The Every Day Book of History and Chronology. Joel Munsell
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,