Part 51

1781. Captain EGGLESTON, of Lee's legion, routed a British foraging party at Friday's ferry, Congaree river, and took 45 dragoons.

1785. WILLIAM STRAHAN, an eminent Scottish printer, died. Having served a regular apprenticeship, he settled in London, where he rose to great eminence in his profession, and finally sat in parliament.

1790. Action off cape Musalo, between the Swedish fleet under the king in person, and the Russian fleet. It continued into the following day, and resulted in the destruction of 5 Russian frigates, 15 galleys, 2 floating batteries, 9 galliots, and 2 other floating vessels. The Swedes lost but one of their galleys burnt.

1794. Seventy-one persons were guillotined at Paris.

1805. GEORGE WOLFGANG PANZER, a distinguished German bibliographer, died. He published a catalogue of all the works known to have been printed from the invention of the art of printing to the year 1536. The works in all languages are chronologically arranged, the place of printing given, also a short account of them, and the libraries and publications in which they are contained.

1806. Confederation of the Rhine signed at Paris, between Bonaparte and several of the smaller German states, who placed themselves under the protection of France, and renounced their connection with the German empire.

1810. The kingdom of Holland annexed to France; Amsterdam to rank as the third city in the empire, Paris being first and Rome second.

1814. United States army under general Brown left Riall's works on the Chippewa, and pursued the British to Queenstown, and encamped there.

1816. Rio de la Plata declared itself independent of Spain, and took the title of the United Provinces of South America.

1818. RICHARD BEATNIFFE, the well known author of the _Norfolk Journal_, died at Norwich, England.

1830. Erzeroum, the capital of Turkish Armenia, surrendered to the Russians.

1831. The Belgian congress acceded to the articles agreed on at London by the plenipotentiaries of the five great powers, and declared Leopold of Saxe-Coburg king of Belgium.

1838. ROBERT GRANT, governor of Bombay, died; a man greatly respected for his talents and his public services.

1843. WASHINGTON ALSTON, the great historical painter of South Carolina, died.

1850. ZACHARY TAYLOR, president of the United States, died, aged 65. He was a general in the United States army, and won laurels in the Mexican war.

1853. CHARLES CALDWELL, a medical writer and teacher of great celebrity, died at Louisville, Ky., aged 90.

1854. RICHARD SHUBRICK PINCKNEY, a naval officer of the United States, died at Charlestown, S. C., aged 57. He entered the navy in 1814, and was engaged in the operations against the Algerine pirates of the Mediterranean, where he was severely wounded. He commanded the Decatur during the Mexican war.

JULY 10.

70. Conflagration of the second temple of the Jews, in the night following the ninth day of Lous (Ab) the second year of Vespasian.

138. PUBLIUS ÆLIUS ADRIAN, emperor of Rome, died. He was a renowned general and great traveler; and on a visit to Britain built the British wall, extending from Newcastle to Carlisle, 80 miles in length.

983. Pope BENEDICT VII died.

1024. BENEDICT VIII, pope, died. To the arts of the politician he added the valor of the warrior, and exterminated the Saracens who invaded Italy. He also defeated the Greeks, who were ravaging Apulia.

1212. Burning of London bridge, when 3000 persons inhabiting that borough perished in the flames.

1440. An anniversary was held in Haarlem for two days, commemorating the invention of printing on movable wooden types in this year, by Lawrence Coster. The emblems on his monument are a branch of beech, a winged A, a wreathed snake and a lamp. It was also celebrated by the printers of Dortrecht and Rotterdam.

1460. Battle of Northampton, England; the forces of Henry VI defeated by earls Warwick, Salisbury and March, with great slaughter among the gentry and nobility on both sides, and Henry was taken prisoner.

1472. The siege of Beauvais, France, raised by Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, who had invested it with an army of 80,000 men. An anniversary is still held on this day in memory of the heroine Jeane Hachette, and her regiment of women, who signalized themselves at this famous siege.

1559. HENRY II, of France, died. He was a persecutor of the protestants, and during the thirteen years of his reign, much embroiled in war. He recovered Calais from the English, and was wounded at a tournament, of which he died. (See June 26, 1574; 29, 1559.)

1579. WILLIAM WHITTINGHAM, dean of Durham, died. He was one of the translators of the Genevan or German Bible, usually called the _Breeches Bible_.

