JUNE 16.
632. The Persian era began, recording the fall of the Sassanian dynasty, and the religion of Zoroaster. This famous era, as amended by the sultan Geluleddin, is now in use by the parsees of India.
1381. John Ball, in order to be chancellor under Wat Tyler, gave his followers a sermon.
1487. Battle of Stoke, England. Lambert Simnel, who had been crowned in Ireland, received the king's pardon, and was made a scullion in the royal kitchen.
1575. Adrian Junius, a learned Dutch author, died; he is quoted by the people of Harlem to establish the right of Lawrence Coster to the honor of being the inventor of printing in that city, about 1430.
1658. Edward Capellus, a learned French protestant divine, died. He was
engaged in a long and learned controversy concerning the antiquity of the Hebrew points, his adversary maintaining that they were coeval with the language, while he showed that they were unknown before the dispersion of the Jews, and were invented about 600 years after Christ. He was engaged 36 years on the Critica Sacra, a work of prodigious labor and great merit.
1666. Richard Fanshawe, an English statesman, died. He was actively engaged in political affairs, yet found time to produce several works of much credit.
1719. Lewis Ellis Dupin, a learned French critic, died. He devoted himself to a biographical dictionary of ecclesiastical authors, which was brought down to the end of the 16th century, and has been translated into English. His works are numerous.
1722. John Churchill, the renowned duke of Marlborough, died. He stands unrivaled among the British generals, and during several years gained a series of the most splendid victories. It has been said that he gained every battle which he fought, and took every town which he besieged.
1743. Battle of Dettingen, in which the French suffered a severe defeat, losing 6000 men; the allies, under George II, 1000.
1752. Joseph Butler, an eminent prelate and theological writer, died. He is celebrated as the author of the Analogy of Religion.
1755. Fort Beausejour, in Nova Scotia, surrendered to the British, the French garrison being permitted to march out with the honors of war.
1760. At Glen, in Leicestershire, England, the populace threw two old women into the water to try by their sinking or swimming whether or not they were witches.
1772. The banking house of Neal and Fordyce, in London, failed, and it was counted an extraordinary feat to carry the intelligence to Edinburgh, a distance of 425 miles, in 43 hours.
1777. John Baptist Louis Gresset, a celebrated French poet, died. His poems were elegant, lively and interesting, and obtained for him, among other honors, letters of nobility.
1779. Manifesto presented to the British court, announcing that Spain had taken decided part with France and America against Great Britain.
1789. The states general of France formed themselves into the national assembly.
1793. Unsuccessful attack of the British on Martinique.
1794. Battle of Josselies; the hereditary prince of Orange attacked and defeated the French, who lost 7000 men and 22 cannon, and were compelled to retreat across the Sambre.
1806. Total eclipse of the sun at Philadelphia and other cities in the United States.
1808. Joseph Bonaparte proclaimed king of Spain. "Your princes," said Napoleon, "have ceded to me their rights to the crown of Spain. Your nation is old; my mission is to restore its youth."
1810. Lewis Augustus Philip Affray, first magistrate of Switzerland under Napoleon, died. He was in early life an officer in the Swiss army; and when elevated to civil office, he conducted with the ability, the intelligence and the experience of a thorough statesman.
1812. Bonaparte joined his great army on the Vistula, destined to invade Moscow.
1813. Action off Presque isle, between the United States schooner, Lady of the Lake, lieut. Chauncey, and the British schooner, Lady Murray, laden with provisions and ammunition, for York, Canada, which was captured.
1814. The editors of the Gazette Universal having said something about the constitution of the Cortes, were condemned by their monarch, Ferdinand VII, to the galleys.
1815. Bonaparte attacked the Prussian posts of Sombref, St. Amand and Ligny, under prince Blucher. The contest was very severe, and the Prussian loss very great; they notwithstanding kept their position until after night, when they retreated upon Wavre. Blucher had a horse killed under him, and narrowly escaped with his life. Ligny was taken and retaken several times. At the same time Bonaparte attacked the British troops under Wellington, at Quartre Bras, and compelled him to fall back upon Gemappe. The loss of the allies was very severe.
1818. The village of Bagnes, in Switzerland, overwhelmed by the giving away of an ice barrier.
1818. Irruption of lake Mauvoisin, in the Alps, occasioned by the bursting of its icy mound, by which six hundred millions cubic feet of water were in an instant let loose upon the beautiful valley of the Drana, carrying before its overwhelming torrent every vestige of civilized life which stood within its reach.
1819. An earthquake near Poonah, in the East Indies, swallowed up a large district and more than 2000 persons.
1821. John Ballantyne, the confidential printer of sir Walter Scott's Waverly novels, died at Edinburgh. He also established the Kelso Mail, a respectable provincial paper, yet in existence.
1830. An eruption of mount Etna, which destroyed eight villages, and buried
many of the inhabitants under the ruins of their houses.
1831. The president of Hayti ordered all the French white inhabitants to leave the island before the 15th July.
1843. Died at Boston, whither he had accompanied president Tyler to attend the Bunker Hill celebration, Hugh S. Legare, a distinguished American statesman.
1843. Count Wittgenstein, the Russian field marshal, who distinguished himself in the wars with Napoleon, died at St. Petersburg, aged 87.
1851. Tom Johnson, a Norwegian, died at the Naval asylum, Philadelphia, aged 100; the last survivor of the gallant crew who fought with Paul Jones, in the desperate conflict with the Serapis in 1799.
1852. The sultan of Turkey issued a firman granting new rights and privileges to his Christian subjects.
1854. The siege of Silistria raised; the Turks made a sortie, causing a complete defeat of the Russians, forcing them to recross the Danube in all haste, took several standards and a great quantity of baggage, and killed or severely wounded five Russian generals.
1857. A riot took place in the city of New York, occasioned by a dispute about the public offices, there having been two sets appointed by different authorities. Mayor Wood was arrested for assault and battery.