DECEMBER 18.
69. Vitellus abdicated the Roman empire, which "he had received against his will." The next day he desired to restore the dagger of his authority.
1551. George Martinusius (Visinovitsch), governor of Transylvania, assassinated by order of Ferdinand, king of the Romans and of Hungary. He was a native of Croatia, who rose from the humble occupation of a lighter of stoves.
1555. John Philpot, archdeacon of Winchester, an English reformer, convicted of heresy and burnt at Smithfield.
1621. The famous resolution of the commons of England against the usurped royal prerogative was adopted. King James did indeed tear it from the records with his own hand, but it had its effect.
1665. Benedict Varchi died; professor of morality at Padua, and distinguished for the purity and elegance of his language and writings.
1674. Gabriel Cossart died. He assisted Labbe in his grand collection of councils, which occupied 28 vols. folio.
1678. Robert Nanteuil, a celebrated French engraver and designer, died.
1682. Heneage Finch, lord high chancellor of England, died. He was distinguished for his wisdom and eloquence.
1686. Edward Bendlowes, an English poet, died in great want, the result of imprudence.
1692. Vitus Ludovicus de Sechendorf, a learned German, died; author of several works, among which is the best account of Luther.
1708. John Lovelace arrived at New York from England, as governor of the province.
1714. Cæsar d'Estrees, a French cardinal, died; an able negotiator and a benevolent man.
1733. John Potenger died; an English poet and miscellaneous writer.
1733. Emanuel Matti died; a Spanish poet of eminence, and member of the Arcadia at Rome.
1737. The cliff at Scarborough sunk.
1741. Remarkable meteor seen at noon near Canterbury, Eng., accompanied by an inverted rainbow and three mock suns next morning.
1745. The Prussians under Frederick II entered Dresden. They captured the younger sons of the king of Poland, and took 415 officers and 1500 men prisoners.
1760. Charles Hayes, an ingenious English mathematical writer, died.
1771. Philip Milla, an eminent Scottish botanist, died. He had charge of the apothecary company's physic garden at Chelsea, where he was visited by Linnæus.
1775. Battle of Great Bridge, near Norfolk, Va.
1776. The constitution of the state of North Carolina was adopted.
1778. The French under count d'Estaing made another attack upon the British batteries at Grand Cul de Sac, St. Lucia, and after being three times repulsed, were compelled to retire with the loss of 400 killed and 1100 wounded. British general Meadows was wounded.
1780. Society of antiquaries first instituted in Edinburgh, Scotland.
1785. The sloop Experiment, captain Dean, of Albany, sailed from New York for China. She returned in 1787, with a valuable cargo, and was the second vessel that sailed from America to China.
1787. The convention of New Jersey unanimously assented to and ratified the new federal constitution, without amendments.
1787. Soame Jenyns, an English theological writer, died, aged 83. His writings are distinguished by purity of language, elegance of diction and critical knowledge.
1793. Toulon, which had revolted from the convention, after sustaining a murderous siege, was attacked by the revolutionists with a tremendous charge upon the fortifications. The English redoubt, defended by three thousand men and 20 pieces of cannon and several mortars, was carried in the space of an hour; and the town after being bombarded ten hours incessantly, was evacuated by the allies. Great efforts were made to carry away as many of the inhabitants as possible, but several thousand were left to the fury of their countrymen, who showed no mercy.
1796. The contemplated invasion of England, or rather Ireland, by an army of 25,000 under general Hoche, failed by a dispersion of the transport ships.
1799. Burial of Washington.
1799. Jean Etienne Montucla, an eminent French mathematician, died. His problems of the trisection of the angle, and the duplication of the cube, are curious and interesting.
1803. John Godfrey Herder, a German theological writer, died. Some of his writings have been translated.
1807. Counter declaration by the king of England against the emperor of Russia, and an order in council issued for granting letters of marque and reprisal against Russia.
1809. Alexander Adam, an eminent Scottish teacher, died. His Roman Antiquities is still in extensive use.
1810. Lucien Bonaparte with his family and a suite of thirty-five persons, arrived at Plymouth, England, and voluntarily placed themselves under the protection of the British government.
1812. Bonaparte arrived at Paris from his disastrous campaign in Russia.
1820. Guiseppe Bonzaniga, royal sculptor of Turin, died. By a persevering application of 40 years he raised the art of carving in wood and ivory to a high degree of perfection, and founded an establishment from which numerous works of art have been produced that are much sought for in all Italy, and valued by connoisseurs.
1828. Lord Liverpool, the English premier, was killed at the opening of the rail road at Liverpool.
1832. Philip Freneau, a poet of the American revolution, died in New Jersey, aged 80. His poems were collected in two volumes and have gone through several editions.
1832. Treaty of navigation and commerce concluded at St. Petersburg, between the United States and Russia.
1843. Smith Thompson, one of the justices of the supreme court of the United States, died at Poughkeepsie, aged 76.
1845. Samuel McClure died in Illinois. Having fought in the revolutionary wars, he at their close in removing his family to Kentucky was attacked by Indians, his wife taken prisoner, and his children slain. He escaped himself and returning severely punished the Indians and rescued his wife.
1847. Timothy Pitkin, a celebrated historical writer and statesman, died at his residence, New Haven, Conn.
1855. Samuel Rogers, the distinguished English poet, died, aged 92.