night the allies retreated to Amersfoort, leaving 300 sick behind them.

1797. Battle of Rivoli in Italy. The contest was continued three days, and decided the fate of Mantua. The French under Joubert were victorious over the Austrians.

1798. Five English gentlemen who had been sent to investigate the title of Vizier Ally, were by his orders assassinated at Benares in India.

1801. ROBERT ORME died, aged 73; historiographer to the East India company.

1801. An embargo laid in England on all Russian, Swedish and Danish ships. More than 100 Swedish and Danish vessels were immediately seized.

1809. Formal treaty of peace, friendship and alliance between Great Britain and Spain.

1813. An engagement off Pernambuco between the United States privateer schooner Comet, Capt. Boyle, 14 guns and 120 men, and three British vessels of 24 guns, convoyed by a Portuguese ship of 32 guns and 165 men. The Portuguese were beaten off, and the British vessels captured. She also captured three other vessels on the passage.

1814. Treaty of peace signed at Kiel between Denmark and England.

1814. CHARLES BOSSUT, a French mathematician, died, aged 84. He studied under D'Alembert, and rose to eminence. On the breaking out of the French revolution he lost the offices he had acquired, and subsisted by his writings. He was a contributer to the Encyclopedie.

1815. Com. DECATUR, sailed from New York in the frigate President.

1822. The Grand Duke CONSTANTINE declined, by letter to his brother Alexander, the succession to the throne of all the Russias.

1831. HENRY MACKENZIE, the novelist, died, aged 86. He studied the law, at the same time cultivating elegant literature. His first effort was a tragedy, which was favorably received; his first novel appeared in 1771, in which he was eminently successful. Scott entitles him the Scottish Addison.

1834. WILLIAM POLK, a revolutionary officer, died. He held the rank of colonel at the close of the war, and was the last surviving field officer of the North Carolina line. He was among the small band of patriots who declared independence in Mecklenburg county, N. C., May 20th, 1775.

1838. Navy island evacuated by the Canadians, &c., under Mackenzie and Van Rensselaer, 510 in number. The arms belonging to the United States were surrendered, as also the cannon belonging to the state of New York.

1852. T. HUDSON TURNER died, aged 37; one of the ablest of the British archæologists.

1854. JOSHUA BATES, a distinguished New England clergyman, died, aged 77. He was twenty-three years president of Middlebury college.

JANUARY 15.

69. SERGIUS GALBA, the Roman emperor, assassinated, at the age of 72. He was the successor of Nero, and reigned but three months.

936. RODOLPH, king of France, died, in the 14th year of his reign, and was succeeded by Lewis the Stranger.

1549. The liturgy of the English church established by parliament. All the divine offices were to be performed according to the new liturgy, and infringements were to be punished by forfeitures and imprisonments, and for the third offence imprisonment for life. Visitors were appointed to see that it was received throughout England. From this time we may date the era of the Puritans.

1655. DANIEL HEINSIUS, a Dutch philologist, died. He made great progress as a student, under Scaliger, and was appointed to a professorship at Leyden. He was also successful as a Greek and Latin poet.

1559. Queen ELIZABETH, crowned at Westminster, by the bishop of Carlisle, who was the only person that could be prevailed upon to perform the ceremony.

1672. JOHN COSIN, bishop of Durham, died; a lover of literature and prodigal in his expenditures on book-binding. He ordered that all his books should be rubbed once a fortnight to prevent their moulding.

1693. An army of six or seven hundred French and Indians set out from Montreal to invade the Mohawk castles. (See Feb. 6.)

1730. Gov. MONTGOMERIE granted the city of New York a new charter. Although that city had been put under the government of a mayor in 1665, it was not regularly incorporated until 1686.

1773. At Duff house, the residence of the countess dowager of Fife, the first masquerade ever seen in Scotland was exhibited.

1777. Vermont declared itself a free and independent state. It had been settled as a part of New Hampshire, but was claimed as a part of New York, and so decided to be by the British crown. But by the dissolution of the bonds which had held America in subjection to the crown of Britain, they considered themselves free from New York, to which the most of them had never voluntarily submitted; and being, as they said, reduced to "a state of nature," they assumed the right to form such connections as were agreeable to themselves. Accordingly they formed a plan of government and a code of laws, and petitioned congress to receive them into the Union.

1778. Nootka sound and the Sandwich islands discovered by Captain Cook.

1780. First exportation of woolen goods from Ireland to a foreign market.

1780. Unsuccessful attack by the Americans under Lord Stirling on the British at Long island.

1781. The traitor ARNOLD succeeded in burning some stores at Smithfield.

1783. WILLIAM ALEXANDER, Lord Stirling, an officer in the revolutionary army, died at Albany, aged 57. He was of Scotch descent, and from early youth a mathematician. Throughout the war he acted an important part, and was warmly attached to Washington. He left behind him the reputation of a brave, discerning and intrepid officer, and an honest and learned man. He was generally styled Lord Stirling, and was considered the rightful heir to the title and estates of that earldom in Scotland.

1794. A desperate engagement off the island of Corsica between three Sardinian ships and two Barbary xebecs. One of the xebecs was captured, but the other, rather than surrender, was blown up; upon which the prisoners taken, Turks and Algerines, 92 in number, were put to death.

1795. The French attacked the British outposts at Rhenen.

1795. The French national convention liberated Gen. Miranda and Capt. Lacrosse from prison.

1799. A revolution at Lucca in Italy, without bloodshed. Titles and exclusive privileges were abolished, the sovereignty of the people proclaimed, and a contribution of two millions of livres levied on the nobility alone, which was immediately presented to the French general Serrurier.

1805. ABRAHAM HYACINTHE ANQUETIL DU PERRON, the French orientalist, died, aged 74. He studied theology, but afterwards devoted himself with ardor to the study of the eastern languages. In 1754 he embarked for India, and with difficulty succeeded in finding some priests to instruct him in the sacred language of the Parsees. He returned to Paris in 1762 with a number of manuscripts, and proceeded to arrange them for publication. During the revolution he shut himself up with his books; but continued labors and an abstemious diet exhausted his constitution. He was a learned and excellent man.

1807. Battle between the forces under Christophe and Petion for the governorship of Hayti, which had been assumed by Christophe as the oldest general, on the death of Dessalines; but Petion had been subsequently duly elected. Christophe was defeated after a fierce encounter. A separation of the republic followed. Petion instituted a pure republic, while Christophe founded a monarchy.

1810. Masquerades and masked balls prohibited in the city of New York.

1815. The United States frigate President, Com. Decatur, captured by four British vessels, after a sharp action, and a chase of 18 hours. Loss of the Americans 22 killed, 59 wounded; British loss 11 killed, 14 wounded.

1825. ROBERT GOODLOE HARPER, an American statesman, died. He was born in Virginia, of poor parentage; acquired the rudiments of a classical education; served a campaign in the revolutionary army; after which he entered Princeton college. He subsequently settled in South Carolina, in the practice of the law, and acquired great reputation as a professional man and a politician.

1827. JEAN DENIS LANJUINAIS died. He was a staunch defender of liberal principles, and opposed first the arrogant pretensions of the privileged class, although himself one of their number: afterwards he arrayed himself against the intrigues of Mirabeau, the violence of the mountain party, and the usurpations of Bonaparte, in the face of destruction. The object of his wishes was constitutional liberty. He escaped the axe of the revolution, and was even promoted to office by Napoleon.

1834. The city of Leira, in Portugal, taken by Count de Saldanha, and the garrison, of Miguelites about 1500 in number, made prisoners.

1836. CHARLES LEWIS, one of the most eminent book binders in Europe, died. The splendidly bound books in the duke of Sussex's library are of his workmanship.

1842. JOSEPH HOPKINSON died. His speeches in congress on the Seminole war were much admired. He was author of the song, Hail Columbia.

1844. The Fontaine Moliere, a monument to the great French dramatist, at Paris, inaugurated. It combines a public fountain with a monument, and stands opposite the house in which Moliere died.

1849. Reporters excluded from an adjourned meeting of a convention of the southern states.

JANUARY 16.

1543. An act of the English parliament was passed forbidding women, apprentices, &c., &c., to read the New Testament in English.

1556. CHARLES V of Germany, (Don Carlos I of Spain) resigned the crown of Spain to his son Philip, after a reign of 40 years. Of all his vast possessions he only reserved to himself an annual pension. It was under him that Cortez conquered Mexico.

1580. An act of the English parliament inflicting a penalty of 20 pounds for absenting from church.

1599. EDMUND SPENCER, the English poet, died, aged 46. His first poem, the Shepherd's Calendar, appeared in 1576. He went to Ireland as private secretary to the lord lieutenant, and commenced the Faery Queen while in that country. The rebellion took place with such fury that he was obliged to leave the country in so great confusion, that an infant child was left behind, and burnt with his house. The unfortunate poet died soon after his arrival in England, in consequence of these misfortunes.

1643. Parliament of England forbid free commerce, and ordered no wagon or carriage to go to Oxford without a license.

1668. The earl of SHREWSBURY slain in a duel by the duke of Buckingham, who had lived in open adultery with Shrewsbury's wife. It is said that she, in the habit of a page, held Buckingham's horse when he was fighting with her husband.

1706. Articles of union between England and Scotland ratified by the Scottish parliament 110 to 69.

1715. ROBERT NELSON died, an English gentleman of fortune, which he employed in works of benevolence and charity. Few works on devotional subjects were more popular than his.

1748. The bottle conjuror imposed on a great multitude at the Haymarket theatre, by announcing that he would jump into a quart bottle.

1760. Pondicherry, defended by the French under General Lally, taken by the English under Colonel Coote.

1772. A revolution in Denmark which terminated in the imprisonment of the royal family, and finally the banishment of the queen, sister to George III of England.

1780. The Spanish fleet of 11 sail, under Langara, destroyed off St. Vincent by the British fleet of 19 sail, under Rodney. Langara was dangerously wounded and taken prisoner. One of the Spanish ships with 600 men on board was blown up, and all perished. The British lost 32 killed and 102 wounded.

1790. The bean-fed friars ejected from their convents by an augean labor of the French revolution.

1794. EDWARD GIBBON, the historian, died, aged 57. During his visit to Rome in 1764, he formed the plan of writing the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. In 1774 he obtained a seat in parliament, and two years after appeared the first quarto volume of his history. A disorder which he had endured twenty three years terminated in a mortification.

1795. Retreat of the British from Utrecht, in Holland, upon which the inhabitants capitulated to the French.

1796. The first theatre at Botany bay opened by the convicts at Sydney cove.

1809. Battle of Corunna in Spain, between the French and English, and death of Sir John Moore, who fell mortally wounded by a cannon shot, at the moment of victory achieved by the troops under his command. His men buried him in his cloak, and the French, in testimony of his gallantry, erected a monument over his remains. He was unmarried and in his 47th year.

1812. The king of Sicily, on account of ill-health, abdicated the throne in favor of his son, until he should recover. It is remarkable that Great Britain, Spain, Portugal and Sweden were governed by regents or viceroys at the same time.

1813. LEWIS BARNEY died at Champlain, New York, aged 105. He had 24 children by one wife.

1815. HENRY THORNTON, founder of the Sierra Leone company, and a writer on the credit of Great Britain, died.

1816. The bridge at the falls of the Schuylkill fell with the great body of snow upon it.

1816. JOHN WRIGHT, the first constable of Cumberland county, Virginia, died, aged 107.

1817. ALEXANDER JAMES DALLAS, an eminent lawyer of Philadelphia, died. He filled the office of secretary of state in Pennsylvania many years; and also that of secretary of the treasury of the United States a short time previous to his death.

1838. DOROTHY TORREY died at Windsor, Conn., aged 107.

1843. State lunatic asylum, at Utica, New York, went into operation.

1854. ALDEN PARTRIDGE died at Norwich, Vt.; nearly fifty years engaged in military instruction, and some time principal of West Point academy.

JANUARY 17.

86. B. C. CAIUS MARIUS, the Roman consul, died. He was the son of a farmer in indigent circumstances; but by his talents and energy raised himself to the highest dignity of the greatest state in the world.

395. The EMPEROR THEODOSIUS died at Milan, soliciting his heirs faithfully to execute his will.

1009. ABD-EL-MALEK, a Moorish prince, crucified by his conqueror.

1380. An act of parliament passed, by which foreign ecclesiastics were incapacitated from holding benefices in England.

1467. JOHN CASTRIOTTO, (or Scanderbeg) prince of Albania, died. His father placed him as a hostage with the sultan of Turkey, by whom he was educated in the Mohammedan faith, and at the age of 18 placed at the head of a body of troops. He afterwards deserted to the Christians, and on ascending the throne of his fathers renounced the Mohammedan faith. He obtained repeated victories over the Turks. After his death, when Albania submitted to the Moslem dominion, the Turks dug up his bones which they wore to transfer his courage to themselves.

1524. VERRAZANO sailed from a desolate rock near Madeira, with fifty men and provisions for eight months, arms, munitions and other naval stores, on his voyage westwardly, expecting to reach Cathay.

1546. MARTIN LUTHER preached his final sermon at Wittemberg.

1556. PHILIP NERLI, the Florentine historian, died.

1684. WENTWORTH DILLON, earl of Roscommon, died at Rome. The early part of his life was spent in dissipation, but he afterwards conducted with more discretion, and became distinguished among the wits of the day. Johnson calls him the most correct writer of English verse before Dryden.

1694. A powder magazine of 218 barrels exploded at Dublin, doing much damage.

1701. ROGER MORRIS, an English chaplain, died, aged 73. He was a diligent collector of ecclesiastical manuscripts relating to the history of the English church, whereof, says Strype, "he left vast heaps behind him."

1705. JOHN RAY, an English naturalist, died. He was the son of a blacksmith; received a liberal education at Cambridge, and devoted himself to science and literature. His publications were numerous.

1706. Birthday of BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

1733. GEORGE BYNG, an English admiral, died. He entered the navy at the age of 15, and gradually rose to the highest honors and distinctions.

1746. Battle of Falkirk, in which the forces of the Pretender were victorious over the royal army.

1750. The singular ceremony of the Greek church of consecrating the water in memory of Christ's baptism, performed at St. Petersburg.

1766. FREDERICK V, king of Denmark and Norway, died.

1781. Battle of the Cowpens, in South Carolina, and defeat of 1100 British under Tarleton, by an inferior force of Americans under Morgan. British loss 100 killed and wounded, and 500 prisoners; 800 muskets, 2 field pieces, 35 baggage wagons, and 100 dragoon horses fell into the hands of the conquerors. The loss of the Americans was 12 killed and 60 wounded.

1783. Action between the British frigate Magicienne and the French frigate Sybille. The latter lost her masts, and was captured a few days after by the Hussar.

1789. JOHN LEDYARD, the traveler, died. He was born at Groton, Conn., 1751; entered Dartmouth college at the age of 19, but for some reproof resolved to escape: accordingly he felled a tree on the bank of the Connecticut, of which he constructed a canoe, and descended the river 140 miles to Hartford: studied theology a while, and then enlisted as a common sailor for a voyage to Gibraltar; accompanied Capt. Cook in one of his voyages, of which he published an account. Not meeting with assistance to prosecute any of the daring enterprises he proposed, he finally determined to make the tour of the globe from London east, on foot; and had proceeded as far as Yakutsk in Siberia, when he was arrested by order of the queen as a French spy and hurried back to the frontiers of Poland. He returned to London, he says, "disappointed, ragged, pennyless, but with a whole heart." He had scarcely taken lodgings when Sir Joseph Banks proposed an African expedition. He accepted the offer and proceeded as far as Cairo, where he was attacked by a disease which carried him off.

1789. CHARLES IV proclaimed king of Spain.

1791. Lord DUNGARVON, an Irish peer, was tried at the Old Bailey, London, for stealing three and a half guineas from a poor woman in town, but was acquitted.

1792. GEORGE HORNE, bishop of Norwich, died. His Sermons and Commentary on the Psalms, are well known.

1795. The stadtholder, WILLIAM V, obtained permission from the States General to withdraw from Holland.

1800. The church at Chelmsford, England, fell; it was first built in 1424.

1804. CHARLES NISBET died, aged 67. He was a Scotch clergyman, and the first president of Dickinson college in Pennsylvania.

1806. An iris or lunar rainbow was seen for one hour (9¼ to 10¼) at Wakefield in Yorkshire, England.

1810. Masquerades and masked balls prohibited by the authorities in the city of Philadelphia.

1811. The Mexican patriots under Hidalgo totally defeated near Guadalaxara by the Spaniards under Calleja.

1813. Capture of the United States brig Vixen, 12 guns, Capt. Henley, by the British frigate Narcissus.

1815. The king of Spain issued an edict against freemasonry.

1817. At Philadelphia and Albany the singular phenomena of snow, clear weather, rain, snow, thunder and lightning, hail and snow, was observed in succession.

1836. Two engagements in the mountains of Arlaban, between the forces of the queen of Spain under Gen. Cordova and the Carlists, in which the latter were defeated.

1841. REZIN P. BOWIE died at New Orleans, aged 48; "well known in the southwest by his many deeds of valor in its early history, among the Mexicans and savages."

1851. SPENCER COMPTON, marquis of Northampton, died, aged 61. He was president of the Royal society; was associated with Wilberforce in the anti-slavery cause, and with Macintosh as a criminal law reformer.

1854. Two rail road bridges and crossings at Erie, Pa., destroyed by a mob of women, who were afterwards escorted through the town with banners, headed by a band of music.

1856. ZADOCK THOMPSON died, aged 59; author of several historical works relating to Vermont, and a naturalist.

JANUARY 18.

1486. HENRY VII married the princess Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Edward IV. Thus uniting the houses of York and Lancaster, blending the Roses.

1534. Lima, the present capital of Peru, founded by PIZARRO; thirty years before a single town was founded within the limits of the United States, St. Augustine, Florida, being founded 1565.

1546. The council of Trent assembled and agreed upon a confession of faith.

1561. The first English tragedy performed, at Whitehall, before the queen. It was entitled Gorboduc, from the name of a supposed ancient British king, and was written by Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton. It consists of five acts, each preceded by a dumb show, prefiguring what is to occur; the first four acts close by choruses in rhyme, and the fifth by a didactic speech of nearly two hundred lines. Sir Philip Sydney pronounced it "full of stately speeches and well-sounding phrases, climbing to the height of Seneca his stile, and full of notable morality, which it doth most delightfully teach."

1701. FREDERICK III of Brandenburgh crowned first king of Prussia, by the title of Frederick I.

1703. THOMAS HYDE died. He was an Oriental interpreter during the reigns of Charles II, James II, and William III.

1713. ARCANGELO CORELLI, an Italian composer, died. He became so great a master in the science of music, that his countrymen bestowed on him the cognomen of Il Divino.

1718. SAMUEL GARTH, an English poet and physician, died. He settled in London where by his professional skill he soon acquired a very extensive practice; and by his wit and conversational powers distinguished himself among the literati of the day.

1739. SAMUEL BERNARD, one of the richest and most celebrated financiers of Europe, died at Paris. His funeral procession equaled that of a prince in point of magnificence and in the train of distinguished attendants.

1775. JOHN BASKERVILLE, an eminent English printer, died. He was a man fertile in invention, and effected improvements in the art which could scarcely have been expected from the exertions of a single individual.

1777. Battle of Kingsbridge, N. Y., between the Americans under Gen. Heath and the Hessians.

1782. DUMITER RADULY died at Haromszeck, at the remarkable age of 140.

1793. GEORGE GORDON, an English nobleman, after five years' imprisonment, appeared to give bail; but the attorney-general refused to accept of it. He was therefore remanded.

1795. The French under Salm took Utrecht in Holland, and Gen. Van Damme took Arnhem; the prince of Orange and his family escaping to England.

1797. FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT LEE, an American statesman, died at his residence in Virginia, aged 63.

1804. Goree taken by the French from the English.

1806. EUGENE NAPOLEON BEAUHARNAIS married to Augusta Amelia, daughter of the king of Bavaria.

1810. LYON LEVY, a jeweler, threw himself from the monument in London.

1811. Gen. JUNOT wounded in the face by a musket ball, while reconnoitering the British lines.

1813. Battle at Frenchtown in Michigan, between the United States troops and the British and Indians, when the latter were defeated. American loss, 12 killed, 55 wounded.

1815. The British decamped from before Fort St. Philip, on the Mississippi, which they had bombarded from the 9th. About 12 o'clock at night they took to their boats, leaving 80 of their wounded, 14 pieces heavy artillery, and a great quantity of shot.

1815. STANISLAUS, chevalier de Bouffleurs, died at Paris, aged 78. He was the son of the marchioness de Bouffleurs, mistress of Stanislaus, king of Poland. He distinguished himself in the army, which however he left to give his attention to literature. He was considered one of the most ingenious men of his time, and was noted for the elegance of his manners and conversation. The epitaph on his tomb, written by himself, is characteristic of him: Mes amis, croyez vous que je dors?

1816. Thanksgiving throughout England on the restoration of peace.

1819. JOHN WILLSON, died in London, aged 52. He sometime held the chief command at Ceylon, and subsequently administered the government of Upper Canada.

1826. OMMEGANCK, one of the most celebrated Dutch landscape painters, died at Antwerp. His pieces are distinguished for good taste, and for freshness and warmth of coloring.

1829. JOHN GEORGE HENRY HASSEL, a distinguished German geographer and statistical writer, died at Weimar.

1834. NATHANIEL AMES died at Providence. He was the son of Fisher Ames, and a seaman by profession. He is the author of Mariners' Sketches, Nautical Reminiscences, and Old Sailor's Yarns.

1848. JOHN DEIDRICH PETERSON died at Markham, Canada. He was the pioneer pastor of that town.

1854. JUDAH TOURO died at New Orleans, aged 78; bequeathing nearly two millions of dollars to the public institutions of that city.

1854. WILLIAM WALKER proclaimed the republic of Sonora.

JANUARY 19.

1472. Birthday of COPERNICUS, at Thorn in Prussia.

1514. VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA returned to his colony at Darien, after having made the discovery of the Pacific ocean. His expedition occupied four months and a half; his triumph was complete. The whole population poured down to the shore to meet him, to hail him as the author of their fortunes, as less a man than a gift of heaven, to guide them into the possession of glories and riches incalculable. The expedition had been undertaken in consequence of the extravagant representations by the Indians, of a people who lived on the borders of that ocean, six suns distant, who owned large ships, and whose eating and drinking vessels were of pure gold. They referred to the Peruvians.

1535. Date of the probate of the will of the famed early English printer, Wynkyn de Worde.

1547. HENRY HOWARD, earl of Surrey, a soldier, scholar and poet, beheaded on Tower hill for treason. In his youth he made the tour of Europe, and at Florence signalized his courage and romantic spirit, by publishing, in the style of a knight-errant, a challenge to all comers, Christians, Jews, Saracens, Turks and Cannibals, in defence of the surpassing beauty of his mistress, the fair Geraldine; and was victorious at the tournament instituted by the grand duke on the occasion. He served in the army sent against Scotland in 1542, and in 1544 accompanied the troops with which the king invaded France. For his services he was promoted, but being defeated in an attempt to seize a convoy, he was superseded. This unmerited disgrace was the beginning of his ruin. He is said to have aspired to the hand of the Princess Mary, and on some frivolous charges was tried by a common jury, by whom he was obsequiously found guilty of treason. Thus perished a man "no less valiant than learned, and of excellent hopes," aged 27.

1565. JAMES LAYNEZ, one of the founders of the Society of Jesus, died. He was born in Castile, 1512. His intimacy with Loyola was formed in Paris, where they matured the plan of the society. Loyola was chosen the first general, and in 1558 was succeeded by Laynez.

1576. HANS SACHS, the famous German master-singer, died. He was born at Nuremberg 1494; his occupation that of a shoemaker. At the age of 14 he began to write poetry, and made verses and shoes, plays and pumps, with equal assiduity, to the age of 77, when he took an inventory of his literary stock in trade. It consisted of 4200 songs, 508 comedies, and other pieces, in all 6048, making 32 folio volumes written by his own hand. From these a selection was published in 5 volumes folio. His poems are distinguished for naïveté, feeling, and striking description.

1643. Battle of Liscard, in Cornwall, England.

1657. MILES SYNDERCOMBE and others convicted of plotting the death of Oliver Cromwell.

1706. CHARLES SACKVILLE, earl of Dorset and Middlesex, died. He was an accomplished scholar and a good speaker, but declined all public employment, being wholly engrossed in gallantry and pleasure. He was the patron of poets and men of wit: his own productions are those of a man of wit, vigorous, gay and airy. He served in the Dutch war of 1665 as a volunteer, and on the night before an engagement, composed the celebrated song, beginning, "To all you ladies now at hand."

1728. WILLIAM CONGREVE, the English dramatist, died. He was educated for the bar, but like many others similarly situated, gave up the law for the pursuit of polite literature, in which he was eminently successful. His first work, The Incognita, was written at a very early age, and he produced his first comedy at the age of 21.

1730. PETER II of Russia died of the small pox. He was the grandson of Peter the Great, and ascended the throne by the will of Catharine, when but 13 years old.

1757. THOMAS RUDDIMAN, a celebrated Scottish printer and grammarian, and who excelled in many learned treatises, died.

1776. Great eruption of mount Vesuvius.

1777. HUGH MERCER, an officer of the revolution, died. He was a Scotchman by birth, and was in the memorable battle of Culloden. Soon after, he emigrated to America, and was engaged with Washington in the Indian wars of 1755. He joined the patriots of the revolution, and distinguished himself at Trenton and Princeton; was wounded in the latter engagement, of which he died. His funeral was attended by 30,000 people.

1778. FRANCIS FURGLER, the New Jersey recluse, died. During 25 years, without fire, he lived in a cell in the form of an oven, about four miles from Burlington.

1782. The emperor JOSEPH pardoned all those who kept out of his dominions on account of religion, provided they returned within a year; he also abolished several religious orders, and absolved the monks and nuns from their vows, and at the same time disclaimed all subordination to the pope in secular affairs.

1795. Insurrection in the island of Granada.

1795. The French under Devinther took Amersfoort in Holland, and the advance of the French army entered Amsterdam.

1796. The brass coffin, containing the bones of Columbus and the chains with which he had been loaded at Cuba, were removed from St. Domingo to Havana, by the direction of his descendants. They are now preserved in a silver urn on the left of the altar of the cathedral.

1806. JAMES JACKSON, an officer of the revolution, died. He came from England only two years before the war, and although but 19 years of age in 1776, he displayed great intrepidity at the attack upon Savannah. He continued in the service throughout the war, and in 1782 was presented by the legislature with a house and lot in Savannah. He held various civil offices in the state, and at the time of his death was a senator in congress.

1809. The French entered Corunna.

1812. Ciudad Rodrigo, a town and fortress in Spain, eight miles from the Portuguese line, garrisoned by 1700 Frenchmen, taken by storm by the British under Wellington, after a siege of 11 days.

1817. Riot and rebellion of the students of Princeton college.

1819. CHARLES IV, king of Spain, died. He was born at Naples 1740, and came to the throne of Spain 1788. Too imbecile to govern, he was always ruled by his wife and ministers. He was dethroned by Napoleon 1808, and died a pensioner at Naples of a relapse of the gout.

1836. JOHN BUTLER, "the celebrated huntsman," died, in Wake county, N. C. He was supposed to be at least 110 years of age, and left a wife surviving equally as old.

1840. The United States exploring expedition under Lieut. Wilkes reported the discovery of a new antarctic continent on this day. A subsequent British expedition sailed over its site without being able to discern any vestige of it. It is supposed to have been a series of icebergs.

1843. THOS. W. WHITE, editor of the Southern Literary Messenger, died at Richmond.

1847. PETER R. LIVINGSTON, a prominent man in the counsels and politics of the state of New York, died at Rhinebeck.

1848. ISAAC D'ISRAELI, author of the Curiosities of Literature, died aged 82.

1853. C. B. ADAMS, an eminent American naturalist, and professor in Amherst college, died.

1854. GEORGE MCFEELY, died at Carlisle, Pa., aged 73. He distinguished himself on the Niagara frontier in 1813.

JANUARY 20.

1265. The earl of Leicester having defeated Henry III, summoned a new parliament, in which the commons were first represented.

1546. FREDERICK, elector palatine, established without any acts of violence, the protestant religion.

1662. Three women condemned at Hartford, Conn., as witches, one of whom was hanged.

1706. HUMPHREY HODY died, an eminent English writer. A dissertation on the resurrection of the body asserted is one of his most useful works.

1745. CHARLES VII of Germany died at Munich, aged 48.

1764. MR. WILKES was expelled from the British house of commons for writing the North Briton No. 45. This famed individual was subsequently outlawed; disregarded his outlawery; was three times elected for Middlesex, and his election as often voted void by the commons, though returned by large majorities.

1770. Lord Chancellor YORKE committed suicide in the 48th year of his age. He was a distinguished English politician, and his death is ascribed to remorse for neglecting a promise he had made to his brother to accept of no office from court.

1776. Gen. SCHUYLER disarmed the Highlanders at Johnstown, N. Y., and took six hostages.

1777. Gen. DICKINSON, with 400 militia and 50 Pennsylvania riflemen, defeated a British foraging party, took 9 prisoners, 100 horses, 40 wagons and a number of cattle.

1779. BENEDICT ARNOLD condemned to be reprimanded by the commander-in-chief, for misdemeanor at Philadelphia.

1779. DAVID GARRICK, the actor, died. He formed a new era in the English stage, a reform both in the conduct and license of the drama, which was honorable to the genius that had the power to effect it.

1781. A revolt of 160 of the Jersey line at Morristown. It was suppressed and two of the ringleaders executed.

1783. The Independence of the United States acknowledged by Great Britain.

1788. GEORGE JOACHIM ZOLLIKOFER, a Swiss divine, died. He was born 1730, and became one of the most eminent preachers of the last century. His sermons have been published in 15 vols.

1788. Australia first colonized, nearly three centuries after the discovery of the Ladrones by Magellan, which constitute a part of it. Governor Philip arrived with a number of convicts from England, and established a colony at Port Jackson in preference to Botany Bay.

1790. JOHN HOWARD, the philanthropist, died at Cherson in Russia, aged 63. He had taken up his residence at this settlement on the Baltic sea; a malignant fever prevailing there, he was prompted by humanity to visit a patient laboring under the contagion, when he received the infection, and died in consequence.

1790. LAFAYETTE, in the assembly of the states general supported the motion for the abolition of titles of nobility, from which period he renounced his own, and never afterwards resumed it.

1795. The French under Pichegru entered Amsterdam, and Geertruidenberg capitulated to Gen. Bonneau.

1795. A great fire occurred at Bergen in Norway, when 60 houses and a great many stores were burnt.

1796. PICHEGRU attacked Kaiserslautern, but was repulsed with the loss of 2000 men and several cannon. Austrian loss about 700 killed and wounded.

1798. The frigate Crescent sailed from Portsmouth, N. H., as a present from the United States to the dey of Algiers; she also carried out presents to the amount of $300,000.

1800. THOMAS MIFFLIN, an officer of the revolution, died. He was a member of the first congress, and for many years governor of Pennsylvania.

1813. CHRISTOPHER MARTIN WIELAND, a German author of great repute, died aged 80. He was the father of 14 children, and 42 quarto volumes of books by the sale of which last he was enabled to purchase an estate. He was knighted by Alexander of Russia, and by Napoleon.

1817. The weather had been so moderate that up to this time no ice had been seen on the Delaware at Philadelphia.

1817. JAMES ANTHONY, of Hanover co., Va., died, aged 104.

1823. The British government received advice that a Bengalee newspaper had been issued, edited by a learned Hindoo. Its title was Sungband Cowmuddy, or the Moon of Intelligence.

1835. The city of Mocha taken by the Egyptians under Achmet Pacha; by which the whole of Arabia was rendered subject to Mehemet Ali, pacha of Egypt.

1836. XAVIER SAUBERT, the celebrated fire-king, being engaged in making some experiments in chemistry, with phosphoric ether, it exploded and scattered his body into a thousand pieces.

1836. Treaty of peace and commerce signed between the United States and the republic of Venezuela.

1839. The army of the confederation of Bolivia and Peru, commanded by Santa Cruz in person, was entirely defeated and destroyed, at Yungay, with a loss of 2,600 killed and 3,400 prisoners. Santa Cruz immediately resigned his office.

1843. A report fully approving of the conduct of Com. McKenzie and his officers on board the United States brig of war Somers, was brought in by the court appointed for that purpose.

1848. CHRISTIAN VIII, king of Denmark, died in the 62d year of his age and 9th of his reign. A constitution was offered the same day by his successor.

1854. A tornado in Ohio half a mile in width demolished every thing it encountered, and almost entirely destroyed the town of Brandon.

This day in the calendar of Hesiod, is most propitious for the birth of men.

JANUARY 21.

988. ADALBERO, archbishop of Rheims, died. He assisted in placing Hugh Capet on the throne of France.

1582. FERDINAND ALVAREZ DE TOLEDO, duke of Alva, a Spanish general and minister of state, died, aged 74. It is said of him that during nearly sixty years of warfare against different enemies, he never lost a battle, and was never taken by surprise. He was undoubtedly the ablest general of his age; had a proud mien, a noble aspect and a strong frame; slept little, labored and wrote much. But pride, severity and cruelty tarnished his renown, so that he became odious even to his own countrymen.

1609. JOSEPH JUSTUS SCALIGER died, aged 69. His education commenced early, and he was one of the most indefatigable students through a long life, that was ever known. So entirely immersed was he in his studies, that he passed whole days in his chamber without eating or drinking, and paid very little attention to the common affairs of life. He may be called the founder of the science of chronology.

1647. The plague broke out at Edinburgh. A writer of the time says, that the last plague they had raged so violently that the fortieth person lived not of those who dwelt there four years before, but that it was peopled with new faces.

1666. SHAH JEHAN, a Mogul emperor, died, aged 74. He was the son and successor of Jehangir, but did not inherit much of the talent and spirit of that powerful ruler. During a severe illness the government was usurped by his son, and on his recovery he was removed from Delhi to Agra, where he died, probably by poison.

1692. King WILLIAM and his court issued a proclamation against vice and profaneness.

1702. The affirmation allowed by Queen Anne to the quakers in England, extended to those of Pennsylvania.

1707. AURUNGZEBE, (ornament of the throne,) died; the last powerful and energetic sovereign that ruled over the Mogul empire of Hindostan. From his 20th year, military duties devolved upon him; he raised a body of troops, and obtained the government of the Deccan. He invited his old friends the fakirs, or religious mendicants, to a feast, and compelled them to put on new and decent clothing. The gold and silver pieces which he found on burning their old garments, was of great service to him in prosecuting the war against his elder brother for the sovereignty. He stirred up dissensions among his brothers, by which they were put out of his way, shut up his father in his harem, and in 1659 ascended the throne. Notwithstanding his cruelty he governed with much wisdom, and consulted the welfare of his people. Two of his sons endeavoring to form a party in their own favor, he caused to be put to death by slow poison. In the midst of his activity he died at Ahmednagar, and with his death terminated the brilliant epoch of the Moguls.

1721. FRANCIS PAGI died, author of a chronological history of the popes.

1733. BERNARD DE MANDEVILLE, an English author, died. He was born at Dort in Holland, and went to England to practice medicine. Meeting with poor encouragement, he turned author; but his topics, though professedly intended for the promotion of the public morals, introduced him to the notice of the grand jury. His pen procured the means of subsistence, but acquired for him an unenviable notoriety.

1750. JOHN BLAND, the renowned writing master, died at his academy in London.

1759. Battle of Wandewash, in India. The French under Lally defeated with the loss of 800 killed and wounded, by the British under Col. Coote, who lost 262 do.

1769. The first letter of JUNIUS appeared in Woodfall's Public Advertiser; and the last number was also published on this day, 1772.

1773. ALEXIS PIRON, a French dramatist, died. His first effusions were satires, which procured him so many enemies that even in the latter part of his life he could not get admission into the Academy. He revenged himself by calling them les invalides du bel esprit, and composing his own humorous epitaph:

_Ci-git Piron, qui ne fut rien, Pas même académicien._

1774. MUSTAPHA III, emperor of Turkey, died, and was succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamet.

1775. PUGATCHEF, the daring chief of the Tartars, defeated by the Russians, into whose hands he fell and was put to death.

1780. Admiral RODNEY of the English fleet arrived with his prizes and transports for the relief of Gibraltar; the garrison was short of provisions.

1782. Grand fete in Paris on the birth of the dauphin.

1793. LOUIS XVI beheaded at Paris, aged 38. He had reigned 17 years and 7 months, and is now represented as an amiable and benevolent man, anxious to make his subjects happy; who in turn treated him in the vilest manner, and executed him as a tyrant and a traitor. His behavior on many trying occasions vindicated him effectually of timidity, and showed that the unwillingness to shed blood by which he was particularly distinguished, arose from benevolence, and not from pusillanimity. Upon the scaffold he exhibited a firmness that became a noble spirit.

1814. JACQUES BERNARDIN HENRY DE ST. PIERRE, a French philosophical writer, died, at his estate near Paris. He is best known as the author of Paul and Virginia, which appeared in 1788, and passed through fifty editions in one year. It has been generally translated in Europe.

1815. MATTHIAS CLAUDIUS, a German poet, died. His prose and poetry are said to bear a peculiar stamp of humor, frankness and cordiality, and many of his songs, set to music by the first composers, have become a part of the national melodies. He filled several public offices.

1816. Day of general mourning in France, on account of the death of Louis XVI, twenty-three years after his execution.

1820. AMBROISE MARIE FRANCIS JOSEPH PALISOT DE BEAUVAIS, a French naturalist, died. He came to America in the pursuit of science, and while at Philadelphia learnt that he had been proscribed by the revolutionists as an emigrant. He supported himself as a teacher of music and languages until the arrival of the French minister, who afforded Palisot the means of prosecuting inquiries into the natural history of America. He was employed to arrange Peale's collection. On returning to France with his rich collections, he was admitted into the Institute, in the place of Adanson.

1824. CHARLES MACARTHY killed. He commanded at the Cape-Coast against the Ashantees. Whilst making preparations to repel these savages in 1821, the king sent his compliments to him, and said he hoped to have his head as an ornament to their great war drum. Subsequently Sir Charles marched against the enemy with a mixed force of Europeans and blacks; the latter ran away, and the whites being defeated and their commander captured, the ferocious menace was realized. The trophy however was afterwards recovered.

1839. Great conflagration at Constantinople, in which the grand vizier's palace, called the Sublime Porte, including the ministerial and administration offices, was destroyed. Loss estimated at 20,000,000 piasters.

1847. Major JAMES MORTON, died at High Hill, Virginia, aged 90. In the revolutionary war he acquired the cognomen of Solid Column, by which soubriquet he was recognized by La Fayette in 1824, at Richmond.

1854. The magnificent British vessel Tayleur on its voyage to Melbourne, wrecked on the Irish coast, and 370 persons lost.

JANUARY 22.

The Catagogia, an erotic and bacchanalian festival celebrated at Ephesus by its licentious devotees, about the first century.

97. TIMOTHY, to whom St. Paul addressed several epistles, is said to have been killed at Paris (Ephesus).

1265. First English parliament constituted of members from counties, &c., as at present, met.

1528. HENRY VIII and FRANCIS I declared war against Charles V of Germany.

1552. The duke of SOMERSET beheaded on pretence of inciting others to imprison Dudley, the duke of Northumberland. He was a distinguished writer of that age.

1561. Birthday of FRANCIS BACON, the English philosopher.

1562. The two houses of convocation subscribed the 39 articles of the English church.

1575. Queen ELIZABETH granted to Thomas Tallis and William Birde an exclusive patent for printing music, for the term of twenty-one years.

1683. ANTHONY ASHLEY COOPER, first earl of Shaftsbury, died. The career of this able, but dubious and versatile statesman was cast in a stormy period, and his acts have been severely reprehended. Yet much of it is to be attributed to the odium excited by opposing party feelings. His vices appear to have been redeemed by corresponding virtues, and had he appeared in a different age, it is likely he would have developed a different character.

1689. The British parliament having met under the name of a convention, declared that the king, James II, had abdicated the throne. William and Mary succeeded him.

1696. Birthday of JAMES BRUCKER, a German scholar, remembered by his Critical History of Philosophy, 6 vols. 4to. He gives an account of every school, from the Hebrew, Chaldaic and Egyptian, down to the Huron in America.

1749. MATTHEW CONCANEN, some time attorney-general of Jamaica, and a dramatic writer, died.

1788. Birthday of Lord BYRON.

1795. The French under Macdonald entered Naarden, Holland.

1800. GEORGE STEVENS died, best known as the editor of Shakspeare, though to the versatility and richness of his talent there are numerous testimonials. His literary collections were extremely curious, and as regards the days that are gone, of great value.

1809. Naval action off Guadaloupe between the British frigate Cleopatra and sloop of war Hazard, and the French frigate Topaz, 40 guns. The engagement lasted 45 minutes, and resulted in the capture of the Topaz, which was laden with provisions to relieve the garrison at Cayenne.

1810. The French forced the passage of the Sierra Morena, in Spain.

1812. Madame REICHARD ascended in a balloon to a great height at Kœnigsberg in Prussia. The balloon was totally destroyed by a hurricane, and the aeronaut precipitated to the earth, yet escaped with life.

1813. Second battle of Frenchtown in Michigan. The van of Gen. Harrison's army, about 750 men, was attacked at day break by 2000 British and Indians under Proctor and Tecumseh. Notwithstanding the superiority of the latter in numbers, the Americans fought with desperation six hours, when they surrendered. British loss, as stated by Proctor, 24 killed, 128 wounded; the loss of the Indians is supposed to have been greater. American loss, 200 killed, 522 prisoners, 27 escaped. Proctor was promoted.

1815. The remains of LOUIS XVI and his queen taken up from the burial ground, and deposited with much solemnity in the royal church of St. Denis.

1815. American commodore PATTERSON captured a British transport schooner, and took 63 prisoners. His own force was 53.

1815. United States privateer schooner Tomahawk 9 guns and 84 men, captured by the British ship Bulwark.

1818. CASPAR WISTAR died, a distinguished physician of Philadelphia. He was of German parentage, and a member of the society of Friends; became eminent as an anatomist, and corresponded with Cuvier and other eminent naturalists of Europe. He held scientific meetings at his own house, and was an active contributer to knowledge of all kinds. He died of a slow fever, caught by attending a poor family in a close apartment.

1822. JOHN JULIUS ANGERSTEIN died, celebrated as the founder of the British national gallery, which was purchased by the government after his death for £40,000, (Cyclopedia Americana says £60,000) and was first exhibited in May, 1824. He was born at St. Petersburg, 1735.

1830. Great fire at Pera, Constantinople, extinguished by the exertions of the crew of an English ship.

1834. Great earthquake in South-America; the cities of Popayan and Pasto almost entirely destroyed, and many lives lost.

1835. ANDREW WALLACE died at New York, aged 105. He emigrated from Scotland in 1752, enlisted in the American army in 1776, and continued in it till 1813, when he was honorably discharged, on account of his disability, having suffered a stroke of paralysis.

1840. JOHN FREDERICK BLUMENBACH died at Göttingen, aged 88. He was long a distinguished professor at the university, and a very eminent naturalist. His collection of skulls was said to be the richest in the world. The 50th year of his professorship was celebrated in 1826.

1849. JOHN C. CALHOUN'S draft of an address to the people of the United States adopted in preference to Berrien's, and the Southern convention adjourned sine die.

1854. PATRICK O'DONAHOE died at Brooklyn, N. Y.; one of the Irish exiles who escaped from Van Diemen's Land.

JANUARY 23.

1401. TAMERLANE introduced his troops into the city of Damascus, in violation of a truce; and after levying an enormous contribution in gold, massacred the inhabitants, and reduced the city to ashes, in revenge of the murder of the grandson of Mahomet, seven centuries before, by the Syrians.

1516. FERDINAND V of Spain died. He inherited the crowns of Aragon and Sicily, and united to them the kingdom of Castile by marriage. In 1492 he added to these the kingdom of Granada, the last possession of the Moors, by conquest; at the same time Columbus was discovering for him the new world. By force and treachery he acquired the kingdom of Naples, and by similar means Navarre was also added to his dominions. Thus the whole of Spain was united under him; so that he may be considered as the restorer if not the founder of the Spanish monarchy. He was the most powerful monarch of his time; but his conduct was characterized by a total want of faith, and a recklessness of principle of which he made no scruple of boasting. He was the founder of that fearful tribunal, the Inquisition.

1570. Earl MURRAY, regent of Scotland, shot by Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh. The latter, after the battle of Langside hill, had been condemned to death as a rebel, and pardoned. A part of his estate, however, was bestowed upon one of the regent's favorites, who seized Hamilton's house and turned his wife out into the fields naked in a cold night, by which she became deranged. This injury induced him to seek revenge on the regent, after which he escaped to France.

