Birth of Magician Jacob Philadelphia

Jacob Philadelphia was a magician, physicist, mechanic, juggler, astrologer, alchemist and Kabbalist. Born in 1734 or 1735, his birth name was Jacob Meyer. He was born in Wulfen but claimed to have been born in Philadelphia. Dr Christopher Witt, the associate of Johannes Kelpius, was chiefly responsible for his education. Meyer's patron in England was Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn, for whom he performed astrology, magic and alchemy.

When he converted to Christianity, he took the name of Jacob Philadelphia in homage to the home city of American scientist and statesman, Benjamin Franklin. He was also known by the names Meyer Philadelphia and Philadelphus Philadelphia. Meyer became a member of the occult Rosicrucian order. After the death of his patron in 1756, he began to perform in public, exhibiting his skills in Ireland, Portugal and Spain. In 1771, he performed in St. Petersburg for Catherine the Great. Also, in Constantinople, he had Sultan Mustapha III as an audience. The year 1773 found him chasing away ghosts for Holy Roman Emperor Kaiser Joseph II, in Vienna at a charge of 300 Thalers. In Potsdam and Berlin, he had difficulty with Friedrich the Great, who was alarmed after Meyer read his mind. Friedrich was also averse to Meyer's Rosicrucianism and subsequently banished the magician from Prussia.

In James Randi's view, Meyer was probably the "first American-born ... magician to attain any fame". He was an early pioneer of phantasmagoria, a performance magic show with a focus on the appearance of ghostly figures. His shows involved "magic lantern, mirror effects and various magnetic and electrical (usually high-voltage) demonstrations."

The Little Treatise on Strange and Suitable Feats was written by Meyer in 1774. In 1758, he toured England. Although he presented himself as being a scientist, many took him for a magician. In 1777 he refused to lecture in Göttingen because of an extravagant, satirical poster campaign by Georg Christoph Lichtenberg who libelled him as being a magician and miracle-worker. Among other things, the poster was designed to make people think that they would be forced into harmful situations if they attended the lecture. Lichtenberg's Avertissement placard became widely known and damaged Meyer's career. His final lecture was given in 1781 in Switzerland. In 1783, he made a business proposition involving the use of occult powers to Frederick the Great, who declined the offer.

Meyer retired to Köthen, Germany, and died there at the turn of the century.

A biographical novel has been written by Marion Philadelphia in German about the life of Jacob Philadelphia. Its title is Der Gaukler der Könige (The Conjurer of Kings).

Birth of Paul Revere

Paul Revere was born on January 1, 1735 (or December 21, 1734 old style). He died in 1818. He was an American silversmith, engraver and folk hero, an early industrialist, Sons of Liberty member and Patriot. He is best known for his midnight ride to alert the colonial militia in April 1775 of the approach of British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatised in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1861 poem, "Paul Revere's Ride".

At age 41, Revere was a prosperous, established and prominent Boston silversmith. He had helped organise an intelligence and alarm system to keep watch on the British military. Revere later served as a Massachusetts militia officer, though his service ended after the Penobscot Expedition, one of the most disastrous campaigns of the American Revolutionary War, for which he was absolved of blame.

Following the war, Revere returned to his silversmith trade. He used the profits from his expanding business to finance his work in iron casting, bronze bell and cannon casting and the forging of copper bolts and spikes. In 1800 he became the first American to successfully roll copper into sheets for use as sheathing on naval vessels.

Johnson begins work on his dictionary

It was in 1735 that Samuel Johnson began work on his famous "Dictionary of the English Language": that eventually appeared in 1755. The dictionary played a crucial role in standardising the English language and remains an influential reference work.

Rare musical table clock

 

This rare 18th Century George II Musical Table Clock by Matthew King, was made around 1735 and is considered tio be wirth more than £24k.

Shakespeare's Head, Carnaby Street, London

The sign outside the Shakespeare's Head pub in Carnaby Street claims the inn was established on the site in 1735 and was named after the owners, Thomas and John Shakespeare, who claimed to be distant relations of their famous namesake. Nothing of the original establishment remains – the building which stands today is late nineteenth-century (albeit in a Tudor style). There are apparrently many Shakespeare's Head pubs in London - others can be found in Holborn, the City, Kingsway, Finsbury and Forest Hill.

Death John Ellis Welsh Antiquarian

John Ellis (1674 – 1735) was a Welsh priest and antiquarian who died in July 1735. He was the second son of Thomas Ellis, from Llandegwning, Llŷn. He was educated at Jesus College, Oxford, matriculating 31 March 1690 aged 16. He obtained his BA 1693 and MA 1696. He was also appointed a Fellow of Jesus College 1696, holding this position until 1713. In 1703, he obtained the degree of BD. He was ordained deacon 7 September 1707, with his ordination to the priesthood taking place 4 July 1708. He was then appointed rector of Llandwrog on 30 September 1710; in the same year, he was made a Canon of Bangor Cathedral. In 1713, he was made prebend of Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd and surrendered his position at Bangor Cathedral. On 24 July 1719, he became rector of Llanbedr-y-cennin and vicar of Caerhun. His wife, Catherine (whom he married on 13 May 1720), was the step-sister of Humphrey Humphreys, Bishop of Bangor 1689-1701. Only one of their children survived infancy, also called John, becoming vicar of Bangor. Ellis had a particular interest in antiquarian matters and assisted with Browne Willis's work A Survey of the Cathedral Church of Bangor in 1721, as Willis acknowledged. Ellis himself died at Llanbedr-y-cennin and was buried in the parish on 12 July 1735.

