The Every Day Book of History and Chronology. Joel Munsell
years previous.
1820. Benjamin Trumbull died, aged 92, author of a History of Connecticut.
1831. A. Bonpland, the celebrated traveler, permitted to leave Paraguay, where he had been detained about nine years, by the dictator Francia.
1834. Richard Lander, the enterprising traveler and discoverer of the course of the Niger, died at Fernando Po, in Africa, of wounds received from the natives. All his papers were lost. The British government allowed his wife and daughter a pension of £150.
1834. Lorenzo Dow died, aged 57; an eccentric traveling preacher. He was born in Connecticut and had a good elementary education; but in his youth acquired vicious habits which however he overcame at about the age of 14. At an early age he believed himself called to preach, and in obeying the impulse he commenced a career which has probably never been equaled; and in spite of acute bodily disease performed an amount of labor in traveling and preaching never before known. Before he had completed his twenty-fifth year, he once rode 1500 miles and held 184 meetings in ten weeks and two days; and about a year afterwards, traveled 4000 miles in the southern states, constantly preaching, in seven months, and finished his tour without stockings, shoes, or outer garment, and almost without a horse. For several years after he traveled from seven to ten thousand miles and held six or seven hundred meetings annually. It is thought that during the thirty-eight years of his public life he must have traveled two hundred thousand miles, including three voyages to England and Ireland. During these flying journeys he constantly refused donations and contributions, except for immediate want; and his traveling expenses exceeded his receipts more than one half, the first eighteen years. Afterwards, however, his books became a source of profit to him, and finally he became the maker and vender of a family medicine! which was a matter of speculation purely. He was twice married; his second wife survived him. He was familiar to every body throughout the United States, for there were few places however obscure which he had not visited.
1839. Deborah Logan died at Stanton, Pa. She was a member of the Pennsylvania historical society, and more intimately acquainted with the early history of that state, than any other person living.
1840. Olinthus Gregori, an English mathematician, died, aged 67. He was more than thirty years professor of mathematics in the royal military academy at Woolwich, and had the whole of the general superintendence of the almanacs published by the stationers' company, which had been for a long period conducted by Dr. Hutton. He published mathematics, biography and religion.
1841. William Bartlett, an eminent and wealthy merchant of Newburyport, and a munificent benefactor to the theological seminary at Andover, died, aged 93.
1851. Joanna Baillie, a Scottish dramatic authoress, died, aged 85.
1852. A priest, aged 63, attacked the queen of Spain with a dagger, as she was returning from church; for which he was executed.
1855. G. Fletcher, an English Wesleyan preacher, died, aged 108. Until within six months of his decease he preserved an astonishing activity of mind and body, often preaching without fatigue three times a day.
1856. The house of representatives at Washington elected a speaker after a contest of nine weeks.
FEBRUARY 3.
1014. Sweyn, king of Denmark, died.
1399. John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, died. He was the son of Edward III; was a prince of distinguished valor and prudence, and a patron of the poet Chaucer.
1497. "Johannes Cabotus Venetus et Sebastianus illius filius," commissioned by Henry VII of England to take six ships of 200 tons burden from any port in the kingdom for the purpose of making a western voyage of discovery. This expedition was got ready by the beginning of May, and consisted of two caravals freighted by the merchants of London and Bristol, and some smaller craft.
1619. By letters patent dated this day, James I granted Ben Jonson a pension of 100 marks during life, "in consideration of the good and acceptable service heretofore done and hereafter to be done by the said B. J."
1649. Charles II proclaimed king by the Scots.
1660. Charles X of Sweden died. He ascended the throne 1654, and was a prudent though a warlike monarch.
1698. Ernest Augustus, duke of Hanover, bishop of Osnabruck, and father of George I of England, died.
1700. Filippo Acciaguoli, an Italian dramatic poet and composer, died. He effected many improvements in the machinery and internal arrangements of theatres.
1730. Elizabeth Thomas, an English poetess, died. She is known by the name of Corinne.
1761. Richard Nash, commonly called Beau Nash, died, aged 87. He was the most accomplished gentleman in England.
1779. The American Gen. Moultrie defeated 200 British at Port Royal island, South Carolina, and drove them off that island. Moultrie had 1 lieutenant and 7 privates killed and 22 wounded. The British lost most of their officers.
1779. Mutiny suppressed on board the United States frigate Alliance, bound to France with M. de Lafayette and several French gentlemen of distinction on board. Half the crew were concerned in it, and measures were taken to quell it but a few hours before it was to have been carried into effect. Great inhumanity was meditated towards the officers and the French. This was the first organized mutiny ever known in the American service. The mutineers were 36 in number.
1781. The Americans, closely pursued by the British after the battle of the Cowpens, crossed the Yadkin and secured their boats on the north side, when a sudden rise of the river arrested the pursuit of the enemy. In this retreat the Americans endured extreme hardships with admirable fortitude, and their remarkable escape confirmed them in the belief that their cause was favored of heaven.
1781. St. Eustatia, one of the West-India islands, taken by the British under Rodney. The plunder amounted to above £3,000,000, besides 6 Dutch armed frigates and 150 vessels, many of them richly laden. The British kept the Dutch colors hoisted, by which means several Dutch, French and American vessels were decoyed and captured.
1782. Demerary and Essequibo surrendered by capitulation from the French.
1783. The ratification of the preliminary articles of peace exchanged at Paris.
1786. Gaspard Risbeck, a German author, died.
1794. George III and Queen Charlotte went to Hay Market theatre, which attracted so great a crowd, that more than 15 persons were trampled to death.
1794. The French convention received the deputies from St. Domingo, one of whom was a black, one a mulatto, and one a white; and at the same time decreed that all men of color whom a tyrannical force had made slaves, were still free and equally citizens with whites.
1795. A tableaux of the victories of the French from Sept. 8th, 1793, to this date, presented to the convention by Carnot, gives the following result: 27 victories, 6 of which were gained in pitched battles; 120 combats of less importance; 80,000 enemies killed, and 91,000 taken prisoners; 117 important fortresses, 36 of which were taken after a close blockade; 230 forts; 38,000 pieces of artillery; 17,000 muskets; 19,000 pounds of powder, and 90 stands of colors.
1797. Faenza in Italy carried by assault by the French under Victor, afterwards duke of Belluno.
1800. Four British ships, carrying in all 106 guns, captured off Seven islands, after a close action of 2 hours 10 minutes, the French frigate Pallas of 42 guns and 350 men. British loss, 10 killed, 34 wounded.
1807. Montevideo taken by storm by the British.
1808.