Читать книгу The Every Day Book of History and Chronology - Joel Munsell - Страница 48

Table of Contents

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.