IN DAYS THAT HAVE GONE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3102, 27 August 1913, Page 73

IN DAYS THAT HAVE GONE.

THE WEEK’S ANNIVERSARIES. August 24 —Alaric sacked Rome, 410. Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Eve, 1572. Battle of Bladensburg, 1814. Theodore Hook died, 1841. Emigrant ship Eagle Speed foundered near Calcutta, 1865. Escape of Langham and Robson from Dunedin Gaol, 1866. Battle cf Liao Yang began, 1904. August 25—Chatferton died, 1770. Hu.no- died, 1776. Herschel died, 1822. Faraday died, 1867. Commonwealth Senate passed Naval Agreement Bill, 1903. August 26—Battle of Crccy, 1546. Sir Robert Walpole born, 1676. Prince Albert of Saxc-Coburg and Gotha born, 1819. Treaty of peace signed with China. 1842. Louis Philippe died, 1850. First British treaty with Japan signed, 1858. Cook Slrait cable laid, 1866. Christchurch - Dunedin railway completed, 1878. Eruption of Krahatoa, 1883. August 27 —Allies defeated by Napoleon at Dresden, 1813. Bombardment of Algiers, 1816. Arrival of the Queen, fiivt steamer at Dunedin. 1858. Leigh Hunt died, 1859. Ship Henbury burned at Port Chalmers, 1859. Zanzibar bombarded, 1896. Earthquake in Chili, 1906. August 25 —Goethe born, 1749. Tolstoy born, 1828. Duke of Norfolk, first Roman Catholic peer, sat in House of Lords, 1829. Liberation of slaves in British colonics, 1833. Zulu war ended, 1879. Battle of Kassassin. 1882. Batt'c of Placilla (Chili), 1891 August 29—Atahaalpa, last of the Incas, slain by Pizarro, 1533. l/ocko bom. 1632. Royal George lost, 1782. Sir Harry (Smith defeated Boers at Boomplaats, 1848. Sir C. J. Napier died, 1853. Battle of Aspromonto. 1862. Peace agreed on by Russia and Japan. 1905. August 30—William Paley born, 1743. Fire at Constantinople destroyed 6000 houses, 1826. Admiral Sir John Ross died, 1856 Battle of Plevna. 1877. Anglo-Japancse Alliance, 19C5.

In August, 1814, during the progress of the second American war with England, Rear-admiral Coekburn and Vice-admiral Cochrane joined forces, and landed troops at Benedict, whence they inarched on Washington, while the American Secretary of War still insisted that Baltimore must be, in the nature of things, the place where they would strike. At Bladcnsburg the English army was met on August 24 by General Winder, with some 5000 hastilycollected Militia and Volunteers, and less than 1000 regular troops, sailors, and marines— poor materials for an army with which to face 4000 hardened veterans of the Peninsular war. The battle ended in tho utter routing of the American forces and j the abandonment of Washington to tho | British invaders. Fighting began about 1 ' o’clock in tho afternoon and listed till 4. The loss on the part of the English was severe, since, out of two-thirds of the army which were engaged, upwards of 500 men were killed and wounded, among those being several officers of rank and distinction On the side of tho Americans tho slaughter was not so great, as they were in possession of a strong position. The British took possession of Washington only for a day, using tho time to destroy by j fire tho leading public and some of tho . best private buildings. One of file most sensational incidents in j the early history of Dunedin occurred on j August 24. 1E66. when two youths named j Thomas Robson and Thomas Langham | escaped from the gaol in a very daring ! manner. Robson was 19 years of age, and Langham only 13, and they were serving j long sentences for a jewellery robbery. ,

While Warder Birt was examining some carpentry work Robson struck him on the back of the head with a heavy mallet, and, having knocked him senseless, the two young ruffians took his keys, armed themselves from the guard room, overawed other prisoners, and made their escape on to the harbour beach. They were traced to the Peninsula the following' day, and in the evening were sighted by Constable Baxter at, Anderson’s Bay. A shot fired by Langham at close range missed him, but Baxter at a third attempt brought down Robson as he was running away. Langham instantly turned, knelt, took steady aim. and fired, striking Baxter cn the left side of the head. Later in the evening Langham was shot dead by Warder Macnarnara, and Robson, who was severely wounded in the log, surrendered. Both Birt and Baxter speedily recovered from their injuries. In 1906 the prosperity of Chili suffered a rude shock. On August 27 in that year a terrible earthquake visited Valparaiso and the surrounding district.- The town of Valparaiso was almost entirely destroyed, while Santiago anel other towns were severely shaken, and suffered much damage. It was estimated that about 3000 persons were killed, a still larger number injured, and at least 100,000 ronelered homeless. The loss of property was enormous. The fire which broke out after the earthquake shock had subsided added to the horror of the catastrophe. Measures were, however, promptly taken for succouring the people, who had boon driven from their homes, and the task of restoration was vigorously taken in hand. Before the end of the year the rebuilding of the city was rapidly progressing. Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian novelist and social reformer, was born on August 28, 1823, in the homo of his fathers. Yasnaya Polyana, a large country house standing solitarily in a typical Russian landscape. Count Loo was the youngest but one of five children, and lost his mother when he was barely three years old. Six years later bis father died also. Out of a

strongly-varied and tragic youthful experience acting on an extremely sensitive nature was born those passionate convictions that have shaken the whole of Europe, as it has boon shaken by no other modern writer. Tolstoy will live longest in history for his fierce and powerful denunciations of war. of which ho had first-hand knowledge, and for the extreme typo of Christian Socialism which he preached in even more convincing fashion by his life than by his richly-gifted pen. The first Earl of Orford, generally known as Sir Robert Walpole, who was Prime Minister of England from 1721 to 1742, was corn at Houghton on August 26, 1676. During his long administration the Hanoverian succession, to which ho was zealously attached, became firmly established, a result to which his prudence and political sagacity largely contributed. He promoted by an enlightened policy the commercial prosperity of the nation, and relieved the weight of taxation by many improvements in the tariff. In 1724 he was made a Knight of the Bath, in 1726 a Knight of the Garter, and on February 9, 1742, two days before his resignation, ho was created Earl of Orford. The favour of Queen Caroline was of lasting service to him during the reign of George 11, but the opposition to his excise scheme proved too strong for him, and in the later years of his ministry he encountered increasing difficulties.