APRIL 20.
69. Marcus Salvius Otho, emperor of Rome, died. He ascended the throne after the murder of Galba and Piso, and three months after, being defeated by Vitellus, killed himself, rather than fall into the hands of the conqueror.
332. Battle of Mæsia, in which Constantine defeated the Goths under Alaric, and compelled them to recross the Danube.
1314. Clement V (Bertrand de Goth), pope of Rome, died. He was a Frenchman, bishop of Bordeaux, elected pope, 1305; was accused of licentiousness and extravagance.
1534. Elizabeth Barton (the Holy Maid of Kent), and several other persons, hanged at Tyburn, and their heads set up in several parts of London, for practicing an imposture.
1558 (or 9). John Bugenhagen, a learned coadjutor of Martin Luther in translating the scriptures, and author of commentaries thereon, died.
1566. John Mason, an English statesman, died. He rose from obscurity to places of honor under Henry VIII, and maintained his influence at court under Edward, Mary and Elizabeth.
1579. A man named Hammond was burnt in a ditch at Norwich, England, for the crime of obstinate heresy, as charged by the bishop of Norwich.
1626. St. Salvadore, capital of Brazil, surrendered by the Dutch to the Portuguese.
1657. Naval battle in the harbor of St. Cruz, Teneriffe, in which Admiral Blake attacked and destroyed the Spanish fleet of 16 ships, under the protection of the batteries on shore. This was his last and greatest achievement.
1708. Damaris Masham, a learned English lady, died. She was an authoress, and deservedly respected, not only for her learning, but for every virtue.
1718. James Petiver, an English botanist, died. He collected a valuable museum, and wrote several works on botany.
1743. French seigniories on Lake Champlain.
1750. John Lewis Petit, a celebrated French surgeon, died. He was invited to visit the king of Poland, and afterwards went to Spain to attend on Ferdinand. He invented some valuable surgical instruments, and published several works on surgery.
1775. General Putnam joined the patriot band at Concord, having rode his horse about 100 miles in 18 hours.
1777. First constitution of New York state adopted.
1792. French declared war against Francis I, as king of Hungary and Bohemia.
1795. Treaty between the French convention and the Chouans.
1798. Jenkins, known in London as the tall clerk, died. His outer coffin measured 8 feet. He was buried under the floors of the banking house which covered a part of St. Christopher's burying ground. £200 had been offered for his body.
1798. Engagement between the British ship Mars, 74 guns, Capt. A. Hood, and French ship L'Hercule, 74 guns, and 700 men. The British captured the Frenchman, but with the loss of Capt. Hood killed.
1809. Battle of Abensburgh; the Austrian army defeated by Napoleon, who took about 10,000 prisoners and 40 cannon. This defeat broke the lines of the Austrians, and exposed them to farther misfortunes.
1810. Great fire at Constantinople, 8,000 houses burnt.
1812. George Clinton, vice-president of the United States, died. He was a member of the colonial assembly at the breaking out of the revolution, when he received the appointment of brigadier-general. He was selected governor of New York five times.
1813. The advance of the British and Indians appeared before Fort Meigs.
1821. Frederick Charles Achard, a Prussian naturalist and chemist, died. He is principally known as the inventor of a process of manufacturing sugar from beets, which has since been brought to great perfection.
1835. Samuel Slater, "father of the cotton manufacturing business in the United States," died. The first cotton manufactory in this country was built by him at Pawtucket, R. I.; it was standing and in operation at the time of his death.
1838. A meteoric shower observed at Knoxville, Tenn.; 154 meteors being counted by two observers between the hours of 10 at night and 4 in the morning.
George Nugent, general and field-marshal, died in England at the age of ninety-two. He was the oldest field officer in service, having entered it in 1773. He served throughout the American revolutionary war, and was employed in the expedition up the Hudson for the relief of Burgoyne's army. He was also present at the capture of Forts Clinton and Montgomery.
1842. Bertrand Cassel, who for a time was a resident of the United States, and during that period was sentenced to death by the French government, died at Toulouse.
1845. William Read, a member of Gen. Washington's staff, died at Charleston, S. C., aged 91.
1847. Battle of Cherubusco.
1854. An offensive and defensive alliance was signed between Austria and Prussia.
1854. The bill of Miss Dix, the philanthropist, granting ten millions of acres of the public lands to be distributed among the states, to ameliorate the condition of the indigent insane, was vetoed by the president.
1856. Robert L. Stevens died at Hoboken, N. J., aged 68. He devoted much time to the improvement of steam machinery and steam boat models; was one of the projectors of the Camden and Amboy rail road, and at the time of his death was engaged by government in building an immense steam battery for harbor defence.