Part 52

325. The first œcumenical council, that is, council of the whole habitable earth, assembled at Nice, now Isnick, in Bythinia, where 318 fathers of the church subscribed the ordinances regulating the festival of Easter, and establishing the Godhead, in opposition to the dogmas of Arius.

573. Pope JOHN III died.

1024. HENRY II, emperor of Germany, died. He was successful in arms against the Greeks and Saracens, whom he drove from Calabria, restored peace and tranquility in Italy and Germany, and increased his popularity by various deeds of benevolence and kindness wherever he went.

1377. Isle of Wight taken by the French and plundered.

1568. ELIZABETH committed MARY queen of Scots to the castle of Bolton, a prisoner.

1571. GEORGE FABRICIUS, a learned German poet and historian, died, aged 55.

1621. THOMAS HARIOT, an English mathematician, died. He accompanied sir Walter Raleigh to America, and wrote an account of Virginia. It is said that Descartes drew from his works many of his improvements in algebra.

1629. GASPARD BERTHOLIN, a Swedish physician and divine, died. He is said to have learned to read perfectly in 14 days at the age of 3, and to compose with correctness Greek and Latin orations at the age of 13. His works are on anatomy, metaphysics, logic and rhetoric.

1637. Battle with the Pequods, in which the last body of that formidable tribe was exterminated. They had secreted themselves in a swamp near where Fairfield now stands, in Connecticut; when some of the rangers who were in pursuit of them discovering their lurking place, rushed in upon them, in defiance of their arrows, and the hazard of being swallowed in the miry bogs. After a fruitless parley, the Indians refusing to come to terms, the soldiers were ordered to cut through the swamp with their swords, in order to hem them in, till they were begirt in a narrow space and remained all night sorely galled by the fire of their besiegers. Taking advantage of a dense fog, some of the stoutest made their escape, leaving the rest to the mercy of their conquerors. They were discovered in the morning sitting in crowds, sullenly refusing to ask for their lives, and were shot by dozens or cut in pieces. The male children which were taken were sent to the Bermudas, and the females distributed to the English towns. This overthrow of a great and powerful nation, cast a terror upon the arms of the colonists, which brought other tribes to a lasting peace.

1650. Dr. LEVINS, a civilian, was hanged for having in his possession blank commissions from Charles II, against the commonwealth.

1677. WILLIAM BERKELEY, governor of Virginia, died in England, after having administered the office nearly 40 years. His measures were generally bigoted and revengeful.

1730. ELIJAH FENTON, an English poet and divine, died. He assisted Pope in the translation of the _Odyssey_.

1750. The excessive heat of the weather at this time caused the fish in the Thames to assemble in shoals under the bank, where they were readily caught.

1759. Battle of Zullechan, in which the Prussians were defeated by the Russians.

1762. JAMES BRADLEY, an English astronomer, died. He made some important discoveries, and greatly improved the instruments which enrich the celebrated observatory at Greenwich.

1772. Captain JAMES COOK sailed on his second voyage round the world.

1774. CHARLES FREY DE NEUVILLE, a French Jesuit, died, aged 81. He was long known as an eloquent preacher; but on the suppression of his order he retired into privacy.

1774. WILLIAM JOHNSON, Indian agent, died at his seat near Johnstown, during the sitting of a convention at his place. He was a man of stern and determined purpose, but urbane and conciliatory when necessary, and held a greater controlling influence over the Indians than any other individual since the settlement of the province.

1785. STEPHEN HOPKINS, a signer from Rhode Island, died. He was a man of learning and a powerful speaker. His signature to the declaration is indicative of a tremulous hand, owing to a nervous affection, which compelled him, when he wrote, to guide his right arm with his left.

1788. An extraordinary and destructive hail storm happened in France, converting many of the richest autumnal prospects into arctic desolations.

1793. JEAN PAUL MARAT, a notorious leader of the French revolution, assassinated. He was a humble physician in Paris when the storm of anarchy burst forth, and became the most insatiable advocate of human slaughter of all the blood-thirsty demons by whom he was surrounded. He endeavored to get up a general massacre, and publicly demanded 270,000 executions.

1795. Action between the British fleet, admiral Hotham, and the French fleet. French ship Alcide struck, but took fire and blew up with several hundred of her crew on board, who perished.