1584. WILLIAM I, prince of Orange, assassinated. He is styled the father of the Dutch republic, having brought about the union of the provinces. He was shot in the breast with three balls by an assassin supposed to have been employed by the king of Spain, who claimed the sovereignty of the Netherlands.

1634. DE VRIES sailed from the Texel in the ship King David, 14 guns, with 25 head of cattle, and 30 planters, intending to form a colony on the coast of Guyana.

1680. LEWIS MORERI, a learned French writer, died, aged 37; author of the great historical dictionary, which appeared 1674, and was afterwards enlarged to 10 vols. folio, and greatly improved in the numerous editions it underwent.

1683. FRANCIS EUDES DE MEZERAI, a French historian, died. He entered upon the laborious character of historian of France at the age of 26, and his work was received with universal applause. Several other books were also published by him, reflecting great honor upon his integrity, candor and faithfulness.

1686. JOHN FELL, an English prelate, died. During the civil war he bore arms for the king, and lost his offices by his loyalty. He was distinguished for learning and assiduity, and published many excellent works.

1688. The city of Smyrna in Asia destroyed by an earthquake.

1689. "Here lyeth the Body of Mr. David Gardiner, of Gardiner Island, deceased IVLY 10, 1689, in the Fifty-fourth year of his Age. Well, sick, dead, in one hour's space. Hartford, Con." He was the first white child born in Connecticut.

1704. The fortress of Gibraltar in Spain taken by the British.

1733. Nearly 800,000 quarters of grain exported from England to Portugal; cost, £1,000,000 sterling.

1767. ALEXANDER MONROE, a Scottish physician, anatomist and writer, died. His _Osteology_ has been translated into several languages.

1776. New York declared an independent state.

1777. Major-general Prescott, commander of the British army at Newport, surprised at night in his quarters, and carried off by a party of 40 Americans.

1780. French fleet under admiral Ternay, arrived at Rhode Island, having on board 6000 French troops under count Rochambeau, intended for the American service.

1791. Battle of Maclin; a body of 70,000 Turks under the grand vizier, defeated by the Russians. The Turks lost 4000 killed, and the whole of their camp; 30 cannon, and 15 standards were taken. The flower of the Asiatic troops, with their chiefs were in this battle.

1792. CHABANON, a French dramatist and translator, died. His best works belong to a species of criticism which is characterized by learning and taste.

1794. Battle in India between the British army, and the Hindoos under Viziaram Rauze, rajah of Vizigapatam. The rajah and most of his officers were killed; British loss 10 killed, 50 wounded.

1796. Island of Elba seized by the English under Duncan and lord Nelson.

1799. The French under LA GRANGE surprised the Mamelukes at Sababier, in Egypt, took their baggage, 50 horses and 700 camels.

1799. Action between American ship Planter, captain Watts, 18 guns and 43 men, and a French privateer of 22 guns, which was beaten off "after an action of 5 glasses." Two female passengers, Mrs. MacDowell and Miss Mary Harley, dressed the wounded and supplied cartridges. The Planter had 4 killed, 8 wounded.

1804. FRANCIS AMBROSE DIDOT, a learned and ingenious French printer, died. He made some important improvements in the printing press and paper mill, and is supposed to have hastened his death by a too close application to the revision of an edition of Montaigne's works.

1810. Ciudad Rodrigo surrendered to the French under Massena, with a garrison of 6000, after having been bombarded 25 days, a great quantity of artillery, ammunition and rich stores were taken. This fortress was built by the Spanish as a rampart against Portugal, from which it is distant only 8 miles. (See Jan. 19.)

1810. Holland incorporated with the French empire, by which all the 17 provinces of the Netherlands were united under the dominion of Napoleon.

1826. LUTHER MARTIN, an eminent lawyer and one of the delegates from Maryland in forming the constitution of the United States, died, aged 82.

1828. LOUIS AUGUSTIN GUILLAUME BOST, a well known French naturalist and professor at the Jardin du Roi, died.

1834. Abolition riots in New York.

1850. JAMES LOVEL, oldest member of the society of the Cincinnati, died at St. Matthews, S. C., aged 92.

1852. A fire in Boston destroyed the Mariner's church, the Sailor's home, the Boylston school house, and many dwellings and stores.

