1685. Thomas Otway, an English dramatist, died. His tragedy of Venice Preserved still keeps the stage; and though his pieces were generally successful, he died at a public house (where he had secreted himself from his creditors) in a state of great destitution, at the early age of 34.
1707. Battle of Almanza, in which the combined English and Portuguese armies were totally defeated by the French and Spaniards under the duke of Berwick, with the loss of 5,000 killed and wounded, and 10,000 prisoners.
1711. Louis, the dauphin of France, died of smallpox, aged 50.
1743. Thomas Rundle, a learned English prelate, died. He was the intimate friend of the learned and polite of his age. A volume of his letters has been published.
1760. Louis Silvester, an eminent French painter, died. He was ennobled by the king of Poland.
1769. John Gilbert Cooper, an English miscellaneous writer, died. He was a man of wealth, who made literature his amusement. His works, original and translated, are lively and elegant.
1780. Battle of Monk's Corner in South Carolina; the American cavalry surprised and defeated by Tarleton.
1783. Michael Francis Dandre-Bardon, a French painter, died. He was professor in the academy of painting, and admired for his historical writings.
1785. William Whitehead, an English poet, died. His principal works are the Roman Father and Creusa, dramas, which were received with great applause.
1793. Action between the British ship Phæton and French privateer Dumourier, with a Spanish prize in tow. The prize was taken; her cargo was valued at £1,300,000, and £935,000 was adjudged salvage for her recapture.