The Every Day Book of History and Chronology. Joel Munsell
in his profession, and distinguished as a wit in an age abounding with men of wit and learning.
1738. Henry Groove, an English divine, died. He belonged to the dissenters, and wrote several valuable theological treatises.
1746. Thomas Faunce died at Plymouth, aged 99. He knew the rock on which the pilgrims landed, and learning that it was covered in the construction of a wharf, was so affected that he wept. His tears, perhaps, saved it from oblivion.
1776. Battle of Moor's creek bridge, in which the tories and Highlanders under McDonald, were defeated with the loss of their bravest officers. They fled leaving 350 guns, 1500 rifles, 13 wagons, and 150 swords in the hands of the victors, as well as their general. This defeat depressed the spirits of the royalists in North Carolina, and prevented their making any farther efforts.
1794. Of the crews of 13 American vessels captured by the Algerines, four were redeemed, leaving 126 still in the hands of their captors as slaves. Two of these vessels were captured in 1785, and the rest in 1793. A great effort was made throughout the land to raise money for their redemption by charitable contributions.
1797. Bank of England suspended specie payments. Twenty years after it resumed on one and two pound notes.
1806. Action between the British ship Hydra, and French brig La Furet, off Cadiz, in which the latter was captured.
1814. Battle of Orthes, in France, between the British under Wellington and the French.
1817. Two shocks of an earthquake felt at Kingston, Upper Canada.
1829. Battle of Tarqui between the Colombian army of 5000, and the Peruvian of 8000, in which the latter were defeated with considerable loss. Articles for the cessation of hostilities were signed on the field of battle, and mutual differences referred to the arbitration of the United States government.
1844. Nicholas Biddle, celebrated as the president of the United States bank for a number of years, died near Philadelphia, aged 58. He graduated at Princeton at the early age of 15, and was a man of great ability, of rarely equaled scholarship, and of the most polished and courtly manners. On the ruin of the bank he retired into private life, where however the creditors of the bank did not allow him undisturbed repose.
1853. Paul Frederick Augustus, reigning duke of Oldenburgh, died, aged 70.
FEBRUARY 28.
509 BC Battle of the Œsuvian fields, in which the Tarquins were vanquished and expelled from Rome, with the loss of more than 11,000 citizens on the side of the victors.
509 BC Lucius Junius Brutus, the avenger of the rape of Lucretia, and founder of the Roman republic, fell at the battle of the Œsuvian fields. So great was the fury of the encounter between him and his adversary, that their shields were mutually pierced, and each fell dead from his horse transfixed by the lance of his enemy.
628. Chosroes II, king of Persia, died. He carried his arms into Judea, Libya and Egypt, and made himself master of Carthage. He forced the Roman emperor Heraclius, to sue for peace; but his country was soon after penetrated by the Romans, his palace pillaged and burnt, and himself dethroned and cast into prison by his own son, after witnessing the massacre of 18 other sons.
1408. Battle of Bramham Moor.
1447. Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, murdered. He was the rival of Cardinal Beaufort, as the head of affairs in England, and was the friend and patron of learning. The cardinal lived to enjoy his triumph but six weeks.
1582. George Buchanan, a Scottish poet and historian, died. He occupied the last twelve years of his life in writing a history of his country in Latin.
1594. William Fleetwood, an English lawyer, died. He was recorder of the city of London in the reign of Elizabeth, and the author of several law treatises.
1604. John Whitgift, archbishop of Canterbury, died. He was unwearied in his efforts to make the puritans conform to the national church.
1610. The house of commons complained of the king's profusion, especially in the immense sums lavished on Scotch favorites.
1642. Charles I of England sent to the house of commons his reasons for refusing the militia bill; the house declared his advisers public enemies, and passed a vote of approval on the counties which had put themselves in a posture of defence.
1648. Christian IV of Denmark, died. He sustained the character of an able and wise sovereign.
1680. Decan and Hennessin were sent out from fort Crevecoeur on the Illinois, to trace the Mississippi to its source. They ascended the river to the 46th degree, where they were stopped by a fall, to which they gave the name of St. Anthony.
1703. John Baptist Thiers, died; a doctor of the Sorbonne, and professor of the belles lettres at Paris.
1734. Battle in Syria between the Turks, 45,000, and the Persians under Kouli Khan. The Turks were marching to succor Babylon, but were defeated with the loss of 20,000 killed on the field or taken prisoners. The victory cost the Persians 10,000 men.
1735. Large statute of George II set up in the royal hospital at Greenwich, Eng., at the expense of Sir John Jennings and sculptor Mr. Rysbrack.
1736. A proposal submitted to the house of commons in England, to levy a duty on distilled spirituous liquors, so as to prevent the ill consequence of the poorer classes drinking them to excess. It was stated that some signs where they were sold had the following inscription: "Drunk for a penny; dead drunk for two pence; clean straw for nothing!"
1757. Edward Moore died; an English fabulist and dramatic writer of considerable note.
1758. Action between the French fleet under Du Quesne and the British, under Saunders, near Carthagena. The British captured the Foudroyant, 80 guns, and Orphee, 64 guns; the Oriflamme, 50 guns, was driven on shore under the castle of Aiglos, coast of Spain.
1759. The pope permitted the Bible to be translated into all the languages of the Catholic states.
1760. Action between the French fleet under Thourot and the British, Capt. Elliot. Three French frigates were captured and Thourot killed. So great a terror had he created in the seaports of Great Britain, that his defeat was celebrated with the greatest rejoicings.
1771. Richard Grey, a learned English divine, died. He was a polemical and miscellaneous writer.
1781. William Stockton died; a signer of the Declaration of Independence from New Jersey.
1783. John Baptist d'Espagnac, a French general, died. He signalized himself in the campaign of Italy.
1795. Five hundred emigrant sleighs passed through the city of Albany between sunrise and sunset, on their way to the Genesee country. It was estimated that as many as 1,200 sleighs, freighted with men, women, children and furniture, had passed up State street in the space of three days, destined for the Genesee valley, the far west of the emigrants of that day.
1799. Bonaparte reached the city of Gaza in Palestine.
1799. Action between the British frigate Sybille, and French ship La Forte, 50 guns. The later was captured in 1 hour 40 minutes. The British lost two of their highest officers.
1804. Pichegru, the conquerer of Holland, arrested at Paris by order of Bonaparte.
1815. Action between the United States frigate Constitution, 44 guns, Capt. Stewart, and British frigate Cyane and sloop Levant, 54 guns, Capt. Falcon; British loss, 40 killed, 80 wounded; Constitution lost 4 killed, 11 wounded. The Cyane and Levant