The Every Day Book of History and Chronology. Joel Munsell
captured the United States letter of marque brigantine Vidette, 3 guns, 30 men.
1817. Cold day throughout the United States; thermometer 8° below zero in Philadelphia, and 20° at Salem, Mass. Heavily laden teams crossed from Boston to Fort Independence.
1817. A wagon loaded with specie for the bank of Pennsylvania, overturned near Pittsburgh, and Thomas Wilson was killed by a box of coin falling upon him.
1818. Frederick Louis, prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen, a general in the Prussian service, died. He acquired distinction in the almost constant scene of war in Europe, from 1793 to 1806, and contributed greatly by his superior skill and valor to several important victories.
1820. William Ellery, one of the signers, expired in his chair while reading Cicero, aged 92. He was born at Newport, R. I.; graduated at Harvard in his 20th year; and practiced law at Newport until he was sent to the first congress. His house at Newport was burnt by the British. He had filled the office of collector of the customs since the term of Washington.
1826. Scipione Breislak, an Italian geologist, died at Milan, universally regretted, both for his scientific merit and his personal qualities. His rich collection of minerals passed into the hands of the Borromeo family.
1832. The legislature of Maryland appropriated $200,000 for the removal of free blacks over the age of 18; and enacted penalties against the settlement of colored persons in that state.
1835. Nathan Dane died at Beverly, Mass., aged 82. He was the framer of the celebrated ordinance of congress of 1787, for the government of the territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio river, an admirable code of constitutional law, by which the principles of free government, to the exclusion of slavery, were extended to an immense region, and its political and moral interests secured on a permanent basis.
1836. John Gillies, historiographer to the king for Scotland, died, aged 90; author of a popular history of Greece, besides many other valuable works.
1836. Margaret Burgeois died, on Prince Edward Island, aged 110.
1836. Fieschi and his accomplices, Pepin and Moray, who attempted to take the life of the French king by the explosion of an infernal machine, executed at Paris.
1840. Harriett Campbell, a Scottish author of distinguished talents, died at Montrieux in Switzerland, aged 34.
1843. Nathaniel Chipman, some time justice of the supreme court of Massachusetts and a senator of the United States, died in the 91st year of his age. He was a vigorous writer.
FEBRUARY 16.
309. Pamphilius, presbyter of Cæsarea, died. He was of an eminent family, of great wealth and extensive learning, and ardently devoted to the scriptures. He collected a library of 30,000 volumes, solely for the promotion of religion. Traces of this library still remain at Paris and elsewhere.
1009. Abdurrahman, hajib, or chamberlain, of Hisham, king of Cordova, beheaded. He was entrusted with the civil and military powers of government, but aspiring to the throne itself, was destroyed by the people.
1279. Alonzo III of Portugal, died. From an exile in poverty he was raised to the throne by the pope, who had deposed his brother for attacking the immunities of the church.
1497. Birthday of Philip Melancthon, at Britten, in the palatinate of the Rhine His proper name was Schwartzerd (black-earth), but according to the custom of the learned of that time, he changed it into the Greek term for the same word, melancthon.
1510. The Portuguese under Alphonso Albuquerque entered Goa in Hindostan.
1532. Richard Rouse, the bishop of Rochester's cook, poisoned the soup and caused the death of several persons. An act was immediately passed making poisoning treason, and the punishment boiling to death. Rouse was boiled.
1560. John Du Bellay, bishop of Paris, died. He was engaged as a negotiator between Henry VIII and the pope, with respect to the divorce of the former.
1639. Teixeira having ascended the Amazon and arrived at Quito, reembarked on his return this day, in a fleet of 45 canoes, with 70 soldiers, and 1200 native rowers.
1656. Spain declared war against England.
1736. Owing to an unprecedented tide, the council at Westminster hall, London, were carried out in boats to their coaches.
1741. George Raphael Donner, an Austrian sculptor, died. His works, to be seen in many Austrian churches and palaces, are masterpieces.
1749. Great riot at the Hay Market, London, occasioned by the failure of a conjurer to leap, as he promised, into a quart bottle.
1754. Richard Mead died, aged 81. He studied at the German universities at the same time its Bœrhaave, with whom he was intimate, and distinguished himself as a practitioner on his return to England. He introduced inoculation for small pox about the year 1720; his preliminary experiments were made upon condemned criminals. He did not live to see the great improvement by vaccination, introduced by Jenner.
1760. The Cherokees under Ocunnastota attacked Fort Prince George in Virginia, garrisoned by the British and Americans. The Indians were repulsed, and 20 hostages residing in the fort, and who attempted to rise on the garrison, were put to death.
1770. Bruce, the traveler, entered Gondar, the capital of Abyssinia, and was introduced into the palace of the emperor.
1784. Peter Macquer, a physician and chemist of great reputation, died at Paris.
1791. Herkimer and Otsego counties, N. Y., erected.
1792. Muley Yezid, emperor of Morocco, died of wounds received in battle on the 12th; when an end was put to a scene of slaughter which had continued since the 6th, such as the city had seldom known. It was computed that 20,000 of every age and sex, were destroyed.
1794. Tioga county in New York erected.
1795. The stadtholdership abolished in Holland. The stadtholder, Prince William of Orange, was then in England.
1796. John Romilly died at Paris. He was an ingenious mechanic and clockmaker at Geneva, and author of the articles on clockmaking in the Encyclopedie.
1796. Amboyna, the Dutch metropolis of the Moluccas, taken by the British under Admiral Rainer.
1798. Stephen Charles Lomenie de Brienne, archbishop and minister of state of France under Louie XVI, died. He early associated himself with the instigators of the revolution; but while he attempted to reduce the power and wealth of the monasteries, he was liberal in assisting those who were in need. Failing to keep pace with the ultra party, he was thrown into prison, where he died of ill treatment.
1802. Toussaint L'Overture and Christophe, black generals of St. Domingo, declared rebels by the French general, Le Clerc.
1804. United States frigate Philadelphia burnt in the harbor of Tripoli. This splendid action was achieved in 15 minutes by 70 volunteers under Lieut. Stephen Decatur, in the ketch Intrepid, with the loss of 1 killed. Decatur was promoted, and a sword and thanks voted him.
1807. Battles of Rossega and Ostrolenka, between the French and Russians, in which the former were victorious in both instances.
1810. St. Martins surrendered to the British.
1812. Battle of Cartama in Spain; the French under Gen. Maransin defeated by the Spaniards, under Ballasteros.
1813. An elegant sword and thanks