1722. HENRI DE BOULAINVILLIERS, count of St. Saire in Normandy, died. Having finished his studies he entered the army, which however, he soon left to devote his attention to literature. A marked antipathy to revelation pervades his writings, and exhibits itself in singular contrast with a superstitious reverence for judicial astrology, and the mystic sciences, which he cultivated with much diligence.

1733. O. S. Birthday of BENJAMIN LINCOLN, a revolutionary general, at Hingham, Mass. Great reliance was placed in his abilities by Washington, and many important commissions entrusted to him. In 1781 he was appointed secretary of war, which office he held three years, and then retired to his farm. He died 1810.

1761. Action between the British frigate Minerva, 22 guns, Capt. Hood, and French ship Warwick, 34 guns, M. de Bellair, near cape Pinas, which resulted in the capture of the latter. French loss 14 killed, 32 wounded; British loss 14 killed, 33 wounded, 3 of whom died.

1765. The British under Capt. Byron colonized the Falkland islands.

1766. WILLIAM CASLON, an eminent English type founder, died. He was induced to attempt letter-cutting by a friend, and such was the perfection to which he carried the art, that the beauty of his type exceeded all others of the day, and was sought for from other countries on the continent. He was employed to cut characters for several languages of Asia.

1772. Mrs. CLUM died near Litchfield, England, aged 138. She had lived 103 years in one house.

1775. The Pennsylvania convention declared their determination, in case the arbitrary laws of England were attempted to be executed by force, to repel the same by the most determined resistance.

1780. The British ship Culloden of 74 guns lost off Long island.

1789. FRANCES BROOKE died, an English lady, remarkable for her literary accomplishments. Her works consist of novels, periodicals, tragedies, musical dramas, and translations.

1789. JOHN CLELAND died; author of the notoriously immoral romance, Fanny Hill.

1790. The mutineers of the ship Bounty having arrived at Pitcairn's island, and landed all their effects, set fire to the vessel and destroyed every vestige that could lead to the discovery of their retreat. The island was then divided into nine equal portions between them, and the natives were reduced to the condition of slaves. (See Oct. 3.)

1795. JOHN SULLIVAN, a distinguished general in the revolutionary army, died. He was of Irish descent, and before the revolution practiced law in New Hampshire. He was among the first to take an active part in the contest; resigned his seat in the first congress to enter the army; was conspicuous at several engagements; and terminated his military career in laying waste the country of the Six Nations, in order to put a stop to their depredations. After the peace he filled several important state offices.

1795. The French took possession of the Hague and Helvoetsluis, made 800 Englishmen prisoners, and liberated 600 Frenchmen.

1799. The French under Championnet entered Naples.

1800. A convention signed between Gen. Kleber and the grand vizier for the evacuation of Egypt by the French troops.

1800. EDWARD RUTLEDGE, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, died. He was a member of the first congress and acted a conspicuous part during the war. While the British beleaguered Charleston, his native city, he commanded a company of troops, and was taken prisoner. On the restoration of peace he returned to the practice of law, and a short time previous to his death was elected governor of the state of South Carolina.

1802. HUMBOLDT and his companions ascended Chimborazo to the height of 18,576 feet above the surface of the sea. The blood started from their eyes, lips and gums, and they became almost torpid with cold. A narrow deep valley prevented them from reaching the summit, which was 1344 feet higher.

1806. WILLIAM PITT, second son of the earl of Chatham, died. He was born 1759, and at the age of 23 became chancellor of the exchequer and the next year prime minister. It was during the early part of his career that the American war was concluded. Notwithstanding the emoluments of his offices were great, so far from acquiring wealth, he died involved. Parliament decreed him a public funeral, and £40,000 to pay his debts.

1813. GEORGE CLYMER, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, died. By the death of his parents he was left an orphan at the age of 7 years; but he was taken care of by his uncle, who left him a large fortune, with which to continue the business of a merchant in Philadelphia. His services to the country during the revolution, in raising supplies and devising ways and means to continue the struggle, were of incalculable importance.

1813. Horrible massacre of the United States prisoners taken by the British and Indians at the battle of Frenchtown the day before. The houses in which the helpless wounded lay were set on fire, and those who were too feeble to continue the march were shot or tomahawked on the road. It is morally certain that the British generals Proctor and Elliott were culpable for this wanton sacrifice of human life to satiate the revenge of the savages.

1813. ROBERT JAMISON died in South Carolina, aged 104. His eyesight, which had failed him some years previous to his decease, returned again just before his death in all its strength.

1815. Thanksgiving day in New Orleans, and a solemn Te Deum on account of Jackson's victory.

1820. EDWARD, duke of Kent, died. He was the fourth son of George III. In 1802 he was appointed governor of Gibraltar, but his rigid discipline produced a mutiny, and he was recalled. The present queen of England is his daughter.

1824. STEPHEN ACOUR KOVER, an Armenian writer of distinction, died, aged 84.

1833. BANASTRE TARLETON died, aged 78. He commanded the British cavalry in the Carolinas, in the revolution.

1841. SARAH ANN DAVIS sentenced at Philadelphia for murder; the first capital conviction of a female in Philadelphia.

1844. WILLIAM GASTON died at Raleigh, the capital of his native state. The prudence and energy of his mother made a disposition, naturally volatile and irritable, become a pattern of patience and perseverance. His speeches when a member of congress were highly finished.

1853. JUNIUS SMITH died, aged 74; having devoted a considerable portion of his life to the establishment of transatlantic steam-navigation, and the naturalization of the teaplant in the United States.

1854. ALEXANDER DE BODISCO died at Georgetown. He was seventeen years Russian minister at Washington, and was very popular with the American people.

1855. There was an earthquake in a part of New Zealand, by which the surface of the earth was raised between three and four feet, and the shellfish attached to the rocks died.

JANUARY 24.

41. CAIUS CALIGULA, the Roman emperor, assassinated. He commenced his reign with every promise of becoming a good monarch. But at the end of eight months he was attacked with a fever, which appears to have left a frenzy upon his mind, for his disposition was totally reversed. After committing the most atrocious acts of cruelty and folly, he was assassinated by a tribune as he came out of the amphitheatre, in the 29th year of his age, and the 4th of his reign.

76. Birthday of PUBLIUS ÆLIUS ADRIAN, the Roman emperor. He was a renowned general and great traveler; who, on a visit to Britain, built the famous wall or rampart, which still retains his name, extending from the mouth of the Tyne to the Solway frith, 80 miles, to prevent the incursions of the Caledonians into England.

1559. CHRISTIAN II, king of Denmark, died. His history affords a series of cruelties and usurpations almost without a parallel, from 1515, when he ascended the throne, until 1523, when he was deposed. The remainder of his life was passed in imprisonment.

1709. GEORGE ROOKE, an English admiral, died. He took the fortress of Gibraltar, by surprise, 1704; since which it has continued in the hands of the British, and is considered impregnable.

1712. Birthday of FREDERICK the Great of Prussia.

1727. PHILIP DE VENDOME, a French general, died. He distinguished himself in the army of Louis XIV.

1762. JAMES RALPH, a voluminous writer of poetry, politics and history, died. He was an American by birth, but went over to England about 1729. He wrote a history of England, commencing with the Stuarts.

1781. The British garrison at Georgetown, South Carolina, surprised and taken by General Lee.

1793. The French minister, M. CHAUVELIN, ordered to quit England before the 1st of February.

1795. Lord HOOD sailed from England, on an expedition against Corsica.

1797. At a dinner complimentary to Charles J. Fox, the chairman, the duke of Norfolk, gave as a toast, "Our sovereign's health, the majesty of the people;" for which offence he lost all his offices.

1812. DANIEL MCDONALD died at Canajoharie, aged 102. He was a native of Ireland, born in the reign of Queen Anne, and had seen four monarchs on the English throne. He took an early and active part in the revolutionary war; and was possessed of a most remarkable degree of activity, both of body and mind, until the morning he expired.

1834. WILLIAM DONNISON, an officer of the revolution, died. He was appointed adjutant and inspector-general of the Massachusetts militia by Gov. Hancock in 1788, which office he held until 1813.

1838. JOSEPH GOUGE, a revolutionary soldier, died, aged 109.

1838. Defeat of the Indians at Loche-Hatchee by the United States troops under Gen. Jessup; loss of the latter, 7 killed and 32 wounded.

1841. MATTHIAS DENMAN, an enterprising western pioneer, and in early life one of the first owners of the land on which Cincinnati now stands, died at Springfield, N. J., aged 91.

1851. G. L. P. SPONTINI died in Italy; a celebrated dramatic composer, in the line of opera.

1857. Dr. MEDHURST, English missionary to China, died, aged 71. He was also a noted linguist, and author of a work on China, a Chinese dictionary, and a Japanese and English vocabulary.

JANUARY 25.

275. LUCIUS DOMITIUS AURELIANUS, emperor of Rome, assassinated. He was the son of a peasant; his mother a priestess of the Temple of the Sun. He enlisted as a common soldier, and rose from that humble station to the highest military offices during the reigns of Valerian and Claudius, the latter of whom, on his death bed, recommended Aurelian to the choice of the troops. He delivered Italy from the barbarians, and conquered the famous Zenobia queen of Palmyra. He had planned an expedition against Persia, and was waiting in Thrace for an opportunity to cross the straits when he fell a victim to a conspiracy.

1327. EDWARD II of England, then a prisoner in Kenilworth castle, compelled to resign his crown in favor of his son, Edward III.

1533. HENRY VIII privately married to Ann Boleyn in a garret at Whitehall.

1640. ROBERT BURTON, an English divine, died. He is known principally by his Anatomy of Melancholy, a rare book, which it is said he wrote to divert his own thoughts from that feeling.

1692. The Indians, accompanied by some French, attacked the town of York in Maine, killed 50 and carried away 100 of the inhabitants, and destroyed the town.

1717. The episcopal clergy of Scotland, who had before been fined for not praying for King George by name were forced to abscond or fly their country.

1726. WILLIAM DE LISLE, a distinguished geographer, died at Paris. His maps are still of great authority.

1730. A fire which broke out in the archduchess's apartments at Brussels, consumed the palace, with the national records and state papers.

1745. Action in the Straits of Banca, (Sumatra) between the British ships Debtford and Preston, Com. Barnet, and three French company ships, in which the latter were captured.

1759. Birthday of ROBERT BURNS.

1782. DE GRASSE attacked the van of the British fleet under Admiral Hood. The French were drawn from their anchorage ground, and by a masterly manœuvre the British succeeded in obtaining it.

1786. CHARLES PRICE, one of the most successful counterfeiters ever known, committed suicide in prison, London. He had continued to practice forgeries on the Bank of England to an incredible amount during six years, contriving all the while to elude the most cunning devices of the police to detect him, although the notes were traced in every quarter to have proceeded from one man, always disguised and always inaccessible.

1787. Battle with the insurgents under Shays, at Springfield, Mass., who retreated with the loss of 3 killed.

1791. GEORGE SELWYN, a noted English wit, died, aged 72.

1804. JEAN JACQUES DESSALINES declared emperor of Hayti.

1807. Battle at Mohringen, in Prussian Poland, in which Bernadotte defeated the Russians under Pahlin and Salitzin, who lost 1200 killed and 300 prisoners.

1813. Concordat signed at Versailles, by which Napoleon allowed the pope to exercise the pontificate in France and Italy, in the same manner as his predecessors.

1834. Castle of St. Louis at Quebec, the residence of the British governor-general, destroyed by fire.

1836. General PAEZ gained a victory over the rebels at Venezuela near Porto Cabello.

1838. Earthquake in the eastern part of Europe. Seven severe shocks occurred during a few days, by which 300 houses were thrown down in the city of Bucharest, and 60 persons killed.

1841. The shock of an earthquake was felt in the city of New York and vicinity to such a degree as to excite considerable alarm.

1843. EDWARD DRUMMUND, private secretary to Sir Robert Peel, was assassinated in the streets of London. For nearly 20 years he discharged duties second to those of a cabinet minister, because less conspicuous.

1845. ABIGAIL LEONARD died at Raynham, Mass., 101 years old. She was the fifth in descent from John Alden, who first landed from the Mayflower on the Plymouth rock.

1849. The usual convention of the two houses of congress declared that the people had elected Zachary Taylor their president and Millard Fillmore vice-president.

JANUARY 26.

477. Subterranean thunders were heard simultaneously from the Black to the Red sea, and the earth was convulsed without intermission for the space of six months after. In many places the air seemed to be on fire. Towns and large tracts of ground were swallowed up in Phrygia, during this convulsion, the particulars of which would seem incredible, were they not corroborated by contemporary historians.

1564. The pope confirmed by a bull the decrees of the Council of Trent.

1630. HENRY BRIGGS, an English mathematician, died.

1679. Keel of the Griffin, the first vessel in the western waters, laid 6 miles west of Niagara falls, by La Salle.

1679. The invaluable library of Elias Ashmole destroyed by fire at his chambers in London, together with his collection of coins and other curious antiquities.

1681. Two Cameronian women hanged at Edinburgh for calling the king and bishops "perjured, bloody men."

1699. Peace of Carlowitz concluded between Leopold I of Austria, and Mustapha II sultan of Turkey, after fifteen years of hostility.

1721. PETER DANIEL HUET, a celebrated French critic and classical scholar died. He was engaged twenty years in publishing an edition of the Latin classics, which extended to 62 vols.

1730. A leaden pot containing a human heart preserved in spirits dug up at Waverly in Surrey, England, supposed to have been there 700 years.

1733. A negro for an assault upon a white woman was burnt alive in New Jersey.

1737. All the prisoners for debt in White Chapel jail, England, were discharged by the executors of the will of the late Mr. Wright who paid their debts.

1769. JOHN WHITE, printer and publisher of the Newcastle Courant, died, aged 81. At his decease he was the oldest master printer in England.

1779. ARNOLD sentenced by court martial to be reprimanded by Gen. Washington.

1782. DE GRASSE with the French fleet, 29 sail, attacked the British under Hood, 22 sail, but was repulsed with the loss of 1000 killed and wounded. British loss trifling.

1787. The assembly of notables met at Paris, having been called together to assist the king, Louis XVI, and M. Calonne, to raise a revenue to meet the exigencies of the times. M. Calonne presented his new plan of reform and taxation, imposing a share of the burden upon the privileged classes: but as the assembly was composed of these classes they could not make up their minds to impose taxes upon themselves which had hitherto been borne by the lower classes. The assembly was called to help the king and his minister out of a dilemma, but plunged them deeper in trouble, and accelerated the revolution.

1793. The stadtholderate of Holland abolished, and the Batavian republic under the protection of France established.

1793. The senate of Venice acknowledged the French republic.

1795. The French national convention declared Marseilles in a state of siege.

1795. The assembly of the states of Holland met and chose Peter Paulus their president for the term of fifteen days.

1814. The Russians under Blücher passed the Marne and marched upon Troyes. Bonaparte at the same time entered Vitry.

1820. HENRY ANDREWS, a self-taught English mathematician, died. For more than forty years he produced an almanac for a company of stationers under the name of Francis Moore, physician, and astonished the simple and ignorant by his marvelous predictions. His prophecies were as much laughed at by himself as by the worshipful company of stationers for whom he annually manufactured them in order to render their almanacs salable among the ignorant, with whom a lucky hit covered a multitude of blunders. A few years before his death he predicted that the people would soon know better than to be influenced by the prophecies which his employers required him to write. He did not live to see the publication of the British Almanac, which effected the downfall of Poor Robin (the title of one of his almanacs), which ceased to exist in 1828.

1823. EDWARD JENNER died, aged 74, celebrated for having introduced the practice of vaccination as a preventative of the small pox. He was the youngest son of a clergyman, born in England 1749. He commenced his investigations concerning the cow pox about the year 1776, and twenty years afterwards the practice was introduced into London hospitals. The success of this discovery procured him honorary titles, and a grant from parliament of £20,000.

1838. JOHN O'NEIL died at Havre de Grace, Md., distinguished for the resistance which he made at that place, to the British under admiral Cockburn, during the last war.

1839. STEPHEN VAN RENSSELAER died at Albany. He was born in the city of New York 1764, and graduated at Cambridge, Mass. He was the fifth in descent from Kilian Van Rensselaer, the original proprietor and patentee of the colony of Rensselaerwyck, a territory 48 miles long and 24 broad. He filled several offices, civil and military; was a man of great wealth, and distinguished for his magnificent charities and Christian virtues.

1839. Tremendous gale and heavy rain in the United States. The river at Philadelphia rose 17 feet above low water mark, and at Kenebec 13 feet above high water mark. New York and Albany were considerably flowed.

1850. FRANCIS JEFFREY, a Scottish jurist, celebrated by his long connection with the Edinburgh Review, died, aged 77.

1853. SYLVESTER JUDD died, aged 40; a unitarian clergyman at Augusta, Me., author of several works which found many admirers.

JANUARY 27.

438. St. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, one of the Fathers and archbishop of Constantinople, died.

1673. JEROME LALLEMANT, superior of the Jesuits in Canada, died, aged 80; leaving behind him a high reputation in his order. He furnished seven of the Relaçons.

1676. The Narragansetts, in retreating from their country in Rhode island, drove off from one of the inhabitants of Warwick, 15 horses, 50 oxen and 200 sheep.

1696. The Royal Sovereign burnt by accident. She was the first great ship built in England, and became one of the best men of war in the world. For sixty years she was so formidable to her enemies that none of the most daring of them willingly ventured an engagement. The levies of money for building this noble vessel caused the rebellion.

1733. THOMAS WOOLSTON, an English divine, died in prison. He imbibed a fondness for allegorical interpretations of scripture from reading some of the early writers--particularly Origen. His speculations finally led to an indictment for blasphemy, and being unable to pay the fine imposed, he was retained in prison. He was a learned man, but held notions peculiar to himself, which was a high offence in those days.

1760. The ice carried away one of the dykes of the Rhine, in consequence of which the neighboring country was inundated.

1783. The British under Gen. Mathews took possession of Bednapore and Candapore, without firing a gun, and the whole country, except Mangalore, yielded in consequence.

1795. PICHEGRU made a requisition upon the Dutch for the French army of 200,000 quintals of corn, 5,000,000 rations of hay, 5,000,000 measures of oats, 200,000 rations of straw, 150,000 pairs of shoes, 20,000 pairs of boots, 20,000 cloth coats and waistcoats, 40,000 pairs of stocking breeches, 150,000 pairs of linen pants, 200,000 shirts, 50,000 hats, to be furnished within a month, and 12,000 oxen to be furnished within two months.

1800. King John's castle, at Old Ford near Bow, in England, was blown down by a storm. It was built in 1203 and afforded the king a sleeping place after signing the magna charta.

1807. BURR'S conspiracy communicated to congress.

1807. BONAPARTE confiscated the possessions of Ernest Frederick Anthony, hereditary prince of Saxe Coburg, for holding a commission in the Russian service.

1807. Action between the British ship Caroline and the Spanish ship St. Raphael, which resulted in the capture of the latter, bound from Lima to Manilla, with 500,000 Spanish dollars, 1,700 quintals of copper, and a valuable cargo.

1814. Camp Defiance attacked by the Indians at day break. The United States troops and friendly Indians were commanded by Gen. Floyd, who repulsed the assailants with great slaughter.

1823. CHARLES HUTTON, an eminent English mathematician, died. He was born 1737; his father, a viewer of mines, intended him for the same employment; but he rose by his own energy and application to a high degree of fame and fortune.

1832. AUGUSTIN DANIELS, count de Billiard, died, a French statesman and soldier. He fought at Jemappes, was with Bonaparte through the Egyptian campaign; at Austerlitz; in all the great battles in Prussia; at Moskwa; and lost an arm at Leipsic. He made himself useful under Louis XVIII and Louis Philippe.

1832. ANDREW BELL, founder of the Bell or Madras system of education, died. It has been made a subject of dispute whether Bell or Lancaster is the progenitor of the monitorial or mutual system of instruction. In 1796 Dr. Bell returned from Madras, and submitted his system to the public. It has since been widely diffused over the civilized world.

1836. FREDERICK DAVID SCHAEFFER died, pastor of the German Lutheran church in Philadelphia. He was born and educated in Germany, but came to this country in early life. He was a man of learning, and distinguished for his knowledge of languages.

1840. ISAAC CHAUNCEY, a distinguished American commodore, died at Washington.

1841. MCLEOD arrested within the limits of the state of New York. Though engaged in burning the steamboat Caroline in 1837, yet being a British subject and that government having assumed the responsibility of that act, his arrest threatened a rupture of the peace between the two nations.

1850. WILLIAM ATKINS COLEMAN, for more than thirty years connected with the literature of New York, died.

1856. CHARLES MORRIS, a commodore in the United States navy, died, aged 71. He was the acknowledged chief of the navy in administrative wisdom and in varied professional attainments; had displayed great heroism and intrepidity in the capture of the Philadelphia and Guerriere; in the latter action he was shot through the body by a musket ball.

JANUARY 28.

814. CHARLEMAGNE, or Charles I of France, died. He was an illustrious sovereign, as well in the cabinet as in the field; and though he could not write his name, was the patron of men of letters and the restorer of learning. He wanted the virtue of humanity.

1547. HENRY VIII of England having grown so unwieldy and corpulent that he was raised up and let down the stairs by a machine, after an illness of some weeks, sank under his disease, and died in the 38th year of his reign, and the 56th of his age. He repudiated his first wife 20 years after marriage, and in the course of about ten years espoused five others. Henry's reign was one of the most remarkable in the annals of the kingdom. He made himself so much feared, that no English king had fewer checks to his power. No hand less strong than his could have snapped the chain which bound the nation to papacy, and have resisted successfully the power and influence of the pope.

1588. THOMAS CARN died in London, aged 207; an instance of longevity exceeding any other on modern record, but well authenticated in the parish register of St. Leonard, Shoreditch. An old man died at Ekaterinoslaf, Russia, in 1813, between 200 and 205 years of age; and Don John Taveira de Lima died in Portugal, 1738, aged 198.

1596. FRANCIS DRAKE, the first Englishman that circumnavigated the world, died on board his own ship. (See Jan. 9.)

1612. THOMAS BODLEY died. He was actively employed during the last fifteen years of his life in collecting manuscripts and books for the library at Oxford which bears his name, and which by his perseverance came to be one of the most celebrated in Europe.

1687. JOHN HEVELIUS died, an eminent German astronomer.

1725. PETER the Great, of Russia, died, aged 53. He devoted his life time to civilize his subjects, and raise the nation from barbarism and ignorance, to politeness, knowledge and power. He spared no pains or fatigue to obtain knowledge which he thought would be beneficial to his subjects.

1732. The protestants of Saltzburg being driven out of their country, settled by invitation of the king of Prussia in Brandenburg.

1738. The first stone of Westminster bridge over the Thames laid.

1782. JOHN BAPTISTE BOURGUIGNON D'ANVILLE, the French geographer, died. He was esteemed as well for the gentleness and simplicity of his manners, as for his extensive knowledge. He labored at his maps fifteen hours a day for fifty years.

1782. JAMES MURRAY, a very eminent historical writer, and pastor, died at New Castle upon Tyne, England.

1790. The Jews of Spain, Portugal and Avignon admitted to the privileges of French citizens.

1794. JOHN GOTTLOB IMMANUEL BREITKOPF died at Leipsic. He acquired great celebrity as a printer and type founder. His foundry contained punches and matrices for 400 alphabets. He improved the printing press, and discovered a new method for facilitating the process of melting and casting. From his foundry types were sent to Russia, Sweden, Poland, and even America. With the interruption of only five or six hours for sleep, his whole life was devoted to study and useful employment.

1796. Prince of Wales, regent of England, attacked in his carriage by the populace.

1797. Battle of Unroomster, in India; Zemaun Shah attacked the Seicks at 8 o'clock in the morning, by opening his shutah renauls, or wall pieces mounted on camels, and a heavy fire was kept up until 2 o'clock, when the Seicks gave a signal for a general charge, and agreeable to their mode in close combat, flung away their turbans, let loose their hair, put their beards in their mouths, and dashed into the midst of the Huddalah army. The two armies continued engaged in close combat four hours, when Zemaun's troops gave way, and were pursued to the very gates of Lahore. The loss of the Seicks was 15,000; that of the Shah 20,000 killed.

1803. Madame CLAIRON, a French actress, died. She evinced when very young a predilection for the stage, and adopting the theatrical profession, soon became the first tragic performer of her age, and long remained without a rival. She published Mémoires et Réflexions sur la Déclamation Théatrale.

1804. JOSEPH NICHOLAS D'AZARA, a Spanish diplomatist, died, aged 73. He became acquainted with Napoleon in 1796, who conceived great admiration of him. He was an ardent admirer of the arts and sciences, and collected an elegant library and a rich collection of paintings and antiques, which however he lost in the political changes of the times.

1816. RICHARD JOACHIM HENRY VON MOELLENDORF, a Prussian general, died. He commanded the Prussian troops employed in 1793 in the disgraceful dismemberment of Poland, on which occasion he did every thing consistent with his commission to alleviate the misfortunes of the Poles.

1818. NATHAN BIRDSEYE died at Stratford, Conn., aged 103. His funeral was attended by 100 of his descendants; the whole number of which was 258.

1836. WILLIAM SCOTT, Baron Stowell, died. He filled the office of judge of the court of admiralty in England, thirty years with distinguished ability. He is represented to have been the charm and ornament of every society of which he formed a part; and his unbounded charities acquired for him universal regard and esteem.

1841. WILLIAM HOGG died at Brownsville, Pa., aged 86, leaving an estate of one million dollars to his heirs. Fifty years previous to his death, he crossed the Alleganies with a pack of goods on his back, which was his whole property, and opened a small store soon after at Brownsville, the first in that region of country.

1842. The first stone of the Anglican cathedral at Jerusalem laid, at a depth of 35 feet from the surface. It stands upon mount Zion, and the state of the rubbish which had accumulated since the time of David, rendered it necessary to excavate to the depth of 42 feet to the natural rock.

1854. LEWIS W. CHAMBERLAYNE, a Virginia physician, died; one of the founders of the Richmond medical college, of which he was a distinguished professor.

1854. A ball-cartridge manufactory at Ravenswood, L. I., blew up killing 20 workmen and destroying 50,000 ball-cartridges.

1854. The steamer Georgia, from Montgomery, Ala., having 200 passengers and 1000 bales of cotton on board, took fire at New Orleans, and 60 passengers lost their lives.

1855. The Panama railroad being completed, the first train passed over it this day.

JANUARY 29.

164 B. C. ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES, the great enemy of the Jews, died.

1559. THOMAS POPE, the founder of Trinity college, Dublin, died.

1597. ANTHONY SHIRLEY, commanding a British squadron, landed at Jamaica, and marched six miles to the principal town, which submitted to his mercy.

1720. JOHN ADAMS, a celebrated English preacher, died.

1728. Dean Swift's STELLA died at Dublin.

1743. ANDREW HERCULE DE FLEURY, cardinal and prime minister of Louis XV, died, aged 90. He was 73 years of age when he was placed at the head of the ministry, at which time the state was in a miserable condition. He healed the wounds of his country, and without bloodshed or cruelty established and increased the internal happiness of France, and its national glory.

1762. From Christmas to this day the weather was severely cold in England. The ice on the Thames it is said was over five feet thick!

1780. The coldest day for 25 years at Philadelphia.

1812. Desperate attempt by a black man, a negro, to fire the British privateer Speedwell. He was killed after 7 shots had been fired at him.

1814. Battle of Brienne, in which the French under Napoleon gained an inconsiderable victory over the allies under Blücher, who narrowly escaped being taken prisoner. It was at this place that Bonaparte acquired the rudiments of that skill in the military art with which he had almost prostrated the world.

1820. GEORGE III died. It was during his reign that the discontents in America burst into an open flame, and an empire was lost to the British throne. In 1810 he retired from the government, and the interval which elapsed from that time until his death was a period of insanity. He died in the 82d year of his age and the 59th of his reign.

1824. LOUISA MARIA CAROLINE, countess of Albany, died at Florence, aged 72. She was the daughter of a German prince, and married Charles Stuart, the English pretender, whence she derived the title of countess of Albany. They resided at Rome, and had a little court, and were addressed as king and queen. The connection, however, was an unhappy one, and to escape from the barbarity of her husband she retired to a convent, and afterwards went to France. On the death of Charles, 1788, she returned to Italy. She was then secretly married to Alfieri, the poet; the French court conferred on her an annuity of 60,000 livres. Alfieri confesses that to her he owed his inspiration, and that without her friendship he should never have achieved anything excellent. Their ashes repose under a common monument in the church of Santa Croce, between the tombs of Machiavelli and Michael Angelo.

1829. PAUL FRANCIS JEAN NICHOLAS DE BARRAS, a French revolutionist, died. As a member of the national convention, he voted for the king's death; and subsequently, having offended Robespierre, he headed the force that captured the tyrant. As commander-in-chief of the troops of the convention, he entrusted Bonaparte with the post in which he first distinguished himself, on the 5th Oct., 1795. His political career ended 1799, when he received a passport to his estate from Napoleon, then first consul.

1829. TIMOTHY PICKERING, an American soldier and statesman, died. In public life he was distinguished for energy, ability and disinterestedness; as a soldier he was brave and patriotic; and his writings bear ample testimony to his talents and information. He was one of the leaders of the federal party.

1834. Duel at Paris between Gen. Bugeaud and M. Dulong, members of the chamber of deputies; Dulong was killed.

1855. NICHOLAS ordered the formation of a general militia of the Russian empire.

JANUARY 30.

422 B. C. A census of the inhabitants of Athens was taken, and reported the number of males to be 20,000.

405 B. C. Sophocles died at Athens.

1560. A phenomenon observed at London, called the burning spears, being one of the earliest records of that appearance now well known by the name of aurora borealis.

1601. SCIPIO AMMIRATI, an Italian historian, died. He wrote a history of Florence, published in 2 vols, folio.

1606. EVERARD DIGBY hanged, drawn and quartered at the west end of St. Paul's church, London. He was concerned in the gunpowder plot, having offered £1500 towards defraying the expenses of that dreadful affair. He also entertained Fawkes, who was to have executed it in his house, and was taken in open rebellion with other papists after the plot was detected and had miscarried.

1644. WILLIAM CHILLINGWORTH died; celebrated for his skill as a religious controversialist, and a defender of protestantism against popery.

1647. King CHARLES I delivered up to parliament by the Scots for £200,000. Some think it unworthy of the nation.

1649. CHARLES I beheaded. He was born in Scotland 1600, and succeeded to the British throne 1625. His reign was signalized by a struggle with his parliaments, in procuring supplies, which finally ended in his execution. He was tried for treason against the people, and condemned with only three days' grace.

1660. WILLIAM OUGHTRED, an English divine and mathematician, died, it is said, in consequence of excess of joy at the restoration of Charles II, whom he called Christ's anointed.

1661. The heads of Oliver Cromwell, John Bradshaw, and Henry Ireton set on poles at Westminster hall, and their bodies buried under the gallows at Tyburn, where their disinterred bodies had been hung.

1678. The expense of the equestrian statue of Charles I at Charing Cross, London, was defrayed with part of £70,000, voted for his funeral celebration.

1691. Pope ALEXANDER III died, after a reign of only 15 months.

1735. GEORGE GRANVILLE, viscount Lansdowne, an eminent English poet, died. Having vainly endeavored to get employment in arms for the defence of James II, to whose cause he was warmly attached, he retired to private life, enjoying the company of his muse, which he employed in celebrating the reigning beauties of the age, in imitation of Waller.

1757. Calcutta retaken by Col. Clive.

1766. JAMES BARTHOLOMEW BECCARIA, an Italian physician and professor of natural philosophy, died. His writings are highly esteemed.

1766. SUSANNA MARIA CIBBER died. She was not only considered the best actress in England, but supposed by many to excel the celebrated Madame Clairon, of Paris, her contemporary.

1805. JOHN ROBINSON, a celebrated Edinburgh mathematician, died.

1809. Assault upon Saragossa in Spain by the French under Junot, Lannes and Mortier. The Spaniards made a most desperate resistance; a corps of women even being formed for its defence. The houses were taken one by one; they were compelled to undermine upwards of 600 in order to get possession of them.

1810. Several meteoric stones fell in Caswell county, North Carolina.

1826. The mails were first carried over the Menai suspension bridge, which connects the island of Anglesey with the Welch shore.

1833. JOSEPH BLUYDENBURGE died at Smithtown, L. I., aged 101, retaining the vigor of perfect health to the last week of his life.

1834. Attempt to assassinate the president of the United States, Andrew Jackson, made by Richard Lawrence.

1834. RUDOLPH ACKERMAN, who so much improved lithography, and the first to use gas-light in England, died.

1837. Explosion of the magazine of the French garrison at Bona in Algiers, containing 12,000 pounds of powder and 1 million musket cartridges. The commandant with 108 men were killed, and 102 wounded.

1837. The town of Jaffa in Palestine destroyed by an earthquake. Of 15,000 inhabitants, only 2,000 escaped burial in the ruins.

1837. ADAM AZELIUS, the last remaining pupil of Linnæus, died; celebrated for his travels in Asia and Africa.

1841. The town of Mayaguez, Porto Rico, consisting of about 600 buildings, was consumed by fire. Loss estimated at from two to four millions of dollars.

1852. The king of Naples by decree confiscated the property of Neapolitan emigrants.

1855. HERMAN KNICKERBACKER died, aged 75; known as the prince of Schaghticoke, being the third in descent from the original settler there.

JANUARY 31.

1000 B. C. It is usual to fix the finishing of the temple of Hercules at Tyre on this day, and the death of Anchises, 183 years earlier.

1574. Birthday of BEN JONSON.

1578. Battle of Gemblours, in the Netherlands, by which the Spanish recovered their superiority in the Walloon provinces which were zealously catholic.

1606. GUIDO FAWKES executed. He was an officer in the Spanish service, concerned in the gunpowder plot, and discovered in the vault below the House of Lords, prepared to fire the train which was to involve the enemies of the catholic religion in one common ruin.

1616. JACOB LE MAIRE, a Dutchman, discovered cape Horn, the southern extremity of the American continent.

1686. In Norway, Courland and Pomerania, there fell a great quantity of a membraneous substance, friable, and blackish, somewhat like burnt paper. Baron Grotthus analyzed a portion of this substance, which has been preserved in a cabinet of natural history, and it is found to consist of silex, iron, lime, carbon, magnesia, a trace of chrome and sulphur, but not a particle of nickel.

1692. Massacre of Glencoe, Scotland. King William, whose chief virtue was not humanity, signed and countersigned the warrant, which was transmitted to the secretary for Scotland, who particularly charged the ministers of destruction to take no prisoners. The population was barbarously massacred, and the spot disemboweled of every social appearance.

1718. ASHTON LEVER died at Manchester, England. He was a collector of specimens in natural history, and possessed one of the finest museums in the world.

1750. The Student, a paper of much merit, issued at Oxford, England, appeared this day.

1754. The 1st number of the Connoisseur appeared, conducted by Coleman, Bonnell Thornton, Chesterfield and others.

1775. Capt. COOKE discovered Southern Thule, soon after Sandwich land which from the vast quantities of ice seen he conjectured might be a continent.

1737. The attorney general stated to the Irish parliament that an insurrection existed in the county of Kerry, the people having taken an oath to obey the laws of Captain Right (a fictitious name), and to starve the clergy.

1788. CHARLES STUART, the pretender to the throne of England, died at Rome. He was the grandson of James II, born at Rome 1720. In 1745 he landed in Scotland, with only seven companions, and marched south gaining strength and carrying every thing before him till he arrived within 100 miles of London. Here his career was arrested, and the battle of Culloden decided his fate. He wandered about the wilds of Scotland five months, often without food, and the price of £30,000 set upon his head. He finally escaped in a French vessel, and ended his days in dissipation.

1795. The assembly of the states of Holland passed at the Hague the first public instrument in the shape of a declaration of rights.

1801. Sale of fine wheaten bread prohibited in London and that of brown substituted.

1813. SAMUEL M'KEEHAN, surgeon's mate in the Ohio militia, ordered by General Harrison, with a flag of truce, and money for supplies, for the wounded prisoners taken January 22d, put up for the night in a cave at the foot of the Miami, leaving his horse and cabriole at the entrance, and the flag stuck up; about midnight a party of Indians fired on them, wounded the doctor in the foot, killed and scalped his companion, Mr. Lamont, and stripped him, they took the money, horse, blankets, &c., and compelled the doctor to travel 20 miles that night on foot.

1826. FRANÇOIS D'ETIENNE LANTIER, a dramatic writer of no small celebrity in France, died at Marseilles.

1828. ALEXANDER YPSILANTI, a Greek patriot, died at Vienna, aged 36. He attempted the liberty of his country, but was discountenanced by the emperors of Russia and Austria, and imprisoned by the latter seven years. His early death is attributed to his incarceration.

1833. OTHO, prince of Bavaria, arrived at Napoli di Romania as the first king of restored Greece; at which time he had not attained his 18th year.

1838. OSCEOLA, the celebrated Seminole chief, died at Charleston, S. C., aged 35. From a vagabond child he became the master-spirit of a long and desperate war. He was a subtil and sagacious savage, who established gradually and surely a resistless ascendancy over his adopted tribe, by the daring of his deeds, the constancy of his hostility to the whites, and the profound craft of his policy.

1839. JAMES BYLES died at Oyster bay, N. Y., aged 118. He was a native of France, came to this country while a boy, was a soldier under Wolfe, and in the battle of Quebec.

1843. Was living at Caraccas, South America, MARIA DE LA CRUZ CARVALLO, aged 144. Her hair, which had been white with age, returned to black at the age of 133; and her sight, which was entirely lost at the age of 118, returned, at the age of 138, so that she could thread a needle.

1854. The rail road track at Erie, Pa., torn up the second time by a mob.

1855. The western rail roads blocked with snow, and travel almost wholly obstructed for several days. No communication was had between St. Louis and Chicago for eleven days. Seventeen locomotives were frozen in or buried by the snow on the Chicago and Mississippi rail road.

FEBRUARY.

FEBRUARY 1.

107. ST. IGNATIUS died, or was murdered.

1461. Battle of Mortimer's Cross, in which Edward, duke of York (afterwards Edward IV), revenged his father's death by a signal victory over the royalists, commanded by Jasper, earl of Pembroke.

1642. EDWARD FINCH died. He was vicar of Christ church, London, from which he was expelled for preaching in a surplice and associating with women.

1681. JOHN EDWARD NIDHARD, an Austrian jesuit, died. He was appointed inquisitor-general and minister of Spain.

1684. ROBERT LEIGHTON, a Scotch prelate, died. He for a number of years employed his talents and influence in a vain endeavor to bring about a reconciliation between the presbyterians and episcopalians. As a preacher he was admired beyond all his contemporaries, and his works have not yet lost their popularity.

1686. FRANCIS BLONDEL died; eminent for his knowledge of geometry and belles-lettres; was professor of mathematics and architecture, and tutor to the dauphin of France.

1702. Marshal VILLEROY, general of the French and Spanish armies in Italy, surprised in his bed at Cremona, and taken prisoner by the imperialists under Prince Eugene.

1708. Captain ROGERS discovered Alexander Selkirk on the island of Juan Fernandez, where he had lived alone four years and four months.

1718. DANIEL FRANCIS VOISIN, chancellor of France, died. He was eminent for his talents, integrity and virtue.

1733. FREDERICK AUGUSTUS, elector of Saxony and king of Poland, died. His court was one of the most splendid and polished in Europe, and he filled with dignity his station among the European powers. In his character generous ideas were united with despotic feelings; a taste for pleasure with the cares of ambition; and the restlessness of a warlike spirit with the effeminacy of a luxurious life. Instances of his prodigious strength are recorded, which appear almost incredible.

1775. The new congress of Massachusetts met at Cambridge and chose John Hancock their president.

1781. Lord CORNWALLIS with the British army, passed the Catawba at M'Cowan's ford. His passage was disputed by Wm. Davidson, lieut. col., commandant of the North Carolina line, and brigadier general of militia, with 300 militia. Davidson was overpowered, and killed by a ball in the breast. Cornwallis had his horse killed under him.

1789. The first president of the United States elected.

1793. War declared against England and Holland by the French.

1796. A stone was thrown at the carriage of George III, king of England, as he was returning from Drury lane theatre. It hit the queen in the face.

1800. Battle between the United States frigate Constellation, Capt. Truxton, and the French frigate La Vengeance of 54 guns. The action lasted from 8 o'clock in the morning until after noon, when the Vengeance was completely silenced; but taking advantage of a squall made her escape to Curacao, where she arrived in a shattered condition, having lost 160 men killed and wounded.

1801. DANIEL NICHOLAS CHODOWIECKI, a German painter and engraver, died. He practiced miniature painting with great assiduity to support his mother. His first trials at engraving excited the astonishment of connoisseurs; and at length scarce a book appeared in Prussia for which he did not engrave at least a vignette. He was universally esteemed for his integrity.

1804. J. PACKER died at Spinningfield, England, aged 33, weighing 29 stone.

1813. American privateer schooner Hazard, Capt. Le Chartier, of 3 guns and 38 men, captured the British merchant ship Albion of 12 guns and 15 men; on the 23d she was re-captured by the British cutter Caledonia of 8 guns and 38 men; on the 26th the Hazard fell in with and took both of them; but succeeded in bringing the Albion only into St. Mary's. The Hazard had her first lieutenant and 6 men wounded, but she was much shattered. Great part of the Caledonia's crew were killed or wounded.

1814. BONAPARTE defeated by the allied army near Chaumenil.

1814. A destructive eruption of Albay in Luconia, one of the Phillipines.

1815. Eruption of the volcano of Albay, in the province of Camarines, on the southern part of one of the Phillipine islands, in the Indian ocean; by this awful catastrophe five populous towns were entirely destroyed and more than 1200 of the inhabitants perished.

1824. HENRY BATE DUDLEY died. He was born in England 1745, educated for the pulpit, and succeeded to his father's benefice. He established the Morning Post, and subsequently several other papers, and manifested his literary abilities by the production of several successful comedies. He obtained a baronetcy, and at the time of his decease was a magistrate for eleven counties.

1824. JOHN LEMPRIERE died, author of the Biographical Dictionary. He was an English prelate, and an excellent classical scholar.

1833. ELIZABETH MOORE died, in Pitt county, North Carolina, aged 101.

1837. A memorial was presented to congress, signed by 56 authors of Great Britain, praying that body to secure to them the exclusive right to their respective writings in the United States.

1837. EDWARD DONOVAN died, near London, a celebrated author on natural history.

1837. SIMPSON, in the service of the Hudson Bay company, reached Athabasca, having completed since the first of December a journey of 1277 statute miles, the preliminary step of the expedition.

1845. SAMUEL MCGWINN, known as the Caithness Veteran, died at Andover, New-Hampshire, aged 110.

1851. MARY WOLSTONECRAFT, widow of Percy Bysshe Shelley, died, aged 53; known in authorship by her Travels and Frankenstein.

1852. Ohio state house burnt, and a large mass of valuable papers perished with it.

1854. SILVIO PELLICO died near Turin in Italy. In 1820 he was seized by the Austrians as a carbonaro, while employed as a tutor, and confined in the fortress of Spielberg ten years. On his release he was employed as librarian by the Marchesa Barolo until his death.

1854. The splendid Parliament house at Quebec, with the government library and philosophical apparatus, were destroyed by fire.

1855. The United States surveying steamer Water Witch, ascending the Paraguay in violation of the ordinance that no man of war should enter that river, was fired at from the fort, and one man killed. The Water Witch returned the fire and backed down the stream.

1856. IVAN FEDOROWITCH PASKIEWITSCH, vice-roy of Poland, died, aged 74. He distinguished himself in all the wars of the Russian empire, beginning with that of the invasion of 1812.

FEBRUARY 2.

1141. Battle of Lincoln, and defeat of Stephen, king of England, by the earl of Gloucester. The king, whose valor deserved a better fortune, was taken prisoner, loaded with irons, and Matilda proclaimed queen.

1421. HENRY V entered London from the complete conquest of France, which had been accomplished in about five years, and was received by the people amidst such pageants and popular rejoicings as that capital had never witnessed.

1461. Battle of Mortimer's Cross near Ludlow, where the king's forces were defeated, Owen Tudor taken and beheaded.

1529. BALTHAZAR CASTIGLIONE, an Italian nobleman and poet, died. He was also so well skilled in painting, sculpture and architecture, that it is said Raphael and Michael Angelo, though incomparable artists, never thought their works perfect unless they had his approbation.

