The Every Day Book of History and Chronology. Joel Munsell
advise or attempt the further prosecution of offensive war on the American continent."
1789. The first congress of the United States assembled at New York.
1791. Vermont admitted into the Union. (See Feb. 18.)
1794. Henry de la Rochejaquelin, the hero of La Vendee, killed. The peasants of the neighborhood having risen in the royal cause, he placed himself at their head, with this laconic harangue, "Allons chercher l'ennemi; si je recule, tuez moi; si j'avance, suivez moi; si je meurs, vengez moi." After gaining sixteen victories, he fell in single combat with a republican soldier.
1797. One pound or 20 shilling notes first issued by the bank of England. They were designed to take the place of the specie drained from the vaults to pay the foreign contracts.
1806. Action between the British fleet, Com. Popham, and the French frigate La Voluntaire, 46 guns. The latter was captured with 360 men and 217 British prisoners.
1811. First report of canal commissioners in New York.
1811. The French under Massena retreated before Lord Wellington upon Santarem, in Portugal, leaving their killed and wounded behind.
1812. The charter of the first bank of the United States expired by its own limitation.
1814. Battle of Longwood, about 100 miles from Detroit, in which the United States troops defeated a superior British force. British loss 80; American loss 8.
1814. Battle of Troyes, between the French under Oudinot and the Allies under Schwarzenberg, in which the former were defeated, with the loss of 10 cannon and 3,000 prisoners.
1815. United States letter of marque brig Aspasia, 3 guns and 25 men, captured by the British ship Voluntaire.
1815. Frances Abington, a celebrated English actress, died. She was the original Lady Teazle.
1832. John Francis Champollion, the French archæologist, died at Paris, aged 42. Having devoted much attention to the study of Egyptian antiquities, he was, in 1826, appointed to superintend that department in the royal museum at Paris, and in 1828, went with an expedition of learned men to Egypt, at the expense of the king, Charles X. The results of this journey were regarded of so great importance in relation to the hieroglyphics, that his manuscripts on that subject were purchased by the French government at about $9,300.
1838. Carlists under Cabanero, entered Saragossa, but were driven out by the national guards with the loss of 120 killed and 700 prisoners.
1847. A telescopic comet was discovered at the Cambridge university at 7 P. M. by G. P. Pond, assistant observer, being the fourth first discovered in this country by this young gentleman.
1856. The free state legislature of Kansas assembled at Topeka.
MARCH 5.
13. BC Marcus Emilius Lepidus, one of the Roman triumvirs, with Augustus and Anthony, died at Cerceii.
493. Odoacer, chief of the Heruli, murdered. It was reserved for him, at the head of a tribe of barbarians almost unknown, to strike the decisive blow that overthrew the great mistress of the world—imperial Rome.
1223. Alonzo II of Portugal died. His career was begun by an attempt to deprive his sisters of their estates, and ended by robbing the church. The pope, however, interfered, and compelled him to promise to be civil to the ecclesiastics; but death overtook him before he had time to fulfill his engagements by making restitution.
1495. Henry VIII granted a patent to John Cabot and his three sons Lewis, Sebastian and Sanchius, empowering them to sail under the flag of England in quest of countries yet unoccupied by any Christian state, to take possession of them in the name of Henry, and plant the English banner on the walls of their castles and cities, and to maintain with the inhabitants a traffic exclusive of all competitors, and exempted from customs; under the condition of paying a fifth part of the free profit on every voyage to the crown. They embarked two years after.
1534. Antoni Allegri, an illustrious Italian painter, died. He lived at Parma, where without any instruction he executed some of the most perfect pictures in the world. He is better known as Corregio, from his birth place.
1546. Isabella Losa died; a native of Cordova in Spain, so illustrious for her acquirements that she was honored with the degree of D. D.
1605. Clement VIII (Hippolitus Aldobrandi), pope of Rome, died. He was a liberal minded and benevolent pontiff.
1660. Monk's parliament ordered the printing and setting up in churches the solemn league and covenant.
1686. James II forbade the bishops to preach on controverted points.
1695. Henry Wharton died; an English divine and historian of uncommon abilities.
1701. Robert, earl of Bellamont, governor of the province of New York, died, two years after his installment into that office.
1708. William Beveridge, an English divine, and bishop of St. Asaph, died, leaving many learned and valuable works.
1710. John Holt died. He had been for more than 20 years lord chief justice of the king's bench court in England.
1737. The servants called footmen occasioned a riot at Drury lane theatre, London, alleging that they had been shut out of the gallery, to which they were entitled.
1744. At Huddersfield, Yorkshire, a Roman temple was discovered and an altar inscribed to Antonius Modestus of the sixth conquering legion.
1770. Boston massacre. This occurrence, which is variously stated, is supposed to have arisen as follows: a crowd surrounded a corporal's guard in the evening, and commenced pelting them with snow balls, which exasperated his majesty's legions to such a pitch of valor, that they turned their muskets upon the citizens. The leaden balls of the soldiers were more than a match for those of the people, and five men fell mortally wounded. Their names were Mattucks, Gray, Caldwell, Maverick, and Carr.
1773. Philip Francis died at Bath, England; distinguished as a translator of Horace and Demosthenes.
1775. Peter Laurence Buyrette du Belloi died; a French comedian and tragedian, who by his own pieces became extremely popular in his day.
1775. The citizens of New York held a town meeting, in which it is said the question of congress or no congress was carried in the affirmative by the aid of hoop poles obtained from a neighboring cooper's yard.
1778. Thomas Augustus Arne died; an English musician and opera writer. He received the degree of doctor of music.
1785. Joseph Reed died at Philadelphia, aged 43. He was one of Washington's aids in the revolutionary war, and subsequently an adjutant-general, member of congress, and governor of Pennsylvania.
1794. County of Onondaga, in New York, erected.
1798. An Algerine barque arrived at Baltimore, 85 days out, manned by Algerines; being the first that ever entered an American port.
1811. Battle of Barrosa in Portugal, between the French under Victor, and the English, Spanish and Portuguese allied army, under Graham. The French were defeated with the loss of 3,000; allied loss 2,742.
1827. Pierre Simon Laplace, the French mathematician, died. His principal work, which will render him an object of admiration to posterity, the Mechanique Celeste, has been translated by our countryman Nathaniel Bowditch, in a manner creditable alike to the author, to himself and the literature of his country.