JULY 4.
1097. Battle of Dorylæum, in Phrygia, and rout of the Moslems under Soliman.
1450. Lord Say and Sele beheaded by order of Jack Cade, at Cheapside, London.
1533. John Fryth, an English preacher, burnt at Smithfield for the heresy of Lutheranism.
1563. Leeds bridge school was founded in the time of Henry VIII.
1584. Amidas and Barlow, two experienced commodores sent out by sir Walter Raleigh for the purpose of discovering and taking possession of the American continent north of Florida, arrived at the coast on this day. Sailing along the shore 120 miles, they entered the mouth of a river and took formal possession of the country for the queen of England, delivering it over to the use of sir Walter. (See [June 10, 1584].)
1623. William Bird, a celebrated English musical composer, died, aged 80. His music outlived his history, few particulars of his life being known.
1653. The parliament, commonly called Barebone's, from a zealot of that name who was one of the 120 members, assembled at Whitehall, and Cromwell delegated to them their chairs for fifteen months.
1663. Charles II of England, reviewed his 4000 guards, then the whole regular force of the kingdom, yet deemed dangerous to liberty. The king and his brother imputed the misfortune of their father, Charles I, to the want of a regular army.
1669. Anthony Escoba de Mendoza, a Spanish Jesuit, died. He was for many years a popular preacher, and bequeathed to posterity 40 vols. folio of his own writings.
1670. George, duke of Albemarle, captain-general of his majesty's forces, died at the cockpit. Possibly some lessons of ferocity might be learned there.
1671. Meric Casaubon, a Swiss literateur and critic, died in London. Considerable offers were made him by Cromwell to write the history of the civil war, which he refused.
1744. Thirty-two wagons, variously decorated, loaded with the treasure brought home by Anson, guarded by his seamen, passed St. James's in London to the Tower.
1749. Joseph Vanaken, a celebrated Dutch painter, died.
1754. The commissioners of the American colonies met at Albany for the purpose of holding a conference with the Indians, (see [June 19],) proposed a plan for the union of the colonies, which was agreed to this day, exactly 22 years before the declaration of independence. Its fate was singular. It was rejected in America because it was supposed to put too much power into the hands of the king; and it was rejected in England, because it was supposed to give too much power to the assemblies of the colonies.
1757. John Joseph Vade, an excellent French poet, died. His youth was spent in dissipation, for which he made some amends in the brief space allowed him by his impaired constitution.
1761. Samuel Richardson, an English printer, died; known as the author of a series of moral romances, among which Pamela and Sir Charles Grandison are the most noted. The former suggested to Fielding his famous Tom Jones.
1776. Declaration of American independence adopted by congress. It was 39 times before that body previous to its adoption. It may be added that this event took place 264 years after the discovery of America by Columbus, 160 from the first effectual settlement of Virginia, and 150 from the settlement of Plymouth.
1777. Boonesborough attacked by 200 Indians, who killed and wounded 2 of the pioneer's men. All the settlements were attacked at the same time.
1778. Francesco Manoel, the most celebrated lyric poet of modern Portuguese literature, escaped the inquisition by disarming the officer sent to arrest him, and fled to Paris. He became obnoxious to the holy office by some expressions concerning toleration and monks, in his translation of Moliere's Tartuffe.
1780. British admiral Geary captured 12 French merchantmen from Port-au-Prince.
1781. Williamsburg, Va., evacuated by the British under Cornwallis.
1789. Gosen Van Schaick, a brigadier general in the United States continental army, died at Albany.
1790. Action between the Swedish and Russian fleets, in which the former under the king, Charles XII, were defeated with great loss.
1793. Action off the capes of Virginia, between the French privateer, Citizen Genet, and two armed English vessels with a convoy. The convoy was captured and the two vessels much damaged. The Genet had 30 men, not one of whom was wounded by the enemy.