1626. CHARLES I of England crowned at Westminster. He wore the white rather than the purple robe, and to prevent the increase of the plague omitted the usual ceremony of riding in state.

1643. Prince RUPERT took Cirencester for Charles, by storm; 200 slain.

1653. New York city incorporated.

1682. JOHN PAUTRE died; an eminent French designer and engraver. His works were published in 3 vols. folio, and contained more than 1000 engravings.

1688. ABRAHAM DU QUESNE died. He was a native of Normandie in France, and distinguished himself in the navy by a series of valorous and successful engagements.

1705. A new eruption of the peak of Teneriffe, forming the third volcanic mouth.

1723. RICHARD SARE, an eminent printer, died. A sermon preached at his death was well received and went through many editions.

1745. A conspiracy of 900 negroes to murder their masters in Jamaica was discovered by a negress to her mistress, because the plotters would not save a child she had nursed.

1752. The contributors to the Pennsylvania hospital, having rented a house, admitted their first patients.

1768. ARTHUR ONSLOW died. He was 33 years speaker in the English house of commons and the third of his family that had been nominated to that office.

1771. JOHN LOCKMAN, an English dramatic writer, died.

1787. Gen. ARTHUR ST. CLAIR elected president of the American congress.

1788. JAMES STUART died; sometimes called Athenian Stuart, a very celebrated traveler and delineator of Athenian architecture.

1794. The French convention decreed it treason for any officer to surrender his ship to a force less than double his own!

1797. Mantua surrendered to the French, who now became entire masters of the pope's dominions; whereupon Napoleon dictates to his holiness those pious terms of pacification signed ten days after.

1798. The Federal street theatre, in Boston, entirely destroyed by fire.

1799. THOMAS PAINE, often called the Literary Merchant, died. Few mercantile men become literary men.

1799. ELIZABETH WOODCOCK, an English woman, returning home from market in one of the most stormy nights ever known in England, was overwhelmed in a snow drift, where she remained eight days without sustenance. When discovered her mental faculties were unimpaired, but she had lost the use of her feet, and died some months after.

1801. The first imperial parliament of Great Britain assembled in London.

1804. GEORGE WALTON died, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was a native of Virginia, served an apprenticeship to a carpenter, removed to Georgia and studied law. He was foremost among the patriots of that state who assembled to devise measures of resistance to the acts of parliament in relation to American taxations.

1806. MIRANDA sailed from New York on his expedition to revolutionize South-America.

1806. THOMAS BANKS died. He was bred a wood carver, to which he served an apprenticeship. But having taken several premiums for models of sculpture he turned his attention to that art, and was sent to Rome to study at the academy's expense. From Italy he repaired to Russia, where he stayed two years; but not meeting with any adequate encouragement, he returned to his own country. A colossal statue of Achilles mourning the loss of Briseis is his masterpiece. He closed a life of arduous exertion, at the age of 70; and there are monuments, both in Russia and England that will long attest his skill.

1807. Battle of Bergfried near the lower Vistula. Bonaparte defeated the Russians after a severe and sanguinary contest, in which Soult, Augereau, &c., distinguished themselves very highly. The French took four pieces of cannon and 1700 prisoners. Same day, the French general Guyot captured the whole of the Russian magazines at Guttstadt.

1808. The French subverted the papal government at Rome.

1814. BONAPARTE defeated at Brienne with the loss of 173 cannons and 4000 men.

1817. The Scottish regalia, which had been deposited in a chest in 1707, (see March 26) was examined by a deputation. The doors were removed, and the floor was found covered with 6 inches of dust. No keys being found, the oaken chest was forced open, and found to contain the ancient crown, scepter and sword of state, as they had been deposited 111 years previous.

1820. BENJAMIN TRUMBULL died, aged 92, author of a History of Connecticut.

1831. A. BONPLAND, the celebrated traveler, permitted to leave Paraguay, where he had been detained about nine years, by the dictator Francia.

1834. RICHARD LANDER, the enterprising traveler and discoverer of the course of the Niger, died at Fernando Po, in Africa, of wounds received from the natives. All his papers were lost. The British government allowed his wife and daughter a pension of £150.

1834. LORENZO DOW died, aged 57; an eccentric traveling preacher. He was born in Connecticut and had a good elementary education; but in his youth acquired vicious habits which however he overcame at about the age of 14. At an early age he believed himself called to preach, and in obeying the impulse he commenced a career which has probably never been equaled; and in spite of acute bodily disease performed an amount of labor in traveling and preaching never before known. Before he had completed his twenty-fifth year, he once rode 1500 miles and held 184 meetings in ten weeks and two days; and about a year afterwards, traveled 4000 miles in the southern states, constantly preaching, in seven months, and finished his tour without stockings, shoes, or outer garment, and almost without a horse. For several years after he traveled from seven to ten thousand miles and held six or seven hundred meetings annually. It is thought that during the thirty-eight years of his public life he must have traveled two hundred thousand miles, including three voyages to England and Ireland. During these flying journeys he constantly refused donations and contributions, except for immediate want; and his traveling expenses exceeded his receipts more than one half, the first eighteen years. Afterwards, however, his books became a source of profit to him, and finally he became the maker and vender of a family medicine! which was a matter of speculation purely. He was twice married; his second wife survived him. He was familiar to every body throughout the United States, for there were few places however obscure which he had not visited.

1839. DEBORAH LOGAN died at Stanton, Pa. She was a member of the Pennsylvania historical society, and more intimately acquainted with the early history of that state, than any other person living.

1840. OLINTHUS GREGORI, an English mathematician, died, aged 67. He was more than thirty years professor of mathematics in the royal military academy at Woolwich, and had the whole of the general superintendence of the almanacs published by the stationers' company, which had been for a long period conducted by Dr. Hutton. He published mathematics, biography and religion.

1841. WILLIAM BARTLETT, an eminent and wealthy merchant of Newburyport, and a munificent benefactor to the theological seminary at Andover, died, aged 93.

1851. JOANNA BAILLIE, a Scottish dramatic authoress, died, aged 85.

1852. A priest, aged 63, attacked the queen of Spain with a dagger, as she was returning from church; for which he was executed.

1855. G. FLETCHER, an English Wesleyan preacher, died, aged 108. Until within six months of his decease he preserved an astonishing activity of mind and body, often preaching without fatigue three times a day.

1856. The house of representatives at Washington elected a speaker after a contest of nine weeks.

FEBRUARY 3.

1014. SWEYN, king of Denmark, died.

1399. JOHN OF GAUNT, duke of Lancaster, died. He was the son of Edward III; was a prince of distinguished valor and prudence, and a patron of the poet Chaucer.

1497. "Johannes Cabotus Venetus et Sebastianus illius filius," commissioned by Henry VII of England to take six ships of 200 tons burden from any port in the kingdom for the purpose of making a western voyage of discovery. This expedition was got ready by the beginning of May, and consisted of two caravals freighted by the merchants of London and Bristol, and some smaller craft.

1619. By letters patent dated this day, James I granted Ben Jonson a pension of 100 marks during life, "in consideration of the good and acceptable service heretofore done and hereafter to be done by the said B. J."

1649. CHARLES II proclaimed king by the Scots.

1660. CHARLES X of Sweden died. He ascended the throne 1654, and was a prudent though a warlike monarch.

1698. ERNEST AUGUSTUS, duke of Hanover, bishop of Osnabruck, and father of George I of England, died.

1700. FILIPPO ACCIAGUOLI, an Italian dramatic poet and composer, died. He effected many improvements in the machinery and internal arrangements of theatres.

1730. ELIZABETH THOMAS, an English poetess, died. She is known by the name of Corinne.

1761. RICHARD NASH, commonly called Beau Nash, died, aged 87. He was the most accomplished gentleman in England.

1779. The American Gen. Moultrie defeated 200 British at Port Royal island, South Carolina, and drove them off that island. Moultrie had 1 lieutenant and 7 privates killed and 22 wounded. The British lost most of their officers.

1779. Mutiny suppressed on board the United States frigate Alliance, bound to France with M. de Lafayette and several French gentlemen of distinction on board. Half the crew were concerned in it, and measures were taken to quell it but a few hours before it was to have been carried into effect. Great inhumanity was meditated towards the officers and the French. This was the first organized mutiny ever known in the American service. The mutineers were 36 in number.

1781. The Americans, closely pursued by the British after the battle of the Cowpens, crossed the Yadkin and secured their boats on the north side, when a sudden rise of the river arrested the pursuit of the enemy. In this retreat the Americans endured extreme hardships with admirable fortitude, and their remarkable escape confirmed them in the belief that their cause was favored of heaven.

1781. St. Eustatia, one of the West-India islands, taken by the British under Rodney. The plunder amounted to above £3,000,000, besides 6 Dutch armed frigates and 150 vessels, many of them richly laden. The British kept the Dutch colors hoisted, by which means several Dutch, French and American vessels were decoyed and captured.

1782. Demerary and Essequibo surrendered by capitulation from the French.

1783. The ratification of the preliminary articles of peace exchanged at Paris.

1786. GASPARD RISBECK, a German author, died.

1794. GEORGE III and Queen CHARLOTTE went to Hay Market theatre, which attracted so great a crowd, that more than 15 persons were trampled to death.

1794. The French convention received the deputies from St. Domingo, one of whom was a black, one a mulatto, and one a white; and at the same time decreed that all men of color whom a tyrannical force had made slaves, were still free and equally citizens with whites.

1795. A tableaux of the victories of the French from Sept. 8th, 1793, to this date, presented to the convention by Carnot, gives the following result: 27 victories, 6 of which were gained in pitched battles; 120 combats of less importance; 80,000 enemies killed, and 91,000 taken prisoners; 117 important fortresses, 36 of which were taken after a close blockade; 230 forts; 38,000 pieces of artillery; 17,000 muskets; 19,000 pounds of powder, and 90 stands of colors.

1797. Faenza in Italy carried by assault by the French under Victor, afterwards duke of Belluno.

1800. Four British ships, carrying in all 106 guns, captured off Seven islands, after a close action of 2 hours 10 minutes, the French frigate Pallas of 42 guns and 350 men. British loss, 10 killed, 34 wounded.

1807. Montevideo taken by storm by the British.

1808. The Neapolitan garrison of Reggio surrendered to the French.

1809. The French national ship l'Iris, 24 guns, captured by the British ship, l'Amiable.

1809. The Spanish junta in Seville issued orders to their troops to give no quarter to the French found in Spain.

1810. British ship Valiant of 74 guns captured the French frigate Cannoniere, 14 guns, with a cargo worth $800,000.

1810. The French destroyed the quicksilver mines at El Almoden del Azoque, near Seville.

1810. Guadaloupe surrendered to the British.

1813. The Spanish cortez abolished the inquisition.

1814. BONAPARTE entered Troyes. Same day the Russians and Prussians bombarded Vitry, defended by the French under Gen. Montmartre.

1831. The duke of Nemours elected king of Belgium.

1832. GEORGE CRABBE died; one of the most popular of the modern British poets.

1832. CHARLES VICTOR DE BONSTETTEN died, aged 87; a distinguished Swiss moralist, politician, metaphysician, geologist and traveler.

1836. MARIE LETITIA BONAPARTE, mother of Napoleon, died. She was born at Ajaccio 1750; her maiden name Romolini; was one of the most beautiful women of Corsica; married, in the midst of civil discord, Charles Bonaparte, an officer who fought with Paoli; was left a widow 1785, having borne 13 children, of whom 5 sons and 3 daughters survived their father, and became celebrated. Madame Bonaparte was a woman of great force and energy of character.

1844. Continued cold weather in the northern parts of the United States. Long Island sound was frozen over a few miles above New York, and a canal, seven miles in length, was cut through the ice at Boston to allow the British steamer to go to sea.

1852. Battle of Santos Lugares, near Buenos Ayres, between the army of Urquiza, 30,000 men and 50 cannon, and Rosas, 25,000 men and 90 cannon. Rosas was defeated, and took refuge on board an English steamer. The city was saved from pillage by ships of war of all nations then in the harbor.

1856. Thermometer at 30° below zero in Kansas; and the cold extended over the United States, in some parts to a degree unknown before.

FEBRUARY 4.

211. LUCIUS SEPTIMUS SEVERUS, emperor of Rome, died at York, England. His sons, Geta and Caracalla, were by this event recalled from Scotland, where they were debating with Fingal over heath and mountain, her ancient stubborn independence.

836. EGBERT, the last king of the Saxon heptarchy, and the first of England, died.

856. MAGNENTIUS MAURUS RABANUS, a learned German divine, died. His works on theology are numerous.

1194. RICHARD, Coeur de Lion, released from his imprisonment.

1536. The parliament of England abolished every thing relative to the pope's power in their realm.

1555. JOHN ROGERS, prebendary of St. Paul's, and the protomartyr, burned at Smithfield.

1607. JAMES MENOCHIUS died; a civilian of Pavia, of distinguished abilities.

1644. A very large comet which had terrified the straight-bodied folks of New England with its prodigious length of tail, disappeared on this day, to their great relief.

1648. GEORGE ABBOT, an English statesman and religious author, died. He was one of the judges who sat at the trial of Charles I, and signed his death warrant.

1660. Gen. MONK, famous as the restorer of Charles II, marched into London and recommended a government moderately presbyterian.

1665. The first number of the London Gazette appeared, published by Sir Roger l'Estrange.

1687. FRANCIS DE CREQUI, marshal of France, died. He was distinguished for his military enterprises and heroic courage.

1692. Goree taken from the French by the English under Gen. Booker.

1693. Earthquake of Sicily, which swallowed up Catania and 1800 citizens.

1746. ROBERT BLAIR, a Scottish clergyman and poet, died. The only production of his, which we possess, is The Grave, a poem, striking and vigorous.

1749. JOHN JAMES HEIDEGGER died at London. He was born in Switzerland, and came to England, where by his taste and judgment in operatic amusements, he was appointed to the management of the opera house and the masquerades. He was the ugliest featured man in the kingdom, but good-humored, benevolent and charitable.

1756. A mummy disinterred near Auvergne in France.

1762. SAMUEL DAVIES, an American divine, died, aged 36. He labored some years as a presbyterian pastor in Virginia, where the act of uniformity was enforced with great rigor, and was the founder of the first presbytery in that state. His sermons have passed through many editions on both sides of the Atlantic.

1774. CHARLES MARIE DE LA CONDAMINE died. He was possessed of a daring spirit, which led him to enter the army. But the restoration of peace cut off his hopes of promotion, and he traveled in Turkey and Asia. On his return to Paris, the academy were making arrangements to send a deputation to the equator for scientific purposes. The very desire of being connected with so perilous an undertaking made him an astronomer. The fatigues and hardships which he encountered in South-America, were heightened by the discord and jealousy which arose among his companions. He died while undergoing an operation for the removal of a malady contracted in Peru. He bore an excellent character, and left many valuable works.

1779. JOHN HAMILTON MORTIMER, an eminent English historical painter, died.

1783. Cessation of hostilities with Great Britain, and final conclusion of the seven years' war of the revolution, which freed the American colonies from the claims of the mother country, and gave a new nation to the world.

1787. JACOB WISMER died, aged 103. He was a German by birth, came to America in Queen Anne's reign, and settled in Pennsylvania; here he married his third wife, with whom he lived 67 years, and left 170 descendants.

1790. LOUIS XVI took the oath to maintain the new constitution.

1793. An embargo laid on all French vessels in Great-Britain.

1794. The legislature of Massachusetts having repealed the law against theatrical amusements, the Federal street theatre was opened as a regular, lawful theatre, with Gustavus Vasa and Modern Antiques.

1796. British ship Aurora, one of Admiral Christian's fleet, having 160 men on board, who had kept her afloat three weeks by manual labor, was rescued by Capt. Hodges of the American ship Sedgley. The troops were principally Germans and offered Capt. Hodges 1000 guineas for his exertions in saving their lives, which he nobly refused.

1797. Earthquake at Quito, which threw down many valuable edifices, and destroyed several neighboring towns and plantations. A great number of persons were swallowed up.

1800. WILLIAM TASKER died, aged 60. He was 30 years rector of a church, but deprived of its income by unmerited persecutions and litigations, until near the close of his life. The works which he published added to his reputation with the learned, but contributed nothing to his support, and he continued to struggle against poverty and oppression.

1804. CHRISTIAN JOSEPH JAGEMANN, librarian to the duchess Amalia of Weimar, died. He was destined for the cloister, but escaped from the monastery, and became a distinguished writer on the fine arts and literature of Italy.

1804. The boats of the British ship Centaur cut out of Martinique the French corvette Le Curieux.

1805. The British sloop of war Arrow, 28 guns, and bomb vessel Acheron, 8 guns, having a fleet of merchantmen in convoy, were captured by two French frigates, but most of the convoy escaped.

1806. Gen. PHILEMON DICKINSON, who was in the battle of Monmouth, died at Trenton, New Jersey, aged 69.

1808. First legislative proceedings in relation to the New York canals.

1811. JONATHAN LAMBERT, of Salem, Massachusetts, took possession of the uninhabited island of Tristan d'Acunha, south of St. Helena. The British took possession of it in 1817, and fortified it.

1812. Peniscola, in Valencia, surrendered to the French under Suchet.

1813. The United States frigate Constellation chased into Norfolk, Virginia, by a British squadron.

1814. The ice formed on the Thames at London, above the bridges, and a fair was held upon it during eight days.

1817. LEWIS PENNOCK died at West Marlborough, Pennsylvania, aged 92; 11 of his survivors, within a mile, arrived at 83½ years.

1834. JOHN O'KEEFE, a British dramatic author, died at Southampton, England, aged 68.

1835. WADE HAMPTON died at Columbia, S. C., aged 81. He distinguished himself in the war of the revolution under Sumpter and Marion; and during the last war commanded a brigade on the northern frontier. He was reputed the most extensive planter in the United States; one of the wealthiest men in the whole southern country; and perhaps no other man in this country ever amassed so large a fortune by agriculture.

1836. WILLIAM GELL died at Naples. He was a classical antiquary, the illustrator of the ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii, and author of various works on classical antiquity. He was admired alike for the depth and versatility of his erudition, the benevolence of his heart, and the suavity of his manners.

1850. Seventy-five persons killed by a steam explosion in Hague street, New York.

1854. Eight steamboats destroyed by fire at New Orleans, and 37 persons perished in the flames.

1856. Fort Nicholas at Sebastopol blown up by the allies, with the aid of 106,000 pounds of powder.

This day in the calendar of Hesiod, is auspicious for marriages and the repairing of ships; but a day of troubles.

FEBRUARY 5.

46 B. C. MARCUS CATO killed himself, at the age of 48. He was a lover of philosophy, in which he rigidly followed the doctrines of the stoics. He was a soldier, and his first campaign was against Spartacus; afterwards he led 1000 foot into Asia, where he was ridiculed for the small number of his attendants, but was wholly unmoved by it. He sided with Cicero against Catiline, and opposed Cæsar in the senate on that occasion. He endeavored to bring about a reconciliation between Cæsar and Pompey, but finding it in vain, sided with the latter. When Pompey was slain he fled to Utica, and Cæsar pursuing him, he advised his friends to be gone, and his son to trust to Cæsar's clemency; then lay down upon his bed, read Plato on the immortality of the soul twice over, and rose and thrust his own sword through his body.

41 B. C. AUGUSTUS, by a vote of the senate, in full assembly, their brows crowned with laurel, saluted with the title of Father of his Country.

1444. An eruption of Vulcano, one of the Lipari islands, which changed the entire face of the local navigation. Aristotle records a dreadful explosion, which is supposed to have formed the island as it stood in the time of Pliny.

1552. JAMES MEYER, a Flemish historian, died, aged 61.

1556. A truce for five years was concluded between Charles V, emperor of Germany, and Henry II of France.

1617. PROSPERO ALPINI, a famous Venitian physician and botanist, died, aged 64.

1626. Three new committees, viz., one on religion, one on grievances, one on secret affairs, were appointed in the parliament of Charles I.

1664. CHRISTIAN AAGAARD died, a distinguished Danish poet of the 17th century, aged 48.

1674. A parhelion or mock sun observed near Marienburg in western Prussia. It appeared in the horizon beneath the material sun, of a red color.

1679. JOOST VAN VONDEL, a Dutch poet of considerable eminence, died, aged 91.

1684. PHILIP DE MONTAULT, duke of Noailles, died. He renounced the protestant faith, and rose to a high rank in the army.

1684. About the beginning of December commenced a frost at London, which continued till this day. Coaches were run, oxen roasted, bulls baited, &c., on the Thames.

1693. The Mohawk castles burned by the French.

1718. ADRIAN RELAND died; a learned orientalist and professor at Utrecht.

1721. JAMES, earl of Stanhope, died. He distinguished himself in the field and in the cabinet, under George I.

1729. JOHN TRUCHET died at Paris. He was distinguished for his knowledge of geometry and hydraulics.

1751. The coffin and remains of a farmer were interred at Stevenage, England. He died in 1721, bequeathing an estate worth £400 a year to his two brothers, to be enjoyed by them during 30 years, at the expiration of which time he expected to return to life, when the estate was to be given up to him again. In order to his convenience on his reappearance, he ordered his coffin to be placed on a beam in the barn, with the key enclosed, that he might liberate himself. Four days grace being allowed him for his resurrection, beyond the time specified in the will, and not then presenting himself, his bones were consigned to the earth and his estate forfeited.

1757. Battle of Plassy, in Hindostan, in which the British under Col. Clive achieved an important victory.

1776. Georgia adopted a new government.

1780. The first shock of the earthquakes in Sicily and the two Calabrias, was felt at Scylla on the same day. In the night a tremendous wave swept from the coast 2473 inhabitants, with the prince of the place. The work of destruction and terror continued for almost four months, accompanied by incessant rains and bursts of thunder. Of 375 villages in Calabria, 320 were destroyed. It is estimated that 35,521 persons lost their lives in 33 towns only.

1782. The garrison at Minorca, 2692 men under Gen. Murray, surrendered to the French and Spanish, 16,000, under the Duc de Crillon.

1788. Massachusetts adopted the federal constitution, proposing some amendments. This was the sixth state in the list (ratified on the 6th, q. v.)

1790. WILLIAM CULLEN, a celebrated Scottish physician and medical writer, died, aged 77. He settled at Glasgow, and was for some time a professor of the university there, which he left on an invitation to Edinburgh. He successfully combatted the specious doctrines of Boerhaave, depending on the humoral pathology; founding his own views on an enlarged view of the principles of Hoffman.

1791. JOHN BEARD, an eminent and popular English theatrical vocalist, died. He ultimately became joint proprietor and acting manager of Covent Garden theatre, and continued on the stage till the loss of his hearing forced him to leave it.

1792. JOHN EARDLY WILMOT, an English miscellaneous writer, died.

1795. Report of the committee of the assembly of the states of Holland, respecting the state of the bank of Amsterdam, by which it appeared that the bank had been for 50 years receiving as securities for large sums advanced by it, a very considerable number of bonds instead of specie.

1795. The royal assent was given to the bill for suspending the habeas corpus in Great Britain.

1796. Negombo, in the East Indies, captured by the British under Admiral Elphinstone.

1797. The post of Corne, at the bridge head of Hueningen, was surrendered to the Austrians by the French general, Sisce, Gen. Abbatucci having died a few days before. Two days were allowed to withdraw the garrison and every movable appertaining to the place.

1799. LEWIS GALVANI, an Italian philosopher, died, aged 62. His favorite studies were anatomy and physiology. In his pursuits he was led fortuitously to the discovery of a new branch of science, called Galvanism. His manners are said to have been most unostentatious and retiring, and his mind of a melancholy turn.

1802. The French and Spanish troops landed at Hayti and captured forts Dauphin, Bizoton and St. Joseph. Christophe, the black general, set the town on fire and massacred many of the white inhabitants.

1805. The East Indiaman, earl of Abergavenny, wrecked on the shambles off the bill of Portland, and sunk in twelve fathoms of water. Of 402 persons on board, only 139 were saved. Her cargo was valued at £200,000, exclusive of 275,000 ounces in dollars.

1807. PASCAL DE PAOLI, a celebrated Corsican general, died near London. While endeavoring to rescue his native island from the tyranny of the Genoese government, and defending its liberties against Gallic encroachments and invasion, being overpowered by the French, he retired with a few of his followers to England, where in a few years he ended his illustrious career.

1807. The French under Soult, Davoust and Ney, surrounded and cut to pieces a Russian column of 9000 men, took 1000 prisoners and 16 cannon.

1809. British ship Loire, Capt. Schomberg, captured the French national ship Hebe, 20 guns, with 600 barrels of flour.

1810. The French under Sebastiani and Milhaud defeated the Spaniards and took Malaga with its immense stores, 171 cannon, &c. The same day two French frigates of 40 guns each, full of troops, destroyed off Guadaloupe.

1811. Royal assent given by commission to the act appointing a regent of Great Britain, in the person of the prince of Wales.

1813. British Admiral WARREN declared the ports and harbors of the bay of Chesapeake to be in a state of blockade.

1814. Seventeen British officers put in close confinement at Chilicothe, on the principle of retaliation.

1814. The advance of Gen. De York made a successful charge upon the rear of Macdonald's army at La Chaussee, between Vitry and Chalons, took 3 cannon, and 100 Frenchmen prisoners.

1815. British ship Grannicus, Capt. Wise, captured the American privateer brig George Little, 8 guns, 58 men.

1816. RICHARD, Viscount Fitzwilliam, died, leaving to the university of Cambridge his splendid library and £60,000 for the erection of a museum for its reception and exhibition. In his collection there are more than 10,000 proof prints of the first artists, a very extensive library of rare and costly works, among which are nearly 300 Roman missals, finely illuminated. There is also a very curious collection of the best ancient music, containing the original Virginal book of Queen Elizabeth, and many works of Handel in the handwriting of that great master.

1818. CHARLES XIII of Sweden died. He was the second son of Adolphus Frederick, and appointed at his birth high admiral of Sweden. His education was directed chiefly to naval tactics, but the revolutions of the time called him finally to the throne, where he conducted with great prudence, and gained the confidence of the people.

1822. ALI, pacha of Yanina, generally called Ali Pacha, killed. He was a bold and crafty rebel against the Porte; an intelligent and active governor of his province; as a warrior, decided and able; as a man, a very fiend. His early life was unfortunate, but his extraordinary strength of mind, which shrank from no danger or crime, united to great address, raised him to princely independence. His enormities at length attracted the wrath of the sultan. Finding it vain to withstand so powerful a foe, he sued for pardon, gave up his fortress, and was treacherously cut down, with six of his companions.

1823. Yates county, New York, erected.

1823. JUAN ANTONIO LLORENTE died. He was induced by Bonaparte, who placed in his hands the papers of the inquisition, to write a history of that tribunal. When the fortunes of the Bonapartes declined, he was banished from his country, and lived in France in indigence, supporting himself by teaching Spanish in the boarding schools; but the university at last forbid him that means of support. The rage of his enemies was raised to the highest pitch by the publication of his Portraits Politiques des Papes, and the old man was ordered in the middle of winter to leave Paris in three days, and France in the shortest possible time. He was not allowed to rest one day, and died exhausted, a victim to the persecutions of the 19th century, a few days after his arrival in Madrid.

1824. HENRY CALLISEN, a German physician and surgeon, died. He was the son of a poor clergyman; educated himself; served in the army and in the fleet; afterwards in the hospitals in Copenhagen; and finally accepted a professorship in the university.

1831. The Russian army of 160,000 men enter Poland at several points, Count Diebitsch commander-in-chief.

1835. Tremendous eruptions of volcanoes, attended with destructive earthquakes, occurred in Central America, sinking several towns and villages, and destroying a large part of St. Miguel and St. Salvador.

1837. JAMES CERVETTO the younger died, aged 90. He first brought the violincello into favor in England. He excelled his father as a musician, was leader of the orchestra of Drury lane theatre in the time of Garrick, and 72 years member of the royal society of musicians.

1839. ASAHEL STEARNS, professor of law at Cambridge, died, aged 64. He published a learned and accurate work on real actions, and was one of the revisers of the statutes of Massachusetts.

1841. The Pennsylvania bank of the United States, after having, from the time of the resumption of specie payments on the 15th January, paid out an amount little if at all short of six millions of dollars in coin or specie funds, again suspended specie payments. The exhibition of its affairs, which soon followed, were so unfavorable as to cause great surprise. The suspension was followed by that of nearly all the banks south and west of New York and New England.

1851. JOHN PYE SMITH died, aged 77; a religious controversial author of note, and nearly half a century principal of a dissenting college in England.

1853. The Sloo treaty signed at Mexico, for opening a communication across the isthmus of Tehuantepec.

1854. JAMES B. COOPER, an American naval officer, died, aged 94. He was a member of Lee's legion in the war of the Revolution, and served in the navy during the war of 1812.

A day of dire calamity, says Hesiod, in which certain Greek ladies, called "the Furies," make their round, "about, about, about."

FEBRUARY 6.

129 B. C. Three ambassadors from John Hyrcanus, the Jewish pontiff, were received at Rome, when the senate decreed a renewal of the league of amity and assistance with that "good and friendly people," and dismissed the delegates with presents.

1554. JOHN WYATT and a number of others executed for an insurrection and riot, on account of Queen Mary's marriage with Philip II of Spain.

1593. JAMES AMYOTT, grand almoner of France, died; a writer on various subjects, but chiefly known as the translator of Plutarch's Lives and Morals.

1623. JUAN MARIANA, a Spanish historian, died. He wrote several works, theological and historical; the most considerable of which is his History of Spain.

1649. The Rump parliament voted the house of peers to be useless and dangerous, and accordingly that branch of the legislature and the office of king, were abolished by two brief resolutions.

1685. CHARLES II, king of England, died. At the time of the death of his father he was a refugee at the Hague, on which he immediately assumed the royal title. In 1660 he entered London amidst the universal acclamations of the people. He was a confirmed sensualist and voluptuary, says Lardner, and owing to the example of him and his court, his reign was the era of the most dissolute manners that ever prevailed in England. His career was terminated by a fit of apoplexy, at the age of 55. It was during this reign that the great plague and the great fire of London occurred. He was the twenty-sixth king of England.

1693. A party of about 700 French and Indians fell upon the Mohawk villages near Schenectady, and took about 300 prisoners in the English interest, without doing much other damage. They were pursued by Col. Schuyler with a party from Albany, and several skirmishes ensued. The French escaped by crossing the north branch of the Hudson, on a cake of ice. They lost in this enterprise 80 men killed, and were reduced to great want before they got home.

1696. A plot to assassinate WILLIAM III of England, was discovered.

1736. Earthquake in New England.

1738. JOSEPH MITCHELL, a Scotch dramatic poet, died.

1740. CLEMENT XII (Laurence Corsini), pope of Rome, died. He was very popular, and corrected many abuses in the church.

1755. MAURICE JOHNSON, a noted English antiquary, died.

1756. Birthday of AARON BURR, at Newark, N. J. His father was the Rev. William Burr, second president of New Jersey college at Princeton, and his mother a daughter of the celebrated Jonathan Edwards, third president of that institution. His wife is well known.

1777. Great Britain granted letters of marque and reprisal against America.

1778. The French avowed the independence of the United States, by concluding a treaty of defensive alliance with them.

1778. New York acceded to the confederation.

1783. LAUNCELOT BROWN died. He invented a new system of horticulture, and carried ornamental gardening to a high degree of perfection. Many delightful places of resort in England will stand for ages as memorials of his superior taste and abilities.

1783. The first ship which displayed the thirteen stripes in any British port, was recorded at the London custom house. She was loaded with 587 butts whale oil, belonged to the island of Nantucket, and was manned wholly with American seamen.

1788. Massachusetts adopted the constitution of the United States, being the 6th state which ratified that instrument. The vote stood 187 to 168.

1792. The city of Morocco, which had shut its gates against the emperor Muley Yazid, was attacked by his forces and carried. The greatest excesses were committed by the soldiery, against friends as well as foes, and the Jews were as usual given up to be plundered. (See 12th and 16th.)

1796. The state of Vermont adopted its constitution.

1798. The bank of England subscribed £200,000 to assist government to repel the threatened invasion. By the assistance of manufacturers, &c., this sum was increased to £1,500,000.

1799. British ship Arago, Capt. Bowen, captured off Mahon, at midnight, the Spanish frigate Santa Teresa, 42 guns and 350 men.

1800. The duke of ORLEANS (Louis Phillip, afterwards king,) asked pardon of Louis XVIII, and swore that he was ready to shed the last drop of his blood in his service. He was graciously received.

1803. GIAMBATTISTA CASTI, a Florentine historian, died, aged 82. His works are full of wit and originality, and some of them have been translated into English.

1804. JOSEPH PRIESTLY died. He was the son of a Calvinistic clothier, in whose rigid principles he was educated. His heresy ripened into unitarianism. His publications had already made him extensively known, when in 1766 he became acquainted with Franklin, by whom he was encouraged to compose a work on electricity. This was followed by several scientific works, till in 1794, on the anniversary of the capture of the Bastile, the mob at Birmingham, where he then resided, proceeded to his house, which, with his library, manuscripts and apparatus, fell a prey to the flames. Finally, goaded by party enmity, he sought an asylum in the United States, and took up his residence at Northumberland, Pa. Here his devotion to his favorite pursuits brought on a disease, which hastened the end of his existence, in the 71st year of his age. His works amount to about 70 volumes, octavo.

1806. Action between the British fleet under Admiral Duckworth, and the French under Lessiegues, off St. Domingo, which resulted in the destruction of the latter, consisting of four large ships of war.

1807. The French under Murat, defeated the Prussians under Hoff, in Prussian Poland.

1811. The prince regent of Great Britain took the oath prescribed by the regency act, and was installed.

1813. The United States government ordered all alien enemies to report themselves to the marshals of the districts in which they resided.

1814. Lord CASTLEREAGH, with other diplomatic characters, met at Chartillon-sur-Seine, for the negotiation of peace.

1815. Full pardon granted to the Barratarian pirates by the president of the United States, in consequence of their fidelity and courage in the defence of New Orleans.

1832. The crew of the United States frigate Potomac, made an attack upon Qualla Battoo, in Sumatra. The town was destroyed and 150 Malays killed; loss of the Potomac 2 killed, 14 wounded.

1833. PIERRE-ANDRE LATREILLE, a French naturalist, died at Paris. He particularly distinguished himself in entomology.

1834. The celebrated and enterprising traveler, Lander, died of a shot wound in Africa.

1853. President CAVALLOS resigned, and Gen. Lombardini chosen president of Mexico with dictatorial powers.

1853. The insurrection of Mazzini at Milan, which was unsuccessful.

1853. WILLIAM PETER, British consul at Philadelphia, died. He translated the Prometheus of Æschylus, was an accomplished scholar and talented poet.

FEBRUARY 7.

1451. B. C. The Jews place the death of Moses on this day.

1642. WILLIAM BEDELL, bishop of Kilmore, died; one of the most exemplary prelates of the 17th century. He was so greatly respected even by the papists, that when the Irish rebellion of 1641 broke out, his was for some time the only English house in the county that stood unviolated. But refusing to submit to the orders of the council of state, interfering with his religious duties, he was thrown into prison, and his death was occasioned by the rigors of confinement. He translated the old testament into Irish.

1674. MARGARET LUCAS, dutchess of Newcastle, died; authoress of plays, poems, letters, essays, and philosophical fancies, filling 12 folio volumes, and the biography of her husband, William Cavendish, earl of Newcastle. She was a very singular character, and has been both ridiculed and extolled by the best English authors.

1693. PAUL PELISSON FONTANIER died. He gave a history of the French academy from its establishment.

1778. DANIEL BOONE, the first settler of Kentucky, taken by the French and Indians near the Blue licks. This was the second time he had fallen into the hands of the Indians. He made his escape about ten days after, and reached home in safety.

1788. The settlement at Botany bay abandoned, and this day the regular form of government was adopted, under Gov. Arthur Philip, and settlement made at Sydney cove, Port Jackson, New South Wales.

1791. Saratoga and Rensselaer counties in New York, erected.

1792. ATHANASE AUGER, a celebrated linguist, died. He was born at Paris, 1734, and became a clergymen. His studies of the Greek and Roman writers were indefatigable; the study of Cicero and of Roman history occupied the last thirty years of his life. His translations, &c., were published in 30 vols. Learning proved its worth in his character and life.

1796. The British admiral, Sir FRANCIS GEARY, died, aged 86.

1799. JOHN HEDWIG died; a German botanist, whose researches respecting the cryptogamia class of plants have established his name.

1807. Schweidnitz in Silesia surrendered to the French general Vandamme.

1810. British General PICTON tried for ordering Louisa Calderon to be put to the torture. He was killed at the battle of Waterloo.

1812. Earthquake at Philadelphia; duration 30 seconds. It was also observed in various parts of the United States to a less extent.

1813. Capt. FORSYTHE with 200 volunteers from Ogdensburgh, crossed at Morristown to Elizabethtown, surprised the British guard and took 52 prisoners, 140 guns and some munitions, and liberated from jail 16 British deserters.

1821. The Caxton printing office, on Copperas-hill, Liverpool, the property of Henry Fisher, totally destroyed by fire. It was the largest periodical warehouse in Great Britain.

1823. ANNE RADCLIFFE died. She was born in London, 1764, and married at the age of 23, William Radcliffe, editor of the British Chronicle. The Romance of the Forest, her third novel, gave her much celebrity, and the Mysteries of Udolpho placed her at the head of a department of fiction then rising into esteem. These works still maintain their place among the more modern and fashionable productions of the kind.

1828. HENRY NEELE, an ingenious English poet and novelist, died by his own hand, in a fit of insanity, supposed to have originated from too intense an application to study. He was the son of an engraver, and educated for the bar. His literary remains were published after his death.

1834. CADWALLADER D. COLDEN, so favorably known as a philanthropist and scholar, died at Jersey city.

1837. GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS IV, ex-king of Sweden, died. He came to the throne at the age of 14, on the assassination of his father, 1792; but on account of his violent and impolitic conduct, he was deposed in 1809, and his heirs excluded from the throne. He afterwards traveled in different countries of Europe under different names, and died at St. Gall in Switzerland. The latter years of his life were spent in poverty; he was badly clothed and fed, and possessed only an annuity of £300.

1837. The royal palace at Naples took fire and was partially destroyed. The library and the magnificent collection of paintings belonging to the king were burnt.

1839. KARL AUGUST NICANDER, a recent Swedish poet of no small celebrity, died.

FEBRUARY 8.

293 B. C. PAPIRIUS CURSOR dedicated a temple to Quirinus, on which he placed a sun-dial, the first ever seen in Rome.

291 B. C. ESCULAPIUS, the Sanitary god, as it was fabled, was enshrined as a serpent on an island in the Tiber. As a physician he used the probe, cathartics, bandages, &c., hence the respect.

1250. ROBERT, count of Artois, killed. He was brother to Louis IX of France, refused the empire of Germany offered him by the pope, and accompanied his brother to the Holy Land, where he conducted himself with great valor. He fell in the battle of Massourah.

1574. GEOFFREY VALLEE, a French writer, author of Béatitude des Chrétiens, which drew upon him the censure of the inquisition, burnt at Paris.

1587. MARY STUART, queen of Scots, beheaded in the great hall of Fotheringay castle, at the age of 44. She was the daughter of James V, of Scotland. The misfortunes which it was the destiny of this beautiful and accomplished woman to undergo are well known. After an imprisonment of 19 years in England, she was brought to the scaffold on a conviction of conspiracy against the queen, Elizabeth.

1594. EDMUND BONNEFOY, a writer on oriental law, died at Geneva in Switzerland, at the age of 38. He was appointed professor in the university of Valence, in France, where he narrowly escaped assassination at the massacre of St. Bartholomews. He bore an excellent character, independent of his talents and learning.

1637. FERDINAND II of Germany, an enterprising monarch, died.

1664. MOSES AMYRAULT, an eminent French divine, died. He was a man of such remarkable benevolence, that he bestowed the whole of his salary upon the poor, without distinguishing between catholics and protestants.

1674. A resolution was adopted by the house of commons in England, that a standing army is a grievance; that the king should have no other guard than the militia.

1690. A party of about 300 French and Indians made an assault on Schenectady about 12 o'clock at night. The inhabitants were taken by surprise, and 60 men, women and children massacred, and the town destroyed. They took 27 prisoners, the remainder of the inhabitants fled to Albany, nearly naked through a deep snow, of whom 25 lost their limbs from the severity of the frost.

1716. Earthquake in Peru.

1724. PETER I, emperor of Russia, died.

1727. GEORGE SEWELL died; an English dramatic poet, physician and miscellaneous writer.

1750. An earthquake in London.

1750. AARON HILL, a celebrated dramatic and miscellaneous writer in the time of Garrick, died.

1752. GASPER DE REAL died at Paris, author of a valuable work on government.

1772. The princess dowager of Wales died in her 53d year. She is said to have given the peculiar tone to the first years of her son's administration by her laconic exhortation "George be king."

1779. MOSES ALLEN, chaplain to the Georgia brigade, was drowned in attempting to escape from a British prison ship. He was a native of Northampton, Mass.; his age 31.

1807. Battle of Preussish Eylau, between the French army of 90,000 under Bonaparte, and 60,000 Russians under Benningsen. The battle commenced at the dawn of day. At noon a storm arose, which drifted the snow in the eyes of the Russians. The contest ended at 10 o'clock at night, when each army, after 14 hours hard fighting, occupied the same position as in the morning. Twelve of Napoleon's eagles were in the hands of Benningsen, and the field between was strewed with 50,000 dead, dying and wounded. The Russians finally retreated, leaving 15,000 prisoners in the hands of the French.

1815. The congress of Vienna determined to abolish slavery.

1817. FRANCIS HORNER died, aged 39. He was distinguished alike for his spirited report of the bullion committee, and his rich contributions to the Edinburgh Review.

1819. JOHN DAVID ACKERBLAD died; a Swedish scholar, who distinguished himself by his researches in Runic, Phœnician, Coptic and Hieroglyphic literature.

1820. CHARLES JUSTUS GRUNER, a Prussian police officer, died. He was an active opponent of Napoleon during the whole of his career, and was finally imprisoned to appease the French. After the second fall of Bonaparte he was made Prussian director of the police for Paris and the environs, in which capacity he counteracted with great decision and dexterity, the cunning of Fouche, who employed every means to retain the works of art which had been collected at Paris. He wrote several valuable works on subjects connected with politics and the police.

1820. ROBERT COWLEY, an African, died at Richmond, Va., aged 125. He had been for many years door-keeper to the Capitol of Virginia, which office was bestowed upon him as a reward for revolutionary services.

1827. WILLIAM MITFORD, an eminent historical and philosophical writer, died. He is best known as the author of a popular history of Greece.

1842. Great earthquake at the Windward islands. Point Petre, in Guadaloupe, totally destroyed, and 10,000 lives lost. It extended over 46 degrees of latitude.

1851. NICHOLAS VAN SITTART, a British statesman, died, aged 85.

1856. M. CHACORNAC discovered the thirty-ninth asteroid.

FEBRUARY 9.

1450. AGNES SOREL died. She was the mistress of Charles VII, of France, distinguished for her beauty, strength of mind, and the influence she possessed over the king, whom she incited to deeds of glory.

1547. HENRY VIII was succeeded on the throne of England by his only son, Edward VI, in the ninth year of his age, who was crowned with great state at Westminster.

1555. JOHN HOOPER bishop of Gloucester, burnt. He was a dissenter in the time of Mary, and refusing to recant his opinions, was burnt in the city of Gloucester, and suffered death with admirable constancy.

1555. ROWLAND TAYLOR burnt at Hadleigh, in England, for resisting the establishment of papal worship in his church. Great efforts were made to induce him to recant, which he firmly rejected, and proceeded on his way to the stake with great courage and apparent unconcern. During the burning he stood without crying or moving, till one of the executioners struck him on the head with a halberd, when his corpse fell down into the fire.

1577. PHILIBERT DE LORME, an eminent French architect and antiquary, died. He left several works on architecture greatly esteemed.

1636. PHILEMON HOLLAND died at Coventry, England. He was a laborious translator of the Greek and Latin authors.

1660. The gates and portcullis, of London destroyed by Monk, who soon discovered his error.

1670. FREDERICK III, of Denmark, died. He succeeded his father, Christian IV, and improved the condition of his people by making them more independent of the nobles; the crown he also made hereditary.

1671. A speech on the enormous subsidies granted to Charles II, by Lord Lucas; though delivered in the king's presence, it was published, and burned by the common hangman.

1674. The city of New York surrendered to the British by the Dutch governor, Anthony Colve.

1674. Treaty of peace between England and the States General.

1675. The French fleet, under the duke of Vivonne, of 9 men-of-war and several fire ships, defeated the Spanish blockading fleet at Messina, and entered that port in triumph.

