1621. Paul Van Somer died in London. He was born at Antwerp, 1576, and arrived at great proficiency as a painter. His pencil was chiefly employed on portraits of royal and eminent personages, and is said to have equalled Vandyke.
1636. De Vries, who had recently arrived from Holland in the capacity of a patroon, sent his colonists over to Staten island from fort Amsterdam, to commence the colony and buildings.
1675. Turenne defeated the imperialists at Turkheim.
1705. Second volcanic opening of the peak of Teneriffe, in the ravine of Almerchiga, a league from Icore. It closed on the 13th of the same month.
1722. Bell, the Traveler, arrived at Moscow on the return from China. (See [July 14, 1719].) The account of this journey, and of what he saw and learned at Pekin, is the most valuable part of his book, and one of the best and most interesting relations ever written by any traveler.
1724. Czartan Petrarch died, aged 184, at a village near Temeswar, in Hungary. He was born in the year 1539; and at the time the Turks took Temeswar from the Christians he was employed in keeping his father's cattle. A few days before his death he had walked with the help of a stick to the post house to ask charity of the travelers. His hair and beard were of a greenish-white color, like mouldy bread; and he had a few of his teeth remaining, and enjoyed a little eyesight. His son, who was ninety-seven years of age, declared that his father had married at an extreme age, for the third time, and that he was born in this last marriage. He had descendants in the fifth generation, with whom he sometimes sported, carrying them in his arms. His son, though ninety-seven, was still fresh and vigorous. The
commandant of Temeswar on learning of his sickness, caused his portrait to be painted, and it was nearly finished when he expired.
1757. Damiens attempted the assassination of Louis XV, for which he was condemned to the most cruel tortures, and finally quartered by four horses. (See [March 28].)
1764. A comet was first seen at Tewkesbury, England, near two small stars in the hand of Bootes.
1776. The New Hampshire provincial convention resolved to change the form of government.