1800. A Mr. Rusby was found guilty of reselling grain (technically regrading) in the market of Mark Lane. The judge, lord Kenyon, remarking to the jury, "You have conferred by your verdict almost the greatest benefit on your country that ever was conferred by any jury!"
1803. A remarkable ball of fire fell upon a public house at Wapping, England. It was accompanied with thunder.
1804. Mail stage commenced running once a week from Pittsburg and Philadelphia.
1806. Battle of Maida, in Italy; the French defeated by the British and Sicilians, with the loss of 800 killed and 1000 taken prisoners; British loss 45 killed 282 wounded.
1808. Fisher Ames, an American orator and statesman, died, aged 50. He possessed a mind of great and extraordinary character.
1813. United States smack Yankee captured by boarding, without any loss, British sloop Eagle.
1814. A part of the United States forces under Gen. W. Scott, advanced from fort Erie towards the British works at Chippewa. A smart action was had with the British at Street's creek. The division which crossed under Capt. Turner was attacked by a very superior force; but they gallantly cut their way through to a house, where they made a stand until relieved.
1816. Richard Watson, bishop of Landaff, died; known by his Apology for the Bible, in answer to Paine's Age of Reason.
1817. The construction of the Erie canal commenced, in the neighborhood of Rome, Oneida county, New York.
1826. Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, and author of the Declaration of Independence, died, just 50 years from the date of that document, aged 83.
1826. John Adams, second president of the United States, died, aged 91. He was one of those patriots who most warmly advocated the declaration of independence in congress, and was an able statesman.
1831. James Monroe, fifth president of the United States, died, aged 73. He joined the revolutionary army in 1778, and after the close of the war was constantly in the service of his country, as a statesman, till the close of his life.
1845. Texas finally annexed to the United States, by a convention of its citizens ratifying the action of the United States senate.
1845. An Englishman by the name of Speer, accompanied by three chamois hunters, set out from Interlachen to ascend the Wetterhorn, or peak of tempests, one of the highest of the Oberland Alps, which had never been trodden by the foot of man. They reached the summit on the 8th, after a tedious and dangerous effort. The height of the peak ascended is 12,000 feet and upwards.
1848. De Chateaubriand, a distinguished French savan, died at Paris, aged 80.
1848. Treaty of peace with Mexico proclaimed at Washington.
1848. Ceremony of laying the corner stone of the Washington monument at Washington, conducted with great pomp.
1849. Two thousand and seventy-four immigrants arrived in the steerage at New York.
1850. Kirby, an eminent entomologist, died at Suffolk, England, aged 91. His work on the bees of England described upwards of 200 wild species in that country.
1853. The first Norwegian rail road opened.
1854. A collision on the Susquehanna rail road, near Baltimore, by which 30 persons were killed, and a large number badly wounded.
1854. James Murray, mayor of Alexandria, La., was killed while attempting to suppress a disturbance at a barbecue.
1855. William Terrell, an accomplished and useful citizen of Georgia, died at Sparta in that state. He took great interest in the promotion of agricultural science, and bestowed $20,000 for the establishment of an agricultural professorship in the University of Georgia.
1855. A convention of cotton planters assembled at Cooper's Well, Miss., to hear the report of a committee upon the subject of a direct trade between the southern states and Europe. They adjourned to meet at Jackson, in January.
1855. Svartholm, a fort of great strength, commanding the approach to Lovisa, on the gulf of Finland, which had been deserted by its garrison, was destroyed by the allies.
1856. The members of what was termed the Kansas free state legislature, assembled at Topeka, but were dispersed by the U. S. troops, by direction of Col. Sumner.
1856. The statue of Washington, in Union square, New York, was inaugurated.
1857. Anton Schmidt, a German literary celebrity, died at Salzburg, aged 71. He was custos of the imperial library at Vienna, and was a popular author.
1857. William L. Marcy, an American statesman, died, aged 71. He filled the offices of comptroller and governor of New York with ability; but distinguished himself as secretary of war under president Polk, and secretary of state under president Pierce.