1680. J. CLAUDE DABLON, a Jesuit missionary in Canada, died. He contributed the two last volumes of the Relacions, which were sent to Europe; valuable for the geographical information they contain.

1734. PETER POLINIERE died at Coulonces in France. He was a mathematician, philosopher and chemist, and the first who read lectures on those sciences at Paris.

1751. HENRY FRANCIS D'AGUESSEAU, a French statesman, died. At the early age of 21 he was appointed to the office of advocate-general, ten years after solicitor general, and finally, in 1717, succeeded to the chancellorship. He retired from this office 1750, at the age of 82, when an annuity of about $25,000 was settled upon him. Voltaire pronounced him the most learned magistrate that France ever produced. His published speeches and pleadings form 13 quarto volumes.

1752. FREDERICK HASSELQUIST, a Swedish botanist and natural historian, died at Smyrna.

1765. The peruke makers, distressed that people wore their own hair, and that foreigners were employed, petitioned the king for redress. But the populace, not seeing the consistency of being compelled to take off their hair while the peruke makers wore their own, rose upon them, and cut it off.

1767. HUBERT DROUAIS died; a painter of Normandy, who by pencil raised himself from obscurity to fame and opulence.

1773. JOHN GREGORY, an eminent physician of Edinburgh, died. He taught that the medical art, to be generally admired and respected, needed only to be better known; and that the affectation of concealment retarded its progress, rendered it a suspicious art, and tended to draw ridicule and disgrace on its profession. His writings are spirited and elegant; among them A Father's Legacy to his Daughter is well known and appreciated.

1778. Two clergymen having preached in a chapel in Clerkenwell street, London, without leave of the bishop, were prosecuted, and the chapel shut by a writ of monition.

1779. WILLIAM BOYCE died; an eminent English musician and composer, chiefly of sacred pieces.

1782. BENJAMIN MARTIN died in London; one of the most celebrated mathematicians and opticians of the age in which he lived.

1795. FERDINAND III of Austria recognized the French republic, and made peace with it. This was the first power that acknowledged the new dynasty.

1795. The first parliament opened in Corsica, then subject to England.

1795. Treaty of peace signed between France and Tuscany.

1799. A naval action between the United States frigate Constellation, 36 guns, Capt. Truxton, and the French frigate Insurgent, 48 guns and 410 men. The engagement resulted in the capture of the Frenchman in one hour and a quarter. French loss, 29 killed, 44 wounded; American, 1 killed, 2 wounded. This was the first opportunity offered to an American frigate to engage an enemy of superior force.

1799. British ship Dedalus, captured the French frigate La Prudente in 57 minutes. French lost 27 killed, 22 wounded; British had 2 killed, 12 wounded.

1801. Definite treaty of Luneville signed.

1810. The French occupied Zafra in Estramadura.

1811. NEVIL MASKELYNE died at London, aged 79. This eminent mathematician and astronomer ardently devoted a long life to science, and mariners owe to his discoveries the method of finding the longitude at sea by lunar observations.

1815. CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN died. In scriptural erudition he had very few superiors. Deeply versed in oriental literature, he conceived the plan of giving every man to read the scriptures in his own tongue, and died while superintending an edition of the Bible in the Syriac language.

1834. BENJAMIN B. WISNER, a distinguished Calvinistic clergyman, of Boston, and for several years secretary to the A. B. C. F. M. died.

1845. JOB PALMER, one of the fathers of the city of Charleston, S. C., and a worthy of the revolution, died, aged nearly 98.

1849. On account of revolutionary movements the grand duke of Tuscany fled from Florence. The glorious Roman republic proclaimed.

FEBRUARY 10.

1024. ABDURRAHMAN IV, sultan of Cordova, dethroned by a relative and put to death. He was a patron of science, which he cultivated with success, and a poet.

1306. JOHN COMYN murdered by Robert Bruce in the convent of the minorite friars. They were rival nobles, who had recently settled their differences, and agreed upon a revolt from the dominion of England. Comyn had treacherously revealed the matter to Edward. Bruce hastened to accuse him of it, and after some altercation struck him with his dagger, and he was immediately despatched by Bruce's attendants.

1402. WALLERAN, count of St. Pol, issued against Henry IV, of England, his famous cartel of defiance.

1519. HERNANDO CORTEZ sailed from Cuba for the conquest of Mexico. His armament consisted of 11 ships, 508 soldiers and 109 mariners. This force was divided into 16 cavalry, 13 musketeers, 10 brass field pieces, 4 falconets, and 32 crossbows. This miniature army was destined to oppose more than 500,000 warriors before it reached the capital of the great Montezuma.

1539. JOHN STEPHEN DURANTI killed. He was the first president of the parliament of Toulouse; and made himself conspicuous by his efforts to preserve that city from the plague of 1538. He was killed by a mob.

1567. HENRY STUART, Lord Darnley, murdered, aged 21. The house in which he lay sick was blown up, it is supposed with the privity of his wife, Mary queen of Scots, by her favorite, the earl of Bothwell. Darnley had murdered Rizzio, the queen's musician, before her own eyes, whose blood was thus avenged. Mary perished on the scaffold, and Bothwell was taken by the Norwegians, and died insane after ten years' imprisonment.

1640. DE VRIES commenced a plantation about four miles above the fort at New Amsterdam, and complains that the director of the West India company had failed to send him people for his colony on Staten island, as had been agreed upon.

1658. GERARD LANGBAINE, an English writer, died. He acquired literary celebrity by his edition of Longinus.

1676. Attack on Lancaster, Mass., by the Indians under Pocanoket. The village contained 60 families; most of the houses that were not garrisoned were burnt; and the house of the clergyman, although defended by a competent number of inhabitants, was fired by the Indians, the women and children carried away, and the men either killed on the spot or reserved for further misery. Mrs. Rowlandson and her children, the family of the clergyman, were afterwards redeemed. The town was saved from entire ruin by the appearance of a company of 40 men from Marlborough.

1676. ALEXEI MICHAELOWITZ, czar of Russia, died. He was father of Peter the Great; distinguished for his wars, his munificence, and his improvements in the state.

1680. A great comet, which had alarmed the inhabitants of New England since the 18th November, disappeared. It was also observed in Europe, and Henault says that it was the largest which had ever been seen, and struck terror into the minds of the people of France. It was by the observation of this comet that Newton ascertained the parabolic form of the trajectory of comets, and demonstrated their orbits. This discovery contributed to the removal of those terrors with which the phenomenon had always been attended, in all ages, and among all nations, who viewed it as the presage of some direful event.

1686. WILLIAM DUGDALE, an eminent English antiquary and historian, died.

1689. ISAAC VOSSIUS, a German scholar, died. He is the author of various learned works in German, and edited several Latin and Greek works. In 1670 he visited England, was admitted to the degree of LL. D., and presented to a canonry at Windsor by Charles II, who afterwards took occasion to say that he was a strange divine, for he believed every thing but the Bible.

1711. RICHARD DUKE died. He was a poet of some credit in the last century, and by Dr. Johnson included among the classics.

1743. British sloop Squirrel captured the Spanish ship Pierre Joseph, with 195,000 pieces of eight on board and a valuable cargo of cochineal, indigo, &c.

1747. THOMAS CHUBB died. He was bred a glover, but when he arrived at the age of manhood, devoted great attention to the sciences and divinity, and gained great celebrity by a work on the latter subject.

1755. CHARLES DE SECONDAT, Baron Montesquieu, an illustrious Frenchman, died. His Spirit of Laws has immortalized his name.

1763. Treaty of peace signed at Paris between France, Spain and Great Britain, by which the latter retained possession of Canada and Florida, besides many important islands in the West Indias, and along the coast, which had been recently captured by the British.

1773. JAMES FORTHON died at Grenada, one of the West India islands, aged 127.

1775. Lord NORTH, the prime minister, introduced a bill to restrain the trade and commerce of the New England states, which finally passed by a large majority on the 30th.

1783. JAMES NARES, a celebrated English musical composer, died. His anthems manifest great power of genius, and with his other works will perpetuate his name, and ever rank him with the first of his profession.

1786. JOHN CADWALLADER, an officer of the revolution, died, aged 44. He commanded the Pennsylvania troops, and was in several important engagements as a volunteer; he enjoyed the confidence and esteem of Washington.

1786. Cardinal DE SOLIS died, aged 110. He was a native of Andalusia in Spain, and at the time of his death was in the enjoyment of every faculty but strength and quickness of hearing.

1787. CHARLES CHAUNCEY, a Boston divine, died. He was eminent for learning, independence and attachment to the civil and religious liberty of his country. His productions are numerous.

1790. The celebrated chess-player PHILLODOR won two games which he played with skilled players while he was blind folded. The moves being made by his directions.

1794. The British under Admiral Jarvis took Pigeon island, Martinique.

1795. The English garrison at Bergen-op-Zoom disarmed and sent prisoners to France. The French also took Groningen the same day.

1795. The tower of Martello in Corsica taken by the British under Admiral Hood.

1797. The French pillaged Loretto, a fortified town in Italy. The soldiers entered the cathedral which contains the holy house, in which it is said the Virgin Mary lived at Nazareth, and laid their republican hands upon the madonna, the famous Lady of Loretto, which they found standing upon an altar, in a niche of silver, surrounded by numerous gold and silver lamps, and adorned with jewels. She was sent to Paris.

1799. BONAPARTE set out from Cairo on his disastrous expedition to Syria.

1802. Port au Paix in Hayti taken by the French. The blacks set it on fire and blew up two forts.

1803. JEAN FRANCOIS DE LA HARPE, an eminent French orator, critic, poet and dramatic writer, died.

1804. His catholic majesty, CHARLES IV, renounced his protest against the alienation by France of Louisiana to the United States.

1807. Bill for abolishing the British slave trade passed the house of lords.

1808. Russia declared war against Sweden.

1809. Portugal invaded by the French under Soult.

1809. GEORGE ZOEGA, a celebrated Danish antiquary, died.

1818. THOMAS MORRIS, a British officer, died, aged 74. He fought by the side of Montgomery in Canada during the French war, was taken by the Indians, and narrowly escaped burning at the stake. On quitting the army he published an account of his captivity, and in the retirement of a small cottage passed some years in the pursuits of literature.

1841. Union of Upper and Lower Canada; Lord Sydenham taking the oath of office as governor of the united provinces.

1852. Gold medal presented to Henry Clay at Washington by New York friends.

1854. Gen. HERRERA, ex-president of the republic of Mexico, died. He was one of the veterans of the war of independence, and as a statesman, had given proofs of the loftiest patriotism and disinterestedness.

1856. President RIVAS decreed the annexation of the whole Mosquito territory to Nicaragua.

FEBRUARY 11.

641. HERACLIUS, emperor of the East, died. He was the son of a governor of Africa, conspired against Phocas, whom he beheaded, and ascended the throne of Constantinople.

1225. HENRY III subscribed the great charter of English liberties, which was witnessed by 13 bishops, 20 abbots, and 32 earls and barons.

1451. AMURATH II, emperor of the Ottomans, died. He was the first Turk who used cannon in battle.

1502. ELIZABETH of York, queen of Henry VII, died in childbirth, in the tower of London, on her birth day, aged 36. She married Henry in 1486, by which the antagonist houses of York and Lancaster were united.

1503. JAMES TYRELL supposed to be one of the murderers of Edward V, executed as a traitor. He is said to have confessed his agency in the death of both the young princes.

1543. An alliance was formed between Henry VIII of England, and the emperor Charles V.

1573. DRAKE the navigator was conducted by the Symerons to a tree notched with steps, which served them for a watch tower, and from the summit of which he had a view of the two oceans, one of which no English vessel had ever yet navigated.

1650. RENE DESCARTES, a celebrated French philosopher and mathematician, died, aged 54. His superior intellect early manifested itself. He embraced the military profession, and served in various countries, the better to make observations and form satisfactory conclusions on scientific subjects. He finally settled in Holland, where during the last 20 years of his life, the greater part of his works were written. It is said of him that he extended the limits of geometry as far beyond the place where he found them, as Sir Isaac Newton did after him.

1659. FRANCIS OSBORNE died; an English writer of great abilities.

1733. JOHN PERRY, a celebrated English engineer, died. He was patronized by czar Peter of Russia, of which country he wrote a history.

1761. A usurer fined at Guildhall, London, £300 for having exacted six guineas to discount £100 for six weeks.

1763. PETER CARLET DE MARIVEAUX, a French romancer, died. The great characteristic of his works, is to convey a useful moral under the veil of wit and sentiment.

1763. WILLIAM SHENSTONE died, aged 50. His father was a gentleman farmer, who cultivated a moderate estate, called the Leasowes, which were rendered celebrated by the taste of the son. Having finished his studies, and come into possession of the paternal property, he gave himself up to rural embellishments and the cultivation of poetry. He wrote for fame, which was not awarded him by his cotemporaries and he died broken hearted. "He was a lamp that spent its oil in blazing." His principal poem is The Schoolmistress.

1771. JEAN DE BEAURAIN died; a French negotiator and geographer. He was made geographer to Louis XV at the age of 25.

1771. JOHN BURTON, a learned English divine, died, leaving some ingenious writings, collected under the title of Opuscula Miscellanea.

1780. The British under Sir Henry Clinton landed in St. John's Island, about 30 miles from Charleston, S. C.

1793. Great Britain issued letters of marque and reprisal against France.

1797. FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT LEE, one of the signers of the declaration of independence, and a brave officer in the American revolution, died at Richmond, Va., aged 63.

1807. Revolution in St. Domingo, in which a profusion of blood was shed.

1810. The spire and part of the tower of St. Nicholas' church at Liverpool, fell through the roof and killed several in the church.

1811. Battle of Laffesat, in which the Prussians defeated the Turks, after a sanguinary contest.

1814. Battle of Montmirail between the French under Bonaparte, and the Russians under D'Yorck.

1815. Fort Boyer, Mobile, with a garrison of 375, surrendered to 5,000 British under Lambert, with a fleet of 13 ships of the line and 25 smaller vessels. Col. Lawrence received a wound, and seeing that it was useless to contend against such odds, struck his flag. British loss 31; American 10.

1821. ADAM WALKER died. He was apprenticed to a weaver; but ultimately became a lecturer on philosophy, which he adopted as a profession, and traveled in England for the purpose of lecturing on that science.

1827. JOSE MARIA ABRANTES, a Portuguese nobleman died in exile. He was the friend of Don Miguel, of infamous memory.

1828. DE WITT CLINTON died at his residence in Albany, aged 59. He was born in the town of Little Britain, Orange county, N. Y., 1769, and educated for the bar. He was at an early age elected to a seat in the legislature, and continued to hold offices of honor and emolument until the day of his death, at which time he was governor of the state of New York. It is to his perseverance in a great measure, that we owe the construction of the Erie canal. As a public character he is entitled to durable renown, and no one was ever more ambitious of a reputation for science and literature.

1837. JOHN LATHAM, an eminent English naturalist and ornithologist, died, aged 97. He was one of the founders of the Linnean society, and commenced the publication of his last work at the age of 82.

1844. HENRY KIFER, a soldier of the revolution, died at North Woodbury, Pa., aged 110½ years.

1856. CAROLINE LEE HENTZ, a well known American novelist, died.

FEBRUARY 12.

590. PELAGIUS II, pope of Rome, died. In his time a plague raged at Rome of so strange a nature, that persons seized with it died sneezing and gaping.

1401. WILLIAM SAWTRY, a Lollard, condemned and burned to death at London for heresy.

1448. A general poll tax of 6d. with 6s. 8d. on every merchant stranger, and 20d. on their clerks, granted by parliament to Henry VI.

1542. CATHARINE HOWARD, fifth wife of Henry VIII, beheaded. The execution of this ungrateful woman excited no commiseration, as she had been the principal instrument in the accusations against Anne Boleyn, her predecessor.

1554. JANE GREY beheaded, at the age of 17. She was the daughter of Mary, youngest sister of Henry VIII, and a woman of uncommon beauty, talents and learning, for her years, to which she added great amiability of disposition, and fortitude of mind. Her disastrous fate created an extraordinary interest in her favor, which has continued unabated. "Good Christian people, you come here to see me die; not for any thing I have offended, for I will deliver to my God a soul as pure from trespass, as innocence from injustice."

1589. BLANCHE PERRY died, chief gentlewoman to Queen Elizabeth, and a great lover of antiquities, besides a very tasteful writer.

1640. WILLIAM ALEXANDER, Lord Stirling, died; a dramatic poet and statesman in the time of James and Charles I. His poetry, for purity and elegance, is far beyond the generality of the productions of the age in which he lived.

1660. General MONK, now reconciled to the citizens of London, drew up his forces in Finsbury fields, makes an apology which is the signal of rejoicing. Burning lamps the principal pastime.

1689. The parliament of England chose William and Mary king and queen.

1706. Battle of Fraustadt, in Prussia, in which the Saxons and Muscovites under Gen. Schullemberg, were defeated by the Swedes under Marshall Renschild.

1733. The colony of Savannah commenced, under Gen. Oglethorpe. This was the first settlement in Georgia.

1744. The elector of Bavaria chosen emperor of Germany under the title of Charles VII.

1746. Birthday of THADDEUS KOSCIUSKO, the Polish warrior.

1757. Peace concluded between the English and Sourajah Dowlah.

1771. ADOLPHUS FREDERICK II, king of Denmark, died. He was the founder of the academy of belles-lettres at Torneo.

1782. The British surrendered the island of St. Christophers to the French, under the marquis de Bouille.

1787. JOSEPH ROGER BOSCOVICH, an Italian mathematician, died at Milan. He was also an elegant poet.

1789. GABRIEL BROTIER died at Paris; an illustrious and amiable Frenchman, and one of the most distinguished ornaments of the belles-lettres in that country.

1792. Battle on the plain of Morocco, between Yezid and Ishem, two brothers, contesting for the throne. The forces of the latter, about 30,000, were defeated by about half the number under the former. Both commanders were badly wounded. Ishem lost 1,300 killed, and 800 prisoners, who were all put to death by being nailed to the walls and floors and left without food.

1793. JOHN MANLEY died, aged 60. He was appointed by Washington a captain in the navy, was very successful in his captures, but was finally taken prisoner by the British and confined in the Mill prison.

1797. ANTHONY D'AUVERGNE died at Lyons. He was director of the opera at Paris, and an eminent composer.

1799. LAZARUS SPALLANZANI, an Italian writer, died. He is considered as one of the greatest naturalists of that age.

1802. A messenger from England to lord Cornwallis was attacked by two wolves near Boulogne, which tore off the lips of his horses.

1804. IMMANUEL KANT, a Prussian metaphysician, died. He was the son of a harness maker in the suburbs of Koningsberg. He continued by persevering industry to obtain a good education, and at the age of 22 successfully attacked the doctrines of the most eminent metaphysicians of the day. He was an original and profound thinker, as his numerous works attest: and his philosophy has been taught in all the German universities except some Catholic ones.

1807. Battle of Marienwerder, in Polish Prussia, in which the Prussians were defeated by the French under Lefebre.

1808. Remarkable duel at Bonnau, in Austria, between the Bavarian general Von Wrede, and a former Swedish minister, Von Duben. It was occasioned by the latter having cast reflections upon the Bavarian troops in 1805, in his dispatches to the Swedish government, and was fought in presence of a vast number of people.

1810. Badajos in Spain summoned to surrender by the French marshal, Mortier. The governor returned the summons unopened.

1814. Battle of Chateau Thierry, between the French and Russians, in which the general of the latter, Fredenrich, was taken prisoner.

1814. General WILKINSON burned his barracks at French Mills.

1817. Battle of Chacabuco, in Chili, in which the patriots under San Martin and O'Higgins, gained a decisive victory over the Spaniards under Maroto. This, with the victory of Maypu, which occurred afterwards, achieved the independence of the country.

1826. DEODATUS BYE, died. He edited Cruden's Concordance, Diversions of Purley, &c. Some fugitive pieces in the Gentleman's Magazine bear his signature.

1831. Great solar eclipse (annular), visible in most parts of the United States.

1832. The cholera made its appearance in London.

1834. FREDERICK SCHLIERMACHER, a celebrated Prussian divine, died. He was professor of theology at Halle, and distinguished for the energy of his character and the extent of his acquirements.

1837. EDWARD TURNER, professor of chemistry, London, died, aged 40. He was an eminent chemist, a popular and much esteemed professor, and a very exemplary and benevolent character.

1840. ASTLEY PASTON COOPER, a highly distinguished English surgeon, died at London, aged 72. He was one of the first operators of his time, and carried on a practice unexampled for extent and emolument in the annals of surgery. His income from his practice was nearly one hundred thousand dollars per annum. In one instance he received a fee of one thousand guineas for an operation for the stone.

1855. The island of Cuba declared by the captain-general to be in a state of siege, and the coasts and circumjacent waters in blockade.

FEBRUARY 13.

This day was kept by the Jews as a fast, instituted by Esther in memorial of the day appointed by Haman for the extirpation of her countrymen. The same day was afterwards decreed as a feast for the death of Nicanor, the Syrian captain, who was slain at Bethhoron, B. C. 161.

1098. London bridge carried away by a flood and tax imposed to erect another.

1570. BENVENUTO CELLINI, a Florentine sculptor, engraver and goldsmith, died. His works in gold and silver are sold now at immense prices. In his autobiography, which has been translated, he claims to have aimed the balls which killed the constable of Bourbon, and the prince of Orange, at the siege of Rome.

1579. JOHN FOWLER, an eminent English printer, died at Louvain, in Belgium, where he had a press and issued various controversial treatises, leveled at protestantism. He was well skilled in languages, a tolerable poet and orator, a theologist not to be contemned, and well versed in criticism, and polite literature.

1585. ALPHONSUS SALMERON, of Toledo, died. He wrote commentaries on the scriptures, was a zealous follower of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits and distinguished for his learning.

1602. ALEXANDER NOWELL, an English divine, died. His Catechism, published 1572, was in extensive use and much admired.

1662. ELIZABETH, queen of Bohemia, and eldest daughter of James I, of England, died and was buried in Henry VII's chapel.

1689. Revolution in England; William, prince of Orange, and the princess Mary, a daughter of the abdicating monarch, were proclaimed, by the lords and commons, sovereigns of England. (Holmes says 16th.)

1694. The highland massacre at Glencoe, in Scotland.

1699. The government of England sent an order to the play-houses that nothing should be enacted contrary to religion or good manners.

1726. WILLIAM WATTON died; an English divine, critic, historian, and miscellaneous writer of great learning.

1727. The British under Col. Campbell precipitately evacuated Augusta, Georgia, in the night.

1727. The Spaniards under the marquis de la Torras, commenced the siege of Gibraltar. This was the twelfth siege, and proved unsuccessful.

1727. COTTON MATHER died at Boston, aged 65. He was the most learned man in America, and one of the most superstitious. His achievements in one year were 72 sermons, 60 fasts, 20 vigils and 14 books. His publications amounted to 382, some of them being of large dimensions. The Magnalia is his chef d'œuvre. He lived in the age of witchcraft, and fell in with the delusion, hand, heart and pen.

1752. SAMUEL CROXALL, an English author and translator of good repute, died.

1781. A troop of Tarleton's dragoons, under Capt. Miller, were cut to pieces by Lieut. Col. Lee: the captain and all were taken, except two; 18 were killed. Lee had ordered his Lieut. Lewis, to give no quarters, on account of Miller's having refused quarter to Lee's bugler, an unarmed boy, whom they had overtaken and sabred. Lee halted his men at a farm, was suddenly come upon by the advance of Cornwallis, but escaped by a sudden and bold movement.

1784. JEREMIAH MILES died; an eminent English divine and antiquary. He was ardently engaged in the Chattertonian controversy, and the author of the supposed Rowley's poems.

1787. CHARLES GRAVIER, count de Vergennes, a French statesman, died. As secretary of state for foreign affairs to Louis XVI, he assisted the Americans in their struggle for independence.

1789. ETHAN ALLEN, an officer in the revolutionary army, died. He took Ticonderoga and Crown-Point; was himself captured near Montreal, sent to England, and after experiencing much cruelty, exchanged. He sustained the character of an infidel, and in his writings ridiculed the scriptures.

1790. The French convention abolished monastic establishments, and confiscated their lands. (See Jan. 16.)

1794. The French convention ratified the treaty of peace with the grand duke of Tuscany.

1794. The canal of Merthyr Tydvil, in Wales, opened, another great improvement.

1798. CHRISTIAN FREDRICK SCHWARTZ, an eminent German missionary to Hindostan, died. His labors were of nearly half a century's duration, and had a great influence over the affairs of the country.

1801. British frigate Success, 40 guns, captured by a French squadron.

1805. Action between the British ship St. Fiorenza and the French frigate Psyche, 36 guns, and the prize ship Thetis, which resulted in the capture of the two latter. French loss 57 killed and 70 wounded; British 12 k., 36 w.

1814. General WILKINSON burned his boats in Salmon river, and broke up cantonment at French mills; Gen. Brown went to Sacketts harbor, and Gen. Macomb to Plattsburg; the snow being 2 feet 10 inches deep.

1817. GEORGE ROGERS CLARKE died; an officer in the service of Virginia against the Indians in the revolutionary war, where he distinguished himself greatly, and was for some time the protector of the people of the frontiers of Virginia and Pennsylvania against the inroads of the tribes.

1817. The elegant sword voted by the state of New York to Com. McDonough, was presented to him at Hartford.

1820. CHARLES FERDINAND duc de Berri, assassinated. He was the youngest son of Charles X., a man of talents and intrepidity, and popular with the army. His assassin was actuated to the deed by a desire to exterminate the Bourbon family, which he had vowed to accomplish, and had begun with the duke, in whom the line was to be perpetuated. (See July 7, Louvel.)

1833. STANISLAUS PONIATOWSKI died at Florence. He was a nephew of Stanislaus Augustus, the last king of Poland. Having defended the interests of his country with manly eloquence in the diet of Poland, he retired to Florence, and was noted as a liberated patron of the arts and literature. This prince was the first who set the example of a useful and glorious reform by emancipating the serfs of his extensive domains.

1840. WILHELM WILLINK, a friend of Washington and of the United States, died at Amsterdam, aged 91. He furnished the first loan to the colonies after their revolt from the British dominion.

1843. Gen. ROBERT PORTERFIELD died at Augusta county, Va., aged 90. He served in the Revolutionary army.

1843. ISAAC HULL, a distinguished American commodore, died, aged 68.

FEBRUARY 14.

1543. The parliament of Paris caused the Institutiones Religionis Christianæ of Calvin, to be publicly burned at Paris.

1554. BRETT the commander of the London train bands with 58 others, hanged for joining with sir Thos. Wyatt and his Kentish men, who tried to resist the Spanish influence.

1623. The floor of Black friars' church broke down while the people were at mass, killing 100.

1668. LOUIS XIV took Dole, in Franche Compte.

1696. English assassination plot to favor the interests of James II, discovered by Pendergrass.

1713. ANTHONY ASHLEY COOPER, earl of Shaftsbury, and author of the Characteristics, died. He was grandson of the earl who figured so conspicuously in the reign of Charles II; and possessed a spirit of liberty which displayed itself in his political character throughout his life, and by which he uniformly directed his conduct on all occasions.

1713. WILLIAM HARRISON, an elegant English poet, died.

1737. CHARLES TALBOT, an eminent English statesman and chancellor, died.

1756. Three hundred recruits sailed from New York for the army, under the command of Gov. Shirley, quartered at Albany; the river being free of ice.

1760. ISAAC HAWKINS BROWNE died. One of the most popular productions of this ingenious poet, is his Pipe of Tobacco, in imitation of Cibber, Ambrose, Philips, Thompson, Young, Pope and Swift, who were all living.

1762. Martinique and the other Caribee islands delivered up to the British under Monkton and Rodney, by the French governor, M. de la Touche. The entire reduction of Martinique was effected with the loss of 107 killed and 150 wounded. The French lost 1000 of their best men. Before its reduction the island could raise 10,000 white inhabitants fit to bear arms and 40,000 negroes.

1764. PETER RESTAUT died; an advocate at Paris, distinguished for his learning and integrity.

1764. Mr. WILLIAMS a printer was put in the pillory for republishing the North Briton, No. 45, at London. But the spectators made a contribution for him of over 200 guineas.

1779. JAMES COOK, the English navigator, killed by the natives of Owhyhee. He was born 1728, of indigent parentage; entered the royal navy in 1755; had the command of a vessel sent against Quebec 1759, after the capture of which he assisted at the taking of Newfoundland. After making several voyages for scientific purposes, he sailed in 1776 on his grand enterprise for the discovery of a northwest passage, during which he met his fate.

1779. Battle of Cherokee Ford, in which Col. Pickens attacked and defeated a body of tories, killed 39 of them and their leader, Col. Boyd, and took about 70 prisoners. Of the last 5 only were executed. Pickens lost 9 killed.

1780. WILLIAM BLACKSTONE died. He was born in London, 1723, and was called to the bar 1746. In 1765 he published the first volume of his Commentaries on the laws of England, a production by which his name will descend to all posterity. His private character is said to have been exceedingly mild and amiable, and he was throughout life assiduously addicted to business.

1780. A Russian manifesto announced the coalition called the "armed neutrality," formed on the basis that free trade makes free goods.

1781. The American army under Gen. Greene, which had continued to retreat since the battle of the Cowpens, crossed the Dan, leaving the whole of North Carolina in the hands of the enemy. So close was the pursuit, that the van of the British reached the river, as the rear of the continentals had crossed, after a march of 40 miles that day.

1782. The island of Nevis surrendered to the French, under count de Grasse.

1785. KIENLONG, emperor of China, made a feast for the ancients of his kingdom. Those who had attained 100 years, received 50 bushels of rice and 2 pieces of silk; those who had reached 90 years, received 30 bushels rice and 2 pieces of inferior silk, and others in the same proportion, down to 50 years. Presents, to a large amount, were also made to the poor throughout the empire. He likewise exempted all the people from taxes that year, which was the 50th of his reign. On the occasion of the feast, 3000 aged men of quality sat down to it, and the emperor sat at the head of the table to do the honors.

1793. BRASS CROSBY died. He rose from a humble attorney to be lord mayor of London. Being implicated in some difficulties with the printers, in 1771, and stoutly avowing his partialities, he was sent to the tower, notwithstanding the dignity of his office; but his liberation was attended with great marks of respect and attention from the citizens.

1797. Action between the Spanish fleet of 27 sail and 12 frigates, admiral Langara, off St. Vincent, and the British under Admiral Jervis, 15 ships and 6 frigates. Four of the Spanish ships were captured, (two of 112 guns each) and the remainder completely defeated. British loss, 300 killed and wounded; Spanish loss 603.

1808. JOHN DICKINSON, an American political writer, died. He practiced law in Philadelphia until 1765; was deputed to attend the first congress at New York, and prepared the draft of the bold resolutions of that congress. He opposed the Declaration of Independence, believing that compromise was still practicable; but soon after entered into it with ardor. His public services were eminent.

1814. Battle of Vauchamp, between the French and Russians, in which the latter were defeated. At 8 in the evening Marmont attacked and defeated the Russians at Etoges, who lost 9 cannon and 1300 men killed.

1831. Insurrection at Paris in consequence of an attempt by the priests to celebrate a funeral mass for the duke de Berri. Several churches were destroyed or injured.

1831. GUERRERO, ex-president of Mexico, shot.

1834. JOHN SHORE, Lord Teignmouth, died, aged 82. He went to India in his youth, in the service of the East India company and succeeded Lord Cornwallis as governor, there. He returned to England 1798; and on the formation of the British and Foreign Bible society, he was chosen the first president, and held the office during life.

1843. Mr. JOHN MARTIN, aged 105, died at Augusta, Georgia. He came with a company of salt buyers to Georgia, under the direction of Oglethorpe.

1852. Dr. RAE, the arctic explorer, arrived at St. Paul, Minnesota, having returned from a search for Sir John Franklin, without discovering any trace of that ill-fated adventurer.

FEBRUARY 15.

Feast of Supercalia at Rome, in honor of the god Pan, the defender from wolves.

1564. Birthday of GALILEO GALILEI, at Pisa, in Italy.

1600. JOSEPH D'ACOSTA, the Spanish historian, died. He was born in Leon, 1539, and became remarkably efficient in literature and science at an early age. In 1571 he was despatched as a missionary to South America, where he remained till 1588. During his residence at Peru he wrote the Historia Natural y Moral de las Indias, which has been translated into nearly all the European languages, and is valuable for its information on the early condition of the continent.

1632. DUDLEY CARLETON, an English statesman and political writer, died.

1664. JOHN TWYNNE was convicted of high treason and executed. His offence was printing the matter called libelous written by Milton and others.

1682. CLAUDE DE LA COLOMBIERE, a famous Jesuit, died. He became very popular as a preacher before James II, of England, and was the inventor of "The Solemnity of the Heart of Jesus."

1694. BRADFORD paid for printing the first book in the city of New York.

1708. JOHN PHILLIPS, an elegant English poet, died, aged 32.

1730. THOMAS BRAY, an English divine, died. He made himself eminent by his unwearied attention to the practice of benevolence; many charitable societies and good designs in London are formed on plans which he projected.

1732. FRANCIS ATTERBURY died. He was the son of a parish rector, educated for the ministry, and made himself conspicuous by his eloquence as a preacher. His ambition was gratified by preferments, honors and emoluments, till, in the reign of Anne, 1713, he reached the seat of the bishop of Rochester, the acme of his greatness. On the accession of George I, his prospects began to wane; and being suspected of some treasonable acts, he was condemned to perpetual exile. He settled in Paris, and died there. His literary fame rests on his sermons, and his correspondence with Pope.

1763. Peace of Hubertsburg concluded at the electoral palace of that name, which concluded the seven years' war between Austria, Prussia and Poland.

1765. CHARLES ANDREW VANLOO, a highly distinguished French painter, died.

1766. JOHN HELLOT, a French philosophical writer, and distinguished chemist, died.

1781. GOTTHOLD EPHRAIM LESSING, one of the most distinguished German authors, died. He contributed more than any other individual to the regeneration of German literature, and was remarkable for the versatility of his genius.

1782. Battle off Fort St. George, East Indies, between the British under Admiral Hughes, and the French under Admiral Suffrein.

1784. SCIPIO BEXON died at Paris. He assisted Buffon in his natural history, and was also an author in his own name.

1788. GEORGE ANN BELLAMY, an English actress of the time of Garrick, died at Edinburgh, aged 55. She drew the attention of the town for a number of seasons, particularly when she played Juliet with Garrick at Drury-Lane, against Mrs. Cibber and Barry at Covent Garden. She published her own memoirs in 6 vols.

1794. JOHN FENN, a learned antiquary, died. He greatly distinguished himself by his application to the study of natural history and antiquities; and made a large collection of curious original letters, written during the fifteenth century, which were published in 4 vols. quarto.

1796. The British under Admiral Elphinstone, captured Colombo in the East Indies, which is at present the seat of the British government in the island of Ceylon.

1798. Rome declared a republic.

1801. Concordat between Bonaparte and Pius VII, for the reestablishment of religion in France, signed at Paris.

1804. A squadron of the East India company ships under Capt. Dance, convoying the China fleet, beat off in the China seas, the French ship Marengo, 80 guns, Admiral Linois, 2 heavy frigates, a corvette of 28 guns, and a Dutch brig of 18 guns.

1806. JOSEPH BONAPARTE entered Naples, upon the capitulation of the garrison, and was soon after chosen king.

1808. The king of Prussia renounced all connection, political and commercial, with Great Britain, in compliance with the treaty of Tilsit.

1810. Birthday of LOUIS XV, of France, under whose reign the corruption of morals and principles spread to an alarming extent among all classes, and were followed by a general poverty, national humiliation, and ruined finances, which prepared the way for the explosion that took place under his unfortunate successor.

1813. Battle of Pietra Nera, on the coast of Calabria, between the French and the Sicilians.

1814. Battle of Montmirail in France, between the French under Bonaparte and the Russians under Blucher, in which the former gained a small advantage after a hard contest.

1815. British sloop of war Barbados, captured the United States letter of marque brigantine Vidette, 3 guns, 30 men.

1817. Cold day throughout the United States; thermometer 8° below zero in Philadelphia, and 20° at Salem, Mass. Heavily laden teams crossed from Boston to Fort Independence.

1817. A wagon loaded with specie for the bank of Pennsylvania, overturned near Pittsburgh, and Thomas Wilson was killed by a box of coin falling upon him.

1818. FREDERICK LOUIS, prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen, a general in the Prussian service, died. He acquired distinction in the almost constant scene of war in Europe, from 1793 to 1806, and contributed greatly by his superior skill and valor to several important victories.

1820. WILLIAM ELLERY, one of the signers, expired in his chair while reading Cicero, aged 92. He was born at Newport, R. I.; graduated at Harvard in his 20th year; and practiced law at Newport until he was sent to the first congress. His house at Newport was burnt by the British. He had filled the office of collector of the customs since the term of Washington.

1826. SCIPIONE BREISLAK, an Italian geologist, died at Milan, universally regretted, both for his scientific merit and his personal qualities. His rich collection of minerals passed into the hands of the Borromeo family.

1832. The legislature of Maryland appropriated $200,000 for the removal of free blacks over the age of 18; and enacted penalties against the settlement of colored persons in that state.

1835. NATHAN DANE died at Beverly, Mass., aged 82. He was the framer of the celebrated ordinance of congress of 1787, for the government of the territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio river, an admirable code of constitutional law, by which the principles of free government, to the exclusion of slavery, were extended to an immense region, and its political and moral interests secured on a permanent basis.

1836. JOHN GILLIES, historiographer to the king for Scotland, died, aged 90; author of a popular history of Greece, besides many other valuable works.

1836. MARGARET BURGEOIS died, on Prince Edward Island, aged 110.

1836. FIESCHI and his accomplices, Pepin and Moray, who attempted to take the life of the French king by the explosion of an infernal machine, executed at Paris.

1840. HARRIETT CAMPBELL, a Scottish author of distinguished talents, died at Montrieux in Switzerland, aged 34.

1843. NATHANIEL CHIPMAN, some time justice of the supreme court of Massachusetts and a senator of the United States, died in the 91st year of his age. He was a vigorous writer.

FEBRUARY 16.

309. PAMPHILIUS, presbyter of Cæsarea, died. He was of an eminent family, of great wealth and extensive learning, and ardently devoted to the scriptures. He collected a library of 30,000 volumes, solely for the promotion of religion. Traces of this library still remain at Paris and elsewhere.

1009. ABDURRAHMAN, hajib, or chamberlain, of Hisham, king of Cordova, beheaded. He was entrusted with the civil and military powers of government, but aspiring to the throne itself, was destroyed by the people.

1279. ALONZO III of Portugal, died. From an exile in poverty he was raised to the throne by the pope, who had deposed his brother for attacking the immunities of the church.

1497. Birthday of PHILIP MELANCTHON, at Britten, in the palatinate of the Rhine His proper name was Schwartzerd (black-earth), but according to the custom of the learned of that time, he changed it into the Greek term for the same word, melancthon.

1510. The Portuguese under Alphonso Albuquerque entered Goa in Hindostan.

1532. RICHARD ROUSE, the bishop of Rochester's cook, poisoned the soup and caused the death of several persons. An act was immediately passed making poisoning treason, and the punishment boiling to death. Rouse was boiled.

1560. JOHN DU BELLAY, bishop of Paris, died. He was engaged as a negotiator between Henry VIII and the pope, with respect to the divorce of the former.

1639. TEIXEIRA having ascended the Amazon and arrived at Quito, reembarked on his return this day, in a fleet of 45 canoes, with 70 soldiers, and 1200 native rowers.

1656. Spain declared war against England.

1736. Owing to an unprecedented tide, the council at Westminster hall, London, were carried out in boats to their coaches.

1741. GEORGE RAPHAEL DONNER, an Austrian sculptor, died. His works, to be seen in many Austrian churches and palaces, are masterpieces.

1749. Great riot at the Hay Market, London, occasioned by the failure of a conjurer to leap, as he promised, into a quart bottle.

1754. RICHARD MEAD died, aged 81. He studied at the German universities at the same time its Bœrhaave, with whom he was intimate, and distinguished himself as a practitioner on his return to England. He introduced inoculation for small pox about the year 1720; his preliminary experiments were made upon condemned criminals. He did not live to see the great improvement by vaccination, introduced by Jenner.

1760. The Cherokees under Ocunnastota attacked Fort Prince George in Virginia, garrisoned by the British and Americans. The Indians were repulsed, and 20 hostages residing in the fort, and who attempted to rise on the garrison, were put to death.

1770. BRUCE, the traveler, entered Gondar, the capital of Abyssinia, and was introduced into the palace of the emperor.

1784. PETER MACQUER, a physician and chemist of great reputation, died at Paris.

1791. Herkimer and Otsego counties, N. Y., erected.

1792. MULEY YEZID, emperor of Morocco, died of wounds received in battle on the 12th; when an end was put to a scene of slaughter which had continued since the 6th, such as the city had seldom known. It was computed that 20,000 of every age and sex, were destroyed.

1794. Tioga county in New York erected.

1795. The stadtholdership abolished in Holland. The stadtholder, Prince William of Orange, was then in England.

1796. JOHN ROMILLY died at Paris. He was an ingenious mechanic and clockmaker at Geneva, and author of the articles on clockmaking in the Encyclopedie.

1796. AMBOYNA, the Dutch metropolis of the Moluccas, taken by the British under Admiral Rainer.

1798. STEPHEN CHARLES LOMENIE DE BRIENNE, archbishop and minister of state of France under Louie XVI, died. He early associated himself with the instigators of the revolution; but while he attempted to reduce the power and wealth of the monasteries, he was liberal in assisting those who were in need. Failing to keep pace with the ultra party, he was thrown into prison, where he died of ill treatment.

1802. TOUSSAINT L'OVERTURE and CHRISTOPHE, black generals of St. Domingo, declared rebels by the French general, Le Clerc.

1804. United States frigate Philadelphia burnt in the harbor of Tripoli. This splendid action was achieved in 15 minutes by 70 volunteers under Lieut. Stephen Decatur, in the ketch Intrepid, with the loss of 1 killed. Decatur was promoted, and a sword and thanks voted him.

1807. Battles of Rossega and Ostrolenka, between the French and Russians, in which the former were victorious in both instances.

1810. St. Martins surrendered to the British.

1812. Battle of Cartama in Spain; the French under Gen. Maransin defeated by the Spaniards, under Ballasteros.

1813. An elegant sword and thanks voted to Decatur and Biddle, by the legislature of Pennsylvania, for their distinguished gallantry and skill. They were presented to those officers at New London, on board their respective ships.

1826. LINDLEY MURRAY, the grammarian, died in England, aged 81. He was born in Pennsylvania, of quaker parentage, and studied law; but during the revolutionary war he turned merchant, and before its close acquired sufficient property to retire upon. He visited England for the benefit of his health, where he finally settled, about a mile from the city of York, and employed his leisure in the production of those works of education, which acquired such popularity as to have maintained their places more than forty years.

1826. The Liberia Herald appeared at Monrovia, the first paper printed in Africa. It was edited by Charles L. Force, from Boston, and like the early newspapers of New England, was printed on one side only.

1829. FRANCIS JOSEPH GOSSEC, an eminent music composer, died, aged 96. He was first attached to the cathedral at Antwerp; but in 1751 went to Paris, where he passed the remainder of his life, and acquired a reputation seldom surpassed.

1839. JAMES BOADEN, an English dramatic author and biographer, died, aged 70.

1843. Great land slide at Troy, N. Y.; 18 persons killed.

1852. Homeopathic college at Cleveland, Ohio, mobbed, and the windows and interior of the building destroyed, in consequence of the discovery of the remains of subjects which had been taken from the burial ground there.

1852. State lunatic asylum at Lexington, Ky., destroyed by fire, in which one of the inmates perished.

1853. GEORGE MANNERS died, aged 75; many years British consul at Boston, and author of several dramas of merit, and other poetical works.

1853. WILLIAM GIBBS MCNEIL died, aged 51; a military officer, who, during the Dorr excitement in Rhode Island, commanded the state troops, acting throughout with great prudence and judgment.

1853. The steamer Independence from San Juan del Sud to San Francisco, wrecked on Margaretta island, and also took fire, by which 140 lives were lost.

1854. The boiler of the Kate Kearney bursted at Louisville, Ky., killing and wounding a great number of people.

1856. JOHN STODDARD, an English author, died, aged 84. He for many years contributed leading articles to The Times newspaper, and was some time chief-justice of Malta.

1857. ELISHA K. KANE, the arctic explorer, died at Havana, Cuba.

FEBRUARY 17.