1855. The British bombarded the Redan tower at Sebastopol, for one day.

1856. JOHN LOCKE, an American physician and naturalist, died at Cincinnati, aged 64. He was a native of Maine, but spent a considerable portion of his life in Cincinnati; was connected with the geological survey of the state, and of lake Superior, and seems to have had a knowledge of various other sciences.

JULY 11.

472. PROCOPIUS ANTHEMIUS, emperor of Rome, murdered. He acquired the title of Augustus by his valor. Ricimir, a general to whom he had given his daughter in marriage, burst the gates of Rome, and imbrued his hands in the blood of his father-in-law, while his barbarian followers were indulged without control, in the three-fold license of murder, rapine and indiscriminate pillage.

1103. ERIC (the good), king of Denmark, died at Cyprus.

1191. Acre, in Palestine, surrendered by the Saracens to the crusaders under Richard of England and Philip of France, who had besieged it two years. Nine battles were fought in the vicinity of mount Carmel, with such vicissitudes of fortune, that in one attack the sultan forced his way into the city, while in a sally the Christians penetrated the royal tent. There were slain, by the computation of the minister of Saladin, 100,000 Christians.

1450. JACK CADE, an Irishman who headed a rebellion in England, was slain near Lewes, and his head placed on London bridge.

1576. MARTIN FROBISHER, the navigator, descried Friesland "rising like pinnacles of steeples and all covered with snow;" and entered, with his two small barks, the strait which bears his name.

1628. WILLIAM DANIEL died; a famed Greek and Hebrew scholar, translator of the New Testament and liturgy into Irish.

1708. Battle of Oudenarde, in Belgium, between the French and the allied army under the duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene. The French were defeated with the loss of 15,000; loss of the allies 5000.

1724. MARY MANLEY died; an English authoress, of considerable reputation as a writer, but of a wanton and licentious character. She wrote principally plays and romances.

1754. The Indians, who had been assembled to attend the congress of the colonies at Albany, were dismissed apparently well pleased and had engaged their coöperation with the colonies against the French. One of the sachems chalked out a sketch of the interior forests, rivers and lakes, with a clear discernment of their relations, and made the judicious remark, that Louisburg was one key of the inland country, and New York another, and that the power which had both, would open the great chest, and have Indians and all.

1763. PETER FORSKAL died; a celebrated Swedish naturalist and oriental traveler.

1764. ANDREW CANTWELL died; an Irish practitioner and writer on medicine of considerable abilities.

1782. JOHN JAMES FLIPART, a French engraver of great merit, died.

1782. Savannah, Georgia, evacuated by the British, and taken possession of by general Wayne.

1789. JAMES NECKER, the prime minister and great financier, ordered to leave France.

1797. CHARLES MACKLIN, an Irish actor and dramatic writer, died, aged 107. His name was M'Laughlin, which he changed for one more euphonious. His last performance was at the age of 90, when his memory failed him, and he took leave of the audience forever. His comedies still keep the stage.

1804. A duel fought between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, at Hoboken, opposite New York. On the first fire Hamilton fell mortally wounded, on the same spot where, a short time previous, his eldest son had been killed in a duel. He lingered until the afternoon of the following day, when he expired.

1807. MICHAEL NEKITITCH MINAVIEW, a Russian author of much distinction, died. One of his most admired productions is _Oskold_, which describes the march of the northern nations against Constantinople.

1809. Battle of Znaim; the French under Marmont, duke of Ragusa, defeated the Austrians, took 2 standards, 3 cannon and 3000 prisoners.

1811. Earthquake at St. Michael's one of the Azores; an island was formed where the water had been 30 fathoms in depth.

1812. United States frigate Essex captured a British transport with a detachment of the first regiment of Royal Scots on board.

1813. Blackrock taken by the British, who burnt the barracks, blockhouse, and other buildings, spiked several cannon, and took off a quantity of provisions, leaving on the shore a part of their killed and wounded.

1814. United States brig Rattlesnake captured by a British 50 gun ship. The Rattlesnake had some time previous thrown overboard all her guns except two, to escape another British man-of-war.

1814. The fort at Eastport, Moose island, mounting six 24 pounders, commanded by major Putnam with about 80 men, surrendered to a large British force. In consequence of this capture, the whole of the islands in Passamaquoddy bay fell into the hands of the enemy.

1818. The use of the French language in judicial proceedings and by the public authorities abolished in the Netherlands, only allowing advocates to make use of it for a certain time.