1807. JAMES BERNOUILLI 3d, a Swiss astronomer, died. He was one of an illustrious family of scientific men.

1809. Senegal, in Africa, taken by the British.

1810. FRANCIS JAMES JACKSON, British minister, burnt in effigy before the door of his lodgings in Albany.

1813. A British fleet of 11 ships, captured and plundered Portsmouth and Ocracoke, in North Carolina, and took the privateers Anaconda of New York, and Atlas of Philadelphia, then lying in port.

1831. JAMES NORTHCOTE, an English artist of some celebrity, died in Argyle st. London.

1843. JOHN ROWAN, an eminent statesman and jurist, of Kentucky, died at Louisville.

1851. JOHN LINGARD, the well known catholic historian of England, died at Hornby, aged 82.

1854. San Juan bombarded by the United States sloop of war Cyane, captain Hollins; and a party landing from the sloop burnt the entire town, with the exception of two small buildings. A demand had previously been made upon the authorities, by Capt. Hollins, for satisfaction for alleged injuries, but without effect. A considerable portion of the property destroyed belonged to Americans. One British vessel of war in the harbor protested against the act.

1854. Battle of Gaymas, between some Frenchmen under count Raousset de Boulbon, and the Mexicans under Col. Yanez. The former were defeated, the count taken prisoner, and shot on the 12th August.

1854. A riot occurred at Buffalo growing out of street preaching.

JULY 14.

66. It was on the 14th of _Lous_, during the festival of Zylophory, or wood carrying, at Jerusalem, to feed the perpetual fire at the sacred altar, that the zealots destroyed the house of Ananias the chief priest, and the palaces of Agrippa and Berenice, with all the public archives, containing the bonds of debtors, "the nerves of the city."

1099. Jerusalem taken by the crusaders.

1420. Battle of Prague; 4000 Hussites under their celebrated leader Zisca, repelled the Bohemian army of 30,000 under the emperor Sigismund.

1514. CHRISTOPHER BAINBRIDGE, an English archbishop, poisoned at Rome. He was the envoy of Henry VIII to the pope, where he distinguished himself.

1584. BALTHAZAR GERARD, the assassin of William prince of Orange, whom he shot through the breast with a pistol as he was going out of his palace at Delft, was executed in the same manner as Damiens (q. v.) and died, in his own conceit, a martyr of the church of Rome.

1675. Mendon, Mass., attacked by the Nipmuck Indians, and several persons killed. Mather says: "blood was never shed in Massachusetts, in the way of hostility, before this day."

1678. The expedition under M. de la Salle set out from Rochelle, consisting of thirty men, among whom were pilots, smiths, carpenters, and other useful artists.

1683. MUSTAPHA, the grand vizier, sat down before Vienna with an army of 150,000 Turks, and opened the trenches.

1694. Bombardment and destruction of Dieppe, in France, by the English.

1699. WILLIAM BATES, an English non-conformist divine, died. He was chaplain to Charles II, a man of great learning, and the intimate friend of the first men of the kingdom.

1711. The prince of Nassau, stadtholder of Friesland, was drowned in his coach while ferrying over the Hollandsdiep, near Moerdyk.

1719. BELL, the traveler, left St. Petersburg with Ismayloff the ambassador and a numerous retinue for China. They took the route by Moscow, Siberia and the great Tartar deserts, and did not reach Pekin until sixteen months after their departure from the Russian capital, having undergone great fatigue during the journey.

1741. EDWARD SYNGE, an Irish bishop, died. He distinguished himself for above twenty years as an active and laborious parish priest; and his tracts, written in a popular style, have been considered of so much value as to require frequent editions.

1742. RICHARD BENTLEY, a celebrated English divine and classical scholar, died. His editions of the ancient classics procured him a great reputation for learning, but they were made the medium for retorting upon his contemporaries, who assailed him on all sides.

1748. An eclipse of the sun observed at London. 10 digits eclipsed, and Venus seen in a crescent form through a telescope.

1762. PETER III (_Fedrowitch_), emperor of Russia, died in prison. He acquired the enmity of the nobility and clergy by trenching upon their privileges, and introducing foreign customs, and was hurled from his throne by a conspiracy, after a reign of six months, and probably murdered.