364. FLAVIUS CLAUD JOVIANUS, the Roman emperor, died at Dadastana, aged 33. He was elected by the army, on the death of Julian, and accepted the throne upon the assurance that the soldiers would embrace Christianity. He was suffocated in his bed by the fumes of a fire which had been made to dry the chamber, after a reign of only eight months.

1461. Battle of St. Albans, 21 miles from London, between the Lancastrians headed by the queen, Margaret, and the Yorkists under the earl of Warwick. The latter were defeated.

1564. MICHAEL ANGELO BUONAROTTI, the painter and architect, died at Rome, aged 89. He was of an illustrious family; studied painting and sculpture; and for a great number of years was employed by the popes in decorating the most superb edifices of Rome. At the age of 60 he was induced to attempt the Last Judgment, which is his master-piece. In architecture, St. Peter's and the Capitol are monuments of his ability. As a sculptor and poet also he is entitled to no mean place in the niche of fame. He was one of those favorites of nature, who combine in their single persons the excellence of many highly gifted men.

1571. An earthquake in Herefordshire, England, removed a hill containing 26 acres to a considerable distance, overturning every thing before it and continuing in motion several days.

1600. GIORDANO BRUNO, an Italian philosopher, burnt at Rome. He entered the order of the Dominicans, but his satires upon the lives of the monks drew upon him their persecutions, and he fled to the Calvinists. These in turn were excited against him by his paradoxes. After visiting Paris, London and Wurtemberg, he returned again to Italy, and fell into the hands of the inquisition, by whom he was condemned to be burnt, and suffered death, which he might have averted by a recantation, with the greatest fortitude. His philosophical writings, which have become very rare, display a classical cultivation of mind, a deep insight into the spirit of ancient philosophy, wit and satire, as well as a profound knowledge of mathematics and natural philosophy. With all his talent and erudition he was a pantheist.

1621. The Plymouth colonists met for the purpose of settling military affairs, and chose Miles Standish their captain.

1673. JEAN BAPTISTE POQUELIN DE MOLIERE died. At Narbonne, where the French theatre at that time began to flourish, through the talents of the great Corneille, he imbibed a strong passion for the stage. He became a distinguished comedian and dramatic writer, and died within four hours after personating a character in his play of the Hypochondriac.

1680. DENZIL, Lord Hollis, an eminent English patriot, died. He nobly maintained and defended the rights and privileges of the house of commons, of which he was a member, against the arbitrary measures of Charles I and his favorites. He was also a political writer.

1710. GEORGE BULL, an eminent English writer and preacher, died.

1720. JOHN HUGHES, an English poet and dramatist, died. He was a contributor to the Tatler, Spectator and Guardian. His last production, the Siege of Damascus, was performed with splendid success on the very night the author died suddenly. He was eulogized by Pope.

1735. NICOLO FORTIGUERRA died, an Italian prelate, and one of their best poets of the early part of the last century.

1739. GEORGE WHITFIELD, the celebrated Methodist, preached from a field pulpit to coalliers in Kingswood, near Bristol.

1758. JOHN WATKINS died at Bristol, England, aged 78. He was heir to a considerable estate, which being denied possession of, he made a vow never to shave till he enjoyed it; and kept his promise to the day of his death. He went by the name of Black John; after his death there was found upwards of 200 weight of half pence and silver, besides a quantity of gold, which he had amassed as a public beggar.

1759. THOMAS SIDDAL, a gardener at Chester, England, dug up a potatoe weighing 17 lbs. 4 oz., measuring 38 inches in circumference, and 47½ in length.

1772. Convention between Frederick II of Prussia and Catharine II of Russia signed, for the partition of Poland. This was afterwards acceded to by Austria, and ratified by the Polish diet.

1773. An appearance similar to the aurora borealis first witnessed in the southern hemisphere, by Mr. Forster, who accompanied Capt. Cook.

1782. Action between the British fleet, Admiral Hughes, and the French fleet, M. de Suffrein, in which the British suffered severely.

1794. Fornelli in Corsica attacked and carried by the British under Lord Hood.

1796. JAMES MACPHERSON, the Scottish poet, died; distinguished for his translations and imitations of Gaelic poems, the principal of which is Fingal.

1797. The Spanish Admiral APODACA compelled to burn several large battle ships in the gulf of Paria, to prevent their falling into the hands of the British fleet under Harvey.

1804. Gen. MOREAU arrested at Paris, on an accusation of being concerned in the conspiracy of Pichegru and Georges.

1805. Action between the British frigate Cleopatra, 32 guns, and the French frigate Ville de Milan, pierced for 52 but mounting 26 guns. The Cleopatra was captured, with the loss of 20 killed and 38 wounded.

1810. Amboyna, the capital of the Moluccas, surrendered to the British, together with 49 merchant vessels in the harbor. It was not the first time it had fallen into the hands of the British.

1810. Rome annexed to France; the city to rank as the second in the French empire.

1814. Battle of Nangis, between Napoleon and the Russians under Count Witgenstein; same day, the Russians under Pahlen attacked the French at Marmont under Georges.

1814. The castle of Jaca in Arragon capitulated to the Spanish chief Francisco Espoz y Mina, who took 84 brass cannon.

1818. HENRY OBOOKIAH, a Sandwich islander, died at Cornwall, Ct., aged 26. He was a member of the foreign mission school and has been made the subject of a memoir.

1827. JOHN HENRY PESTALOZZI, one of the most distinguished men of modern times for his efforts in the cause of education, died at Brugg. He was born at Zurich, in Switzerland; and devoted his life and property to the education of poor children. His system is not the best in use.

1828. HENRY GOTTLOB TSCHIRNER died, aged 50; an eminent German theologian.

1835. Five volcanoes burst forth simultaneously in Central-America, attended with tremendous earthquakes, which sunk three large towns, besides many villages. The air was so obscure with smoke, that the inhabitants were obliged to grope their way with torches for eight days. The lava in some places ran the distance of 60 leagues, destroying every thing in its course. In Alancho they thought the day of judgment had come, and more than 300 marriages took place among people who had previously lived in a state of concubinage.

1836. CORNPLANTER, (Garyan-wah-gah,) a celebrated Indian chief, died at the Seneca Reservation, aged about 100. At an early period of the revolutionary war he took an active part on the side of the Americans, and ever after manifested great friendship for the whites. He and his associate Red-Jacket, were for many years the counsellors and protectors of the interests of their nation.

1839. WILLIAM ADAM, a Scottish statesman, died. As member of parliament he opposed conciliatory measures with the refractory American colonies.

1840. JOSEPH CHITTY, a very eminent special pleader and author of many laborious and learned works in the profession of the law, died in London, aged 65.

1843. In British India 2,800 British troops defeated 22,000 Beloochees.

1862. WILLIAM THOMPSON, a distinguished naturalist, died, aged 46. He published the Birds of Ireland, and had undertaken to write the natural history of that country.

1852. Eruption of Mount Loa, Sandwich islands, which continued a long time undiminished.

1855. The Russians under Osten Sacken attacked Eupatoria, defended by the Turks under Omar Pasha, and were repulsed with loss.

1856. JOHN BRAHAM, a celebrated English vocalist, died, aged 82. He was the son of a German Jew, and his proper name was Abraham. He made his first appearance at Covent garden in 1787.

FEBRUARY 18.

3102. B. C. According to the tables of Trivalore, the great Hindostan epoch, Callyhougham, began at sunrise this day; that is, A. M. 902, and before the death of Adam!

1478. GEORGE, duke of Clarence, executed by drowning in a butt of Malmsey wine. He was the brother of Edward IV, against whom he had been induced to take up arms. He had the privilege of choosing the mode of his death.

1519. CORTEZ sailed from cape St. Antonio where he had stopped to complete his preparations. When all were brought together the vessels were found to be 11 in number; one of them of 100 tons burden, and three others from 70 to 80 tons; the remainder were caravels and open brigantines. His forces now amounted to 110 mariners, 553 soldiers, including 32 crossbowmen, and 13 arquebusiers, besides 200 Indians of the island, and a few Indian women for menial offices. He was provided with 10 heavy guns, 4 lighter pieces, called falconets, and a good supply of ammunition. He had besides 16 horses.

1546. MARTIN LUTHER, the reformer, died at Wittemberg. He was born at Eisleben in Saxony, 1483. His father was a miner, and Martin, to support himself at school, sung songs at the doors of the citizens. Yet this humble individual was destined to shake the papal throne to its foundations. His translation of the Bible, completed in 1534, was a labor of 13 years, amidst dangers and difficulties of every kind.

1639. THOMAS CAREW died; one of the wits of the court of Charles II. In the midst of a life of affluence and gaiety he found time to cultivate his taste for polite literature; and finally became a repentant devotee. He has been coupled with Waller as an improver of English versification, and was esteemed by Jonson and Davenant.

1645. RICHARD BAKER, an English historian, died. Having become security for the debts of some of his wife's relatives, he was thereby reduced to poverty, and thrown into the Fleet prison. During this imprisonment, and as a means of subsistence, he wrote his Chronicle of the Kings of England, and various other works, mostly devotional. He died in prison, where he had spent the last twenty years of his life, at the age of 77.

1652. GREGORIO ALLEGRI, an eminent musical composer, died at Rome. His compositions, the chief of which is the Miserere, are still performed in the pontifical chapel.

1653. Naval action off Portland, England, between the British, under Blake, Dean and Monk, and the Dutch under Van Tromp and De Ruyter. The latter was defeated, with the loss of 2000 killed, 1500 prisoners, and 11 ships of war, besides a number of other vessels, principally merchantmen.

1654. JOHN LEWIS GUEZ DE BALZAC, historiographer of France, died. He acquired great celebrity by his publications.

1662. An unprecedented storm in severity passed over England, chiefly felt at London.

1672. JOHN LABADIE died at Altona; a celebrated French enthusiast.

1694. Several ships of war, &c., lost in a storm east of Gibraltar. The Sussex on board of which was Sir Francis Wheeler, the admiral, foundered with the whole of her crew.

1695. WILLIAM PHIPPS died at London, aged 45. He was born at Pemaquid, Maine; was apprenticed to a ship carpenter, and afterwards went to sea. Hearing of a Spanish wreck near Bahama, he gave such an account of it in England that he was fitted out in 1683 to search for it, but was unsuccessful. The duke of Albemarle fitted him out a second time, and he returned with a treasure of £300,000, of which his share was 16,000. He was subsequently sent over as governor of Massachusetts, but his administration was short and unpopular.

1702. THOMAS HYDE, an eminent English divine and orientalist, died. He published a work on the religion of the ancient Persians, which threw many new lights on the most curious and interesting subjects.

1709. Sir EDWARD SEYMOUR died. He had been a member of every parliament since 1661.

1710. PHILIP VERHEYEN, a medical author, died at Louvain, in Belgium, where he was professor of anatomy.

1712. LOUIS, duke of Burgundy, died, aged 30. He was educated under Fenelon, and as heir to the throne and counsellor of state, France expected to enjoy a long rest from her troubles, under this administration. He died suddenly of a disease which had taken away his wife and eldest son only a few days before.

1719. GEORGE HENRY GOERTZ, a Swedish statesman, beheaded. He joined Charles XII on his return from Turkey, and was placed at the head of affairs. The desperate state of Sweden gave full employment to his extraordinary talents; but on the fall of the king he was sacrificed to the hatred of the nobility and condemned without a trial.

1724. GEORGE WHEELER, an English traveler and antiquary died. He visited Greece and Asia, for the purpose of copying inscriptions and to describe antiquities, in company with Dr. Spon, an account of which was published in 6 vols. folio. The work is highly valued for its authenticity and antiquities.

1730. CHARLES BECKINGHAM, an English dramatic writer, died. His pieces were received with much applause.

1750. GEORGE BERNARD BILFINGER, professor of philosophy at Petersburg, and afterwards at Tubingen, died at Stutgard. He was eminent as an author.

1758. JOSEPH ISAAC BERRUYER, a French Jesuit, died; author of some theological works.

1772. JOHN HARTWIG ERNST, count Bernstorff, died at Hamburg. He settled in Denmark, where he became prime minister, and in this office devoted the whole energies of his powerful mind to the improvement of his adopted country. He set the example of manumitting the peasantry, who were in a state of bondage and gave the fourth part of his income to the poor. He is represented as a model of intelligence, wisdom and benevolence.

1777. Col. NIELSON of New Jersey, with a party of American militia, defeated the British Major Stockton, killed 4 and took him and 59 of his men prisoners.

1778. JOSEPH MARIE TERRAY, minister of state of France, died. He was a man of great integrity and patriotism; and on retiring from office, carried with him the gratitude of his country.

1791. Vermont admitted into the Union. (see March 4).

1793. Action between British ship Juno, Capt. Hood, and the French privateer schooner, L'Entreprenant, Capt. Vaniere. The latter was taken, together with a prize which she had captured. Vaniere shot himself.

1795. British squadron under Warren captured near the isle of Aix, 8 French vessels, and destroyed 10 brigs and a lugger, laden with provisions and clothing for the French fleet and army.

1797. Trinidad, another of the West India isles, surrendered to the English under Sir R. Abercromby.

1800. Action off Malta, between the British squadron under Nelson, and Le Genereux, a French 74, and a frigate which resulted in the capture of the two latter.

1800. LOUIS LE FROTTE, the Vendean chief, with 7 of his officers, shot by order of the French convention. They all refused to have their eyes covered.

1808. Austrian declaration of non-intercourse with England.

1811. French port of Tametivi, in Madagascar, surrendered to a British force.

1812. The prince regent of England, afterwards George IV, invested with full legal powers.

1814. Battle of Montereau, in France; Chateau, who commanded the French, was repulsed and mortally wounded; but Gen. Gerard, the second in command, sustained the combat until 2 P. M., when being reinforced by Bonaparte, the Russians were in turn discomfited.

1815. The king of Candy, in Ceylon, surrendered to the British under Gen. Brownrigg.

1815. Treaty of peace between the United States and Great Britain ratified by President Madison.

1834. WILLIAM WIRT died, aged 62. He early became acquainted with Jefferson, Madison and Monroe, and filled several important offices under them with distinguished reputation. As a public and professional man, he was ranked among the first of his time.

1843. The Ameers of the punjaf in India wholly defeated by the British troops under Sir Charles Napier.

1851. VICTOR FALCK, a distinguished French ornithologist, died at Stockholm.

1852. CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON died, aged 73; known by his Annals of the English Bible.

1853. An attempt made to assassinate the emperor of Austria by a Hungarian named Lebenyi, who was executed.

1856. HEINRICH HEINE, the celebrated German poet, died at Paris.

FEBRUARY 19.

198. DECIUS CLAUDIUS ALBINUS, a Roman who assumed the imperial purple in opposition to Severus, was slain in battle on the river Rhone.

1401. WILLIAM SAUTRE, an English clergyman, was burned for heresy, by the clergy, with the permission of Henry IV. This is said to have been the first execution in England on account of religion. (Timperley says March 10.)

1549. A bill passed the English parliament allowing clergymen to marry, on the ground that it was a less evil than compulsory chastity.

1553. ERASMUS REINHOLD died; an eminent German astronomer and mathematician, and professor at Wittemberg.

1567. MILES COVERDALE, bishop of Exeter, buried. He was ejected from his see by queen Mary, and thrown into prison, from which he was liberated by Elizabeth. He assisted Tindal in the English version of the Bible, 1537.

1592. EDWARD COKE chosen speaker of parliament.

1597. THOMAS BENTHAM, an English bishop, died; celebrated for his knowledge of the Chaldee and Hebrew tongues.

1619. LUCILIO VANINI, a learned Italian, burnt. He early devoted himself with ardor to letters, studying philosophy, law, theology and astrology, at Rome and Padua. He traveled throughout every country of Europe, occupying himself with instruction; but wherever he appeared, he became obnoxious to suspicion on account of his religious views. In 1617 he went to Toulouse, where he was accused of atheism and sorcery, and condemned to the flames. He was drawn to the place of execution, when after his tongue was torn out, he was strangled, and burnt at the age of 34. His punishment appears to have been entirely undeserved, and has given him more celebrity than his writings.

1622. HENRY SAVILE died, a learned English divine, historian and critic; Greek tutor to Queen Elizabeth.

1638. Insurrection of the Edinburgh presbyterians, who threw off their allegiance, and entered into a covenant or association against the government, which they compelled all people to subscribe; several Scotch bishops were forced to fly to England.

1644. The Scots, consisting of 18,000 foot, 2,000 horse, and above 500 dragoons, passed the Tweed at Berwick in behalf of the parliament.

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.

1545. FRANCIS DE BOURBON, Count Enghien, killed. He was a celebrated general in the service of Francis I, and was killed by accident.

1555. THOMAS WYAT beheaded. He took the lead in an unsuccessful insurrection against the "bloody Queen Mary."

1589. ANDREW DUDITH, a Hungarian divine, died. He was employed by Ferdinand II, in important affairs of state, wrote on physic, poetry, &c., and was a highly esteemed character.

1603. ANDREAS CÆSARALPINUS, an Italian philosopher and physician, died at Rome.

1619. BARTHOLOMEW ZIEGENBALG, a celebrated German missionary, died. He was sent to India by the king of Denmark, but meeting with some opposition from the Danish authorities there, he placed himself under the countenance of the British East India company, published a dictionary of the Malabar language, and was fulfilling the object of his mission with great zeal and success, when he was suddenly interrupted by death at the age of 36.

1679. THOMAS GOODWIN, a theological writer of the puritan school, died, aged 80. He was one of the members of the assembly of divines at Westminster, and attended Cromwell on his death bed.

1717. MAGNUS STEINBOCK, an illustrious Swede, died at Frederickshaven. He distinguished himself by his valor under Charles XII, and in the absence of the king from Sweden, he managed the affairs of the government with uncommon wisdom and moderation.

1750. A brilliant borealis appeared at Cork, about seven in the evening. The tide at the same time rose far above its ordinary height.

1766. STANISLAUS I, king of Poland and elector of Saxony, died. He was an author, and a good ruler, though an unfortunate one.

1775. The daily consumption of pulque, the fermented juice of the maguei, in the city of Mexico, according to the custom house record, was 6000 arrobas (150,000 lbs.), and the daily consumption of tobacco for smoking, was reckoned at 1250 crowns. The population then exceeded 200,000.

1779. St. Vincents surrendered with considerable stores, to the Americans under Col. Clarke. British taken, 79.

1780. Action between the British ship Resolution, 74 guns, and French ship La Prothee, 64 guns, which resulted in the capture of the latter.

1792. JOSHUA REYNOLDS, the English painter, died in London, aged 69. He rapidly acquired opulence by his profession, and on the institution of the royal academy, was elected president. The lectures which he delivered before this society have become a standard work.

1796. NICHOLAS STOFFLET, the celebrated Vendean chief, shot at Angers. At the beginning of the French revolution he was a private soldier, but became one of the most intrepid and daring chiefs of the royal army of La Vendee, and had been in no less than 150 actions, 10 of them pitched battles; and in more than 100 of them he proved victorious. He met his fate with characteristic fortitude.

1796. BONAPARTE appointed commander-in-chief of the army of Italy.

1798. Rockland county N. Y., erected.

1798. The pope withdrew from Rome to Sienna, having been deprived of his temporal possessions by the French.

1800. JOSEPH WARTON, an English prelate, died. He was also an ingenious poet and critical writer.

1805. British frigate Leander, fell in with and captured the Ville de Milan, and her prize the Cleopatra, captured a few days previous. (See 17th.)

1814. The blacks under Christophe, took by assault fort Sabourin, in St. Domingo.

1821. The counties of Monroe and Livingston N. Y., erected.

1822. BENAVIDES executed; an outlaw and pirate, who for several years proved the scourge of the southern part of Chili, where he perpetrated the most horrid cruelties upon every age and sex that fell in his way. In 1818 he had been condemned to be shot, and was supposed to have been killed; but although shockingly wounded and left for dead, he recovered and became a fiend incarnate.

1827. WALTER SCOTT disclosed himself publicly for the first time as the Great Unknown, at a dinner of the Edinburgh theatrical fund, himself in the chair.

1831. GERTRUDE ELIZABETH MARIA, a favorite German vocalist, celebrated the anniversary of her 83d year at Reval, where Goethe offered her a poetical tribute.

1836. Battle of fort Alamo in Texas, in which the Mexican army of 4000, who made the assault, were repulsed.

1840. JAMES MAURY died at New York, aged 95. He was the first consul from the United States to Liverpool, to which office he was appointed by Washington, and which he held for nearly half a century.

1847. Battle of Buena Vista in which the Mexican army, numbering more than four to one of the Americans, was completely defeated. Many of the American officers were slain.

1848. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, ex-president of the United States, died in the Capitol at Washington. It may well be questioned whether any statesman in the world was better informed.

1851. JOANNA BAILLIE, the Scottish poetress, died, aged 89. She was born at Bothwell, near the Clyde, and lived in seclusion with her maiden sister.

1854. The steamer from Stonington arrived at New York, having been detained in the sound by ice during three days.

1856. A freshet commenced in the Ohio, which caused great destruction of property, among which were several steam boats.

FEBRUARY 24.

303. DIOCLETIAN issued the first general edict of persecution against the Christians, by which all their religious edifices in the empire were to be leveled to their foundations, and the church property confiscated and sold to the highest bidder. This abominable decree was instantly torn from its column by a Christian of rank, who for his audacity was burnt or rather roasted, by a slow fire.

1383. JOHN WICKLIFFE presented seven articles to parliament containing his doctrines.

1468. JOHN GUTENBERG, the inventor of printing, died. In connection with Faust he contributed greatly to the improvement of the art, then in a very rude state.

1495. JEM, son of Bayazid I the Osman sultan, died. He was defeated by his brother in a contest for the throne, and took refuge with the knights of St. John at Rhodes, who sent him to France, where he was kept in confinement several years, and then delivered up to the pope, Alexander VI, by whom he was poisoned.

1525. Battle of Pavia in Italy. The imperialists under Bourbon, Pescara and Lannoy defeated the French and captured their king, Francis I, whom they sent prisoner to Madrid. The king fought with heroic valor, killing 7 men with his own hand.

1540. CHARLES V of Germany entered Ghent, which had been in a state of insurrection; 26 of the principal citizens were put to death. He was born at this place on this day 1500.

1541. PEDRO DE VALDIVIA, having been sent by Pizarro with 200 Spaniards and a numerous body of Peruvians to Chili for the purpose of settling such provinces as he should conquer, succeeded in overcoming the resistance of the natives and founded the city of Santiago.

1563. FRANCIS of Lorraine, duke of Guise, assassinated. He distinguished himself in the wars with Charles V and the English; and in the reigns of Henry II and Francis II of France, completely governed the kingdom. After the death of Francis, he espoused the side of the catholics in the civil wars.

1587. THOMAS CAVENDISH passed the straits of Magellan.

1645. A treaty of peace, which was begun at Uxbridge on the 30th January, between the commissioners of Charles I, and those of the parliament, was broken off.

1665. A Dutch impostor whipped thro' the streets of London; possibly only a little eccentric.

1665. Deerfield, Mass., purchased of the Indians. The deed, which is still extant, was given "for the use and behoof of Major Eleazar Lusher, Ensign Daniel Fisher, and other English at Dedham, their associates and successors," by Chauk alias Chague, the sachem of Pocomptuck, and his brother Wassahoale, and witnessed by Wequonnock. It reserves to the Indians the right of fishing in the rivers, hunting wild animals, and gathering nuts. It is capable of proof, that the early settlers in New England, as well as New York, made it a matter of course to purchase the lands upon which they settled, in nearly all instances, and at prices which were considered a fair equivalent at the time by the Indians. It may be mentioned as a matter of curiosity, that the salary of the first minister settled at this place was £60, to be paid in wheat at 3s. 6d., peas at 2s. 6d., corn at 2s. per bushel, and salted pork at 2½d. per pound.

1667. THOMAS ADAMS died. He was born at Wem in England; went to London, where he established himself in business as a draper; and in 1645 rose to the high honor of lord mayor of that city.

1676. Attack on Medfield, Mass., by a party of about 300 Indians. The loss of Lancaster, a short time previous, had put the neighboring towns on their guard, and Medfield had obtained a small garrison of soldiers for greater security, although within 22 miles of Boston. The Indians during the night had secreted themselves, according to custom, under the fences and behind trees about the villages, so that the people were shot down as they came out of their doors and their houses immediately set on fire. The soldiers being lodged in different parts of the town, could not get together until about 50 buildings were on fire. Some were killed as they attempted to pass to their neighbors for shelter, and in some instances, the husband flying with one child and the wife with another, one of them fell into the hands of the savages or was killed, while the other escaped. Two or three discharges of a field piece put the whole horde to flight, who as they passed the river fired the bridge to prevent pursuit. Loss 18 killed, and many wounded and carried away for torture. (Holmes says Feb. 21.)

1684. Birthday of HANDEL, the music composer, at Halle.

1684. Boundary line between New York and Connecticut partially run.

1716. The earls of DERWENTWATER and KENMUIR beheaded on Tower hill, for treason in favoring the cause of the Pretender.

1721. JOHN SHEFFIELD, duke of Buckingham, died; a celebrated general, critic and poet.

1724. A great storm attended with an uncommon tide, was experienced in New England. The tide in some places rose ten feet higher than it was ever known before, and rendered many of the streets of Boston navigable.

1740. Providential delivery from death of a society of monks at Palermo.

1752. ISAAC WOOD, an English painter, died. His principal pieces are in oil and black lead upon vellum.

1758. Battle of Hoya in Westphalia, between the allies and French.

1762. Tremendous hurricane and fall of snow in England. Nearly 50 persons perished in the fields, and several whales were driven on the Essex and Kentish coasts.

1766. STANISLAUS, the last duke of Lorrain and Bar, as an independent Duchy, died in consequence of burns from his robes de chambre having accidentally caught fire.

1777. WILLIAM DODD, an English divine, convicted of forgery, and sentenced to be hanged.

1777. JOSEPH, king of Portugal, died. He was of the house of Braganza, ascended the throne in 1750; his reign was turbulent and unfortunate.

1781. EDWARD CAPELL died; known as the editor of an edition of Shakspeare in 10 vols., and 4 large quarto vols. of "Notes and various readings of Shakspeare."

1785. CHARLES BONAPARTE, father of Napoleon, died, leaving his family in straightened circumstances.

1797. Resumption of hostilities in Italy between the French and Austrians.

1799. GEORGE CHRISTOPHER LICHTENBERG, a famous German writer, died. His commentary on Hogarth is said of itself to immortalize his fame.

1809. Drury-lane theatre burnt. It had been previously burnt, and rebuilt 1671 by Sir Christopher Wren at a cost of £200,000.

1810. HENRY CAVENDISH, an English philosopher, died. He made the important discovery of the composition of water. Of diffident and retiring manners, he devoted his days to experiments and improvements in the arts and sciences. It has been said that he was the richest among the learned, and the most learned among the rich men of his time. He left a fortune of £5,000,000.

1813. Action between United States sloop Hornet, Capt. Lawrence, and British man-of-war brig Peacock, Capt. Peake, off Demarara. The action commenced at half past 5 P. M. and continued 15 minutes, when the Peacock showed signals of distress. Exertions were made to keep the vessel afloat till the prisoners could be got off, but she sunk carrying down 13 of her crew and 3 Americans. The loss of the crew of the Peacock could not be ascertained; but the captain was killed in the latter part of the engagement, and the vessel was literally cut to pieces. The Hornet lost 1 killed and 4 wounded; and the vessel received trifling damage, except in her rigging.

1815. ROBERT FULTON died, aged 50. He was born at Little Britain, Pa., and early discovered a genius for painting and mechanics; and he subsequently studied painting in London, under Benjamin West. He also resided several years in Paris; after which he returned to America, and presented to the world the phenomenon of the steam boat.

1821. JOHN KEATS, an English poet, died, aged 25. He was of humble origin, but was possessed of a fine genius. His productions were made the subject of severe and unmerited criticism by Gifford, who had leaped from a cobbler's bench into an editor's stool, and presided over the pages of the Quarterly Review. These gross attacks preyed upon his mind and hastened his death.

1821. ITURBIDE issued his proclamation, called the plan of Iguala, for the pacification of the state of Mexico. It contemplated the independence of Mexico, and still to preserve its union with Spain.

1826. RICHARD DALE, an American naval officer, died. He was born in Virginia, 1756, and at the age of 12 went to sea. During the war of the revolution he was captured, and imprisoned, but found means to escape, and joined the celebrated Paul Jones. Under Jones he distinguished himself in the sanguinary and desperate engagement between the Bon Homme Richard and the British frigate Serapis, and was the first who reached the deck of the latter when she was boarded and taken. In 1802 he settled in Philadelphia, where he passed the remainder of his days.

1828. JACOB BROWN, who acted so prominent a part in the war of 1812 between England and the United States, and for some time commander-in-chief of the United States army, died at Washington.

1838. CARL HEINRICH LUDWIG POLITZ, died at Leipsic. He was professor in the university, and an eminent writer on statistics, history and politics.

1843. JOHN OWENS, a soldier of the old French war and also of the American revolution, died, aged 107.

1848. Revolution at Paris.

1852. DAVID KENNISON, the last of the Boston tea party, died at Chicago, aged 117.

1854. ROBERT ARMSTRONG died, aged 64; proprietor of the Washington Union newspaper.

1854. At Niagara falls two men fell from the suspension bridge, a distance of 240 feet and were dashed to pieces.

FEBRUARY 25.

52 B. C. POMPEY elected sole consul of Rome.

1030. ADALBERO, a French ecclesiastic, died. He has left a character suited to bold and unscrupulous intrigue.

1464. The Lancasterians defeated by the Yorkists at Heagley Moor, the white rose triumphing over the red.

1523. WILLIAM LILY, an English grammarian, died at London of the plague. He is highly praised by Erasmus, who revised the syntax of his grammar, for his uncommon erudition in the languages, and admirable skill in the instruction of youth.

1601. ROBERT DEVEREUX, earl of Essex, executed. He obtained the favor of the queen, Elizabeth, and distinguished himself on many occasions. But having committed some indiscretions which required reprimanding, his pride was wounded, which led him to open rebellion. His fate has formed the subject of four tragedies.

1634. ALBERT, count Wallenstein, generalissimo of the Austrian army during the thirty years war, assassinated.

1643. A barbarous massacre in the night of the Indians who were encamped at Pavonia, opposite the Dutch fort of New Amsterdam, instigated by Gov. Kieft. About 80 Indians lost their lives, and many enormities were enacted by the Dutch.

1676. The Indiana assaulted the town of Weymouth, Mass., and burned several houses and barns. This was a disastrous year with the colonists. The Indians had risen in their utmost power, with the determination of utterly extirpating the English, and almost every day witnessed the smoke of town or cluster of dwellings on fire.

1703. DANIEL DE FOE prosecuted as the author of a book entitled, The shortest way with the dissenters, and his book burned by the hangman.

1712. NICHOLAS CATINAT, an illustrious French general under Louis XIV, died.

1713. FREDERICK I, of Prussia, died. He was elector of Brandenburg, and ambitious of raising his duchy into a kingdom. To accomplish this object, he joined Leopold, emperor of Germany, in a war against several states.

1723. CHRISTOPHER WREN, the English architect, died, aged 91. He built St. Paul's and fifty other churches and monuments, which had been destroyed by the great fire of 1666.

1724. POPE INNOCENT XIII died.

1754. RICHARD MEAD, an eminent English physician and patron of learning, died, aged 81. His library sold for about $75,000. His income from his profession was about $25,000 a year.

1761. JOSEPH FRANCIS DESMAHIS, a French author of great celebrity, died.

1768. Mangalore, a seaport belonging to Hyder Ally, taken by the British.

1776. Battle of Trenton. The American army under Washington crossed the Delaware in the night during a violent storm of snow and rain, and attacked the British on the north and west parts of the town. A detachment had been ordered to cross the river and secure a bridge to prevent the escape of the enemy; but owing to the extreme difficulty of crossing, this part of the plan failed, and about 500 escaped. British loss 20 killed, 1000 prisoners; American loss 2 killed, 2 frozen, 5 wounded.

1779. The splendid bridge at Puerto Santo, in Spain, fell and killed a great number of persons while the priests were in the act of consecrating it.

1781. Battle near Haw river in North Carolina, between the Americans under Pickens and Lee, and a considerable body of royalists under Col. Pyle. The latter were cut to pieces, without the loss of a man by the former.

1781. The French and Spanish fleets encountered a furious storm off cape Francois in the West-Indies. Several ships sunk or foundered, and about 2200 men perished.

1782. Denmark acknowledged the independence of the United States.

1798. The French under Brune entered the canton of Berne in Switzerland.

1799. El Arish in Egypt surrendered to the French under Bonaparte.

1805. WILLIAM BUCHAN, an eminent Scottish physician, died near London. He was educated for the pulpit, but made choice of the medical profession, which he pursued during a long life. In 1771 he published his Domestic Medicine; it has been attended with a degree of success scarcely equaled by any other book in our language, and is translated into every European tongue.

1807. Battle of Peterswalde, between the French and Russians, in which the latter were defeated, with the loss of their general, Baron De Korff, his staff and 400 men prisoners.

1814. Action between the British frigate Erotas and French frigate Clorinde, 44 guns. The captain of the Erotas and 4 men were wounded and 22 killed. The Clorinde was captured the next day by the British ships Dryades and Achades, her loss supposed to have been 120 men.

1816. A number of sailors belonging to the American squadron in the Mediterranean, having been permitted to go on shore at Port Mahon, were attacked by the Spanish guard and several killed and wounded.

1816. FREDERICK WILLIAM BULOW, count von Dennewitz, a Prussian general, died. He is famous for his victories in the last French and German war, the art of which he had learnt scientifically in early youth. He was also devoted to literature and the fine arts, and esteemed as a citizen and a man.

1817. Schooner Ocean of New York sunk at sea. Isaac Roget, a merchant of high standing in New York, was convicted in conjunction with others, of having loaded her at Havre de Grace with 97 boxes of stones, with a view to defraud the insurance officers of $58,000.

1819. FRANCESCO MANUEL, a Portuguese poet, died. His opinions being rather too liberal for the times, he was summoned to appear before the inquisition, but instead of obeying the mandate he resisted the officer sent to arrest him, and fled to Paris, where he resided till his death. It has been said of him that no poet or writer since the time of Camoens had done so much for the language.

1822. WILLIAM PINCKNEY, a distinguished American statesman, died. It is said that he possessed almost unequaled legal science and eloquence.

1829. A violent hurricane in the island of Barbadoes, by which the whole of the eastern end of the island was devastated, and great damage done to the shipping.

1831. The Poles defeated near the walls of Warsaw by the Russians, with the loss of 5000 men. Russian loss 4,500.

1841. PHILIP P. BARBOUR, an eminent American statesman and judge, died at Washington, aged 60.

1841. The Bogue forts and the city of Canton captured by the British. The number of Chinese killed and wounded was very great; 1000 were captured. Canton was almost deserted by its inhabitants.

1850. TAU KWANG, emperor of China, died, aged 69.

1856. Peace congress met at Paris, and agreed upon an armistice till the 31st of March.

FEBRUARY 26.

747 B. C. The era of Narbonassar (a king of Babylon) called also the Egyptian year, began on the first day of the month Thoth, corresponding with this day in the Julian calendar. The years are vague, containing 365 days without intercalation, so that in the year 31 B. C. the beginning of the year fell on the 29th August, and at the end of 1460 years it ran through all the Julian months.

The Mexican year began also on the 26th February. It is also certain that the Mexican calendar conformed greatly with the Egyptian.

387. In consequence of a sermon preached by John Chrysostom on drunkenness and blasphemy, a sedition broke out at Antioch. The statues of Theodosius and the imperial family were thrown from their pedestals and demolished by the tumultuous citizens.

398. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, or the preacher with the golden mouth, elected archbishop of Constantinople.

1426. JOHN DE BROGNI died; originally a swine herd in Savoy; he distinguished himself for learning, virtue and piety, and was raised to the dignity of cardinal.

1512. ROBERT FABYAN, an English historian, died. He was brought up to a trade, became a merchant, and an alderman of London. His Chronicle was burnt by Wolsey.

1553. Four English noblemen, namely, RALPH VANE, MILES PARTRIDGE, MICHAEL STANHOPE and THOMAS ARUNDEL, were executed as accomplices to the duke of Somerset.

1611. ANTHONY POSSEVIN, a Jesuit, died at Ferrara. He was distinguished as a preacher, and employed by the pope in embassies to different countries.

1616. GALILEO appeared before Cardinal Bellarmine to renounce his heretical opinions; and having declared that he abandoned the doctrine of the earth's motion, and would neither defend nor teach it, in his conversation or his writings, he was dismissed from the bar of the inquisition.

1638. CLAUDE MEZIRIAC, a Jesuit, died; known as a poet in several languages.

1686. GODFREY, count d'Estrades, died.

1696. CHARLES SCARBOROUGH, an eminent English physician and mathematician, died. He succeeded Dr. Harvey as lecturer on anatomy and surgery.

1723. THOMAS D'URFEY, an English poet, died. He was a man of sparkling talents, but his poetic and dramatic pieces are now forgotten. His Pills to Purge Melancholy is yet upon the shelves of many English libraries.

1726. EMANUEL MAXIMILIAN, elector of Bavaria, died. He distinguished himself under the emperor Leopold, was placed at the head of the Hungarian army, and made governor of the Low Countries by the king of Spain.

1729. The British parliament resolved that it was an indignity and a breach of privilege for any one to publish the debates or report the proceedings of the house.

1767. HYDER ALLY and the nizam of Deccan defeated by the British at Errour, near Trincomalee, in Ceylon.

1769. WILLIAM DUNCOMBE, an English dramatic author, died. He translated Horace.

1770. JOSEPH TARTINI died at Padua; an Italian musician, distinguished for his extraordinary performances on the violin.

1774. JOHN TICE died at Hagley, England, aged 125.

1775. Gen. GAGE despatched 140 soldiers under Col. Leslie to seize the military stores collected at Salem. The people foiled the expedition by drawing up a bridge and causing other delays till it was too late to effect any thing, and they returned bootless.

1789. The Cayugas sold their lands to the state of New York.

1802. ALEXANDER GEDDES died at Paddington, England. He was a catholic and is represented as a man of profound research in biblical literature, and employed himself many years in a new translation of the Bible, which he did not live to finish.

1807. Battle of Braunsberg in Prussian Poland, in which a division of 10,000 Russians were overthrown by the French, who took 2,000 prisoners and 16 cannon.

1810. JOHN DALRYMPLE, a Scottish author, died, aged 84. He was for many years baron of the exchequer in Scotland.

1813. ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON, an American statesman, died. He was one of the committee which drew up the Declaration of Independence. He was afterwards chancellor of the state of New York, and minister to France. He assisted Fulton with means to carry his experiments into effect, which gave to this country the honor of the first successful steam boat.

1815. BONAPARTE escaped from the island of Elba, accompanied by 1000 of his old guards, who had followed him into exile.

1823. JOHN PHILIP KEMBLE died; one of the most eminent tragedians of the British stage since the days of Garrick. He possessed talent and learning, and was an author.

1826. JOHN KAY, caricaturist, engraver, barber, and miniature painter, died in Edinburgh. His small shop in Parliament close, was a great lounging place for the idlers of the town.

1827. WILLIAM KITCHENER, an English physician, died. He is distinguished for his experiments in cookery; he treated eating and drinking as the only serious business of life, and promulgated the laws of the culinary art, under the title of the Cook's Oracle, professedly founded on his own practice. He possessed an ample fortune, which enabled him to follow the bent of his eccentricities.

1831. JOHN BELL, who gave direction and name to Bell's Weekly Messenger at London, died.

1833. ELIZABETH PEARCE died in Johnson county, North Carolina, aged 111.

1833. The spasmodic cholera appeared at Havana, and in about one month from that time had destroyed 7000 persons.

1834. ALOYS SENEFELDER, inventor of lithography, died at Munich, aged 63.

1852. THOMAS MOORE, the celebrated Irish poet, died, aged 73.

1854. The gallery of the French opera house at New Orleans fell during the performance, carrying away the second tier, by which the occupants were precipitated into the parquette, killing 3, and badly wounding 56 persons.

1854. Three shocks of an earthquake at Manchester, Kentucky, by which the houses were violently shaken.

1855. Gen. JACKSON'S sword presented to congress by the heirs of Gen. Armstrong.

1855. HENRY PIERPONT EDWARDS, an American judge, died at New York, aged 46.

1856. At the breaking up of the ice on the Mississippi at St. Louis, 23 steam boats were wrecked.

FEBRUARY 27.

212. GETA, emperor of Rome, slain by his brother Caracalla, who was incited to the deed by jealousy.

1411. The charter of the university of St. Andrews, at Aberdeen in Scotland, granted.

1642. TOBIAS CRISP died; a controversial writer on divinity, and a great champion on antinomianism.

1697. JOHN BERKLEY, baron of Stratton, died; a noted commander in the English fleet.

1706. JOHN EVELYN, the English diarist, died. He is ranked among the greatest philosophers of England, who turned his pen readily to almost every topic. His Diary is a curious book, extending nearly from his childhood to his death, and contains much information not elsewhere to be found.

1735. JOHN ARBUTHNOT, a Scottish physician, died. He was attached to the court of Queen Anne, was eminent in his profession, and distinguished as a wit in an age abounding with men of wit and learning.

1738. HENRY GROOVE, an English divine, died. He belonged to the dissenters, and wrote several valuable theological treatises.

1746. THOMAS FAUNCE died at Plymouth, aged 99. He knew the rock on which the pilgrims landed, and learning that it was covered in the construction of a wharf, was so affected that he wept. His tears, perhaps, saved it from oblivion.

1776. Battle of Moor's creek bridge, in which the tories and Highlanders under McDonald, were defeated with the loss of their bravest officers. They fled leaving 350 guns, 1500 rifles, 13 wagons, and 150 swords in the hands of the victors, as well as their general. This defeat depressed the spirits of the royalists in North Carolina, and prevented their making any farther efforts.

1794. Of the crews of 13 American vessels captured by the Algerines, four were redeemed, leaving 126 still in the hands of their captors as slaves. Two of these vessels were captured in 1785, and the rest in 1793. A great effort was made throughout the land to raise money for their redemption by charitable contributions.

1797. Bank of England suspended specie payments. Twenty years after it resumed on one and two pound notes.

1806. Action between the British ship Hydra, and French brig La Furet, off Cadiz, in which the latter was captured.

1814. Battle of Orthes, in France, between the British under Wellington and the French.

1817. Two shocks of an earthquake felt at Kingston, Upper Canada.

1829. Battle of Tarqui between the Colombian army of 5000, and the Peruvian of 8000, in which the latter were defeated with considerable loss. Articles for the cessation of hostilities were signed on the field of battle, and mutual differences referred to the arbitration of the United States government.

1844. NICHOLAS BIDDLE, celebrated as the president of the United States bank for a number of years, died near Philadelphia, aged 58. He graduated at Princeton at the early age of 15, and was a man of great ability, of rarely equaled scholarship, and of the most polished and courtly manners. On the ruin of the bank he retired into private life, where however the creditors of the bank did not allow him undisturbed repose.

1853. PAUL FREDERICK AUGUSTUS, reigning duke of Oldenburgh, died, aged 70.

FEBRUARY 28.

509 B. C. Battle of the Œsuvian fields, in which the Tarquins were vanquished and expelled from Rome, with the loss of more than 11,000 citizens on the side of the victors.

509 B. C. LUCIUS JUNIUS BRUTUS, the avenger of the rape of Lucretia, and founder of the Roman republic, fell at the battle of the Œsuvian fields. So great was the fury of the encounter between him and his adversary, that their shields were mutually pierced, and each fell dead from his horse transfixed by the lance of his enemy.

628. CHOSROES II, king of Persia, died. He carried his arms into Judea, Libya and Egypt, and made himself master of Carthage. He forced the Roman emperor Heraclius, to sue for peace; but his country was soon after penetrated by the Romans, his palace pillaged and burnt, and himself dethroned and cast into prison by his own son, after witnessing the massacre of 18 other sons.

1408. Battle of Bramham Moor.

1447. HUMPHREY, duke of Gloucester, murdered. He was the rival of Cardinal Beaufort, as the head of affairs in England, and was the friend and patron of learning. The cardinal lived to enjoy his triumph but six weeks.

1582. GEORGE BUCHANAN, a Scottish poet and historian, died. He occupied the last twelve years of his life in writing a history of his country in Latin.

1594. WILLIAM FLEETWOOD, an English lawyer, died. He was recorder of the city of London in the reign of Elizabeth, and the author of several law treatises.

1604. JOHN WHITGIFT, archbishop of Canterbury, died. He was unwearied in his efforts to make the puritans conform to the national church.

1610. The house of commons complained of the king's profusion, especially in the immense sums lavished on Scotch favorites.

