1746. Battle of Rotto Fredo, between the allies and the Austrians; the former defeated with the loss of 8,000; Austrian loss about half that number.
1748. Alexander Blackwell, a Scottish physician, beheaded in Sweden, on suspicion of treason. His wife, to support him in prison, published a Herbal in two vols. folio, containing 500 plates, drawn, engraved and colored by herself.
1757. Fort William Henry with a garrison of about 2600 men under Col. Monroe, capitulated to Montcalm, who had invested the fort with an army of 11,500. The garrison was to be allowed the honors of war, and protected from the Indians; but with the characteristic perfidy of the French in all these colonial wars, the Indians were allowed to pillage and massacre the defenceless soldiers, so that their baggage was lost and 1500 slain or made prisoners.
1759. Birthday of Jean Baptist Annibal Aubert Dubayet, in Louisiana. He served in the American army during the war of independence, and went to France on the breaking out of the revolution there. He was appointed minister of war, and the next year ambassador to Constantinople, where he died.
1775. Captain Linzee, of the British sloop of war Falcon, attempted to take an American schooner in Gloucester harbor, cape Ann, in two barges, a whale boat, schooner and cutter, all of which were captured by the Americans; in consequence of which he bombarded the town. American loss 1 killed, 2 wounded.
1778. General Greene's army crossed over from Tiverton to the north end of Rhode Island.
1778. Lord Howe's fleet arrived off Newport, in quest of count d'Estaing, who put to sea the next morning.
1782. De la Perouse, with a considerable French military and naval force, took fort Prince of Wales, at Hudson's bay,
and soon after forts York and Severn; the settlements and forts were destroyed.
1787. The ship Columbia, captain Gray, and sloop Washington sailed from Boston for the north west coast of America and China. They returned in 1790, being the first American vessels that circumnavigated the globe.