1766. The grand junction canal commenced, uniting the Trent with the Mersey, and opening a water communication with both the east and west coasts of England. This great improvement was originated with Brindsley, who is represented to have "handled rocks as you would plum pies, and made the four elements subservient to his will."

1774. Captain FURNEAUX, who sailed in the discovery ship Adventure with captain Cook, returned with the ship, having reached 67° 10´ north, and circumnavigated the globe.

1776. WASHINGTON refused to receive a letter from lord Howe, addressed to "George Washington, Esq.," and afterwards another addressed to "George Washington, &c., &c., &c." The British lion, on further study, gave his message the proper direction.

1780. CHARLES BATTEUX, a French philosopher, died; eminent for his erudition and his private virtues, and author of several works on classical literature.

1788. Congress ratified the constitution framed by the convention of which Washington was president, and it went into operation the ensuing March.

1789. Marquis DE MIRABEAU, an advocate of Quesnay's sect of political economists, and author of _Ami des Hommes_, died. He was father of the fiery orator, count Mirabeau.

1789. Destruction of the Bastile, at Paris. This awful fortress of despotism, of which the name had for ages inspired terror, and which had withstood a vigorous siege about two centuries previous, was invested by a mixed multitude of citizens and soldiers. De Launay, the governor, displayed a flag of truce and demanded a parley, but abusing the confidence which that signal inspired, he discharged a heavy fire of cannon and musketry on the besiegers. This act of treachery, so far from intimidating the people, inflamed their rage and rendered them desperate. They renewed the attack with frenzy, and carried the prison by assault. The governor was seized and massacred, and his head carried in triumph through the streets. The Bastile was razed to the ground, and with it the despotism of the French monarchy fell prostrate in the dust. It cost 200,000 livres to demolish this edifice to its foundations, and the materials were sold for 36,000.

1790. GIDEON ERNEST LAUDOHN, an Austrian field marshal, died. He was commander-in-chief of the Austrian forces, and so high was his reputation, that Frederic the Great of Prussia admitted that he feared nobody so much as Laudohn.

1790. Grand national confederation of France, at Paris, in the field of Mars, when the civic oath was administered. Accommodations were made for exhibiting at one view 350,000 persons on this occasion, in a vast amphitheatre.

1791. Commencement of the Birmingham riots, which were occasioned by the celebration of the anniversary of the French revolution, by some private individuals. The destruction of property was very great; Dr. Priestly's house, library, manuscripts and philosophical apparatus were totally consumed.

1794. British squadron captured, on the American station, 14 sail of French ships laden with provisions.

1795. The British took Simonstown, cape of Good Hope.

1796. The British post of Oswego delivered up to the Americans, agreeable to treaty stipulations. The British had continued to occupy stations within the state of New York since the revolution. As they marched out the United States troops marched in, planted a standard on the ramparts, and fired a salute of 15 guns.

1798. Congress passed the famous act for the punishment of sedition, &c., against the United States, commonly called the _gag law_.

1798. Battle of Chebriessa, in Egypt, the French under Bonaparte defeated the Mamelukes by land and water.

1807. GEORGE SAVILLE CAREY, an English dramatist and poet, died. He was bred to the profession of a printer, which he left for the stage. His writings all tend to awaken patriotic, generous and amiable emotions.

1808. Battle of Riosecco, in Spain; the French under Gen. Bessieres, came upon the united armies of Castile and Leon, and defeated them in a desperate action, in which 20,000 Spaniards perished. This calamitous battle opened the gates of Madrid to Joseph Bonaparte.

1813. The United States schooner Asp, of twenty men and two guns, attacked by five British barges; after a gallant resistance, in which she lost ten of her men and her commander, she was abandoned to the enemy.

1814. The British schooner Balaboo, of six guns, captured by the American privateer schooner Perry of five guns, after a running fight of fifty, and a close action, of ten minutes.

1817. ANNA LOUISA GERMAINE NECKER, baroness de Stael Holstein, died. Her talents were so early displayed that she was said never to have been a child, and she became distinguished at an early age as a writer, and by the spirit of her conversation. She was banished twice by Napoleon for attempting to thwart his government. Her works form 17 vols.

1834. EDMUND CHARLES GENET, a French statesman, died. He was a minister to the United States in 1793, and when superceded he remained in the country, and settled on the Hudson river.

