Читать книгу The Every Day Book of History and Chronology - Joel Munsell - Страница 100

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403. Battle of Pollentia and defeat of the Huns under Alaric their leader.

1069. Abba'd abu' Amru, surnamed the ornament of the state, died; a Moorish king of Seville, who made extensive conquests of the neighboring states, and was an extraordinary character in his day.

1208. Notwithstanding the pope's interdict, King John gave a receipt to the sacrist of Reading, for books which had been in the custody of the abbot of that monastery.

1315. Raymond Lully stoned to death by the natives of Mauritania, in Africa, whither he had gone to convert the Mohammedans, at the age of 80. He was born at Majorca, 1235, and became attached to the gay court of James I of Arragon. He afterwards became the most celebrated chemist and alchymist of his time. At the age of 30 he commenced the study of theology for the purpose of converting infidels. He went over to Africa to convert the Mohammedan doctors to Christianity, from whence he narrowly escaped with his life. He made a second attempt several years after, which resulted in his banishment from that region; but he returned a third time, and was stoned to death.

1405. Prince James of Scotland, on his passage to France, was seized by an English corsair at Flamborough head, and conducted to the English court.

1461. Battle of Towton, which decided the fate of the houses of York and Lancaster. The battle commenced at break of day in a snow storm, and was maintained with deadly obstinacy till three in the afternoon. It is said 38,000 bodies were left dead on the field, of whom the herald appointed to number the slain, returned that 28,000 were Lancastrians. The duke of York, who won the day, made a triumphal entry into York, where he ordered the death of several prisoners, while Henry who lost his crown, escaped with difficulty to the borders.

1562. Philip II of Spain and the Netherlands to prevent the circulation of the scriptures and books favorable to the reformation, issued a placard ordering the officers not only to visit the houses of booksellers, but diligently to watch that no pedler went about with books for sale.

1629. Tobias Matthews, an able divine in the reign of James I, died. His talents and worth raised him to the office of archbishop of York.

1644. Battle of Cherington, where the forces of Charles I, 14,000 strong, under Hopeton, were defeated by the parliament forces under Waller.

1672. The test act of England passed, which required all officers of government to receive the sacrament according to the church of England.

1675. A large body of Indians attacked the town of Providence, R. I., and burnt 29 houses. The records of the town were partially saved by being concealed in a mill pond. The town did not recover from this disaster in more than sixty years.

1689. Theophilus Bonet, a noted Swiss physician, died. He spent several years at the best universities of Europe, in the study of his profession, and became eminently successful. He published several medical treatises in his old age, valuable in their day, for the facts and observations which they contained.

1710. Henry Basnage, a French lawyer, died at the Hague. He was a member of the parliament of Rouen, who upon the proscription of the protestants fled to Holland.

1726. James Pierce, an eminent English divine, died. He was attached to a congregation of presbyterians; but becoming an Arian was expelled from the desk.

1730. Vincent Houdry, a French Jesuit, died, aged 99. He was an eloquent preacher, and his writings comprise about 30 vols. His last moments were embittered by the reflection that he could not be permitted to reach his 100th year!

1751. Thomas Coram, projector of the foundling hospital, died. He was captain of a colonial trading vessel, and was prompted to this charitable project, by frequently seeing children exposed in the streets of London by the cruelty of their parents. He persevered in this humane design 17 years, and at last obtained a charter by his sole application. He was accustomed to spend so much of his time and money in charitable services, that in his old age he was dependent upon the charities of others, when his principal benefactor was the prince of Wales.

1772. Emanuel Swedenborg, founder of the New-Jerusalem church, died in London, aged 84. His father was a Swedish Lutheran bishop, and the son received a scientific education, and became eminent as a mathematical and philosophical writer, was ennobled, and shared the favor of the king. From the pursuit of philosophy he subsequently turned his attention to heavenly things, and became equally celebrated for his mystical reveries. His followers have multiplied in Europe and America since his death.

1792. Gustavus III, king of Sweden, died. He succeeded to the throne 1771. His reign was a turbulent one, in which all the arts and stratagems to which he was obliged to resort, scarcely secured him in power. He formed a plan for uniting Sweden, Russia, Prussia and Austria, with himself at the head of the confederacy. While he was maturing his plans, a plot was formed among his nobility for assassinating him. A masquerade at Stockholm was chosen for the perpetration of the deed. He was shot in the back by Ankerstroom, a disbanded officer.

1796. La Cherette was executed; this closed the Vendean or civil war at the commencement of the French revolution.

1797. The Mohawks relinquished all their claims to land in the state of New York.

1799. The legislature of the state of New York passed a law for the gradual abolition of slavery in that state, providing that every child born of a slave after the fourth of July in this year, should be free at the age of 28 if a male, and 25 if a female.

1807. The planet Vesta discovered by Dr. Olbers. Its revolution is completed in 3 years, 66 days and 4 hours.

1809. Oporto, in Portugal, taken by the French under Soult, and pillaged in spite of that general's endeavors to prevent it.

1814. Bonaparte had his head quarters at Troyes, from whence he moved by forced marches to Paris, by the road of Sens.

1815. Bonaparte abolished the slave trade in the French dominions.

1829. The castle of Rumelia in Turkey surrendered to the Greek army under Capo d'Istria.

1837. The Akhbar Vekai, (News and Events) the first Persian newspaper, made its appearance at Teheran. It consisted of two closely written, and lithographed pages, one devoted to oriental, the other to foreign intelligence. Its conductor had been an envoy to London, whence he carried home with him and executed the idea of a newspaper—the most efficient missionary for the spread of civilization and intelligence the world has ever known.

1844. E. Pendleton Kennedy, of the United States navy and commander of the battle ship Pennsylvania, died at Norfolk, Va.

1848. John Jacob Astor, founder of the Astor library, died in New York, aged 80. He was a native of Germany, and during a residence of nearly 60 years in America, amassed a fortune of about twenty millions of dollars. He landed in this country with a trifling sum in his pocket, and early commenced business as a trader in fur, and when the state of New York was a wilderness, made frequent voyages up the Mohawk, to trade with the Indians. As his wealth increased, he enlarged his business until by the formation of the American Fur Company, he was a competitor with the great capitalists of Europe, the proprietor of the North Western and Canadian fur companies. Such was his enterprise, that he extended his business to the mouth of the Columbia river and formed the first fur establishment there, known as Astoria. Several expensive expeditions were fitted out by him, of overland journeys, to the Pacific, some of which were executed by individuals with great suffering. For many years previous to the war of 1812, and subsequently, Mr. Astor was extensively engaged in the Canton trade, and during the war was so fortunate that several of his ships arrived here with valuable cargoes in safety. The profits on those ships were enormous. Mr. Astor made large investments in American stocks, which he purchased during the war with Great Britain, at sixty to seventy cents on the dollar, and which after the peace, went up to twenty per cent. above par. His great estate, however, accumulated more from the purchase of real estate, than from any other source.

1849. The Lahore war being finished, the Punjaub was formally annexed to the British crown.

1849. Louriana Thrower died in Georgia, aged 137. Her sight had failed, 20 years before her death, but returned, so that she could read the finest print, and her faculties remained almost unimpaired.

1853. The Jail at Chesterfield, S. C., destroyed by fire, and 8 prisoners burned.

1853. A democratic conspiracy discovered at Berlin, in Prussia, and 86 persons arrested.