DAYS THAT HAVE GONE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15892, 11 October 1913, Page 6

DAYS THAT HAVE GONE.

'THE WEEK'S ANNIVERSARIES. Oct. 12.—Columbus disoovered America, 1492. Edward HI born, 1537. Independence of Brazil, 1822. General R. E. .Lee died, 1870. Mrs Craik died, 1887. Lady Brassey died on Sunbeam, 1887. Ernest R«nan died, 1892. First action in Boer War, 1899. Oct. 13.—Americans defeated at Queenstown Heights, 1812. Joachin Murat shot, 1815. Herat taken by Persians, 1855. Mr Paa-nell arrested for inciting to intimidation, 1881. Sir Henry Irving died, 1905. Oct. 14.—Battle of Hastings, 1066. Battle of Jena, 1806. Engagement of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert announced, 1839. John Poster died, 1843. Glasgow Waterworks opened, 1859. Mansfield College, Oxford, opened, 1889. Russo-Japanese War ended, 1905. Oct. 15.—Virgil born, 70 B.C. Allan Ramsay born, 1686. French retreat from Mo6gwv began, 1812. First section of southern railways from Christchuroh opened, 1866. Turks defeated by Russians at Aladja Dagh, 1877. Cologne Cathedral completed, 1880. Oct. 16.—Latimer iwid Ridley burnt at Oxford, 1555. Marie Antoinette executed, 1793. Battle of Leipsic, 1813. Napoleon landed at St. Helena, 1815. Houses of Parliament burned, 1834. Massacre of Christians at Aleppo, 1850. Oct. 17.—Sir Philip Sidney died, 1586. Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey murdered, 1678. Ninon de l'Enclos died, 1705 Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga, 1777. Agra captured from Mahrattas, 1803. .F, F. Chopin died, 1849. 1200 th anniversary of foundation of Ely Cathedral, 1873. Marshall MacMahon died, 1893. Oct. 18.—Pope Gregory XII died, 1417. Matthew Henry born, 1662. Summer Palace, Peking, burnt, 1859, Viscount Palmorston died, 1865. C. P. Gounod died, 1893. The proclamation of the firet constitutional Emperor of Brazil took place on October 12, 1822. For some years previous to this the country • had been profoundly dissatisfied with tho Portuguese Government, and an open runtu re was precipitated when an insulting docroc was passed in the Portuguese Cortes, ordering the Brazilian Prince Doni Pedro to come to Europe. The Provisional Government of Sao Paulo began a movement for independence by asking the Prince to disobey tile Cortes and remain in Brazil,' and the Council of Rio de Janeiro followed with a similar renresentatfcn, to which the prince assented. The Portuguese troops of the capital at Drst assumed a coorcive attitude, but were forced to give wav before tho ardour and military. preparations of the Brazilians, and submitted to embark for Portugal. The Prince Regent received the tit'.o of Perpetual Defender of Brazil, and with great activity setoff to suppress disaffected movements and direot the revolution. In Sao Paulo, on September 7. 1822, ho proclaimed the independence of Brazil. ... On his return to Rio de Janeiro, on October 12, lid was proclaimed Constitutional Emperor with great enthusiasm. . ■ In the early stages of the second American war with England the American troops along the Niagara frontier demanded to be led against the British on tho Canadian side. Under the idea that the British village of Queenstown, at the foot of the falls, might furnish, comfortable win ; 'ter quarters for part of his troops. Aan Reusselaer resolved to attack it. The attempt on October 13, 1812, was prematurely made. There worp not boats enough provided to carry much more than half the advance party at a time. Too much reliance was placed on militia, while tho regulars won the laurels. Reinforcements crossed too slowly, and, with the green militia dreading death, and manv of tho reserve pleading legal exemption from sorvice in an enemy's country, their deserted comrades on the Canada side, unable to return, were forced to surrender. Joachim Murat, King of Naples, and voungcr-son of a French innkeeper, was bom in March, 1767. He enlisted in a cavalry repiment and was afterwards enrolled in the new Constitutional Guard of Louis XVI. In Paris he gained a reputation for his good looks, his swaggering attitude, and tile violence of his revolutionary sentiments. In 1795 he made the acquaintance of Napoleon Bonaparte, who soon gained a complete ascendancy over his vain, ambitious, and unstable nature, He aocompanied Napoleon in many of his campaigns, and at the Battle of the Pyraled his first famous cavalry charge. In January, 1800, he married Caroline Bonaparte, the" youngest sister of. the First Consul. The hopes he had cherished of receiving the crown of Spain were disappointed, but on August 1, 1806, he was appointed by Napoleon to the throne of Naples, vacated by the transference of Joseph Bonaparte to Spain. Murat's grasping ambition led eventually to a breach with Napoleon, and to the disappearance of his own popularity in Naples, till lie' was compelled to escape for his life. Risking all on a final throw for power, ho landed at Pizzo with only 30 companions. After a short and unequal contest he was taken prisoner. On October 13, 1815, he was tried by court martial under a law of his own, for disturbing the public peace, and was sentenced to bo shot in half-an-hour. He bravely met his fate, and was buried at Pizzo. His most abiding title to .fame is that of the most dashing cavalry leader of the age. The magnificent cathedral of Ely, towering alwvo the town, Is a landmark far over the wide surrounding Cambridgeshire levels. The foundation of the present cathedral was laid by its first Norman abbot, Simeon, in 1083; but the reputation of Ely had been established long before by Etheldreda, who founded- a religious house • there, in all probability a mixed community .in 673, becoming its first, abbess, and giving the whole Isle of Ely to the foundation. In 870 tho monastery was destroyed by tho Danes, but a new Benedictine monastery was founded there m 970, on which King Edgar and succeeding monarchs bestowed privileges and grants of land, making it the richest in England. On October 17, 1873, the celebration of the 1200 th anniversary of the foundation of the cathedral were commenced in Ely. Aleppo, a populous town of northern Syria, lias often been the scene of fanatical massacres. One of the worst of these broke out on October 16, 1850, when the Mohammedans attacked the Christians, burning their property ruthlessly. Three churches were destroyed, five others plundered, and thousands of persons were slain. The total loss of property amonted to about a million pounds sterling. It was significant that no interference was attempted by the Pasha.