1836. ISABELLA JAMES died at Montego bay, Jamaica, aged 110.

1848. A portion of the levee fell in at New Orleans, by which a number of persons were drowned and much property destroyed.

1852. The college of the Holy Cross, at Worcester, Mass., destroyed by fire, partially damaging the library, which was otherwise wholly saved.

1853. Com. PERRY landed at Japan, and delivered to the imperial commissioners the letter from the American president.

1853. The crystal palace opened at New York, in presence of the president of the United States, and many other dignitaries.

1854. Duc D'ECKLINGEN, second son of marshal Ney, died at Gallipoli. He commanded a brigade of cavalry in the French army of the east.

1854. ABBAS PASHA, viceroy of Egypt, died at Benha, a small town on the Nile. He had reigned over Egypt since 1848. He was very unpopular, and under his rule the population decreased, and those that remained lived in great wretchedness. The only remarkable work of his reign was the commencement of the railway from Cairo to Alexandria.

1856. ENOCH LEWIS, a prominent member of the society of Friends, died at Philadelphia, aged 81. He wrote much in explanation of the principles and practice of his sect, was for many years editor of the _Friend's Review_, and was also noted for his attainments in mathematics.

JULY 15.

496 B. C. Battle of Regillum, in which it is said the twin knights Castor and Pollux appeared upon white horses and assisted the Romans. In memory of this event an annual cavalcade was instituted at Rome, during which the knights, robed in purple, and crowned with olive wreaths, rode in solemn procession from the temple of Honor to the Capitol, where the censor, seated on his curule chair, passed judgment on their characters.

238. MAXIMUS and BALBINUS, emperors of Rome, murdered by the prætorian guards.

1099. Jerusalem taken by the crusaders on the 39th day of the siege. Two huge movable towers had been constructed, and rolled with great labor to the foot of the fortifications. From the tops of these they fought the besieged on even terms till afternoon, when a warrior named Letolde leapt upon the ramparts and was followed by all the other knights, and drove the Saracens down into the city. The standard of the cross was planted in triumph on the walls, and after 460 years of bondage, the holy city passed from under the Moslem yoke. The victory thus bravely won, was tarnished by the ferocity of the conquerors. The number who were slain in the city amounted to 70,000, and the Jews were burnt in their synagogues.

1535. TRAJAN'S floating palace (which was sunk at a great depth in lake Nemi, Italy, 1340 years before) explored by Marchi in a diving machine. It was found in a tolerable state of preservation, measuring 500 feet in length, 270 in breadth and 60 in depth. This magnificent work was designed for the retirement of a prince celebrated for his magnificent taste, and were it possible to rescue it from its present position, or examine the interior, many valuable relics might be brought to light, to enrich the cabinet of the antiquarian if not to subserve the use of the sciences.

1546. The protestants having assembled a force of 70,000 foot, 15,000 horse, and 6,000 pioneers, with 120 cannon, 800 ammunition wagons, 8,000 beasts of burden, determined to support their cause by the force of arms. They issued a manifesto, and sent a letter to Charles V. (See July 20.) They were, however, overcome without battle, in consequence of having separated themselves into small bodies early in 1547.

1557. ANNE OF CLEVES, one of the queens of Henry VIII of England, died. The king demanded her in marriage after having seen her picture. But the painter had flattered the beauty, and the king becoming disgusted with what he termed a _Flanders mare_, obtained a divorce and sent her home again. She retired, seemingly unconcerned, and no doubt considered it a matter of great good fortune to have escaped with life.

1557. A great dearth of breadstuffs in England; wheat £2 13s. 4d.; malt £2 4s.; peas £2 6d. per quarter.

1567. MARY, queen of Scots, unable by entreaties or threats, to induce her followers to fight any longer in her cause, surrendered herself up to her disaffected subjects, by whom she was imprisoned.

1570. IGNATIUS AZEVEDO, a Portuguese Jesuit, murdered. He relinquished the enjoyment of a large fortune to embark as a missionary to India, was captured by pirates, and with nineteen of his companions, barbarously massacred, near Palma.

1575. HENRY, duke of Anjou, divested of the Polish crown, in full diet, and the throne declared vacant.

1610. The Halve Maan, in which the first white man sailed up the Hudson river, arrived at Amsterdam on her return, having been detained in England since Nov. 7 of the previous year.