1853. An earthquake destroyed the city of Teheran, the capital of Persia, having a population of 60,000.

1853. SAMUEL APPLETON, one of the most opulent, benevolent and public spirited citizens of Boston, died, aged 87. His charitable donations for many years exceeded $25,000 per annum.

JULY 12.

100 B. C. Birthday of JULIUS CÆSAR, the Roman emperor. Pliny says of him that he could employ at the same time his ears to listen, his eyes to read, his hand to write, and his mind to dictate.

1174. King WILLIAM of Scotland taken by the famous chief-justiciary, Glanville. This success of the arms of king Henry has been attributed to his having, on the Thursday previous, done penance at the tomb of Thomas a Becket.

1191. The Christians took possession of the city of Acre. The two western kings planted the royal standard each in his own portion of the conquest, and divided the booty of the Saracens between them.

1212. The Christians defeated the Moors at Toulouse.

1536. DESIDERIUS ERASMUS, the celebrated Dutch philosopher, died. He was the most learned man of the age in which he lived, and greatly contributed to the restoration of learning in Europe. The _New Testament_ in Greek (of which he was the first actual publisher, 1516), written with his own hand, is, with other relics, including his sword and pencil, to be seen at Basil, where he died.

1543. Marriage of HENRY VIII with the protestant lady, Catharine Parr, his sixth queen. Kate was a _doctor_, and a lover of learning; and survived the queen-killer.

1566. First stone of the walls of the Tuilleries at Paris laid, in the presence of Charles IX and his mother, Catharine de Medicis. The site of this famous palace had been occupied by a manufactory.

1581. MAURICE CHAUNCEY died at Paris; a French historian prior of the Carthusians, and confessor to queen Mary.

1609. HUDSON having continued his course westward for some days, first obtained sight of the American continent, and on the 17th, the fog having cleared up, ran into Penobscot bay, in the state of Maine.

1625. PAUL BENI, a learned Italian author, died. He censured the dictionary of the della crusca academy at Florence, and refuted its opinions in his defence of Tasso and Ariosto. His works were collected in 5 vols. folio.

1676. HENRY STUBBE, a learned English author, drowned. His writings are very numerous and instructive, and evince great research; at the same time they abound in abuse, satire and malevolence.

1691. Battle of Aghrim in Ireland; the French under Gen. St. Ruth defeated and himself killed by the forces of William III under Gen. Ginckle. Of the French and Irish catholics 4000 were slain and 600 taken, with their baggage, artillery, &c.; English lost 800 on the field.

1691. Cardinal PIGNATELLI elected pope, and took the name of Innocent III.

1712. RICHARD CROMWELL died, aged 82. He assumed the protectorate of England on the death of his father, but found himself inadequate to sustain the office, and resigned it to retire to more peaceful pursuits. He inherited little of his father's ambition.

1637. JOHNSON, "a stranger in London," addressed Cave, editor of the _Gentleman's Magazine_, "having observed in his papers very uncommon encouragement to men of letters." In this letter he proposed a translation from the Italian of Sarpi.

1730. LAWRENCE CORSINE elected pope, the conclave having sat four months.

1776. Lord HOWE arrived from Europe with a formidable squadron and 30,000 men, chiefly Hessians, and joined his brother Gen. Howe on Staten island.

1776. Capt. COOK sailed on his third and last voyage of discovery.

1779. BIŒRNSTAHL, a learned Swedish professor of the oriental languages, died at Salonica in Turkey.

1780. SUMPTER with 133 men attacked and defeated a detachment of British at Williamson's plantation, South Carolina.

1791. BABA MAHOMET, dey of Algiers, died, aged 80. He was one of the most singular characters of the age; raised himself from a common soldier to the throne, and governed a nation of barbarians more than 25 years with uncommon reputation. He was succeeded by Sidi-Hassan, his prime minister, whose succession was accomplished, for the first time, without bloodshed.

1793. The first official trial of the Clauda Chappe telegraph was made with complete success; transmitting despatches forty-eight leagues in 13 min. 40 sec.

1794. Battle of Edikhoffen commenced, which continued three days. The French lost 1000 killed, and 6000 prisoners fell into the hands of the Prussians; notwithstanding which the French finally obtained the victory, and obliged Moellendorf to retreat 60 miles.

1796. Ninety-four prisoners taken by the Algerines on board American vessels, were redeemed by the United States consul at Algiers.

