JUNE 22.
168 B. C. Battle of Pydna; Perseus, the last king of Macedon, defeated by the Romans under Paulus Æmylius, who brought to Rome a great number of books and manuscripts. The date is settled by an eclipse which happened the preceding night. This battle terminated the independence of a country which had seen a succession of thirty legitimate monarchs and eight usurpers, since its foundation by Caranus 814 B. C., six years after the fall of Assyria.
431. Third Œcumenical council assembled at Ephesus, to execute the decree of pope Celestine as to the heresy of Nestorius. He was deposed from his see and banished to an oasis.
1191. A remarkable eclipse of the sun, when the crusaders were at Acre, at 8 o'clock in the morning. In that year a parhelion appeared undistinguishable by the naked eye from the real sun.
1298. Battle of Falkirk; Edward I with 80,000 English defeated the Scottish army under Wallace, with great slaughter.
1415. John Huss, a Bohemian clergyman who had adopted the opinions of Wickliff, was burnt at the stake.
1476. Battle of Morat, in Switzerland, and defeat of Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy. Philip de Comines, speaking of this celebrated conflict for liberty, mentions arquebusiers as troops.
1483. Accession of the usurper Richard III.
1527. Niccolo Machiavelli, a Florentine writer, died. His works are numerous, but that called The Prince is the most famous, and has generally given him a bad character, though defended by Bacon and Clarendon.
1535. John Fisher, an English prelate, beheaded at the age of 77. He pertinaciously opposed the measures of the king, in relation to his wives. He was the opponent of Erasmus, who, however, gives him a superior character.
1596. The combined English and Dutch fleets under lord Effingham and admiral Van Duvenwoord, attacked the Spanish fleet in Cadiz bay, burnt 3 galleons, captured two, and drove a great number on shore. To save the latter the Spaniards agreed to pay 2,500,000 ducats.
1602. "Lent unto Benjamy Johnsone, at the apoyntment of E. Allen and William Birde, in earnest of a booke [play] called Richard Crook-back, and for new adycions of Jeronimo, the sum of xlb."—Henslowe Manuscripts.
1632. Galileo and his books condemned by the inquisition.
1664. Catharine Philips, an English poetess, died.
1679. Battle of Bothwell bridge; the Scottish covenanters defeated by the English under the duke of Monmouth.
1691. Mahomet IV, of Turkey, assassinated in prison. In the beginning of his reign he was eminently successful in war; but the resistless valor of John Sobieski drove the Turks within their own dominions. These calamities were attributed to the sultan, and the janizaries deposed him.
1691. Solyman III, of Turkey, brother of the preceding, died. He was taken from prison and placed on the throne, on the deposition of his brother, Mahomet, 1687. He was indolent and superstitious.
1714. Matthew Henry, an eminent English dissenting divine, died. His writings are highly valued, particularly the Expositions of the Bible, 5 vols. folio.
1734. Edmund Pourchat died; a French professor of philosophy, and a man of extensive learning.
1741. This day is memorable for the impressment of seamen into the British service. Nothing could protect the unhappy individuals; in 36 hours the names of 2370 were enrolled.
1763. John Peter de Bougainville died; a French author, of great acquirements, whose application hastened his death, at the age of 41.
1770. Philip Carteret Webb died; a distinguished English lawyer and antiquary.
1772. Chief-justice Mansfield, of England, gave judgment that the master of a negro slave which had been brought to England had no right to send him back to the plantations.
1775. Congress resolved to emit $2,000,000 in bills of credit.
1777. British evacuated New Brunswick and retired to Amboy; they suffered severely from Morgan's riflemen and Wayne's brigade.
1780. The forts on Licking river attacked by 600 Indians and Canadians under colonel Bird, with 6 field pieces; they took all the inhabitants captives, and loaded them with heavy baggage; such as failed on the journey were tomahawked and scalped.
1803. William Heinse, a German author, died. His works are in 10 vols., and manifest great ability.
1807. British ship Leopard, 50 guns, attacked American frigate Chesapeake, 36 guns, captain Barron. The Chesapeake struck in 30 minutes; 3 men killed, 18 wounded. Four men were taken out of the Chesapeake, when she was permitted to proceed. One of these was hanged. Barron was suspended for five years.
1813. Battle of Craney island, in Chesapeake bay. British under sir Sidney Beckwith and admiral Warren defeated by 480 Virginia militia and 150 sailors. British loss 1200 killed, wounded or drowned. None of the Americans were injured.
1815. Bonaparte's second abdication. He announced that his political life had terminated, and proclaimed his son, Napoleon II, emperor of the French.
1835. Charles Butler, the reminiscent, died.
1834. Ferdinand Wilhelm Becker died; a distinguished German physician.
1835. Francisco Tacon y Rosisque died; a Spanish statesman, and minister from Spain to the United States. He had filled many distinguished offices, and was greatly respected and esteemed for his talents and amiable qualities.
1839. Deborah Knight died at Sumner, Me., aged 105.
1848. The difficulties and disturbances occasioned by the disbanding of the operatives in the national workshops at Paris began.
1848. Civil war in Paris; barricades erected, and a terrible slaughter of the people; general Cavaignac declared dictator.
1848. Martin van Buren nominated for president of the United States at a convention at Utica.
1849. Elizabeth Grindell died in Goshen, N. H., aged 104¼ years, leaving a descendant of the fifth generation.
1852. Charles C. Berry, commander of the steamship United States, died at Brooklyn, N. Y., aged 39. He had been connected with the mercantile marine of New York from an early age.
1854. Jeremiah M. Scarritt, a United States military engineer, died at Key West. He was a native of New Hampshire, graduated at the military academy of West Point in 1838, served with distinction in the war with Mexico, and was brevetted for gallant and meritorious conduct.
1855. Samuel Sumner Wilde died, aged 84. He was one of the delegates to the Hartford convention, and the last survivor of that assemblage; he also held the office of a justice of the supreme court of Massachusetts 35 years. His judicial career was distinguished by great legal learning and stern integrity.
1855. William Henry Stone, the correspondent of the London Times from the seat of war, died at Balaclava, aged 30. He was employed by the British government in administering the fund for the relief of the sick and wounded, and was a young man of brilliant promise.