1614. PETER DE BOURDEILLES, lord-abbot of Brantome, in France, died. He served an apprenticeship in arms under Francis of Guise, and is supposed to have visited most of the countries of Europe, either in a military capacity or as a traveler. His memoirs or works were published in 1666, and several editions have since been printed. It is represented to be a rare work, but has never been translated into English. (_Biog. Univer._ says July 5, q. v.)

1685. JAMES, duke of Monmouth, beheaded. He was the natural son of Charles II, against whom he rebelled; and on the accession of James II, he invaded England, was defeated, (See July 5,) imprisoned and finally brought to the scaffold, after having made the most humiliating petitions for his life.

1715. BELL, the Scottish traveler, left St. Petersburg for Persia, with the Russian embassy, in the quality of physician. They were obliged by the severity of the weather to halt at Cazan and pass the winter, and were detained there till June 4, 1716. They then proceeded by Astraken, the Caspian sea and Tauris to Ispahan, where they arrived in 1717.

1716. The island of Corfu, besieged by 80,000 Turks, and defended by the Venetians, was attacked by the Turkish admiral with 22 ships, and an attempt was made by the land forces to storm the citadel; but the Venetian fleet destroyed that of the Turks, and the garrison, making a counter sally with 2000 men, took the Turks by surprise in the rear, who fled, leaving 4000 dead in the trenches.

1751. JOHN WILSON, an eminent English botanist, died. His occupation was that of a shoemaker, and he ranks among the self-elevated men, who without a liberal education have distinguished themselves by scientific and literary abilities. He became an expert and accurate botanist before Linnæus's method of discriminating species improved the science, and published a _Synopsis of British Plants_. He was the first writer that attempted a systematic arrangement of indigenous plants in the English language.

1761. DOMINICO PASSIONEI, a learned Italian cardinal, died. He made a valuable collection of books and manuscripts, and was particularly distinguished as the friend and patron of literature.

1769. The general court of Massachusetts refusing to make provision for the support of the British soldiery, with whose presence they were favored, governor Bernard prorogued that assembly.

1776. British king's ships Phœnix, Rose and two tenders, effected their passage to Tarrytown, on the Hudson, under a heavy cannonade from the New York batteries, &c.

1778. France declared war against England, and 40,000 men were assembled in Normandy for the invasion of England. The plan was not carried into effect, because the French and Spanish fleets, which were to protect the landing, were dispersed by contrary winds.

1782. WILLIAM DE BURE died; a Paris bookseller, famous for his knowledge of old, curious and valuable books.

1785. A new mufti of Constantinople prohibited the reading of foreign gazettes and newspapers, in whatever language they might be written, under severe penalties.

1789. LOUIS XVI, accompanied by his two brothers, went to the states general of France, and declared his determination to act in concert with the _national assembly_, a title which he then employed for the first time. They returned on foot to the palace, amid the shouts and blessings of an immense crowd.

1791. Great riot in Birmingham, England. Dr. Priestley's house and library destroyed by the mob. His philosophical apparatus was the best in the world, and his library and manuscripts above price, and not capable of being restored.

1795. Desperate engagement between a British private armed lugger of 12 guns, and 9 French vessels of 65 guns altogether. The French were beaten off after an incessant action of 18 hours.

1797. The exiled French ministers were permitted to return to France on taking an oath to support the constitution.

1800. BRYAN EDWARDS died; a British West India merchant, author of an elegant _History of the West Indies_, and other lesser productions, connected with the islands in that part of the world.

1802. THOMAS DERMODY, an Irish poet, died, aged 28. He was employed as Greek and Latin assistant in his father's school, at the age of 9 years; and is said to have written as much genuine poetry at 10, as either Cowley, Milton or Pope had produced at nearly twice that age. He was, at the same time, a depraved wretch, and died of intemperance.

1807. JOSEPH MCKEEN died; an American mathematician, and first president of Bowdoin college.

1808. MURAT placed upon the throne of Naples by Bonaparte, under the title of _king Joachim Napoleon_. He governed with prudence and vigor.

1815. BONAPARTE surrendered himself to captain Maitland, of the British ship Bellerophon.

1819. "A steam vessel entered one of our ports from America," says a British writer under this date.

1834. The inquisition again abolished in Spain.

1839. WINTHROP MACWORTH PRAED, an eminent English orator and statesman, died.