AUGUST 2.
338 B. C. Battle of Cheronea, on the Cephisus, and defeat of the Athenians and Thebans by Philip of Macedon.
338 B. C. The army of Archidamus, the Spartan, overthrown in Lucania, and himself killed.
322 B. C. Joint victory of Antipater and Craterius, near the walls of Cranon, in Thessaly.
10. Three Roman legions under Varus cut off in Germany. "Quintilius Varus, give me my legions again," exclaimed the father of his country. Varus, however, had shared the fate of his legions.
44. King Agrippa (the Great), smitten with disease in the public theatre at Cæsarea, on the second day of the games exhibited in honor of Claudius.
1100. William II (Rufus), king of England, killed by an arrow. He possessed vigor, decision and policy, and acquired great wealth, by which he was enabled to purchase two French provinces. He founded Westminster hall.
1553. The peace of religion signed at Passau, on the Danube, between the confederates under Maurice of Saxony and the emperor Charles V, which established the protestant church in Germany.
1563. That great scourge, the plague, began in London.
1651. Cromwell, after a week's siege, erected the colors of the commonwealth on the walls of Perth.
1675. Brookfield destroyed by the Indians. This town was situated in the country of the Nipnets, whom Philip finally succeeded in engaging to himself in his plan of a general extermination of the English colonies. The inhabitants being alarmed had scarcely time to flee to the principal house in the village, before the savages came pouring in, and fired every other house. The whole number of people thus collected together was about seventy. They withstood the assaults of the Indians two days, who kept up the attack night and day, and endeavored to fire the house by means of poles with firebrands and rags dipped in brimstone tied to their ends. They also filled a cart with hemp and flax, and other combustibles, and having set it on fire thrust it backward with poles spliced together to a great length. A storm of rain defeated this last scheme; and several companies of soldiers came to the relief of the besieged so unexpectedly that the Indians, although they had surrounded the town to cut off assistance, were disheartened and fled.
1676. King Philip, the Wampanoag, surprised in his quarters by a party of the colonists under captain Church; 150 of his men were killed, his wife and sons were taken prisoners, and he narrowly escaped with his life.
1684. A treaty of peace concluded at Albany, between the colonists and the Five Nations, who, since the peace of 1761, had extended their arms southward, and conquered the country from the Mississippi to the borders of the plantations; involving Virginia and Maryland in the calamities of their Indian allies, whom they were unable to protect.
1689. Innocent XI died. He has been called the protestant pope.
1704. Battle of Blenheim, in Bavaria; the English and Austrians under the duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene, obtained a famous victory over the French and Bavarians, who lost 12,000 killed and drowned, and 13,000 prisoners, including marshal Tallard. (13th by some authorities.)
1713. Mensen Alting, a Dutch writer, died; author of an excellent description of the Low Countries.
1732. Rip Van Dam, upon whom the government of the province of New York devolved, finished his administration, on the arrival of William Cosby, with a commission over New York and New Jersey.
1748. Attack on fort Massachusetts by 300 French and Indians. Captain Williams sallied with 30 men and drove the enemy before him, when an ambuscade arose and attempted to cut off his retreat to the fort. By a quick movement he regained the place, and returned their fire with so much spirit that the enemy withdrew, carrying off their dead and wounded.
1763. Battle of Nuncas Nullus; the English defeated the troops of Mir Cossim, 28,000, took all their artillery and 150 boats laden with grain and stores.
1770. The Russians under Romanzow, defeated the Turks with great slaughter on the Pruth.
1776. Matthew Maty, an English writer, died. He published at the Hague, during six years, the Journal Britannique, containing an account of the productions of the English press, in French.
1786. Margaret Nicholson, supposing herself to be queen of England, made an attempt to assassinate George III. She was afterwards confined as a lunatic.
1788. Thomas Gainsborough died; one of the most celebrated English landscape painters of the last century.
1793. Marie Antoinette, queen of France and daughter of an emperor, taken from the temple prison in the night, and removed to a cell in the Conciergerie, 8 feet square, and partly under ground. As a matter of favor she was permitted to take under her arm a small bundle of clothing.
1798. John Palmer, a popular English actor, died on the stage during a performance, immediately on uttering the words, "There is an other and a better world."
1802. Bonaparte declared consul of France for life.
1803. John Hoole, an ingenious English poet, died. He translated some of the best Italian poets, wrote three tragedies, and several other works.
1811. William Williams, one of the signers died, aged 81. He advanced money and obtained supplies for the army, and also contributed by his writings and speeches to arouse the spirit of freedom in his countrymen.
1813. Defence of fort Stephenson by 160 men with 1 six pounder, under Col. Croghan, then aged 21. The British, consisting of 500 regulars under Proctor, and about 800 Indians under Tecumseh, with 5 six pounders and 1 howitzer, were defeated with considerable loss.
1814. The remarkable steeple of Kelwinning, in Scotland, fell. It was built in 1140.
1815. Convention between the representatives of Great Britain, Prussia, Austria and Russia, who declared Bonaparte to be the prisoner of the allies, and entrusted his custody especially to Great Britain.
1830. Charles X, of France, subscribed his abdication in favor of his grandson the young duke of Bordeaux.
1842. John Clifford, a lieutenant in the revolutionary army, died at Bethlehem, Hunterdon co., N. J., aged 94.
1843. Francis W. P. Greenwood, pastor of King's chapel, Boston, died at Dorchester, Mass., aged 50. He was also an accomplished scholar and naturalist.
1843. James Richards, professor of theology in the Auburn theological seminary, died, aged 75; an eminently useful man.
1849. Mehemet Ali, pacha of Egypt, died at Alexandria, aged 80. He was a powerful sovereign, and gave the sultan much trouble. He did more than any of his predecessors towards introducing improvements into his territories.
1849. Garibaldi, the Roman chief, escaped on board some fishing vessels at Cesenatico, on the Adriatic, accompanied by 300 followers. The remainder of his band surrendered to the Austrians.
1849. Stephen Longfellow, a New England lawyer of note, died at Portland, Me., aged 73. He was a member of the Hartford convention from Massachusetts, and distinguished for great acuteness and penetration. He compiled 16 volumes of the Massachusetts Reports, and 12 of the Maine, extending over a period of thirty years.
1852. Thomas Thomson, a Scottish author, died, aged 60. He was professor of chemistry in the university of Glasgow, and established a highly scientific reputation. In 1812 he began the Annals of Philosophy, in London, which he conducted ten years.
1852. A violent earthquake occurred at St. Jago de Cuba, causing a great destruction of property.