1821. John Rennie died; a celebrated Scottish civil engineer and mechanist. The canals, bridges, and other public works in England, attest his abilities.
1830. York, count von Wartenburg, a Prussian field-marshal, died. He was one of the most distinguished generals in the wars against Napoleon.
1830. The independence of Belgium declared by the central committee at Brussels: "The provinces of Belgium, violently separated from Holland, shall constitute an independent state."
1833. Richard Heber died; an Englishman of talents and learning, distinguished for his zeal in collecting books, a business which he followed assiduously during the last thirty years of his life. He left immense collections of rare and valuable works in various languages, in various cities in Europe.
1835. Third centenary, or three hundredth year from the printing of the first English Bible, that of Coverdale, generally celebrated in the different churches and chapels in England. This Bible, as appears from the colophon, was finished on this day, 1535.
1835. Telesforo de Truebe y Cosia, a Spanish dramatist, died at Paris, aged 30. He resided principally in England, where he produced several dramas and novels. He wrote dramas in English, Spanish, and French, which were successfully produced at the several national theatres.
1851. Emanuel Godoy (Prince of Peace), minister of Charles VI and VII of Spain, died at Paris, in the 87th year of his age.
1853. The Great Republic, a mammoth clipper of 4000 tons, and the largest merchant vessel in the world, was launched at East Boston, Mass.
1854. The greater part of the town of Memel, a Prussian seaport, was destroyed by fire, including its churches, custom-house, bank, and court-houses; loss estimated at $5,000,000.