1642. CHARLES I of England sent to the house of commons his reasons for refusing the militia bill; the house declared his advisers public enemies, and passed a vote of approval on the counties which had put themselves in a posture of defence.

1648. CHRISTIAN IV of Denmark, died. He sustained the character of an able and wise sovereign.

1680. DECAN and HENNESSIN were sent out from fort Crevecoeur on the Illinois, to trace the Mississippi to its source. They ascended the river to the 46th degree, where they were stopped by a fall, to which they gave the name of St. Anthony.

1703. JOHN BAPTIST THIERS, died; a doctor of the Sorbonne, and professor of the belles lettres at Paris.

1734. Battle in Syria between the Turks, 45,000, and the Persians under Kouli Khan. The Turks were marching to succor Babylon, but were defeated with the loss of 20,000 killed on the field or taken prisoners. The victory cost the Persians 10,000 men.

1735. Large statute of GEORGE II set up in the royal hospital at Greenwich, Eng., at the expense of Sir John Jennings and sculptor Mr. Rysbrack.

1736. A proposal submitted to the house of commons in England, to levy a duty on distilled spirituous liquors, so as to prevent the ill consequence of the poorer classes drinking them to excess. It was stated that some signs where they were sold had the following inscription: "Drunk for a penny; dead drunk for two pence; clean straw for nothing!"

1757. EDWARD MOORE died; an English fabulist and dramatic writer of considerable note.

1758. Action between the French fleet under Du Quesne and the British, under Saunders, near Carthagena. The British captured the Foudroyant, 80 guns, and Orphee, 64 guns; the Oriflamme, 50 guns, was driven on shore under the castle of Aiglos, coast of Spain.

1759. The pope permitted the Bible to be translated into all the languages of the Catholic states.

1760. Action between the French fleet under Thourot and the British, Capt. Elliot. Three French frigates were captured and Thourot killed. So great a terror had he created in the seaports of Great Britain, that his defeat was celebrated with the greatest rejoicings.

1771. RICHARD GREY, a learned English divine, died. He was a polemical and miscellaneous writer.

1781. WILLIAM STOCKTON died; a signer of the Declaration of Independence from New Jersey.

1783. JOHN BAPTIST D'ESPAGNAC, a French general, died. He signalized himself in the campaign of Italy.

1795. Five hundred emigrant sleighs passed through the city of Albany between sunrise and sunset, on their way to the Genesee country. It was estimated that as many as 1,200 sleighs, freighted with men, women, children and furniture, had passed up State street in the space of three days, destined for the Genesee valley, the far west of the emigrants of that day.

1799. BONAPARTE reached the city of Gaza in Palestine.

1799. Action between the British frigate Sybille, and French ship La Forte, 50 guns. The later was captured in 1 hour 40 minutes. The British lost two of their highest officers.

1804. PICHEGRU, the conquerer of Holland, arrested at Paris by order of Bonaparte.

1815. Action between the United States frigate Constitution, 44 guns, Capt. Stewart, and British frigate Cyane and sloop Levant, 54 guns, Capt. Falcon; British loss, 40 killed, 80 wounded; Constitution lost 4 killed, 11 wounded. The Cyane and Levant were captured.

1823. WILLIAM W. VAN NESS, an eminent judge of the N. Y. supreme court, died.

1834. MODESTE MALHIOT, the Canadian giant, died. His height was 6 feet 4 inches, and his weight 619½ pounds.

1837. ADAM BINKLEY, died in Davidson co., Pennsylvania, aged 138. He was an officer of the revolution and served throughout the war, at which time he had a wife and 11 children.

1843. A remarkable comet first observed in the northern states, which caused considerable controversy whether it was a comet or the zodiacal light. It was first seen at noon, and was distinctly observed with the naked eye from 7 to 9 o'clock in the evening during the month of March. Its train extended about 70° to 100°.

1851. The Spanish government of Manilla, totally destroyed the forts of the pirate Sultan of Sooloo.

1853. Doncaster church, England, built in 1070, destroyed by fire.

1854. Earthquake at Lexington, Ky., and surrounding country, attended by a loud roaring noise.

1854. American steamer Black Warrior, seized by the Cuban authorities at Havana.

1855. An earthquake at Broussa killed or wounded about 800 people, and was succeeded by a fire which destroyed nearly one-third of the houses.

FEBRUARY 29.

1631. The president and counsel for New England, made a grant to Robert Aldworth and Giles Elbridge of a hundred acres of land for every person whom they should transport to the province of Maine within seven years, who should continue there three years; and an absolute grant of 12,000 acres as their proper inheritance for ever, to be laid out near the river commonly called Pemaquid.

1704. Deerfield, in Massachusetts, burnt. Hertel de Rouville with 200 French and 140 Indians, after a tedious march through deep snow from Canada, made an attack upon this place, which was the northern frontier on Connecticut river. A watch had patrolled the streets until about two hours before day, when he incautiously fell asleep, and the snow was of such depth as to admit of an entrance over the pickets of the fort. The whole settlement was burnt with the exception of one house, which was standing until quite recently; 47 were slain, 112 carried into captivity, including among the latter, the Rev. John Williams and his family. Of the captives, 17 died or were killed on the march; 57 were redeemed, among whom were the minister and his family (his wife was killed soon after the capture), except one daughter who could not be persuaded to return; but adopted the manners and customs of the Indians, became a catholic, and married a savage. The bell taken from the church, it is said, still hangs in an Indian church at St. Regis.

1744. JOHN THEOPHILUS DESAGULIERS died. He was the son of a French protestant clergyman, who resided in England. Having been educated for the ministry, he settled in London; there he acquired a turn for natural philosophy, and was the first person who lectured on experimental philosophy in the metropolis. He was a man of rare ability, and his income enabled him to keep an equipage. His coachman, Erasmus King, from the force of example, became a kind of rival to the doctor; for he also undertook to read lectures, and exhibit experiments in natural philosophy. The terms of admission to the lyceum of the latter philosopher were in proportion to the humble station he had filled.

1793. The French convention passed a decree of accusation against Marat, and by so doing tore off the cloak of inviolability which covered its members, and constituted itself its own jury of accusation.

1808. Denmark declared war against Sweden.

1810. Battle of Vique, in Spain, in which the Spanish General O'Donnel attacked the French under Souham. The impetuosity of the charge made by the Spanish troops lost them the battle.

1844. Fatal explosion of the great gun, Peacemaker, on board the American war steamer, Princeton, by which several government officers lost their lives, and many persons were seriously injured.

MARCH.

MARCH 1.

509. B. C. VALERIUS PUBLICOLA pronounced a funeral oration over the body of Junius Brutus, which was the first institution of that generous tribute to the memory of the virtuous dead.

1554. In the household expenses of Queen Mary 15 shillings are given to a yeoman for bringing her majesty a leek on this day.

1562. The catholics under the duke of Guise fell upon a body of Calvinists at Bassi in France, who were singing the psalms of Marot in a barn. The latter were insulted, and induced to come to blows: when nearly 60 of these unhappy people were killed and 200 wounded. This unexpected event lightened the flame of civil war throughout the kingdom.

1564. Printing introduced again into Moscow. Some 12 years previous it had been used there, but the burning of the city by the Poles suspended it.

1625. JOHN ROBINSON died; minister of the first English church in Holland, to which the first settlers of New England belonged. He fled to Holland with his congregation to avoid persecution, and at the time of his death was preparing to follow with the remainder of the brethren to America. He was distinguished for his learning, liberality and piety.

1645. Battle of Pontefract, in which Sir Marmaduke Langdale defeated the lord Fairfax.

1663. ADAM ADAMI, a French ecclesiastic, statesman and historian, died.

1682. THOMAS HERBERT, an English author of Travels in Asia and Africa, died. He was engaged in the civil wars between the parliament and the royalists, and on the restoration was created a baronet.

1689. The odious hearth stone tax ordered to be taken off by William, prince of Orange.

1711. The Spectator, a daily critical, satirical and literary paper made its appearance in London, under the conduct of Addison and Steele principally, with the assistance of some of the master spirits of the day, and had a reputation which has never been equaled by any other periodical of the kind.

1733. That mysterious person, the oldest inhabitant, witnessed a great flood in the north of England, wholly unprecedented in his life time.

1766. ZABDIEL BOYLSTON, an American physician, died. He was the first to introduce inoculation for small-pox into New England. This mode of treating a virulent disease brought upon him the ridicule of his medical brethren; but he outlived these prejudices and realized a handsome fortune by his profession.

1774. Prince A. D. KANTEMIR, died; a Turk by birth, but subsequently a distinguished oriental scholar.

1781. Maryland ratified the articles of the confederation of the United States being the last state to do so.

1786. The first No. of the Observer appeared, conducted by Cumberland, the dramatist.

1791. The annual masquerade held at Rutland square rooms, Dublin, was the cause of a great riot and the death of many of the police.

1792. LEOPOLD II of Germany, and I of Tuscany, died. He made the latter the happiest and best governed state of Italy. In 1790 he succeeded to the imperial crown, and was noted for the wisdom of his measures, his affability, strict justice and kindness to the poor.

1793. Battle of Aldenhoven, between the French under Dumourier, and 40,000 Austrians under Gen. Coburg. The French were defeated with the loss of 6,000 killed and 4,000 prisoners.

1799. Essex county, N. Y., erected.

1811. Massacre of the Mamelukes in Egypt by order of the pasha.

1814. Treaty of Chaumont, between Austria, Russia, Prussia and Great Britain, against Napoleon.

1815. BONAPARTE landed at Frejus in France from Elba, and resumed the imperial crown.

1816. Ontario co., N. Y., erected.

1838. The Patriots of Canada, about 600 in number, under Nelson and Cote, surrendered to Gen. Wool of the United States army, near Alburg Springs, Vt., and the frontier became tranquilized.

1845. Texas admitted into the Union as an independent State.

1854. The steam ship city of Glasgow left Liverpool for Philadelphia with more than 300 passengers, and was never more seen.

1855. THOMAS DAY, an eminent Connecticut jurist died, aged 78. He published 26 volumes of law reports, and his entire works number about 40 volumes.

1856. The colossal bronze statue of Beethoven, the gift of Charles C. Perkins, inaugurated at the music hall, Boston.

MARCH 2.

986. LOTHAIRE, king of France, died of poison, said to have been administered by his wife Emma.

1492. The Jews banished from Spain by an edict of Ferdinand V. They numbered 800,000 souls.

1585. Dr. PARRY executed for a design to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. She had formerly released him from imprisonment, on a charge of justifying Romanism.

1611. BARTHOLOMEW LEGGAT, convicted of the Arian heresy and delivered over to the secular power.

1617. ROBERT ABBOTT, bishop of Salisbury, died, aged 58. He was active and pains-taking in his office; a profound scholar, and an industrious author.

1619. QUEEN ANNE, consort of James I, died at Hampton Court.

1622. JOHN MARION AVANTIO, a learned Italian civilian, died at Padua.

1629. The speaker of the house of commons, in England, refusing for fear of the king's displeasure to put the question of reading the remonstrance against the king's usurpations, is held in his chair, the doors of the house shut, and the remonstrance read.

1711. DESPREAUX NICHOLAS BOILEAU, the French poet, died. He was born 1636, and in early youth gave indications of the future bent of his genius, by his fondness for the great poets of antiquity. His works are frequently republished in France, though some of his satires are little to the taste of the present day. Bruyere has said of him, that his verses will be read when the language is obsolete, and will be the last ruins of it!

1713. The first No. of the Guardian appeared, conducted by Steele during the temporary suspension of the Spectator.

1714. Peace proclaimed with Spain, and a special privilege granted to the English of supplying the West Indies with negro slaves at the rate of 4800 a year.

1714. Gibraltar and Minorca also ceded to the English.

1715. EMANUEL THEODOSIUS BOULLION, a cardinal and ambassador of Louis XIV of France, died.

1729. FRANCESCO BIANCHINI, an Italian antiquary and astronomer, died. He devoted his life to intense study, and in his character extensive learning was united with great modesty and amiability of manners. He was patronized by the pope, and received marks of respect from the Roman senate.

1738. JOHNSON and GARRICK started from Litchfield for London as literary adventurers. The former had two pence half penny in his pocket, and the latter something less.

1767. JAMES DRAKE, an English political and medical writer, died. He is chiefly known now by his System of Anatomy.

1768. The extensive copper mine in the isle of Anglesey was discovered.

1776. The Americans cannonaded Boston from Cobble hill and Lechmere point.

1786. JOHN JEBB, an eminent English non-conformist divine and physician, died. His publications, theological, medical and political, gained great approbation.

1788. SOLOMON GESNER, a Swiss bookseller, poet and painter, died at Zurich. Of his writings the best known, in English, is the Death of Abel.

1791. JOHN WESLEY, founder of the methodists, died, aged 88. He was born at Epworth, England, and at the time of finishing his studies, was distinguished for his classical attainments, skill in dialectics, and talent for poetry. The origin of the sect called methodists is to be attributed to the circumstance of a club of kindred spirits, who used to meet on week days and read classics, and on Sundays divinity, but shortly their meetings became exclusively religious. This society consisted of fifteen members, who from the strictness of their manners and deportment, obtained the name of Methodists, an appellation which they sanctioned and retained. He visited America, and afterwards Germany, and on his return commenced the systematic labors by which he became the founder of a numerous religious sect. He joined with Whitfield in field preaching, but their opinions being at collision on some point, they finally separated. He continued his active labors till within a week of his death. His works on various subjects amount to upwards of thirty volumes octavo.

1793. Breda, a city of Holland, noted for its numerous sieges, was taken by the French.

1793. Congress passed a law making appropriations for purchasing two lots of ground with buildings, and other materials and necessaries for a mint, $1,279·78; and for the salaries of its officers from July to Dec. 1792, $2,694·88.

1794. Great scarcity of provisions in Paris.

1797. Battle of Monte di Savaro, between the French and Austrians, in which the former under Joubert attacked and carried the posts of the latter.

1797. HORACE WALPOLE, an English author, and son of Robert Walpole the statesman, died.

1799. Corfu, one of the Ionian islands, taken by the Turco Russian squadron.

1799. Manheim, a strong German city, taken by the French.

1801. CHARLES ALBERT DEMOUSTIER, a French poet, died. He was first a successful lawyer, but subsequently turned his attention to literature, and wrote comedies, operas and poems. His pieces are distinguished for spirit, delicacy and ease, and some of them have maintained a place upon the stage.

1802. FRANCIS RUSSEL, duke of Bedford, died, aged 37. He distinguished himself by his endeavors to improve every branch of agriculture, and was a worthy man.

1830. Great freshet at Vienna, in Austria; the Danube rose twenty-three feet, and the houses of 50,000 inhabitants were inundated.

1835. FRANCIS I of Austria (II of Germany), died. His disposition was mild; his dress plain and homely; his manners gentle and familiar; and he was greatly beloved by his German subjects.

1835. SAMUEL BLACKBURN died; an officer of the revolution, an eminent lawyer and for many years a conspicuous member of the Virginia legislature. At his death he liberated his slaves, 46 in number, charging his estate with the expense of transporting them to Liberia.

1839. ZERAH COLBURN died at Norwich, Vt., aged 35. At the age of 6 years he attracted great attention in Europe and America by his marvelous powers of calculation. At that time he was unable to read or write, and ignorant of the name or properties of a single figure traced upon paper. Yet his talent for mental arithmetic was so extraordinary as to be wholly incredible, were it not supported by unquestionable evidence. This faculty he lost before he left England, which was in 1824; and on his return he became a methodist preacher, having acquired a respectable education while abroad.

1840. HENRY WILLIAM MATTHEW ALBERS, a celebrated astronomer, and practicing physician at Bremen, died, aged 81. He acquired a lasting reputation by the discovery of the planet Pallas, in 1802, and of Vesta, in 1807.

1841. First daily paper in Brooklyn published.

1843. ASA PACKARD, aged 84, died at Lancaster, Mass. He was a soldier of the revolution, and for nearly 70 years carried a musket bullet in his body.

1845. JUDAH ALDEN, a distinguished officer of the American revolutionary army, died at Duxbury, Mass.

1849. JAMES MORIER, the celebrated author of Hajji Baba, and other works, died.

1852. The town of St. Bartholomew, one of the Antilles, nearly destroyed by fire; 120 houses and stores having been burned in the space of four hours.

1852. MARMONT, duke of Ragusa, died at Venice, aged 78. He was the last of Napoleon's marshals.

1855. NICHOLAS I, emperor of Russia, died, aged 59. He came to the throne in 1826, and his reign was devoted to strengthening the power and extending the domain of Russia.

1856. An earthquake in the island of Great Sangor, one of the Moluccas, by which 2,806 lives were lost.

MARCH 3.

1589. JOHN STURMIUS, a learned German grammarian and rhetorician, died. He was called the Cicero of Germany.

1633. GEORGE HERBERT, an English divine and poet, died. Lord Bacon had so high an opinion of his judgment that he would not suffer his works to be published until they had been submitted to Herbert's examination.

1634. First colony arrived at Potomac for the settlement of Maryland, under Lord Baltimore. It consisted of 200 Catholics from England. The soil was purchased of the natives, and the foundation of the province was laid on the broad basis of security to property and of freedom in religion.

1703. ROBERT HOOKE, an English mathematician and philosopher, died. He is noted for many useful inventions and improvements in mechanics; and his writings are numerous and valuable.

1722. CAMPEGIO VITRINGA died; a learned author of Friesland, in the Netherlands.

1728. CAMILLO D'HOSTUN, count de Tallart, died. He was a brave general of the French, taken prisoner by the duke of Marlborough.

1760. Unsuccessful attack on the fort at Ninety-Six, by 200 Cherokee Indians.

1776. The Americana under Col. Bull burnt the British ship Inverness and six other vessels, near Savannah, laden for England.

1779. Battle of Briar Creek, when the Americans were surprised by the British under Provost, and lost 150 killed and 162 prisoners.

1780. JOSEPH HIGHMORE, an eminent English painter, died. He was also a writer of considerable merit.

1791. The church plate in France was sent to the mint for coinage.

1792. ROBERT ADAM, a Scotch architect, died. In connection with his brother, he built some of the first mansions in London; but the work for which they are chiefly celebrated, is the elegant range called the Adelphi, a Greek word denoting the relationship of brothers.

1796. Civic festival at the Hague on occasion of the installation of the Batavian national assembly.

1799. The advance guards of the French army arrived before Jaffa (the ancient Joppa) in Syria, and invested the city.

1802. County of St. Lawrence, in New York, erected.

1808. JOHANN CHRIST FABRICIUS died, one of the most celebrated entomologists of the eighteenth century. He was born 1742 at Sleswic in Denmark; studied medicine; but was afterwards induced to make an especial study of entomology, a science at that time in its infancy. He adopted a new arrangement of the insect tribe by choosing for his divisions the modifications observable in the parts of the mouth.

1808. The French West India island Marigalante taken by the British. It was colonized by the French, 1647; twice taken by the Dutch, and twice before by the British, and restored to the French, 1763.

1810. The great Elm tree at Kensington, Philadelphia, under which William Penn held his first treaty with the Indians in 1682, was blown down.

1815. War declared between the United States and Algiers.

1817. LESCURE died at Beaulieu in France, aged 118. He enjoyed, at the time of his death, the vigorous use of his intellect.

1843. Com. PORTER, a gallant American naval officer, died at Constantinople, where he was minister from the United States to the Sublime Porte.

1845. Florida admitted into the Union as an independent state.

1846. HENRY PURKITT, one of those who assisted in the destruction of the tea in Boston harbor, died, aged 91.

1855. ROBERT MILLS died, a civil engineer and architect, under whom the Washington Post office, Treasury building and Patent office were erected.

MARCH 4.

1193. SALADIN the Great died at Damascus.

1530. CHARLES V granted to the knights of St. John, who had recently been expelled from the island of Rhodes by the Turks, the ownership of all the castles, fortresses, and isles of Tripoli, Malta and Gozo. Malta at the time was a shelterless rock, and the inhabitants, 12,000 in number, in a wretched condition.

1583. BERNARD GILPIN, an eminent English prelate, died. He came near falling a victim to the fury of Bonner, and was only saved from the stake by the death of the queen. His life was spent in well doing.

1629. Massachusetts patent confirmed by CHARLES I, by the name of "the governor and company of Massachusetts bay in New England," Matthew Cradock first governor.

1674. The governing charter of Dundalk, in the county of South Ireland, bears this date. This town was the Dundalgan of the Irish Ossianic poems, and is of great antiquity.

1681. The charter of Pennsylvania signed and sealed by Charles II, constituting William Penn and his heirs true and absolute proprietaries of the province, saving to the crown their allegiance and the sovereignty.

1744. JOHN ANSTIS died; an English antiquary, and a very eminent writer on heraldic subjects.

1765. WILLIAM STUKELEY, an English antiquary, died. He wrote ably as a divine, physician, historian and antiquary; was profound in British antiquities; a good botanist; erudite in ancient coins; drew well, and understood mechanics. The footsteps of the Romans were traced by him, and the temples of the ancient Britons explored. His antiquarian researches acquired him the name of Arch Druid.

1776. The Americans took possession of Dorchester heights, which were so far completed by day light as to excite the astonishment of the British, and render their position in Boston extremely hazardous.

1776. New Providence taken from the British by the American Commodore Ezekiel Hopkins. The governor, together with considerable military stores, fell into the hands of the victors.

1778. American frigate Alfred, 20 guns, taken by the British ships Ariadne and Ceres.

1782. The house of commons resolved that it would "consider as enemies to his majesty and the country, all those who should advise or attempt the further prosecution of offensive war on the American continent."

1789. The first congress of the United States assembled at New York.

1791. Vermont admitted into the Union. (See Feb. 18.)

1794. HENRY DE LA ROCHEJAQUELIN, the hero of La Vendee, killed. The peasants of the neighborhood having risen in the royal cause, he placed himself at their head, with this laconic harangue, "Allons chercher l'ennemi; si je recule, tuez moi; si j'avance, suivez moi; si je meurs, vengez moi." After gaining sixteen victories, he fell in single combat with a republican soldier.

1797. One pound or 20 shilling notes first issued by the bank of England. They were designed to take the place of the specie drained from the vaults to pay the foreign contracts.

1806. Action between the British fleet, Com. Popham, and the French frigate La Voluntaire, 46 guns. The latter was captured with 360 men and 217 British prisoners.

1811. First report of canal commissioners in New York.

1811. The French under Massena retreated before Lord Wellington upon Santarem, in Portugal, leaving their killed and wounded behind.

1812. The charter of the first bank of the United States expired by its own limitation.

1814. Battle of Longwood, about 100 miles from Detroit, in which the United States troops defeated a superior British force. British loss 80; American loss 8.

1814. Battle of Troyes, between the French under Oudinot and the Allies under Schwarzenberg, in which the former were defeated, with the loss of 10 cannon and 3,000 prisoners.

1815. United States letter of marque brig Aspasia, 3 guns and 25 men, captured by the British ship Voluntaire.

1815. FRANCES ABINGTON, a celebrated English actress, died. She was the original Lady Teazle.

1832. JOHN FRANCIS CHAMPOLLION, the French archæologist, died at Paris, aged 42. Having devoted much attention to the study of Egyptian antiquities, he was, in 1826, appointed to superintend that department in the royal museum at Paris, and in 1828, went with an expedition of learned men to Egypt, at the expense of the king, Charles X. The results of this journey were regarded of so great importance in relation to the hieroglyphics, that his manuscripts on that subject were purchased by the French government at about $9,300.

1838. Carlists under Cabanero, entered Saragossa, but were driven out by the national guards with the loss of 120 killed and 700 prisoners.

1847. A telescopic comet was discovered at the Cambridge university at 7 P. M. by G. P. Pond, assistant observer, being the fourth first discovered in this country by this young gentleman.

1856. The free state legislature of Kansas assembled at Topeka.

MARCH 5.

13. B. C. MARCUS EMILIUS LEPIDUS, one of the Roman triumvirs, with Augustus and Anthony, died at Cerceii.

493. ODOACER, chief of the Heruli, murdered. It was reserved for him, at the head of a tribe of barbarians almost unknown, to strike the decisive blow that overthrew the great mistress of the world--imperial Rome.

1223. ALONZO II of Portugal died. His career was begun by an attempt to deprive his sisters of their estates, and ended by robbing the church. The pope, however, interfered, and compelled him to promise to be civil to the ecclesiastics; but death overtook him before he had time to fulfill his engagements by making restitution.

1495. HENRY VIII granted a patent to John Cabot and his three sons Lewis, Sebastian and Sanchius, empowering them to sail under the flag of England in quest of countries yet unoccupied by any Christian state, to take possession of them in the name of Henry, and plant the English banner on the walls of their castles and cities, and to maintain with the inhabitants a traffic exclusive of all competitors, and exempted from customs; under the condition of paying a fifth part of the free profit on every voyage to the crown. They embarked two years after.

1534. ANTONI ALLEGRI, an illustrious Italian painter, died. He lived at Parma, where without any instruction he executed some of the most perfect pictures in the world. He is better known as Corregio, from his birth place.

1546. ISABELLA LOSA died; a native of Cordova in Spain, so illustrious for her acquirements that she was honored with the degree of D. D.

1605. CLEMENT VIII (Hippolitus Aldobrandi), pope of Rome, died. He was a liberal minded and benevolent pontiff.

1660. MONK'S parliament ordered the printing and setting up in churches the solemn league and covenant.

1686. JAMES II forbade the bishops to preach on controverted points.

1695. HENRY WHARTON died; an English divine and historian of uncommon abilities.

1701. ROBERT, earl of Bellamont, governor of the province of New York, died, two years after his installment into that office.

1708. WILLIAM BEVERIDGE, an English divine, and bishop of St. Asaph, died, leaving many learned and valuable works.

1710. JOHN HOLT died. He had been for more than 20 years lord chief justice of the king's bench court in England.

1737. The servants called footmen occasioned a riot at Drury lane theatre, London, alleging that they had been shut out of the gallery, to which they were entitled.

1744. At Huddersfield, Yorkshire, a Roman temple was discovered and an altar inscribed to Antonius Modestus of the sixth conquering legion.

1770. Boston massacre. This occurrence, which is variously stated, is supposed to have arisen as follows: a crowd surrounded a corporal's guard in the evening, and commenced pelting them with snow balls, which exasperated his majesty's legions to such a pitch of valor, that they turned their muskets upon the citizens. The leaden balls of the soldiers were more than a match for those of the people, and five men fell mortally wounded. Their names were Mattucks, Gray, Caldwell, Maverick, and Carr.

1773. PHILIP FRANCIS died at Bath, England; distinguished as a translator of Horace and Demosthenes.

1775. PETER LAURENCE BUYRETTE DU BELLOI died; a French comedian and tragedian, who by his own pieces became extremely popular in his day.

1775. The citizens of New York held a town meeting, in which it is said the question of congress or no congress was carried in the affirmative by the aid of hoop poles obtained from a neighboring cooper's yard.

1778. THOMAS AUGUSTUS ARNE died; an English musician and opera writer. He received the degree of doctor of music.

1785. JOSEPH REED died at Philadelphia, aged 43. He was one of Washington's aids in the revolutionary war, and subsequently an adjutant-general, member of congress, and governor of Pennsylvania.

1794. County of Onondaga, in New York, erected.

1798. An Algerine barque arrived at Baltimore, 85 days out, manned by Algerines; being the first that ever entered an American port.

1811. Battle of Barrosa in Portugal, between the French under Victor, and the English, Spanish and Portuguese allied army, under Graham. The French were defeated with the loss of 3,000; allied loss 2,742.

1827. PIERRE SIMON LAPLACE, the French mathematician, died. His principal work, which will render him an object of admiration to posterity, the Mechanique Celeste, has been translated by our countryman Nathaniel Bowditch, in a manner creditable alike to the author, to himself and the literature of his country.

1827. ALESSANDRO VOLTA died. He was born at Como, Italy; devoted his attention to experiments in electricity, and made many important discoveries.

1829. Battle near the river Natonebi, in Asiatic Turkey, between the Turks and Russians, in which the former lost 1,000 and the latter 200 men.

1837. OLIVER ELLIOT died at Mason, N. H., aged 103. He was a soldier of the French war of 1756, and of the revolutionary war.

1846. JOHN PICKERING, president of the American Oriental society, &c., &c., died at Boston.

1849. The emperor of Austria, after a series of decrees, promulgated a new constitution.

1853. GERVINUS tried at Manheim for high treason, published in a work on the history of the nineteenth century, was found guilty of exciting to sedition, and sentenced to ten months imprisonment, and his book ordered to be destroyed.

1856. Covent garden theatre, London, burnt at the close of a masked hall.

MARCH 6.

13 B. C. AUGUSTUS CÆSAR assumed the office of high priest, in which capacity he destroyed 2,000 books of prophecy, for want of authority!

1393. JOHN HAWKWOOD, an Englishman, died at Florence. He was bred a tailor, but signalized himself so greatly in the wars in Italy, that he was promoted to the highest posts; and after his death the Florentines erected a block marble statue as an acknowledgment for the services he had done them.

1521. MAGELLAN, in the service of the king of Spain, on his voyage round the world, discovered the Ladrone, or Marian islands, and may be considered as the first discoverer of that portion of the world called Australia. This opened the way for the subsequent discoveries made in that quarter.

1557. Lord STOURTON hung at Salisbury in a halter of silk, to mark his dignity. His crime was the murder of two persons whom he had decoyed to his house.

1577. REMI BELLEAU, one of the seven poets called the Pleiades of France, died. He excelled as a pastoral writer.

1615. The yacht Halve Maan, 80 tons burden, in which Hudson entered the river which bears his name, was wrecked and destroyed on the island of Mauritius.

1716. Aurora Borealis first seen in England, and was gazed upon with every degree of alarm till nearly three o'clock in the morning.

1754. PELHAM, premier of England, died suddenly in the meridian of life. He was much opposed to the German alliances of the kingdom, but had not influence enough in the face of a hostile court to break them up.

1762. The ghost that had for so long a time alarmed the people of Cocklane, London, was detected.

1767. JAMES MALFILLASTRE, a French poet, died.

1781. Battle of Whitsell's mill, an important pass of Reedy fort creek, in which the British were worsted.

1784. FRANCIS XAVIER HALL, a Jesuit, professor of belles lettres and ecclesiastical law in several German universities, died.

1796. WILLIAM FRANCIS RAYNAL died. He was a French Jesuit, who distinguished himself as a historian of the European settlements in both Indias, and as a political writer.

1799. The French under Bonaparte took Jaffa by assault. The garrison consisted of 1,200 Turkish artillery and 2,500 Magrubins or Arnauts who were put to the sword.

1812. JAMES MADISON, an eminent American prelate, died, aged 63. His great attainments placed him in the presidential chair of William and Mary college at the early age of 28, and the reputation of the institution advanced under his charge.

1815. LEWIS XVIII declared Napoleon Bonaparte a traitor and a rebel, for having entered by main force the department of the Var.

1815. A great riot around the British parliament house, on account of the corn bill. A great many lives lost.

1817. Insurrection at Pernambuco, Brazils, headed by Domingos Jose Martins. The insurgents took possession of the town, and the governor fled to Rio de Janeiro.

1822. Owing to a strong south-west wind the tide in the Thames near London bridge was so low, that several persons forded the river and picked up many valuable articles that had laid for years on the bottom of the river.

1825. SAMUEL PARR, an eminent English divine and critic, died. He was possessed of a prodigious memory, and in curious and elegant classical knowledge he seems to have been at the head of the English scholars of his day.

1838. VILETTE EASTON, a colored woman, died at Providence, Rhode Island, at the age of 110.

1854. The block of marble sent by the pope as a contribution to Washington's monument, was destroyed by unknown persons at night.

MARCH 7.

161. ANTONINUS PIUS, emperor of Rome, died at Lorium, aged 23.

1274. THOMAS AQUINAS died. He was descended from the counts of Aquino, in Italy. There was a great contest for him between his family and the monks when he was a youth; but he eluded the vigilance of his keepers, became a theologian, and was called the evangelical doctor. His works have been often reprinted in 17 vols, folio.

1575. The general assembly of Scotland enacted that no comedies, nor tragedies, or such plays, shall be made on any history of canonical scriptures, nor on the Sabbath day.

1589. WALTHER RALEIGH, having expended £40,000 in attempting the colonization of Virginia, without realizing the expected gain, made an assignment of his patent to Thomas Smith and others, with a donation of £100 for the benefit of the colony.

1661. Goffe and Whalley, the regicides, arrived at New Haven, where by the connivance of the deputy governor and clergyman, they effectually eluded discovery during the remainder of their lives.

1755. THOMAS WILSON died; bishop of Sodor and Man, an excellent prelate and an eminent writer on theology.

1769. SAMUEL DERRICK died; originally a linen draper in Dublin; subsequently a writer of pamphlets in London, and finally master of ceremonies at Bath and Tunbridge.

1771. THOMAS MARTIN, an English antiquarian, died. He wrote a history of his own native town, and made a valuable collection of antiquities, &c.

1777. JAMES AITKEN, alias John the painter, was hanged on a gallows 60 feet in height for setting fire to the rope yard at Portsmouth. He confessed his having set fire to the vessels at Bristol quay and that he was stimulated to these acts by Silas Dean of the American congress.

1778. American frigate Randolph, Capt. Nicholas Biddle, 36 guns and 305 men, blown up about 9 at night, in an action of fifteen minutes with the British ship Yarmouth, 64 guns. Capt. Biddle perished, at the age of 27; only 4 of the crew were saved.

1781. A British soldier jumped over the pallisades at Gibraltar, and notwithstanding 1143 musket balls were fired at him, succeeded in reaching the Spanish lines, waving his hat.

1788. Clinton county, in New York, erected.

1794. Revolution at Warsaw. The Russians with Gen. Inglestrom and their ambassador, driven out of the city by the Poles.

1794. The mulatto Gen. Bellegarde and his second, Pelocque, with 300 followers, surrendered to the British at St. Domingo. The chiefs were sent to the United States.

1795. The British squadron, Sir Edward Pellew, captured near the Penmarks, 8 French vessels, burnt 2 ships, 3 brigs and 2 sloops.

1801. The British expedition under Lord Keith, consisting of nearly 200 sail and an army of 15,330 men, arrived in Aboukir bay, Egypt.

1803, FRANCIS EDGERTON, duke of Bridgewater, died. He was the projector of the Medway canal in England.

1804. British and Foreign Bible society founded in London. A clergyman of Wales, whom the want of a Welsh Bible led to London, occasioned its establishment.

1808. The Portuguese royal family arrived in Brazil, fleeing before the arms of Napoleon to the colonies.

1809. Schenectady county, New York, taken from Albany.

1810. CUTHBERT COLLINGWOOD, the English admiral, died in his ship off Minorca. He entered the British navy at an early age, and by his talents rose to the highest rank. His most distinguished service was the part he bore at the battle of Trafalgar. On the fall of Nelson in that conflict, the command devolved on him. The victory on that occasion was attributable to the nautical skill, prudence and courage of Collingwood; and his ship was the first to break through the French line.

1814. Battle of Craonne in France, in which the French under Victor and Ney defeated the allies, took 6 generals and about 6,000 prisoners.

1828. RICHARD STOCKTON, a son of the signer of the Declaration of American Independence of that name, died at Princeton, New Jersey. He was one of the foremost supporters of Washington's administration.

1844. Florida admitted into the Union.

(Query 3d.)

MARCH 8.

1096. WALTER the Pennyless departed from France with the van of the Crusaders.

1639. DUDLEY DIGGES, master of the rolls under Charles I, died. He was noted for his patriotism, and was the author of several literary performances.

1663. The great frost at Paris, which had endured three months, broke up on this day.

1702. WILLIAM III of England, died. He was celebrated as a politician, and formidable as a general. (16th?)

1721. Pope CLEMENT XI died, aged 72. He reigned over twenty years.

1748. The British squadron, Admiral Knowles, attacked and carried Port Louis, in St. Domingo, which he also destroyed. The French lost about 130 killed; British loss 20 killed and 50 wounded.

1750. An earthquake at London which shook the whole city. It occurred at half past five in the morning, awoke people from their sleep, threw some persons out of bed and rung the bells.

1757. THOMAS BLACKWELL, an eminent Scottish writer, died. His modesty was such that he published his works anonymously.

1766. The bill repealing the American stamp act received the royal assent, and was passed.

1766. WILLIAM CHAMBERS, the architect, died. He was born in Sweden, but was brought over to England at two years of age. As an architect, the building of Somerset house will place his name with the best of the British schools. He was the author of several works, principally on architecture.

1775. An inhabitant of the town of Billerica, Mass., tarred and feathered by the British troops. The British were the first to introduce this practice, which, afterwards became a popular mode of punishing tories.

1793. The French national convention abolished imprisonment for debt, and decreed that all actually confined for debt in the republic should be set at liberty. From this law however were excepted all defaulters in public money.

1793. The city of Liege in Belgium, taken by the Austrians.

1796. A viscid and resinous substance fell near Bautzen, in Upper Lusatia, composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Several distinguished men of science examined specimens of it. It had the smell of the yellowish and very much dried gum of the juniper.

1796. Banda, an East India island, taken by the British under Admiral Rainer. A large quantity of spices and considerable money fell into the hands of the victors.

1799. Cayuga county, New York, erected.

1799. MASSENA took by assault the fortress of Luciensteig, cut out of the rock in the channel of the Rhine. This opened a passage through the Rhætian Alps.

1801. The British effected a landing in Egypt, at Aboukir bay, with the loss of 700 men. The French under Menou opposed their landing with great bravery.

1803. FRANCIS EGERTON, duke of Bridgewater, died. He is styled the father of canal navigation in England. He planned the Worsley canal, near Manchester, which he completed with the assistance of Brindley. He died immensely rich.

1804. Goeree, an island of the Netherlands, which had fallen into the hands of the French a few weeks previous, was retaken by the British on this day.

1807. SAWREY GILPIN, an English painter, died. He excelled particularly in delineating animals. His masterpiece is a group of tigers.

1808. Third day's action between the British frigate St. Fiorenza and the French frigate Piedmontaise, 50 guns, off cape Comorin. The action lasted one hour and twenty minutes, when the French struck, having 48 killed and wounded. The British lost 17 killed besides their commander, Capt. Hardinge.

1814. Lord WELLINGTON defeated the French and entered Bordeaux.

1814. Unsuccessful attack by the British under Gen. Skerret upon Bergen-op-Zoom. Of 4,500 British it is supposed that not more than 1,500 escaped.

1815. Action between the British ship Tiber, Capt. Dacres, and the American privateer Leo, 7 guns, 93 men, Capt. Hemes, which resulted in the capture of the latter.

1819. REGNAULT DE ST. JEAN D'ANGELY, a French statesman under Bonaparte, died at his ancient seat, on the day following his return from exile, of gout in the stomach.

1844. CHARLES JOHN BERNADOTTE, king of Sweden, died, aged 81. He rose from the humble rank of a sergeant in the army, to the highest rank under Bonaparte; and in 1810 founded a new dynasty in Sweden. Having fortunately joined the allied powers in 1812 against Napoleon, he survived the overthrow of the other newly erected dynasties, and transmitted the crown to his son, Oscar I.

MARCH 9.

1403. BAJAZET I, sultan of Turkey, died. He was celebrated as a warrior, but his disposition was cruel and tyrannical. Being conquered by Tamerlane, and exposed by him in an iron cage, he dashed his head against the bars of his prison, and killed himself.

1405. Battle of Grosmont, in which Henry IV defeated the Welch under Griffith Glendowr.

1566. DAVID RICCI (or Rizzio), an Italian musician, residing at the court of Mary, queen of Scots, assassinated in her presence. His skillful performance of the national melodies of Scotland, tended not a little to their general improvement with the higher classes.

1609. WILLIAM WARNER, an English poet, died; author of Albion's England.

1615. FRANCIS BEAUMONT, an English dramatist buried. He was jointly concerned with Fletcher in the production of several excellent plays, and assisted Jonson in some of his. He died under 30 years of age.

1649. The duke of Hamilton, earl of Holland, and Lord Capel beheaded with others who were suspected of royalism. Bad faith is attributed to their judges.

1661. JULIUS MAZARIN died; cardinal and prime minister of France under Louis XIV. His name is identified with the history of his time.

1678. Ghent surrendered to Louis XIV of France.

1679. A declaration forbidding pardon to be granted to any who killed another in a duel, issued by the council of England.

1694. GASPARD SAGITTARIUS, a German historian, died. He was an able supporter of the doctrines of the reformation.

1735. Violent hurricane occurred at Kilverton in Norfolk rolling the lead of the roofs of houses and doing in the few minutes it lasted, incredible damage. A strong smell of sulphur followed.

1762. JOSEPH CALAS, a merchant of Toulouse, executed on the wheel. He was unjustly condemned for the murder of his own son. His innocence was confirmed by a public arret, on this day the next year.

1770. WILLIAM GUTHRIES, a voluminous Scottish writer, died. He became celebrated as a bookmaker, and lent his name to the works of less popular authors.

1778. Great council at Johnstown between the Six nations and New York company.

1782. Mangalore, a seaport of Hindostan, surrendered to the British under General Matthews.

1783. MICHAEL ETMULLER, a German physician, died. His works have been published in 5 vols. folio.

1793. Congress passed the act to organize the militia; enacting the enrollment of every able bodied white male citizen between the ages of 18 and 45.

1795. The Fingal, or 118th regiment, mutinied at Birmingham, England.

1796. CHARETTE, the famous Vendean chief, tried and shot at Nantes, aged about 33. He refused to have his eyes bandaged, and gave the signal to fire himself.

1801. JOHANN CHRISTIAN ACKERMANN, a celebrated German physician and bibliographer, died, aged 45.

1810. London rendered impassable for several hours by a heavy rain.

1811. Battle of Pombal, in Portugal, in which the French were defeated with the loss of 470, by the British.

1812. JOHN HENRY'S plot to dismember the Union disclosed to congress. Henry received $50,000 public money for disclosing it, and sailed immediately for France.

1814. Battle of Laon, in which Napoleon was defeated by Marshal Blucher.

1822. EDWARD DANIEL CLARKE, professor of mineralogy at Cambridge and a celebrated traveler and tourist, died.

1823. JOHN HENRY VAN SWINDEN, a Dutch philosopher, died. He was an author on various subjects, and a man of great erudition.

1825. ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD, an English authoress of great reputation in her day, died. She was early taught the languages, and became distinguished for her learning. She retained great vigor of mind and body to the extreme age of 90.

1834. Snow fell at Rome, the first event of the kind on record in 240 years. (See March 25, 1595.)

1840. GEORGE GLEIG died at Stirling, Scotland, aged 87; distinguished for more than half a century as a scholar, critic, metaphysician and theologian.

1847. Battle of Vera Cruz.

MARCH 10.

222. HELIOGABALUS, emperor of Rome, assassinated. He was a cruel, vindictive and licentious tyrant.

1333. LADISLAUS III of Poland died. He oppressed the people till they revolted and placed Wenceslaus upon the throne. On the death of the latter he was reinstated and governed with justice and moderation.

1668. JOHN DENHAM, a British poet, died. One of his poems, Cooper's Hill, is commended by the ablest critics.

1673. HENRIETTA COLIGNI, a French poetess of much celebrity, died.

1683. The first council and assembly of Pennsylvania met at Chester. The session occupied 22 days.

1686. JAMES II granted a general pardon to many of his subjects, excepting among others the girls of Taunton who gave a Bible and sword to Monmouth. James never favored the Bible.

1726. The Lyford giant born; when five years of age he could lift one hundred weight with one hand.

1736. WILLIAM COSBY, captain general and commander in chief of the province of New York, died, almost universally detested.

1774. WILLIAM BROWNE, an English physician, died. The active part he took in the contest against the licentiates, occasioned his being introduced by Foote into his play of the Devil upon Two Sticks. He is distinguished by many lively essays in English, and Latin prose and verse.

1776. ELIAS CATHERINE FRERON, a French litterateur, died. He was the constant subject of Voltaire's satire, who called him the tyrant, rather than the king of literature.

1776. The British soldiery, contrary to orders, plundered Boston.

1783, ANTHONY LOYDI, a farmer of Amezquet, Spain, died, aged 114. He had never been sick until a few days before his death, always abstained from wine and tobacco, and retained his senses, his teeth and hair until he died.

1785. N. SABLIER, an eminent French author, died at Paris.

1789. The city of London brilliantly illuminated on account of the convalescence of the king.

1792. JOHN, earl of Bute, died. He was made prime minister of England, from which he voluntarily retired to enjoy a life of learned leisure.