1798. The knights of St. John at Malta surrendered to Bonaparte. They had possessed the island nearly 270 years, and under them it had risen from a state of destitution to a place of great opulence and luxury; and the military works which remain to this day, are a monument of their perseverance and power.

1801. Action off the coast of Spain between the British fleet, 5 sail of the line, and the combined French and Spanish fleet of 13 sail, and a considerable number of gun boats. Two of the Spanish ships, of 112 guns each, blew up, another of 74 was taken, and the remainder made their way into Cadiz.

1803. CHARLES JORDAN died in Anson county, North Carolina, aged 114. His favorite amusement was hunting, and only four days before his death he killed two deer at a shot.

1804. ALEXANDER HAMILTON, an American statesman, died of a wound received in a duel with Col. Burr. Hamilton was born on the island of St. Croix 1757, and came to New York in 1773. At the commencement of the war he joined the army, and was an aid-de-camp to Washington, and afterwards a major-general. He continued in the service until the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, where the troops under his command stormed and took the British works. He afterwards commenced the practice of law in New York, and rose to the highest eminence in the profession. He was appointed secretary of the treasury under Washington. As a statesman and a financier he revived the public credit, and placed the United States revenue on a permanent footing. Of all the coadjutors and advisors of Washington, Hamilton was doubtless the one in whose judgment and sagacity he reposed the greatest confidence, whether in military or civil career; and of all the American statesmen, he displayed the most comprehensive understanding and the most varied ability, whether applied to subjects practical or speculative. A collection of his works was issued in New York some time after his death, in 3 vols. octavo.

1807. Ratification of the peace between Bonaparte and the king of Prussia at Tilsit.

1812. The United States frigate Constitution completely manned and equipped, under the command of Com. Isaac Hull, left Annapolis in Chesapeake bay, for New York, and made a singular escape from the British squadron, consisting of a sixty-four gun ship, three frigates and a schooner, by running into Nantucket harbor. She was chased sixty hours, and escaped by _kedging_, an invention of Chas. Morris.

1812. Gen. HULL, with an army of United States volunteers invaded Canada.

1814. JOHN SWIFT, a revolutionary soldier and brigadier general in the United States army, killed whilst reconnoitering the British positions at Queenstown. He had surprised an outpost, and was most basely shot in the breast by a soldier who had begged and received quarters. Swift however, killed the soldier himself.

1816. A slide from the bank of West Canada creek, near the village of Herkimer, carried nearly five acres of land into the creek.

1816. A dreadful storm burst upon the town of Worchestz, in Hungary, which injured every house in the place; damage estimated at four millions of florins.

1823. The Diana steam boat, built at Kidderpore, near Calcutta, launched; and on the same day she made her first voyage on the Ganges between Calcutta and Chinsoorah in six hours and a half. This was the first appearance of these boats in the east.

1832. The monolithic column, in honor of Alexander of Russia, was debarked at St. Petersburg. It measures 12 feet in diameter at the base, and is 84 feet in length; being the largest pillar of modern erection. It was raised upon its pedestal in September following.

1836. WILLIAM MURRAY died near Jonesborough, Tenn., aged 111.

1838. JOHN JAMIESON, an eminent Scottish seceder, died, aged 80. He is the author of several theological and miscellaneous works, and of a celebrated _Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language_.

1841. WM. JAMES MCNEVEEN, so celebrated as a physician and author, died at New York.

1851. DAGUERRE, inventor of the daguerreotype, died at Paris, aged 61.

1854. LOUIS DWIGHT died at Boston, aged 61. He was a native of Stockbridge, Mass., and graduated at Yale college in 1813. On the formation of the Prison discipline society, he was appointed corresponding secretary, and devoted the remainder of his life to the promotion of the interests of this important institution of public economy and Christian philanthropy.

1855. A convention of the friends of slavery was held at Lexington, Mo.

1855. A mob at Jonesville, Mo., seized a prisoner whom a jury had found guilty of murder, for which the statute punishment was imprisonment for life, and hung him on a tree.

1856. The Crimea was evacuated by the last of the allied forces of Great Britain and France.

1856. The submarine telegraph cable was laid across the St. Lawrence gulf, from cape Race cove, Newfoundland, and Ashby bay, cape Breton, a distance of 85 miles, and messages transmitted from place to place.

JULY 13.