1797. The city of Albany made the capital of the state of New York.

1797. Delaware county, in the state of New York, erected.

1812. BONAPARTE issued a decree denationalizing all flags that should submit to the British orders in council.

1813. Action at night in Chesapeake bay between the United States schooner Adeline and the British schooner Lottery; the latter it is supposed was sunk.

1819. FREDERICK HENRY JACOBI, a German philosophical writer, died.

1820. BENJAMIN WEST, the painter, died at London, aged 82. He was born at Springfield, Penn., 1738. The first indications of his genius were elicited at the age of seven years, by drawing the portrait of his sleeping sister in red and black ink. He began painting as a profession at the age of 18, and four years after went to England. He was subsequently induced by Sir Joshua Reynolds to take up his residence in London, where he acquired a reputation seldom attained, and at the time of his death was president of the Royal academy.

1826. JOHN PINKERTON, an eminent and voluminous Scottish author, died at Paris, aged 68.

1829. The William and Anne, a British trading vessel, wrecked at the mouth of Columbia river, on the north-west coast of America, and the whole crew, 16 Europeans and 10 Sandwich islanders, murdered by the natives.

1833. SAMUEL TUCKER, an American revolutionary commodore, died at Bremen, Maine. He was distinguished as a brave and able commander, and at the time of his death, was supposed to have been, next to Lafayette, the highest surviving officer of the revolution.

1855. JAMES BROWN, an eminent book-publisher of Boston, Mass., died, aged 55. He not only was eminent in his profession, but possessed the taste and spirit of a scholar.

1855. CARLOS, the claimant of the Spanish throne from the time of the death of Ferdinand in 1833, died at Trieste, where he was known as the conde de Molina.

1855. The college building at Princeton, N. J., known as Nassau hall, was destroyed by fire. It was built in 1756 and in the Revolutionary war was used for barracks, by both the British and Americans.

MARCH 11.

1302. The marriage of ROMEO MONTOCCHIO with JULIET CAPELLETTO was solemnized at the church of the Minorites, at Citadella. These were Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

1444. The university of Paris issued a circular addressed to all the French clergy, expressing the opinion of the church, that the feast of fools, about the calends of January, was a well imagined institution, connected with Christianity, and that those who attempted to suppress it should be curst and excommunicate.

1513. JOHN MEDICI elected pope and assumed the title of Leo X. From his grave appearance it was often said he seemed never to have been a child.

1544. Birthday of TORQUATO TASSO, styled the prince of Italian poets.

1669. The memorable eruption of Mount Etna began at sunset.

1722. JOHN TOLAND, a very famous English political, polemical and miscellaneous writer and antiquary, died at Putney.

1732. PETER CHIRAC, a French author and physician to the king, died.

1732. KOULI KHAN, usurped the Persian throne.

1738. It was ascertained that 12,000 persons were convicted in London in a few months for selling gin without a license, and 3,000 paid a fine of £10 rather than be committed to the house of correction.

1744. Action off Toulon between part of the British fleet under Matthews and Lestock, and the combined French and Spanish fleets.

1797. Two discharged servants informed the police that Ladies Buckinghamshire, Luttrel and Stuart played faro, in consequence of which their ladyships were fined.

1800. The Royal institution of London for the promotion of the fine arts held their first sitting.

1808. Franklin, Chatauque, Cattaraugus and Niagara counties in the state of New York, erected.

1809. HANNAH COWLEY died, aged 66. She was born at Tiverton, England, and distinguished as a poetress, and a dramatic writer.

1811. Badajos in Spain surrendered to the French under Soult. About 9,000 prisoners were taken, 170 cannon, 80,000 quintals of gunpowder, a large quantity of infantry cartridges, and two complete bridge equipages.

1812. PHILIP JAMES DE LOUHTERBOURG, a distinguished landscape painter, died at London. He was born at Strasburgh, 1740, and studied under Casanova. He gained considerable reputation by his paintings at Paris, after which he went over to England. Here he got up under the name of Eidophusikon, a novel and highly ingenious exhibition, displaying the changes of the elements and their phenomena, in a calm, a moonlight, a sunset and a storm at sea.

1813. Action off Surinam river between the United States privateer schooner Gen. Armstrong, 18 guns, and a British 24 gun frigate. The privateer sustained the attack 45 minutes within pistol shot, and succeeded in escaping with the loss of 6 killed and 16 wounded.

1848. HENRY WHEATON, an American statesman, philanthropist and classic writer, died at Roxbury, Mass.

1856. President RIVAS, of Nicaragua, declared war against Costa Rica.

MARCH 12.

1470. Battle of Erpingham, in England, and defeat of the rebels under Sir Robert Welles.

1507. CÆSAR BORGIA killed by a cannon shot before the castle of Biano. He was the natural son of Pope Alexander VI, and by him invested with the purple. He was a man of such conduct and character that Machiavel has thought fit to propose him, in his famous book, called The Prince, as a pattern to all princes who would act the part of wise and polite tyrants. He allowed no one to stand in his way to promotion from any scruples to removing them by the foulest means.

1578. ALEXANDER PICCOLOMINI died; author of dramatic and other pieces. He was the first who used the Italian language in philosophical subjects.

1581. WILLIAM FULKE preached a sermon within the tower of London in the hearing of such obstinate papists as were there imprisoned.

1612. The third charter of Virginia granted, by which new privileges and immunities were given for the encouragement of the colony.

1664. CHARLES II, of England, granted to his brother the duke of York, all Mattawacks, now Long Island; all Hudson's river, and all the lands from the west side of Connecticut river to the east side of Delaware bay, together with the royalties and rights of government.

1676. Action between the French fleet under Duquesne, and the Spanish and Dutch fleets under De Ruyter, who was mortally wounded.

1682. Chelsea hospital, England, founded.

1683. The first assembly of Pennsylvania was holden at Philadelphia, two years from the time that Penn obtained the charter.

1697. LUDOVICK MUGGLETON, a schismatic English tailor, died. He entertained notions peculiar to himself, and damned all who differed from him. He was pilloried and imprisoned, and his books burnt by the hangman.

1703. AUBREY DE VERE died. His father was the valiant Robert de Vere, who married the daughter of a Friesland boor, named Beatrix Van Hemims. He was lord of the bed chamber to Charles I; was found so passive under Cromwell, that he escaped even the fine; conformed to the manners of the court of Charles II; went over from James II to William the conqueror; and was graceful in old age at the court of Queen Anne. He had been privy councilor to each of these sovereigns, and was hereditary lord chamberlain, senior knight of the garter, and premier earl of England.

1713. STEELE commenced his paper The Guardian.

1716. ISAAC BRIAND was fined £2000 by the court of aldermen, London, for marrying Miss Elizabeth Watson, an orphan of 13 years of age and a great fortune, without their consent.

1761. The shock of an earthquake felt in Massachusetts and the adjoining states, at half past two in the morning.

1768. Six students of Edmund hall, Oxford, were expelled the university for methodism. Their crime was praying, expounding the scriptures and singing psalms.

1772. Montgomery (originally Tyron) county, N. Y., erected.

1775. The earl of Effingham resigned his command in a regiment ordered to America. He refused to bear arms against his fellow subjects in the colonies.

1780. The British garrison at Mobile, Capt. Durnford, capitulated to the Spaniards under Don Bernardo de Galvez. The garrison consisted of 284 regulars, 54 inhabitants and 51 armed Indians.

1797. The French under Serrurier crossed the Piave, having defeated the Austrians who opposed their passage.

1801. The British fleet sailed from Aboukir bay, Egypt, and the army under Abercrombie, having effected their landing, took up their line of march for Alexandria.

1807. British order in council, interdicting all trade between port and port in France.

1809. GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS IV, king of Sweden, dethroned, and the reigns of the government assumed by his uncle the duke of Sudermania, afterwards Charles XIII. (By some authorities, March 15.)

1811. The French under Massena attacked at Redinha, Portugal, by the duke of Wellington, and compelled to fall back.

1813. Warren county, N. Y., erected.

1814. The allied British and Portuguese, under Marshal Beresford, took possession of Bordeaux in France, in the name of Louis XVIII.

1819. ROBERT WATT, author of the Bibliotheca Britannica, died. His family were severe sufferers by the failure of Constable & Co., of Edinburgh.

1837. M. DE PRADT, archbishop of Malines, died at Paris, aged 78. He bore a conspicuous part in the political history of France, was often employed in important missions, and was the author of many political publications.

1843. LITTLETON HUNT, aged 107, died at Guinett, Ga. When a soldier of the revolutionary army he was severely wounded at the battle of Eutaw springs.

1844. EDWARD R. SHUBRICK, a brave and accomplished American naval officer, died on board his ship, the Columbia, off the coast of Brazil, aged 50.

1846. JONATHAN ELLIOT, a well known newspaper editor and political writer, died at Washington, D. C.

1854. HUGH MACPHERSON died, aged 86; for 61 years professor of Greek at the university of Aberdeen.

1857. Rail road accident on the Great Western railway in Canada, by which a great number of persons were killed at a bridge over the Des Jardins canal.

1857. JOHN JOHNSON, an old revolutionary soldier, died in Alleghany township, Westmoreland county, Penn., aged 103. He served in the continental army during the whole of the revolutionary war; fought at the battles of the White plains, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, Stony point, Guilford court house, and Yorktown where Lord Cornwallis capitulated and surrendered to Gen. Washington, in all the battles and skirmishes of Gen. Anthony Wayne; and at the storming of Stony point by Wayne, he formed one of the forlorn hope.

MARCH 13.

565. BELISARIUS, a distinguished Roman general, died. He is memorable for his signal and momentous victories, and for his misfortunes. He was degraded to beg alms at the gates of Constantinople by the ungrateful emperor Justinian, to whom he had rendered the most important services.

1470. Battle near Stamford, England, in which Edward IV gained an important victory over his adversaries.

1493. COLUMBUS arrived at Palos, from his first voyage of discovery.

1519. CORTEZ, on his expedition for the conquest of Mexico, landed at the mouth of the river Tabasco, and prepared to attack the town of the same name, in which about 12,000 warriors had assembled. Calling upon St. Jago, he fell upon the Indians, who were repulsed.

1521. MAGELLAN discovered the Phillipine islands, on one of which he was killed by the natives.

1573. MICHAEL DE L'HOSPITAL, chancellor of France, died. He was distinguished for the ability, integrity and mildness of his administration, which was cast in the midst of turbulence and faction.

1604. ARNAUD D'OSSAT, a celebrated French cardinal and statesman, died. His Despatches is highly recommended to the ambassador who hopes to succeed in his object.

1614. BARTHOLOMEW LEGAT burnt at Smithfield for the heresy of Arianism, under the reign of James I.

1676. Attack on Groton, Mass., by a body of 400 Indians, who had concealed themselves as usual in every part of the town during the night, in order to shoot down the inhabitants as they issued from their doors. The town was gathered into five garrisons, as those houses were called which were palisaded and otherwise protected from assault. Every man went constantly armed; and thus on a moment's warning, two of the enemy having been accidentally discovered, pursuit was made until they were drawn into an ambush and compelled to retreat. Another ambush in the meantime fell upon the opposite part of the town, and the flames arose from every unprotected building. Having pillaged every thing that fell in their way, and cast every indignity upon the bodies of their victims, they gave the garrison two or three volleys and disappeared. About 40 dwellings were burnt, with their outhouses; the town soon after broke up, and the inhabitants scattered to other settlements of greater safety.

1695. JOHN DE LA FONTAINE, the French poet, died. His compositions are characterized by a faithfulness to nature, and are totally unaffected.

1695. PETER MIGNARD, an eminent French painter, died. He was director and chancellor of the royal academy of painting.

1717. JOHN BELL, the traveler, arrived at Ispahan, the residence of the Persian court, being in the retinue of the Russian ambassador, in the quality of physician. They were nearly two years on their journey from St. Petersburgh.

1726. MICHAEL BERNARD VALENTIN, a German botanist and professor of medicine at Giessen, died. He was an author on both sciences.

1775. GEORGE III gave his assent to the act restraining the commerce of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and South Carolina.

1778. CHARLES LE BEAU, an eminent French scholar, died. He was professor of belles lettres at Paris, and author of a history of the lower empire, in 22 vols.

1779. KERIM KHAN, king of Persia, died a natural death, an extraordinary circumstance in the modern history of that country. He was of the family of an obscure tribe of robbers, the Zunds of Kirdistan.

1781. HERSCHEL discovered the planet which bears his name, then the most distant of all the known planets, its revolution round the sun occupying a period of not less than 83 of our years. He had devoted 18 months in surveying the heavens star by star, with a seven feet reflector when he made the discovery of this primary planet.

1798. The body of a hair dresser at Newport, England, was buried in the highway; reason assigned, his gluttonous eating, whereof he died.

1799. A fire broke out at Constantinople which destroyed 1300 houses, including the hotels of the British minister, and Austrian internuncio, and several other magnificent edifices.

1801. Battle near Lake Maadie in Egypt, between the British and French forces, in which the former were the greatest sufferers, losing 143 killed and 946 wounded.

1808. CHRISTIAN VII of Denmark, died. He may be said to have been virtually dead for many years.

1813. EDWARD LONG died. During a residence in the West Indies he collected materials for his History of Jamaica, in 3 vols. quarto. It contains a large mass of valuable information, and many spirited delineations of colonial scenery and manners. He returned to England and spent the remainder of his long life in literary pursuits.

1815. The allied powers engaged to aid Louis XVIII and declared Bonaparte to be without the pale of social and civil relations.

1815. General JACKSON having received the ratification of the treaty of peace, revoked his order relative to martial law, ordered a final cessation of hostilities, and granted a general pardon for all military offences. The British took with them 199 negroes.

1824. SOPHIA LEE, an English dramatic writer and poetess, died, aged 74. The profits of her comedy of the Chapter of Accidents, were of great benefit to herself and sisters.

1835. A remarkable eruption of Vesuvius took place.

1845. JOHN FREDERICK DANIEL, who contributed so much to lighting the cities of Europe with gas, died of apoplexy while attending a meeting of the royal society, in London.

1848. AMBROSE SPENCER died at Lyons, Wayne co., N. Y.; one of those jurists who gave such a preeminence to the supreme court of the state of New York.

1852. Ninety-five Americans who were engaged in the Lopez expedition against Cuba, and captured and sent to Spain, arrived in New York, having been pardoned by the queen and sent home.

1853. The funeral of Madame RASPAIL, at Paris was the occasion of a formidable socialist demonstration; 40,000 persons marching in procession to Pere la Chaise.

1854. A convention signed between England, France and Turkey, against Russia.

1855. The floor of the new town hall, at Meredith, N. H., gave way, while 800 persons were present attending an election; 300 were precipitated below, several killed and a large number had their bones broken.

MARCH 14.

1262. HUGO DE ST. CARO, a Dominican, died. He deserves to be placed in the first rank of sacred critics and patrons of literature. The Dominicans are indebted to him for their celebrated Correctorium Bibliorium, and the first concordance of the Bible, that is of the Latin Vulgate; a comment on the old and new testament, and for the division of the Bible into chapters. He undertook to procure a union of the Greek and Roman churches.

1369. PETER THE CRUEL, king of Castile, killed. He manifested the most wanton inhumanity in his private and public life, by which he became odious to the people, and was killed by his brother.

1471. EDWARD IV of England returned from exile, and landed at Ravenspur; in his bonnet he wore an ostrich feather as prince of Wales; and his Fleming followers carried hand-guns, which is the first account of them in England.

1519. FERNANDO CORTEZ, having taken possession of the Indian town of Tabasco on the day of his landing in the country of Mexico, now marched out with his troops to a plain, where he was attacked by an immense body of Indians, who wounded above seventy of his soldiers at the first discharge of their weapons. The Spanish artillery did great execution, but when the cavalry came to the charge, the Indians, imagining the horse and rider to be one, were extremely terrified, and fled to the woods and marshes, leaving the field to the Spaniards.

1640. MANASSES DE PAS died; a French general, distinguished for his valor. His abilities were equally displayed in the cabinet, as ambassador to the courts of Sweden and Germany. He died of the wounds he received at the siege of Thionville.

1644. ROGER WILLIAMS having been sent to England as agent for Rhode Island and Providence, obtained of the earl of Warwick a patent for the incorporation of the towns of Providence, Newport and Portsmouth, with the power of governing themselves, but subject to the laws of England.

1660. WILLIAM LEDRA, a quaker, hanged by the puritans of Massachusetts, on conviction of having returned from banishment, to which he had been condemned for his faith.

1676. Attack on Northampton, Mass., by a body of Narraganset Indians, of Philip's party. The town had been fortified by palisades, set up a little while before for their better security against the savages. The Indians broke through these in three places, and succeeded in killing six persons and firing a few dwellings; but a company of soldiers being at that time quartered in the town, the enemy were speedily repulsed with the loss of many of their lives.

1710. MICHAEL BEGON, a French avocat, died. He also distinguished himself in the marines, and as governor of the French West India islands.

1712. MARY, countess of Falconberg, daughter of Oliver Cromwell, died. She possessed great beauty, spirit and activity; and on the deposition of her brother, exerted herself for the restoration of Charles II.

1745. Fort Augustus blown up by the forces of the pretender to the crown of England.

1754. PETER CLAUDE NIVELLE DE LA CHAUSSE, an admired French poet, died. Though favored by fortune, he preferred the honors of literature to all other distinctions, and acquired celebrity by his dramatic pieces, which possess great merit.

1757. JOHN BYNG shot at Portsmouth. He served under his father admiral George Byng, and rose to the same rank himself. His attempt to relieve Fort St. Philip in Minorca proving abortive, when blockaded by a French fleet under La Glassionere, and his hesitation in engaging the enemy when a bold attack might perhaps have gained him the victory, excited the clamor of the nation against him, and he was doomed to meet the penalty of cowardice.

1758. GENERAL WADE died. In 1715, he commanded against the forces of the pretender to the throne, and remained in Scotland as commander-in-chief after the war was ended. It was during this period that he cut the celebrated military road through the highlands, which facilitated the improvement and civilization of the country more than all the measures resorted to before the reign of George I. It was he who introduced the bill into parliament which disarmed and changed the dress of the highlanders.

1793. Battle of Tirlemont, in which the prince of Saxe Coburg defeated the French under Dumourier, who lost 33 cannon and 3,000 men.

1795. Action off Genoa between the British and French fleets, in which the latter were defeated, with the loss of the Caira, 80 guns, 3,000 men, and the Censeur, 74 guns, 1,000 men.

1799. WILLIAM MELMOTH died. He distinguished himself as the translator of the Epistles of Pliny and Cicero, and was the author of poems, letters and memoirs.

1800. DAINES BARRINGTON, an English lawyer, antiquary, and miscellaneous writer, died. He abandoned his offices, which he discharged with great dignity, to devote himself to literary pursuits, which he loved. His writings are numerous.

1803. FRIEDRICH GOTTLIEB KLOPSTOCK, died. He was born at Quedlinburg, 1724; studied the languages, became familiar with the classic writers, and formed the resolution of writing a great epic poem. In 1745 he studied theology at Jena, where he commenced in solitude the first canto of The Messiah. This work he finished about 1790. It procured him great celebrity in the north of Europe, so that he was received with great respect and veneration wherever he went. His funeral was attended by the principal men of Hamburg, in 126 carriages.

1813. Delaware river blockaded by the British ships Poictiers, Belvidere, &c.

1813. On this and the preceding day snow and hail of a red color, with much red dust and red rain fell over all Tuscany.

1823. General DUMOURIER, a name that fills some interesting pages of modern history, died in his 85th year, at Turville park, near London.

1835. Treaty with the Cherokee Indians, by which they ceded all their lands east of the Mississippi, and agreed to retire to a territory guarantied to them in Arkansas, in consideration of the sum of $5,262,251.

1836. JOHN MAYNE, a Scotch poet, died near London, at an advanced age. His chief poem is The Siller Gun, four cantos.

1854. Steam boat Reindeer burst a flue at Cannelton, Indiana, by which 50 persons were killed.

1855. The new suspension bridge at Niagara falls crossed for the first time by a locomotive and train of cars.

MARCH 15.

44 B. C. CAIUS JULIUS CÆSAR, the Roman general, assassinated in the senate house. He perished at 5 o'clock in the afternoon by 23 wounds. As a soldier, he was unquestionably the greatest except one in the history of mankind; his character as a citizen is variously stated by different factions. He is said to have fought 500 battles, conquered 300 nations, taken 800 cities, defeated 3,000,000 men, and slain 1,000,000 on the field of battle.

35. LONGINUS, the penitent, who is said to have pierced the side of Christ, was killed at Cappadocia, probably in this year.

1079. A reformation in the Persian calendar effected by a general assembly of the Eastern astronomers. It is called the Gelalean era, but is only a renovation of that of Zoroaster, which had been neglected after the fall of the Magian empire.

1527. Pope CLEMENT VII concluded a treaty with Lannoy, viceroy of Naples, which the duke of Bourbon disregarded, and marched for Rome.

1573. MICHAEL DE L'HOSPITAL died. Few French statesmen were more liberal than him. He narrowly escaped the Bartholomew massacre, and his daughter, who had embraced the reformed religion was saved by the widow duchess of Guise, who concealed her.

1617. THOMAS EGERTON, an eminent and learned English lawyer, died. He was chancellor under James I.

1655. THEODORE MAYERNE, an eminent physician, died. He was born in Switzerland, studied in France, and settled in England in the service of James I, where he died.

1660. Dr. WREN, bishop of Ely, released after fifteen years' imprisonment.

1665. JAMES, duke of York, established at Gunfleet the first regular system of naval warfare in England.

1672. The famed act of indulgence, passed by Charles II, containing a clause for liberty of conscience.

1743. JOHN BAPTIST MOLINIER died; a distinguished preacher and theological writer of Toulouse.

1754. DENYS FRANCIS SECOUSSE, a learned Frenchman, died. He was one of the first pupils of Rollin, and left the bar for the study of literature.

1781. Battle of Guilford court house, in North Carolina, in which 4,400 Americans, principally militia, under Gen. Greene, were defeated by 2,400 British regulars under Cornwallis. Loss of the Americans 400 killed; British loss 532 killed.

1784. THOMAS FRANKLIN, an English scholar and divine, died. He was possessed of no inconsiderable share of learning and poetical abilities, and was long a favorite in the literary world; translated Sophocles, Phalaris, Lucian and Voltaire, and is the author of a comedy and two tragedies, which were received with great applause.

1798. Chenango co., N. Y., erected; and the following year (1799) Oneida was formed.

1804. The Duke D'ENGHIEN seized by a party of French cavalry and hurried away to Paris, where he was tried in the night by a military tribunal, and condemned on vague and unsubstantial charges of carrying on a correspondence with the enemies of the republic, and shot immediately.

1809. GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS IV, king of Sweden, arrested and deprived of his functions of government. (By some authorities, March 12.)

1818. HECTOR MCNEIL, a most deservedly popular poet of Scotland, died. Scotland's Scaith or the Waes of War, met with the unprecedented sale of 10,000 copies in one month.

1820. Maine entered the confederacy of the United States.

1823. JOHN JERVIS, earl of St. Vincent, an English admiral died, aged 90. He entered the navy at the age of 10, and gradually arose to the highest rank, and was raised to the peerage. His courage, skill and activity rendered him an admirable officer.

1838. The city of Bahia, in Brazil, taken from the rebels or insurgents, by the imperial troops, with loss of blood on both sides. The rebels fired the city; about 3000 of them were taken prisoners.

1839. Battle of Tuspan; the Mexican government troops, (Centralists) under Gen. Cos, defeated at Tuspan by the Federalists under Gen. Mexia, with a loss of 300 killed and several hundred prisoners.

1840. JAMES RILEY, an American sea captain, died at sea, aged 63. He is well known as the author of Riley's Narrative, which contains an account of his captivity and sufferings in Northern Africa.

1856. The steam ferry boat, New Jersey, while crossing the Delaware from Philadelphia to Camden, took fire and a large number of persons perished.

MARCH 16.

404 B. C. Athens was taken by Lysander and the tyranny of the 30 commenced.

37. CLAUDIUS DRUSUS NERO TIBERIUS, emperor of Rome, died. On his accession to the throne, he gave promise of a wise and happy reign, but soon became unrestrained in his conduct, and after a reign of 23 years, died in odium with the people.

455. FLAVIUS PLACIDUS VALENTINIAN, emperor of Rome, assassinated. He was a profligate and licentious ruler.

1190. The Jews of York lawlessly massacred for their wealth by the citizens.

1286. ALEXANDER III king of Scotland, killed. He succeeded his father, Alexander II, at the age of eight years. An enterprising and virtuous ruler; he introduced many good regulations of government, and under his sway the country seems to have enjoyed a tranquility to which she had long been a stranger. As he was riding in a dark night between Bruntisland and Ringhorn, on the banks of the frith of Forth, he was thrown with his horse over a precipice and killed on the spot.

1532. JOHN BOURCHIER died at Calais in France, of which he was the English governor. He translated Froissart's Chronicle into English.

1621. The Plymouth colonists received the first Indian visit to their town. This was Samoset, sagamore of a country lying five days' journey from thence, called Patuxet. He informed the English that all the inhabitants had died of an extraordinary plague about four years before, and that there was neither man, woman or child remaining. Of course there was no one to dispute their possession.

1649. An army of 1000 Iroquois armed with guns fell upon the Huron village at the eastern extremity of the lake, and nearly massacred the entire population. The Hurons defended themselves bravely, but were forced to yield before the fire arms and superior numbers of the Iroquois, who lost more than a hundred of their best warriors. The French missionaries, Brebeuf and Lallemant, who labored with the Hurons, were taken, and suffered death by torture.

1660. The long parliament dissolved by its own act.

1675. Under a pair of stairs in the tower of London two bodies were found, supposed to be those of Edward V and his brother, whom their uncle Richard III murdered nearly two hundred years before.

1680. The first assembly of New Hampshire met at Portsmouth; John Cutts first president.

1689. The Habeas corpus act suspended for the first time in England.

1691. JACOB LEISLER, who had exercised the office of governor of New York nearly two years by the election of the freeholders and the consent of the British ministry, was barbarously executed by some malcontents, as a traitor.

1738. Captain JENKINS, the master of a Scottish ship, exhibited his ear in a piece of cotton, which he affirmed had been torn off by a guarda costa. This is alluded to by Burke as the fable of Capt. Jenkins.

1751. JAMES MADISON, fourth president of the United States, born.

1781. Action off cape Henry between the British fleet, admiral Arbuthnot, and French fleet under d'Estouches. Both sides claimed the victory. British loss, 30 killed and 73 wounded.

1781. French surrendered the island of St. Bartholomews to the British.

1782. Action off cape Spartel, between British frigate Success and Spanish frigate Santo Catalina, 34 guns. The latter was captured, having 25 killed. British loss 1.

1792. GUSTAVUS III, king of Sweden, shot by Count Ankerstroem at a masquerade.

1795. CLAUSEL, adjutant general of the army of the Eastern Pyrennes, presented to the national convention 25 pairs of colors and a standard taken from the Spaniards at Figuieres.

1797. Battle of Cainin in Italy. The French under Murat passed the Tagliamento and attacked the Austrians, who were driven from the village, where the archduke had established his head quarters.

1799. JOHN DUSSAULX died. He distinguished himself in the war of Hanover under Richelieu, after which he devoted himself to literary pursuits. He took part in the French revolution, and was among the 73 proscribed deputies.

1799. A portion of the pavement in front of the Royal exchange, London, suddenly sank and a well of water was discovered which had not been used in 600 years.

1802. A military institution established by government at West Point, which was the origin of the present academy there.

1808. JOSEPH BONOMI, an Italian artist, died at London. He was distinguished particularly by his architectural knowledge and genius, was an associate of the royal academy, and patronized by Sir Joshua Reynolds.

1810. On a pane of glass at an inn near London, under this date, is the following inscription. "Thomas Mount Jones dined here, ate six pounds bacon, and drank nineteen pots beer." It is a question for discussion, whether in this frail memorial, the love of distinction and desire for fame were not as great as the love of brutal gluttony.

1813. Captain BERRESFORD of the British ship Poictiers, 74 guns, demanded of the inhabitants of Lewistown, Delaware, 25 oxen and vegetables and hay, otherwise he threatened to destroy the town. The demand was refused.

1817. WILLIAM THOMPSON, an industrious Scottish writer and compiler, died. He possessed ability, but his writings bear the marks of haste and want of care.

1838. NATHANIEL BOWDITCH died at Boston, aged 65. His father and ancestors in several generations were by profession shipmasters. Notwithstanding the very limited advantages of his education, and his laborious employment through life for the support of his family, yet by his extraordinary genius and economy of time, he made great acquisitions in learning and science, gained most of the languages, and made himself the most eminent mathematician and astronomer that America has produced. He published the Practical Navigator, a standard book; but the great work on which his fame will rest, is the copious and profound commentary upon the Mechanique Celeste of La Place, of which he made the first entire translation, and published at his own expense in 4 vols. quarto; saying that he preferred spending a thousand dollars a year in that way to keeping a carriage.

1853. ANTHONY DUMOND STANLEY, an American mathematician, died, aged 42. Profoundly versed in the science, he had begun a series of works which would have placed his name high on the scroll of fame.

MARCH 17.

49 B. C. POMPEY abandoned Italy, and took the sea with his legions, at Brundusium.

45 B. C. Battle of Munda, in Spain, between the armies of Cæsar and Pompey, which decided the fate of the Roman republic. These men did not consider the Roman empire sufficiently large for two of them.

180. MARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS, surnamed the philosopher, died on an expedition against the Marcomanni. He was so extremely popular with his Roman subjects, that they placed him among the gods, and kept his statue in their houses.

464. ST. PATRICK, the tutelar saint of Ireland, died. He was carried away with many of his father's vassals by pirates, from whom he made his escape to Gaul and Italy. He received a commission from Pope Celestine to convert the Irish to Christianity, in which mission he was eminently successful.

807. A large spot noticed upon the sun's disc, which continued there eight days.

1072. ADALBERT, archbishop of Bremen, died. He became very powerful in Denmark, and even obliged the king to divorce his wife Gutha, because she was somewhat allied to him. Though intriguing and violent, he possessed some good qualities, and formed many wise regulations in civil and ecclesiastical affairs.

1562. DIEGO ESQUIVEL ALAVA, a learned Spanish bishop, died. He was at the Council of Trent, and published a work on councils.

1565. ALEXANDER ALES, a Scottish theologian, died. He first opposed the tenets of Luther, but afterwards embraced them, and suffered persecution. He wrote commentaries on some of the books of the old and new testament.

1632. Treaty of St. Germain, by which Canada and Nova Scotia were restored to the French. The capture of Quebec was unknown at the time peace was re-established, or perhaps those territories would not have been so generally given up.

1634. THOMAS RANDOLPH, an English poet, died. He was the friend of Jonson, and his works have been several times reprinted.

1640. PHILIP MASSINGER, an English dramatic poet, died. Some of his comedies still keep the stage. He was courted by the wits and learned men of his time.

1657. An offensive and defensive league concluded between France and England.

1676. Warwick, R. I., destroyed by the Indians. Only one house was left unburnt.

1677. Valenciennes, in France, taken by assault by the army under Louis XIV, in person.

1681. The members of the English parliament from London came to Oxford, the place of their meeting, armed and with ribbons on their hats inscribed with "No popery, no slavery."

1695. AUGUSTIN LUBIN, an Augustine friar, died. He was geographer to the French king, and author of various works.

1715. GILBERT BURNET, bishop of Salisbury, died. He was a zealous promoter of the revolution in England, which placed the present family on the throne, and of which he wrote the history.

1740. Mrs. STEVENS received £5,000 from the English parliament for making public her medicine for the stone.

1741. JOHN BAPTIST ROUSSEAU, an eminent French poet, died. He possessed a fine genius, but an unhappy temper embittered his life by stimulating him to abuse those whose friendship would have procured him a place above dependence.

1767. Birthday of ANDREW JACKSON, seventh president of the United States.

1776. Boston evacuated by the British. By four in the morning the king's troops, with those Americans who were attached to the royal cause, began to embark, and before ten all of them were under sail. As the rear embarked, General Washington marched into the city, where he was joyfully received as a deliverer. The British left 250 cannon and 25,000 bushels of wheat.

1781. JOHANNES EVALD died: the most distinguished poetical genius of Denmark, in the eighteenth century. Being left to his own reading by his tutor, his imagination was captivated with Tom Jones and Robinson Crusoe. Proposing to himself the latter hero for a model, he eloped at the age of thirteen with a view of proceeding to Batavia, but was overtaken, and his project frustrated. He next conceived the scheme of entering the Prussian army, and enlisted at Magdeburg; but being received only as a foot soldier, instead of a hussar, he deserted to the Austrians. On quitting the army he devoted himself to the study of theology, but having suddenly become violently enamored with a young lady, who regardless of his passion, bestowed her hand on another, a permanent melancholy settled upon his mind, and under this influence he took up his pen. His first work Fortune's Temple, a vision, at once stamped his reputation. In 1772 he executed his literary chef-d'œuvre, Balder's Död, a drama of extraordinary poetical beauty, and greatly superior to anything which had then appeared in the Danish language. His after life was embittered by poverty and sickness; and it was under the hospitable roof of Madame Skou that he breathed his last, after having been confined to his bed or armchair two years, and almost deprived of the use of his limbs.

1782. DANIEL BERNOUILLI, a German philosopher, died. He studied medicine as a profession, but was at the same time engaged with mathematics. At the age of twenty-four, he was offered the presidency of an academy at Genoa, but gave the preference to an invitation from St. Petersburgh. He returned to Basle in 1733, where he spent the remainder of his days, so much respected by the inhabitants, that to bow to Daniel Bernouilli, when met in the street, was one of the first lessons which every father gave his children.

1790. The government of France issued assignats to the amount of 170,000,000 francs. This system of assignats, while it gave more strength to the public, yet was the source of more private suffering than any other measure during the French revolution.

1793. Battle of Neerwinden, or Linden, between the French under Dumourier, and the Austrians under Coburg and Clarifayt. Dumourier was obliged to retreat.

1794. French sloop Avenger, 16 guns, taken by Admiral Jervis's squadron off Martinique.

1795. A number of the Parisians complained to the national convention of the scarcity of bread in Paris.

1798. THOMAS JACKSON, an English actor, died. His epitaph is ingenious: "Sacred to the memory of Thomas Jackson, comedian, who was engaged 21st December, 1741, to play a comic cast of characters in the great theatre, the world; for many of which he was prompted by nature to excel. The season being ended, his benefit over, the charges all paid, his account closed, he made his exit in the tragedy of Death on the 17th of March, 1798, in assurance of being called once more to rehearsal, where he hopes to find his forfeits all cleared, his cast of parts bettered, and his situation made agreeable by him who paid the great stock debt, for the love of performers in general."

1799. The French army arrived before St. Jean d'Acre, and to their no small chagrin and astonishment, beheld the town prepared for a siege, and the English colors flying in the harbor.

1800. The British ship Queen Charlotte, 110 guns, destroyed by an explosion off Leghorn. More than 800 persons perished with her.

1806. WILLIAM ROWLEY, an eminent British physician, died. He was a man of great skill and experience in his profession, and his benevolence and humanity were conspicuous; yet was he one of the most obstinate opponents to the introduction of vaccination as a preventive of small pox that ever impeded the might of his authority to that experiment.

1808. Rupture of the negotiation at Washington between the British minister and the American government.

1811. Charles IV, of Sweden, resigned the government of his kingdom in favor of his adopted son, Bernadotte.

1828. JAMES EDWARD SMITH, an eminent English naturalist and physician, died. He was one of the founders of the Linnean society, and published several valuable works on natural history and botany.

1843. GEORGE TURNER, aged 93, died at Philadelphia. He was a native of England, but joining the American revolutionary army, he distinguished himself in many severe actions and endeared himself to Gen. Washington.

1849. WILLIAM II, king of Holland, died.

1855. The French and Russians at Sebastopol contended fiercely for the rifle pits which the latter had established between the French advance and the Mamelon.

MARCH 18.

251. ST. CYRIL, archbishop of Jerusalem, died.

979. EDWARD THE MARTYR, died. He was the son of Edgar, and succeeded his father as king of England at the age of 15. The young king paid little attention to any thing but the chase; and hunting one day, he got separated from his attendants, and repaired to Corfe castle, where his step-mother, Elfrida, resided. Having procured a draught of liquor, he was drinking it on horseback, when one of Elfrida's servants gave him a deep stab behind. He immediately spurred his horse, but fainting from loss of blood, was dragged in the stirrup till he died. The pity caused by his innocence and misfortune induced the people to regard him as a martyr.

1350. In the national roll of accounts for glazing St. Stephen's chapel, Westminster, Edward III ordained that the wages for artists be from 5d. per day to one shilling, except for John Barnaby, his wages should be twopence.

1552. MAURICE of Saxony took up arms against the emperor Charles V.

1629. CHARLES JAMES, prince of Great Britain, born, baptized and died.

1629. CHARLES I, of England, issued a proclamation that he would account it presumption in any one to prescribe a time for him to call a parliament.

1635. PATRICK FORBES, a Scotch prelate, died. He was a great and a good man; a benefactor particularly to Aberdeen university, of which he revived the professorship of law, physic and divinity.

1696. BONAVENTURE BARON, professor of divinity at Rome, died. He was a native of Ireland, but spent 60 years of his life in Rome; and was a learned and voluminous writer.

1718. MARY WORTLEY MONTAGUE made the first experiment of inoculation for small pox upon her own son at Belgrade, in Turkey. It was tried in England upon criminals, with complete success, about nine years after. This disease first made its appearance at Mecca, where it is stated to have destroyed the invading Ethiopian army, and thus terminated in 360, what is denominated the war of the elephant.

1728. GEORGE STANHOPE, an able English divine, died. His theological works were numerous and popular.

1741. Conflagration of the chapel and buildings in the fort at New York, which was followed immediately by the negro plot.

1745. ROBERT WALPOLE died, aged 69. He became heir to the family estate by the death of his elder brother, and in the jovial life of a country gentleman, soon lost his early inclination to literature. In 1700 he was returned to parliament, and warmly espousing the whig interest, rose to a high promotion in the offices of the government, and in 1742, was created earl of Oxford, on his resignation of the premiership. He is the reputed author of the saying that "all men have their price."

1754. The first theatre established in the city of New York, closed with the Beggar's Opera and the Devil to Pay, when the following notice appeared in the prints, which managers now-a-days have little occasion to repeat: "Lewis Hallam, comedian, intending for Philadelphia, begs the favor of those who have any demands against him to bring in their accounts and receive their money."

1766. Stamp act repealed by the British government, reserving however, the right to make laws binding on the colonies in all cases whatsoever. News of this repeal excited great joy in America, where it was celebrated by the ringing of bells, fireworks and festivals.

1768. LAURENCE STERNE, an eccentric English author and divine, died. His romance of Tristram Shandy and the Sentimental Journey, are well known.

1775. British Gen. GAGE seized 13,425 musket cartridges and 3000 pounds of ball, all of it private property, stored on Boston Neck.

1776. The British troops having evacuated Boston, Sir Archibald Campbell, unaware of this movement, on entering the harbor with 1700 men, was made prisoner by Washington.

1780. Congress resolved to call in by taxes in one year and burn all the continental money emitted prior to that time, and to issue ten million dollars new money, redeemable in specie within six years.

1781. ANNE ROBERT JAMES TURGOT, an eminent French statesman, died. He studied divinity, but his talents recommending him to the notice of the government, he was appointed to a civil office, where he displayed so great ability that he was appointed comptroller of the finances. His measures were grand, liberal and useful: but being ridiculed by the profligate and the vicious, who rioted on the miseries of the people, he retired from public life.

1796. Steuben county erected in south western New York.

1797. Palma Nuova, a frontier town in Italy, evacuated by the archduke Charles, who had wrested it from the Venitians only ten days before. The French under Bernadotte and Serrurier, on entering it found 30,000 rations of bread, and a million quintals of flour.

1805. BONAPARTE assumed the title of king of Italy.

1814. JOHN VINT, editor of the Isle of Man Gazette, and a distinguished philanthropist, died.

1817. An earthquake in Spain, Portugal, and Sicily, destroyed whole villages.

1817. CHARLES COMBE died; an eminent English physician and critic, and highly distinguished as a medalist.

1836. ABATE FEA, a celebrated archæologist, died at Rome, aged 88. He is known as the translator of Winckelman.

1839. The Chinese imperial commissioner, Lin, issued a proclamation at Canton, ordering the foreign opium dealers to deliver up all the opium in their possession, to have it burnt and destroyed, and forbidding its importation to all eternity, under pain of death.

1840. Dr. PARISH, favorably known to the medical world, died in Philadelphia.

1846. First steam boat arrived at Austin, Texas.

1846. WILLIAM M. CRANE, of the United States navy, died by his own hand.

1848. The emperor of Austria published by proclamation, at Milan, abolition of censorship, and a convention of the states. But the people wanting more, troubles began.

1854. A terrible gale at Albany, N. Y.; fifty houses unroofed, many chimneys and walls blown down, and great damage done.

1856. HENRY POTTINGEN, lieutenant general in the East India company's service, died aged 67. He distinguished himself in the Afghanistan war, and settled the opium difficulty with the Chinese.

1856. The Cunard steamer Curlew, from Halifax, ran on a reef north of the Bermudas, and was lost, with a part of her mail.

MARCH 19.

720. B. C. The first eclipse of the moon on record (by Ptolemy) happened on this day.

478. B. C. The history of Herodotus terminates with the siege of Sestos.

235. ALEXANDER SEVERUS, emperor of Rome, murdered by his soldiers. He was a Phœnician by birth, led an exemplary life, and governed ably both in peace and war.

717. CHILPERIC, king of France, surprised in his camp, in the forest of Arden, by the duke of Austrasia, afterwards Charles Martel.

1355. Pressing for seamen to man the English navy, commenced in the reign of Edward III.

1521. Insurrection and massacre in the island of Majorca, in the Mediterranean sea.

1584. IWAN IV, VASSILIVITZ, first czar of Muscovy, died. He was denominated by the Russians the terrible, and by foreigners the tyrant.

1621. The complaint against lord BACON for corruption, drawn up by Sir Edward Coke and others, presented to the house of lords. The chancellor was sick, but addressed a letter to his peers, requesting them not to prejudge his case from "any number of petitions against a judge that makes two thousand decrees and orders in a year; but that he may answer them according to the rules of justice, severally and respectively."

1626. PETER COTON, a French Jesuit, died. He was confessor to Henry IV, whose confidence he possessed, and it was a common expression that the king was good but that he had cotton in his ears. He was distinguished for eloquence and zeal.

1628. Patent for Massachusetts sold to Sir Henry Roswell, Sir John Young and "four other associates in the vicinity of Dorchester, England."

1631. The original patent of Connecticut made by Robert, earl of Warwick, to William, Viscount Say and Seal, Robert lord Brook and their associates.

1643. Battle of Hopton-Heath, between the forces of Charles I, and those of the parliament, in which the latter were defeated with the loss of a great part of their artillery.

1643. SPENCER COMPTON, the friend of Charles I, killed at the battle of Hopton-Heath. He was the only son of William, first earl of Northampton; and refusing to accept quarter, was despatched by the parliament forces.

1687. DANIEL GOOKIN died; for many years superintendent of the Indians in Massachusetts, whose interests he watched with so much zeal as to draw upon himself the abuse of the populace, whose outrages he constantly opposed. He published some historical collections of the Indians in New England.

1688. JOHN DENHAM, one of the minor British poets, died. He was born at Dublin, in 1615, and first became known in 1641 by his tragedy of The Sophy. In 1643 appeared his first addition of Cooper's Hill, a justly celebrated poem, of which Dryden says, for majesty of style is, and ever will be, the standard of good writing.

1691. Col. HENRY STOUGHTER published his commission from the Duke of York, appointing him governor of the province of New York.

1711. THOMAS KEN, chaplain to Charles II of England, died. He survived several reigns, and in all, his firmness and consistency, added to his piety and learning, procured him respect and patronage.

1719. An extraordinary meteor seen from all parts of Great Britain about 8 o'clock in the evening. Its light exceeded that of the sun at noon-day. It exploded over the sea near the coast of Britany, at an altitude it is supposed of about 30 miles. It broke like a skyrocket into sparks of red fire, and was succeeded by a tremendous report.

1736. NICHOLAS HAWKSMOOR, died; an English architect of fame, pupil of Sir C. Wren.

1755. A cluster of houses in the village of Bergemoletto, near Piedmont, Italy, was overwhelmed by two vast bodies of snow that fell from the neighboring mountain. Three women, the only occupants of the houses at the time of the catastrophy, were dug out alive seven days after.

1759. NICHOLAS VERDIER, a French anatomist, died. His character as an author and a man, are entitled to respect.

1781. CORNWALLIS retreated from Guilford court house, where he had defeated Greene on the 15th; leaving at the quaker meeting house all the wounded Americans he had taken, and about 70 wounded British officers.

1786. HUGH PELLISER, an English admiral, died. He was at the storming of Quebec; and at the battle of Ushant, 1778, on which occasion a dispute between him and admiral Keppel saved the French fleet from destruction.

1788. FRANCIS JOSEPH DESBILLONS, a French Jesuit, died. He devoted many years to study, and at the abolition of his order published his Fables, and some other works, and left in manuscript a history of the Latin tongue.

1796. STEPHEN STORACE, an English music composer, died. His productions are confined to the drama, and are remarkable for their spirit.

1797. Gradisca, a strong town in Austria, capitulated to the French under Bernadotte and Serrurier; 3,000 prisoners, 60 cannon and 8 standards fell into the hands of the French.

1801. NOVALIS, (the literary name assumed by Frederick Von Hardenberg,) died. He belonged to the religious society of Hernhutters.

1808. CHARLES IV, abdicated the throne of Spain in favor of his son Ferdinand VII.

1809. GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS IV, the deposed king of Sweden, signed a formal deed of abdication. He assumed the title of count Gottorp.

1812. Constitution of the Cortez signed and proclaimed in Spain.

1814. SIMON SNYDER, governor of Pennsylvania, rejected the bill establishing 40 banks. It however became a law, two-thirds of the legislature having agreed to it.

1814. Rheims, in France, taken by the Russians.

1842. First newspaper at Flushing, Long Island.

1853. Nankin taken by the rebels; the Tartar garrison of 20,000 men massacred, except 100, who effected an escape.

1853. Battle of Donabew, Burmah; the British under Gen. Cheape defeated Mea Toon.

1855. An explosion took place in the Midlothian coal pits in Virginia; of fifty persons in the pits 35 were killed and 10 wounded beyond recovery.

MARCH 20.

268. PUBLIUS GALLIENUS, emperor of Rome, assassinated at Milan.

1413. HENRY IV of England, died. He usurped the throne 1399, and thereby excited the civil war between the houses of York and Lancaster, called the war of the roses.

1516. BAPTIST SPAGNOLI, a general of the Carmelites, died. He was a native of Mantua in Italy, and distinguished himself by the sound and virtuous regulations which he attempted to introduce among the corrupted members of his order. His works have been published in 4 vols.

1549. THOMAS SEYMOUR, lord high admiral of England, attainted and beheaded without being heard. His offence was alleged to be equal if not superior in power to his brother the protector.

1586. RICHARD MAITLAND, lord of session in Scotland, died. He reported the decisions of that court till he became blind at about the age of 60; when he commenced writing and collecting Scottish poetry. He sustained the character of "a maist unspotted and blameless judge, and valiant, grave and worthy knight;" but it is in his character of a writer and collector of Scottish poetry that he is now chiefly remembered.

1643. JOHN KIRCHMAN, a learned German, died at Lubeck.

1677. GEORGE DIGBY, an English nobleman of great ability, died. During the civil wars he espoused the cause of Charles I; but though romantically brave, was always an unsuccessful commander.

1687. SAMUEL PARKER, an English prelate, died. He was educated a puritan, but for the reward of place, it is believed, became an anti-puritan and was made bishop of Oxford. He wrote a history of his own times, which appeared in Latin and English.

1727. ISAAC NEWTON, the celebrated philosopher and mathematician, died, aged 84. He was so small and weak at the time of his birth, that his life was despaired of; and in his youth, his mother, finding him of no service in the management of the farm, sent him to finish his studies. From the success of his pursuits in after life, he has been styled the creator of natural philosophy. The last few years of his existence were spent in utter neglect of those studies which had engrossed fifty years of his life.

1730. ADRIENNE LA COUVREUR, a French actress, died. She is one of the few of her profession whose reputation has survived the age in which they lived.

1737. NICHOLAS HOOKER, gentleman, died at Conway, North Wales; celebrated as being the forty-first child of his father; and being himself the father of twenty-seven children. His tombstone, attesting the above facts, is to be found in the churchyard adjoining Conway castle.

1741. PETER BURMAN the elder died. He was professor of history and eloquence at the university of Leyden, and published editions of many of the Latin classics.

1744. France declared war against England.

1750. The first No. of the Rambler, by Dr. Johnson, appeared.

1750. FREDERICK, prince of Wales, and father of George III, died suddenly in his 45th year. He died in the arms of his violin player, who was playing for his amusement.

1767. FIRMIN ABAUZIT, a learned French writer, died. He became distinguished for his superior progress in every branch of polite learning, but particularly in mathematics and natural history; and was consulted in difficult questions by the most learned men of the age.

1775. DANIEL BOONE, employed, in forming a settlement in the then wilderness of Kentucky, was attacked by the Indians, near where Boonsborough now stands, and two of his men killed and two wounded.

1780. Action between the French fleet, admiral Piquet, and 3 British ships, off Monte Christie. The action continued till the next day, when the French suffered so much that they were compelled to lie by and repair.

1792. The French government adopted the instrument since known as the guillotine; it had been in use in various countries several centuries before.

1793. WILLIAM MURRAY, lord Mansfield, died. He was eminent as a lawyer, and dignified as a judge; as an elegant scholar, of highly cultivated and vigorous intellect, he shone in the constellation of great men which arose in the reign of queen Anne; in eloquence and beauty of diction he outrivaled his predecessors, and has not been excelled by any successor in the high office he held.

1797. Battle of Larvis, between the Austrians and the French under Joubert, in which the former were defeated, after an obstinate battle. Austrian loss 2,000 k., 4,000 taken.

1799. BONAPARTE opened the siege of St. Jean d'Acre, in Palestine.

1799. Battle of Pfullendorf, in Germany, in which the French under Jourdan sustained the attack of the Austrians under the archduke, who had the advantage in point of numbers and artillery, having no less than 300 pieces.

1800. Battle of Heliopolis, Egypt, in which the French under Kleber defeated the Turks under the grand vizier.

1801. The British, under admiral Duckworth, took the island of St. Bartholomews, in the West Indies. It was again restored on the dissolution of the armed neutrality.

1809. The populace rose and plundered the French in the Havana.

1811. MASSENA gave up the command of his army to Marmont, and retired into France.

1811. Birthday of NAPOLEON, duke de Reichstadt, son of the emperor of France. He was christened emperor of Rome.

1812. JOHN HORNE TOOKE, an English politician, died. He was educated for the ministry, with a great predilection for politics. In 1771 he induced the printers of two newspapers to publish the debates of the house of commons in violation of their rules, which led to proceedings that finally resulted in the defeat of the house, and the practice of those publications ever since. He was a warm opponent of the American war, and was prosecuted for sedition, for the wording of a resolution by which the Constitutional society voted £100 to the relief of the widows and children of the Americans who fell at the battle of Lexington, and was sentenced to a year's imprisonment and a fine of £200. In 1786, appeared his Diversions of Purley, which raised him to a high rank as a philologist. His political life ended with the dissolution of parliament, in 1802, and the remainder of his days were spent in the society of his friends.

1814. Battle of Arcis, in which the prince of Wirtemberg defeated the French and captured that place.

1815. BONAPARTE ascended the throne of France on his return from Elba.

1831. The Austrian troops entered Bologna, and in a few days overrun the revolted part of Italy.

1831. Insurrection of the slaves at Antigua. Suppressed on the 25th.

1843. CHARLES G. CORLISS was shot dead in a street near Broadway, New York, by a woman who escaped.

1844. PETER B. PORTER died, aged 71. His name is connected with most of the important events in the history of western New York; and as an officer in the army during the last war with great Britain he rendered important services to his country. He was some time secretary of war of the United States.

1849. NEWTON M. CURTISS, author of a number of novels, died, aged 34. He some time printed a political paper at Ballston, before his talent as a writer of fiction was developed. His subjects were mostly of Indian and revolutionary scenes and incidents.

1853. The French fleet sailed for the Turkish waters, to act against the Russians, if necessary.

1854. Two shocks of an earthquake at Macon, Ga.

1856. DAVID CONNER, a United States commodore, died. He entered the service in 1809, and was wounded in the action between the Hornet and Penguin.

1856. A party of 500 Costa Ricans attacked Col. Schlessinger who commanded 400 of Walker's men, at the hacienda Santa Rosa, and entirely defeated them. Mora had 16 killed and 25 wounded; of Gen. Walker's men 90 were killed and several perished in the woods. The action lasted but 14 minutes. The Costa Ricans shot 19 prisoners.

MARCH 21.

1140. A remarkable eclipse of the sun in England, which caused total darkness.

1491. The new epoch and sacred year of the Jews established, corresponding with the first day of Abib, (Nisan) the day of Pharaoh's overthrow.

1512. JUAN PONCE DE LEON landed in Florida, and claimed the honor of the discovery; although Sebastian Cabot sailed along the coast in 1497. He was led to undertake the expedition by the Indian tradition in Cuba, that in the interior of the country was a spring which made those who drank it young and perpetuated their youth. At a great loss of his men in the swamps and marshes, he penetrated into the interior, but was driven back by the Indians without discovering the miraculous fountain.

1556. THOMAS CRANMER, archbishop of Canterbury, burnt for heresy at Oxford. He was born 1489, and educated for the ministry. His first promotion arose from his remarking that the meditated divorce of Henry VIII from his first wife, Catharine of Arragon, might be decided by learned divines without an appeal to the pope. The king, on hearing of it exclaimed "by G----d, the man has got the sow by the right ear!" He was sent for to court, and immediately preferred. On the accession of Mary, he was tried before commissioners, sent from Rome on charges of blasphemy, perjury, incontinence and heresy, and sentenced to be degraded and deprived of office, and finally burnt for the confessions he was induced to make with the hope of pardon. He contributed far more than any other individual to the establishment of the independence of the English church, and was a great patron of learning and the universities.

1604. PETER ERNEST, count de Mansfield, died at Luxembourg. He was an able statesman in the service of the emperor of Germany. His conduct was considered so meritorious that he was appointed governor of Brabant.

1639. THOMAS CAMPANELLI, an Italian philosopher of great eminence, died at Paris. So great was his learning and eloquence, that his rivals and enemies procured the interference of the inquisition on an accusation of sorcery and magic. He was afterwards put to the rack and condemned to perpetual imprisonment, but found means to escape to France, where he was protected.

1644. PRINCE RUPERT defeated the parliament forces in England, and relieved Newark.

1656. JAMES USHER, archbishop of Armagh, died. He enjoyed a reputation seldom acquired, in every department of knowledge, and received pressing invitations to France and Germany, at a time when his own country was in a state of anarchy, and his property falling a prey to the fortunes of war.

1663. CHARLOTTE TREMOUILLE, countess of Derby, died. She was the wife of the earl of Derby who was treacherously beheaded during the civil war of England, and imitated his heroic conduct by defying the attacks of the parliament forces, and was the last person who submitted to them.

1673. The castle formerly standing at the entrance of Boston harbor, accidentally destroyed by fire. It was constructed of timber, since replaced by a new one of stone.

1676. A hissing, detonating meteor passed over Italy two hours after sunset. Its apparent diameter was greater than that of the moon; its real diameter about three quarters of a mile; and the velocity was calculated at 160 miles a minute.

1684. NATHANIEL HIGHMORE, an eminent English anatomist, died. He is the author of the first systematic treatise on the structure of the human body, in the English language, and was indefatigable in the pursuit and improvement of anatomical science.

1733. STANISLAUS, king of Poland, sent his abdication by express, to Warsaw.

1766. RICHARD DAWES, an English scholar, died; celebrated as the author of the Miscellanea Critica.

1772. JAMES NICHOLAS BELLIN, a learned and laborious geographical engineer of Paris, died.

1776. The duke of Bridgewater's canal from Manchester to Liverpool completed, a great achievement for the time.

1778. The American ministers, Franklin, Dean and Lee, were publicly received at the French court.

1788. A fire occurred at New Orleans, by which seven-eighths of the city was laid in ashes.

1797. JOHN PARKHURST, an English divine, died aged 69; well known as a lexicographer.

1797. The French entered Goritz in Austria, where they found 1500 sick, and a great quantity of provisions and stores.

1799. Battle of Asterach, between the French under Jourdan, and the Austrians under the archduke, in which the latter were defeated. Austrian loss 2160.

1800. The Ionian republic, formed under the protection of the porte. Corfu, Zante and other Venitian isles formed the confederation.

1801. Battle of Aboukir, or Alexandria, in Egypt, between the French under Menou, and the British and Turks under Abercrombie. The French were defeated with the loss of 3000 killed, and the standard of the invincible regiment taken, the officer bearing this famous banner being killed, and nearly the whole of those celebrated soldiers annihilated. British loss 1376, and their commander, Abercrombie, mortally wounded.

1803. EDWARD MARCUS DESPARD, an Irish officer, executed for treason. He was appointed superintendent of the English colonies in the West Indies, where his conduct led to a recall; out of his subsequent treatment grew a desire for revenge, which led him on to his fate.

1804. DUKE D'ENGHIEN, shot at Vincennes by torch light. (See p. 104.)

1806. Madison county, New York, was formed.

1815. BONAPARTE entered Paris, the Bourbons having previously evacuated it, on the news of his landing from Elba.

1821. MICHAEL BRYAN, an eminent connoisseur in the fine arts, died. He is the author of a biographical and critical dictionary of painters and engravers.

1829. Duel at London between the duke of Wellington and the earl of Winchelsea.

1829. Great earthquake in the provinces of Murcia and Oriheula, in Spain. Upwards of 20 churches and 4,000 houses destroyed, and great numbers of the inhabitants killed. A considerable portion of the former province was converted into a barren waste.

1839. LOUISA, the last surviving daughter of Linnæus the naturalist, died at Upsala, aged 90.

1843. HERARD, the successful general of the insurgents in Hayti, made a triumphal entry into Port au Prince.

1843. ROBERT SOUTHEY, an eminent English poet, died, aged 68, in a state of mental darkness, from an excess of labor.

1845. BENJAMIN BUSHE died at Greensboro, Vt., aged 115.

1849. BENJ. F. THOMPSON, the historian of Long island, died, aged 64. He was distinguished by an ardent love for historical research, and left a large collection of materials for the illustration of the local history of New York state.

1852. ARMAND MARRAST, one of the leading and ablest journalists of France, died. His name was conspicuous in the revolution of February, 1848, which made him mayor of Paris, and a member of the provisional government. He was the author of the French constitution of 1848.

1856. The fortieth asteroid, named Lætitia, discovered by Mr. Goldschmidt, at Paris.

MARCH 22.

387. THEODOSIUS degraded Antioch, the metropolis of the east, from the rank of a city, and subjected it to the jurisdiction of Laodicea, on account of a sedition.

1270. LOUIS IX, king of France, died. He displayed the magnanimity of the hero, the integrity of the patriot, and the humanity of the philosopher. By his order a translation of the whole Bible was made into French.

1312. The order of Knights Templars suppressed by a papal decree.

1520. LEO X gave permission for the publication of the Complutensian Polyglott, a magnificent edition of the Bible, prepared and printed at the expense of Cardinal Ximenes of Toledo. The work was commenced in 1502, and prosecuted without interruption fifteen years, at an expense of more than 50,000 crowns of gold.

1530. Diet of Augsburg, in Germany, at which Melanchton drew up a creed known by the name of the Augsburg Confession.

1595. WALTER RALEIGH, in search of the fabulous golden city of Manoa del Dorado, arrived at Trinidad. He had fitted out a fleet at great expense; leaving his ships at Trinidad he proceeded with 100 men in boats 400 miles up the Oronoque; but the river beginning dangerously to swell, he returned without effecting the great discovery.

1621. The colonists at Plymouth received a visit from Masassoit, the greatest king of the neighboring Indians. A league of friendship was agreed upon which was inviolably observed more than fifty years.

1646. Battle of Stowe, in which the royalists under Lord Astley, 3000 in number, were defeated by Col. Morgan. This was the last body of men that appeared on the field for King Charles.

1687. JEAN BAPTISTE LULLY, an Italian musician, died at Paris. He was born of obscure parentage, and at the age of ten was sent by the Chevalier Guise to France as a page to Mad'lle de Montpensier. The lady, however was so little pleased with him, that she sent him into the kitchen, where he officiated as under-scullion, till his musical talent became accidentally known. From this time he rose rapidly, and contributed much to the improvement of the science of music in France. He is said to have been the inventor of the overture.

1717. MATTHEW HUBERT, an eloquent French preacher, died. His sermons are published in 6 vols. and highly esteemed.

1740. Porto Bello, on the isthmus of Darien, taken by the English under Admiral Vernon.

1758. JONATHAN EDWARDS, the most celebrated of American metaphysicians and theologians, died of small pox, aged 55. There have been three great editions of his works published, one in England and two in this country.

1765. Stamp act passed by the British parliament, the first attempt to tax America without allowing her a representation in the parliament.

1772. JOHN CANTON, an English natural philosopher, died. He was a cloth-weaver, and first devoted his leisure moments to mathematics. He became a member of the royal society, and obtained their gold medal by his experiments on the Leyden phial.

1797. Battle of La Chinse, in Austria. The French under Guieux drove the imperialists before them until they fell in with Massena at Tarwis and were defeated. The French took 5000 prisoners, 400 wagons and 30 cannon.

1797. The French under Joubert crossed the Adige at Newmark, in Saxony, defeated Gen. Laudohn, entered Botzen, and matched directly for Claufen. The French took 1500 prisoners.

1806. MURAT proclaimed at Dusseldorf, "Prince Joachim, duke of Cleves and Berg."

1821. STEPHEN DECATUR, a distinguished American commodore, died at Washington, aged 41.

1828. LOUIS CHORIS, an eminent Russian painter and draftsman to Kotzebue's circumnavigating expedition, was killed in company with his traveling companion, near Vera Cruz in Mexico.

1832. The bill banishing the families of Napoleon and Charles X, passed the chamber of peers by a vote of 80 to 30.

1832. JOHN WOLFGANG VON GŒTHE, "the patriarch of German literature," died, aged 83. He early gave indications of genius and a taste for the fine arts; acquired several languages, and made some proficiency in drawing, engraving, &c.; and first attracted attention as an author by the drama of Gœtz in 1773, and the Sorrows of Werther the next year. The activity and versatility of his genius were prodigious, and his productions amounting to 50 vols., embrace every branch of literature and science. He died at Weimar, quietly seated in his armchair, and apparently without suffering.

1842. CONDY RAGUET, author of the Free Trade Advocate, and many other political productions, died at Philadelphia.

1851. MORDECAI MANASSEH NOAH, for over forty years connected with the press of New York and prominent as a writer and politician, died.

1851. ISAAC HILL, one of the most influential political writers in America and for many years editor of the New Hampshire Patriot, died.

1851. JOHN STUART SKINNER, editor of the Plow, the Loom and the Anvil, died at Baltimore, aged 63. He was the pioneer in the establishment of American agricultural journals, although he had been educated for the law.

1855. RAMON PINTO, an eminent Cuban lawyer, suffered death by the garotte, at Havana, for conspiring to take Concha's life and overthrow the existing government.

1855. The Russians, in a night sortie upon the French lines at Sebastopol, were driven back after a contest of two and a half hours.

MARCH 23.

1208. The pope laid the churches of England under an interdict. King John in retaliation banished the bishops that obeyed.

1534. CLEMENT VIII issued his bull rescinding Cranmer's sentence, and confirming Henry VIII's marriage with Catharine; in consequence of which the pope's authority was abolished in England, and the king declared the supreme head of the church.

1556. JULIUS III (John Marie du Mont), pope of Rome, died. He is notorious for having dissolved the council of Trent, and is characterized as a weak and narrow-minded pontiff, little calculated to uphold the dignity and power of his office.

1606. JUSTUS LIPSIUS died; a most acute and learned Flemish critic and commentator on ancient authors. His works were published in 6 vols. folio.

1621. JOHN CARVER, first governor of Plymouth colony, died. He was among the English emigrants to Leyden; and when a removal to America was contemplated, he was sent over to negotiate for a suitable territory. He conducted the affairs of the colony with great prudence, and discovered great address in the management of the natives.

1650. The English army commanded by Oliver Cromwell, laid siege to the town of Kilkenny in Ireland. The defence was obstinate, but the garrison surrendered in a few days.

1776. ROBERT JAMES, an English physician, died; known as the inventor of James' Fever Powders, a preparation which has acquired great celebrity and proved an inexhaustible source of opulence to his family, and benefit to the public.

1776. Congress issued letters of marque and reprisal against England.

1777. The British under Bird landed at Peekskill on the Hudson river for the purpose of seizing the military stores; but on the news of his approach the guard stationed there under Gen. McDougal, fired the principal store houses and retired.

1793. Spain declared war against England.

1797. The French under DUGUA entered Trieste, the most important seaport town of Austria; at the same time another French army took possession of the mines of Ydria.

1801. PETROWITZ PAUL, emperor of Russia, assassinated. He was the son of Catharine II, who treated him with great rigor, during her life. In 1780 he traveled with his wife through the southern part of Europe under the title of Count of the North. In 1796 he ascended the throne, and among the first of his acts were the discontinuance of the Persian war, and the liberation of the Poles confined in Russia. But his conduct was suddenly reversed, and his indiscretions and tyranny finally produced a conspiracy among the nobles, by which it is supposed his sons were accessory to his death. In the official publication of his death, it was ascribed to apoplexy.

1806. The exploring party under Captains Clarke and Lewis, left fort Clatsop on their return up the Columbia river to the United States.

1808. MURAT, at the head of 40,000 French soldiers, taking advantage of a faction among the populace, entered Madrid and took possession of it.

1809. THOMAS HOLCROFT, an English dramatic writer, died. His father was a shoemaker in low circumstances, which occupation the son also followed till he resolved to try his fortune on the stage. Besides his dramas he produced several novels and translations from the German and French. He suffered imprisonment for republicanism, with Tooke and others.

1815. Action off the island of Tristran d'Acunha, between the United States brig Hornet, 16 guns, Capt. Biddle, and the British brig Penguin, 18 guns and a 12 pound carronade, 132 men, Capt. Dickinson. Capt. Dickinson was killed and the Penguin captured in 22 minutes; she was so much injured that it was found necessary to sink her. Penguin had 14 killed, 28 wounded; Hornet 1 killed, 11 wounded. After the surrender a British soldier wounded Capt. Biddle in the neck with a musket ball; he was immediately shot by two of the marines.

1819. AUGUST FREDERICK VON KOTZEBUE, a celebrated German dramatist, assassinated at Manheim. The Stranger and Pizarro are translated and popular at our theatres. His works are numerous. He was assassinated by a fanatical student named Sandt, who at the same time stabbed himself; but recovered and was beheaded.

1840. WILLIAM MACLURE, a distinguished naturalist, formerly of Philadelphia, and twenty years president of the academy of natural sciences in that city, died near the city of Mexico. He wrote on the geology of the United States and the West Indies.

1849. BENJAMIN SIMPSON died at Saco, Maine, aged 94; one of the party engaged in throwing the tea overboard in Boston harbor, at the opening of the revolution.

1849. CHARLES ALBERT, king of Sardinia, in consequence of his defeat by the Austrians, abdicated his crown in favor of his eldest son, the duke of Savoy.

1849. ELIZABETH HUGHES, well known in England as a fortune-teller and familiar with angels, died at Fowdon in her 89th year.

1850. JOHN W. WEBSTER, professor of chemistry in Cambridge university, found guilty of the murder of his friend Benjamin Parkman; a case which excited community for a long time.

1854. A treaty of commerce concluded between Commodore Perry of the United States squadron, and the emperor of Japan.

MARCH 24.

1426 B. C. The 24th Nisan is marked as a feast in the Jews' calendar for the death of Joshua. He was buried, full of honor, on the border of his capital in Mount Ephraim.

1455. POPE NICHOLAS V, the friend of ancient literature and the protector of the learned exiles of Greece, died.

1495. COLUMBUS with an army of 200 men, 20 horses and 20 dogs! commenced a campaign against the natives of Hispaniola, who in consequence of the excesses of the Spaniards had raised an army of 100,000 men to destroy the colony at Isabella. The admiral spent a year in ranging the island; and reduced it to such obedience that every inhabitant was subjected to a quarterly tribute to the king of Spain in gold dust or cotton.

1545. Diet at Worms assembled. The protestants disclaimed all connection with the council of Trent.

1564. PIUS IV issued a bull denouncing the perusal of certain books, and establishing new rules by which to judge books.

1581. JAMES DYER, an eminent English judge, died. He was distinguished for his learning and excellence; a volume of law reports which he left in manuscript and were not published till 20 years after his death, have been often reprinted.

1588 (1580?). Bombs first used at the siege of Wachtendonk in Holland. The invention of bombs is disputed among several countries, and there are good reasons for believing that some contrivance of the kind had been made use of long before this event. Galen, bishop of Munster, is said to have been the inventor of bombs; while Strada in his account of the wars of the Low Countries, attributes the invention a few days before this siege to an inhabitant of the town of Venloo, and that the people of the city, wishing to exhibit it in presence of the duke of Cleves, discharged a bomb, which falling on one of the houses, set fire to it, and three-fourths of the town were destroyed before the flames could be extinguished.

1603. ELIZABETH, queen of England, died, aged 70. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. On the death of Mary, 1558, she was proclaimed queen, at the age of twenty-five, and held the sceptre forty-five years with uncommon ability. Her reign was a period of great prosperity for England. Her treatment of the queen of Scots can never be defended, and some other foibles tarnish her fame; but the splendor of her reign and the strength of mind displayed in the conduct of the government overbalance those weaknesses which few crowned heads are devoid of.

1638. CANONICUS and MIANTONIMOH gave Roger Williams a deed of Providence.

1645. The parliament voted that the clause for the preservation of his majesty's person should be left out of Sir Thos. Fairfax's commission. This was a bad omen for King Charles.

1674. JONATHAN GODDARD, an English physician and chemist, died. He was a favorite with Cromwell; but on the restoration his abilities were not in sufficient estimation to preserve him from being disgraced. He was an able writer and a liberal patron of learned men, and one of the promoters of the royal society.

1698. JOHN EVELYN, distinguished as a poet and translator, died, aged 45. At the age of 15 he wrote the elegant Greek poem which accompanies the second edition of the Sylva, written by his father.

1718. On the island of Lithy, India, there fell a ball of fire, containing gelatinous matter.

1720. JOHN PERINGSKIOLL, a Swedish antiquary and historian, died. He was professor of antiquities at Upsala, and secretary and councilor to the king. His works amount to 17 vols. folio.

1726. DANIEL WHITBY, an English prelate, died. He was, like many of his profession, totally unqualified for the common pursuits of business; but was engrossed with matters of religion and learning. His publications are more than 40 in number; one of which gave offence to the clergy and was publicly burnt.

1730. The British parliament passed an act prohibiting any subject lending money to a foreigner or other nation.

1740. The English Capt. KNOWLES took from the Spaniards the castle of St. Lorenzo in South America; a large amount of spoil fell into the hands of the conquerors.

1742. PETER SABBATHIER, a French Benedictine, died. He was engaged 23 years in making a collection of the Latin versions of the Bible, which was published 1743 in 3 vols. folio.

1744. War between France and Great Britain declared.

1751. FREDRICK, prince of Wales, died.

1754. JOHN JAMES WETSTEIN, a learned Swiss divine, died. He traveled through several countries of Europe to examine the various manuscripts of the Greek Testament, and on his return to Basel published his Prologomena; he was immediately persecuted as a Socinian, and compelled to flee his country. He found protection at Amsterdam, where he died.

1764. THOMAS SLACK commenced the New Castle Chronicle, a paper still well sustained in England.

1773. PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE, earl of Chesterfield, died, aged 79. He was one of the most celebrated wits of his age, an eminent statesman, political, epistolatory and miscellaneous writer. His Letters, containing advice to his son, prove him to have been an excellent scholar; but the critical reader will find that they insidiously inculcate the loosest principles.

1773. STEPHEN LEAKE, an ingenious writer on coins and heraldry, died at Thorp, England.

1776. JOHN HARRISON, an eminent English mechanic, died. He was the son of an obscure mechanic, but made himself famous by the invention of a time-keeper, in the form of a watch, for ascertaining the longitude at sea, for which he received from parliament about $90,000.

1782. Spain acknowledged the Independence of the United States.

1782. A blockhouse situated on Toms' river, New Jersey, attacked by a body of royalists. Capt. Huddy defended the place while his ammunition lasted, and on surrendering was executed without a trial.

1783. ROBERT SAUNDERS, a self created LL. D., died. His Notes on the Bible profited him very little, though in a pecuniary point of view they profited others.

1794. Insurrection of the Poles. The Russian troops evacuated Cracow, and the patriot Kosciusko took possession.

1794. CHARLES PHILIP RONSIN, with a number of his confreres, guillotined at Paris. The revolution brought him out from obscurity only to display the natural deformity of his character. He was promoted to the office of minister of war, and then to the command of an army. He met his fate at the hands of Danton and Marat, who had raised him up.

1797. Battle in the passes of Eisach in Saxony, between the Austrians under Gen. Laudohn, and the French, who captured 8 cannon and 1500 soldiers.

1801. PAUL, emperor of Russia, assassinated. His reign was remarkable for its caprice and eccentricity.

1804. The county of Seneca, in Western New York, formed.

1838. THOMAS ATTWOOD, an eminent English musical composer, died, aged 73.

MARCH 25.

1409. The schism of the church was ended by the council of Pisa.

1519. First regular battle of the Spaniards under Cortez with the Indians, on the plains of Ceutla, near Tabasco. The Spaniards were victorious, with the loss of 1 killed and more than 60 wounded. The loss of the Indians was very great; 800 were left dead on the field; the Indians being unable to carry off all their dead, as was their custom.

1595. Snow fell at Rome. There is no other record of such an event occurring there till 1834--exhibiting the curious phenomenon of a space of 240 years without snow.

1609. HENRY HUDSON sailed from Amsterdam on the voyage in which he discovered the North or Hudson river, and explored it as far as Albany.

1661. The Savoy conference, concerning the liturgy, between 12 bishops with 9 assistants, and a like number of presbyterians appointed by King Charles II.

1678. Ypres, in Belgium, surrendered to the French after a siege of 7 days.

1688. First establishment of charity schools in England.

1693. Printing ordered to be introduced into New York.

1711. NEHEMIAH GREW, a London physician, died. His merits and skill procured him a very extensive practice; he was also author on subjects connected with his profession.

1741. The British under Admiral Vernon took the castle of Bocca Chicca, in Carthagena, by assault.

1751. The commencement of the year in England was altered from this day to the first of January, to conform with the custom of other European countries, which had long before adopted the Gregorian calendar. For this purpose there was passed an act of parliament, directing that the year should commence on the first of January, and that eleven days, from the 2d to the 14th September, 1752, should be omitted, so that the 3d of September should be dated the 14th. This occasioned great perplexity and confusion of dates, arising from the computations by the old and new styles.

1754. WILLIAM HAMILTON, an ingenious Scottish poet, died. His pieces are distinguished for liveliness of imagination and delicacy of sentiment.

1761. The first tree cut towards clearing land for cultivation in the town of Bennington, Vt. The honor of the act belongs to Samuel Robinson, who on that day began the settlement of the town. In 1790 it contained 4,000 inhabitants, and by actual return their industry produced 26,000 yards of linen cloth, made in private families from flax of their own raising.

1763. ELIAS FARNEWORTH, an English prelate, died; distinguished as the translator of Machiavelli and several other European authors.

1792. Lake Harantoreen, in the county of Kerry, Ireland, sunk into the earth.

1792. The British under Gen. CAMPBELL carried by storm the batteries at Port Royal in Grenada.

1793. HEBERT, ANACHARSIS CLOOTS and 18 others, chiefs of the Cordelier Club, executed at Paris.

1799. Florence and Leghorn in Italy, fell into the hands of the French.

1799. Battle of Stockach in Germany. The princes of Furstenberg and Anhalt-Bernburg killed.

1800. The county of Greene, in New York, erected.

1801. The British army in Egypt reinforced by the Turks.

1808. CHARLES IV of Spain wrote to Bonaparte protesting against his abdication in favor of Ferdinand VII, as having been extorted from him by force, at the same time offering to place himself and the royal family in Bonaparte's power.

1809. ANNA SEWARD, an English poetess, died. She exhibited an early taste for poetry, and her poems were popular in their day, and often republished. She held a correspondence with the literati of her time, and her letters were published in six volumes, octavo.

1810. BONAPARTE issued a decree giving liberty to all state prisoners in France, and a free pardon to all deserters.

1811. Battle of Campo Major in Portugal, in which the British under Gen. Beresford defeated the French, took 600 prisoners, and drove them to Badajos.

1811. British frigate Amazon destroyed off cape Barfleur by part of the Cherbourg squadron.

1811. Every printing press in Paris obnoxious to Bonaparte, suppressed by the police.

1812. GEORGE FREDERICK COOKE, an eminent English actor, died. He was first engaged as a printer, and afterwards in the navy; but left these for the stage, and acquired a reputation seldom attained, in the highest walks of the drama.

1815. Confirmatory pact signed at Vienna, by which the allied powers solemnly united their forces to maintain the treaty of Paris against Bonaparte.

1815. RICHARD DOWELL, the famed organist at Dulwich college, died.

1820. ALEXANDER of Russia banished all Jesuits from his dominions, because they interfered with the government and the peace of families.

1836. HENRY ROSCOE died, near Liverpool, England. He was distinguished for his legal and various abilities and learning, and was the author of several professional and other works.

1843. Ceremony of opening the Thames tunnel. Its length is 1200 feet, its cost about two and a half millions of dollars, and it was 18 years in building, under Brunel. The number of persons who visited it during the two following days was about 50,000, at a revenue of one penny each is nearly $1000.

1849. GEORGE COOKE, an artist of some note in the south, died of Cholera at New Orleans.

1852. JANE WEST died, aged 93; a very fruitful authoress, in the beginning of the present century, of poems, tales and novels, long since forgotten, though much in vogue for a time.

1855. An unsuccessful attempt at revolution made in San Domingo with the intent to recall ex-president Paez.

MARCH 26.

1546. THOMAS ELYOT, an eminent English scholar, died. He published the first Latin and English Dictionary in that country.

1602. BARTHOLOMEW GOSNOLD sailed from England in a shallop with 32 persons to effect a colony in the northern part of Virginia. He was the first Englishman who came in a direct course to this part of America, instead of making the circuit by the Canaries and the West Indies. After a passage of 7 weeks they made land in 43 degrees.

1630. CHARLES I renewed the patent granted by his father to Ben Jonson, as poet laureate. The pension was augmented from 100 marks to 100 pounds, with the grace cup of "one tierce of Canary Spanish wine," to be delivered annually from the royal cellars at Whitehall.

1644. The English parliament made an ordinance to enjoin every family one meal per week, and to contribute the value thereof to the kingdom.

1649. JOHN WINTHROP, first governor of Massachusetts colony, died at Boston, aged 63. He came out to America 1630, as governor of the colony; to which he continued to be re-elected, with a few years intermission, till his death. He kept an accurate journal of the events of the early colony from its foundation to the time of his death, two volumes of which were published at Hartford 1790; and the third, which had been a long time lost, appeared in 1826.

1662. BRIAN DUPPA, an English bishop, died. He was distinguished for his learning and virtues, and the firmness of his adherence to the cause of the Stuarts during their misfortunes.

1676. Marlborough, Mass., destroyed by the Indians. So completely did the enemy finish their horrid purposes here, that the inhabitants deserted their dwellings and sought shelter elsewhere. On the following evening a party of about forty men went out in search of the Indians; and coming upon them towards morning lying around their fires to the number of about three hundred, fired in upon them. Although it was so dark at a short distance from the fires that "an Indian could not be discerned from a better man," yet they discharged several volleys upon them, and came off without the loss of one of the band. The few houses which escaped the brand on this occasion were razed by the enemy soon after.

1688. WINSTON CHURCHILL, an English historian, died; better known as the father of the great duke of Marlborough.

1699. "After an extraordinary storm," says Evelyn, "there came up the Thames a whale which was 56 feet long. Such and a larger of the spout kind, was killed there 40 years ago. That year died Cromwell." The reverend antiquary probably considered this a prodigious omen of the usurper's dissolution.

1702. WILLIAM COURTEN died; a collector of whatever was curious and important in medallic and antiquarian history. He left 38 vols. folio, and 8 quarto, which together with his collection were purchased for the British museum at £20,000; scarcely the value of the coins and precious stones.

1707. The regalia of Scotland deposited in an oaken chest, at the Edinburgh castle.

1711. Engagement between the British ship Lion, 60 guns, Capt. Walpole, and 4 French ships, in which the latter were beaten off. Walpole had his right arm shot off; and it may be mentioned that Lord Nelson had the same sword in his hand when his right arm was shot off, 1797.

1719. A Spanish fleet under the duke of Ormond, intended for the invasion of England in favor of the pretender, was dispersed by a storm.

1726. JOHN VANBRUGH, an English dramatist and architect, died. He was knighted by Queen Anne, and held several lucrative offices; but a want of economy in the management of his income kept him in indigence, and his dramas were produced in rapid succession to retrieve his credit. Few of his pieces, although popular at the time, still keep the stage.

1729. ROBERT MOSS, a popular London preacher, died. His sermons have been published in 8 vols.; and he is the author of some poems, and small tracts.

1730. The landgrave of Hesse Cassel, father of the king of Sweden, died. The Swedish monarch was declared successor.

1756. GILBERT WEST, an English poet, died. He was a man of polished manners and great erudition.

1772. CHARLES DINEAU DUCLOS, historiographer of France, died. He was also a distinguished member of the French academy, and was engaged in the Dictionary and History of the Society.

1784. THOMAS BOND, a distinguished American physician, died. After spending considerable time in preparatory study at Paris, he returned and commenced practice in Philadelphia, where he acquired a great reputation in his profession, and as a man of letters.

1794. Congress passed an embargo law.

1799. Battle of Verona, between the French and Austrians. The battle continued from morning till night, and the loss on both sides was so great, that each army found it necessary to retreat.

1806. Broome county, in New York, erected.

1812. Earthquake in Venezuela, South America; the town of St. Philip with a population of 1,200 souls was entirely swallowed up, and it is supposed that about 20,000 persons perished in the whole province. Caraccas, with a population of 40,000, was destroyed, and from 10,000 to 40,000 persons perished, authorities differ.

1813. The American batteries at Black Rock opened their fire on the British, and silenced their lower battery.

1814. Gen. HULL, tried at Albany by court martial for surrendering Detroit, was found guilty and sentenced to be shot. His punishment was remitted by the president.

1814. Battle of St. Dizier in France, in which Bonaparte defeated Winzingerode.

1814. Engagement in the bay of La Hogue, between the British ship Hebrus and French frigate L'Etoile. French loss, 40 killed, 71 wounded; British 13 killed, 25 wounded.

1832. The Asiatic cholera appeared in Paris. During its prevalence 1 in 33 of the population died. In the whole of France 229,534 persons were attacked, and 94,665 died.

1838. WILLIAM H. ASHLEY died near Boonville, Missouri. He was the first lieut. governor of that state, and a man highly respected for his great enterprise, talents, integrity and principle. He emigrated from Virginia at the age of 30, and settled near the lead mines. In 1822 he projected the scheme of uniting the Indian trade of the Rocky mountains with the hunting and trapping business; and having enlisted about 300 hardy men, they, after various successes and reverses, realized handsome fortunes.

1839. POWER LE POER TRENCH, archbishop of Tuam and primate of Connaught, in Ireland, died. He was distinguished for his talents, eloquence and learning, and greatly revered for his benevolence and piety.

1850. SAMUEL T. ARMSTRONG, a distinguished American bookseller, died in Boston.

1852. While the engineer Maillefert and his assistants were engaged in submarine blastings at Hellgate, New York harbor, by accident a charge exploded and instantly killed Capt. Southard and 2 others. Maillefert and others were raised several feet, and fell into the water; but were rescued with few injuries.

1854. JONATHAN HARRINGTON died, aged 85; a fifer for the minute men who assembled on Lexington Green on the morning of the 19th of April, 1775, and the last survivor of the gallant band who were engaged in that first conflict of the American revolution.

MARCH 27.

47 B. C. PTOLEMY DIONYSIUS, king of Egypt, drowned in the Nile. His name is rendered execrable to the latest posterity for the murder of Pompey, his benefactor.

1306. ROBERT BRUCE crowned king of Scotland at Scone. Edward had carried off the national diadem, so that one was manufactured for the occasion, which was placed upon the head of the liberator by Isabella, countess of Buchan, a descendant of Macduff.

1350. ALPHONSO II of Castile died at Gibraltar. He is famous for his wars with the Moors, in which 200,000 of them were slain.

1546. JOHN DIAZ, a Spaniard, murdered at Neuberg, Germany. He embraced the doctrines of the reformers, and while on a visit to Calvin was met by his brother, who, being unable to reconvert him, hired an assassin to dash out his brains with an axe while in bed at night.

1563. A bill brought into the house of commons, permitting the Bible and church service to be translated into the Welsh or British tongue and used in the church of Wales. The New Testament in Welsh appeared in 1567, in quarto, 339 pages in black letter.

1614. An octroy passed the States General of the United Netherlands, for regulating voyages to America, under which Adrian Block, Hendrick Corstiaensen, and Cornelis Jacobsen Mey, distinguished themselves by their adventures.

1617. FRANCIS BACON made lord chancellor of England, in place of Ellesmere, who died within a fortnight of his resignation. The new chancellor soon disgusted the public by his vanity, love of show, meanness and corruption.

1622. The Indians, by a preconcerted conspiracy, fell upon the Virginia colony, 347 of whom, unresisting and defenceless, were massacred with indiscriminate barbarity. This massacre was plotted by Opecancanough, and was followed by an exterminating war between the parties.

1625. JAMES VI of Scotland (I of England) died, aged 59. He was the son of Mary and Lord Darnley, and succeeded to the throne at an early age. In 1603 he succeeded to the crown of England, on the death of Elizabeth. It was during his reign that the famous plot was concerted for blowing up the king and parliament. It was also during his reign, and through his weakness, that Walter Raleigh lost his life. He was an encourager of learning, though a pedant himself. The translation of the Bible in present use bears his sanction and authority.

1634. LEONARD CALVERT, having been appointed governor of Maryland by his brother Lord Baltimore, arrived with two hundred settlers, and settled the town of St. Marys, establishing religious liberty and granting lots of fifty acres to each emigrant.

1654. Monsieur BOURDEAUX, ambassador extraordinary from the king of France to Cromwell, arrived in London, and on obtaining an audience, recognized the principle that God shows his love to men by giving them wise rulers.

1660. TOBIAS VENNER, an English physician, died. His medical works were popular, and for talent are above mediocrity.

1669. Mount Trumento formed of an indurated mass of lava by the great eruption of mount Etna.

1676. Battle of Patuxet, between fifty English and twenty friendly Indians under Capt. Pierce, and six hundred of Philip's Indians. The English were drawn into an ambush, or deceived in the force of their enemies, and making an error in drawing down by the side of the river to prevent being surrounded, the Indians crossed over, and galled them from the opposite side, so that they were constrained to fight it out to the last.

1699. EDWARD STILLINGFLEET, an eminent English prelate, died. His first work was entitled Weapon Salve for the Church's Wounds, which was ably written, notwithstanding the quaintness of the title. His works were principally polemical, and were published in 6 vols. folio.

1710. SACHEVERELL'S two sermons burnt before the Royal Exchange in the presence of the lord mayor of London, and he himself forbid to preach for 3 years.

1718. MARY BEATRIX ELEONORA D'ESTE, queen dowager to King James II of England, died at St. Germain en Laye.

1729. LEOPOLD, duke of Lorrain, died. He was noted for his military abilities, by which he recovered his country, and governed his subjects with wisdom and justice. He was also a liberal patron of the arts and sciences.

1756. French burnt fort Bull, Oneida county, New York.

1771. A. MCDOUGAL discharged by the supreme court of New York, after having been subjected to imprisonment as the author of a newspaper article signed A Son of Liberty.

1778. NICHOLAS SEBASTIAN ADAM, a French sculptor, died. He was the second of three brothers who enjoyed some reputation as sculptors in France in the early part of the last century. His principal works are the tomb for the wife of Stanislaus of Poland, and Prometheus chained.

1782. CARACCIOLI, the viceroy of Sicily, abolished the inquisition there, and destroyed the archives.

1793. The French Gen. DUMOURIER, in a conference with Austrian Col. Mack, at Ath, resolved to march back on Paris and establish the constitutional monarchy of 1791.

1794. JACOB NICHOLAS MOREAU, historiographer of France, guillotined at the age of 77. He was also librarian to the queen, an able writer, and attached to the royal cause.

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