Birth of Margaret Clive

Margaret Clive, Baroness Clive, (née Maskelyne) was born 26 October 1735 (she died 28 December 1817). She was a British society figure. She went out to India to meet an admirer and married (in 1753) a military hero, Robert Clive (1725-1774). She was in Bengal as their family became incredibly wealthy. When they returned to England the aristocracy did not welcome "new money".

The War of the Polish Succession

Augustus III

The War of the Polish Succession (Wojna o sukcesję polską; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of their own national interests. France and Spain, the two Bourbon powers, attempted to test the power of the Austrian Habsburgs in western Europe, as did the Kingdom of Prussia, whilst Saxony and Russia mobilised to support the eventual Polish victor. The war resulted in the accession of Augustus III, who in addition to Russia and Saxony, was politically supported by the Habsburgs.

The war's major military campaigns and battles occurred outside Poland. The Bourbons, supported by Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, moved against isolated Habsburg territories. In the Rhineland, France successfully took the Duchy of Lorraine, and in Italy, Spain regained control over the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily (lost in the War of the Spanish Succession), while territorial gains in northern Italy were limited despite bloody campaigning. Great Britain's unwillingness to support Habsburg Austria demonstrated the weakness of the Anglo-Austrian Alliance.

Though a preliminary peace was reached in 1735, the war only formally ended with the Treaty of Vienna (1738), confirming Augustus III king of Poland, his opponent Stanislaus I being awarded the Duchies of Lorraine and Bar, then both fiefs of the Holy Roman Empire. Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, was given the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in compensation for the loss of Lorraine. The Duchy of Parma went to Austria whereas Charles of Parma took the crowns of Naples and Sicily. Most of the territorial gains were in favour of the Bourbons, as the Duchies of Lorraine and Bar went from being fiefs of the HRE to that of France, while the Spanish Bourbons gained two new kingdoms in the form of Naples and Sicily. The Austrian Habsburgs, for their part, received two Italian duchies in return, though Parma would soon revert to Bourbon control, Tuscany would be held by the Habsburgs until the Napoleonic era.

The war proved disastrous for Polish independence, and re-affirmed that the affairs of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, including the election of the King himself, would be controlled by the other great powers of Europe. After Augustus III, there would only be one more king of Poland, Stanislaus II August, himself a puppet of the Russians. Ultimately Poland would be divided up by its neighbours and cease to exist as a sovereign state by the end of the 18th century. Poland also surrendered claims to Livonia and direct control over the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, which, although remaining a Polish fief, was not integrated into Poland proper and came under strong Russian influence which only ended with the fall of the Russian Empire, 1917.

Sermon published by John Brine

A sermon preached to deacons by the Hyper-Calvinist John Brine appeared that year. London minister Brine lived 1703-1765

Birth of John Fell Congregationalist Minister

John Fell  was born 22 August 1735 in Cockermouth (he died 6 September 1797 at the Homerton Academy). He was an English congregationalist minister and classical tutor

His father, Daniel Fell, was a schoolmaster, clerk to the dissenting congregation and occasional village preacher. Fell was apprenticed to a tailor, and after serving his time obtained a situation in London. His bent was towards the dissenting ministry, and by the help of the King's Head Society he was placed in 1757 at the Mile End academy under John Conder, DD. The classical tutor was John Walker, DD, an excellent scholar, who took a great fancy to Fell, and gave him private instructions. On leaving the academy he was for a short time assistant in a school at Norwich. In 1762 he was invited to take charge of an independent congregation at Beccles, Suffolk. He preached there for several years, but declined the pastorate, the church not being organised to his satisfaction.

In May 1770 he succeeded David Parry as minister of the congregational church at Thaxted, Essex, where he was ordained on 24 October. This was his happiest settlement; his congregation grew, he lived on intimate terms with successive rectors of the parish and with Rayner Hickford, the Saxon scholar; and he had time for literary and theological pursuits and for private tuition. One of his young tutees during this period was Richard Sharp with whom he formed a lifelong friendship, Sharp writing the Introduction to Fell's 'Grammar' (1784) = see below. Fell's writings in reply to Hugh Farmer are able, but acrimonious. In 1787, on the retirement of Benjamin Davies DD he accepted the post of classical tutor in his alma mater, and removed (September 1769) to Homerton Academy. It soon became apparent that Fell could not get on well with his students. His apologist speaks of a spirit of insubordination in the academy prior to his appointment. Matters went from bad to worse till at the annual examination in June 1795 charges and counter-charges were brought forward. After much deliberation the governing body, in March 1796, insisted on Fell's retirement, either at midsummer or Christmas. His friends drew up a protest, which the majority declined to record. Fell left the academy at the end of January 1797, and was succeeded by John Berry.

Doubtless Fell had faults of temper; he offended some by a rigid orthodoxy, others he estranged by his republican sympathies. Through the exertions of a London merchant Fell was provided with an annuity of £100. A committee of eight laymen raised some £200 as remuneration for a course of 12 lectures on the evidences. Fell had delivered four of these to crowded audiences in the Scots Church, London Wall, when his health gave way. He died unmarried on 6 Sept. 1797 at Homerton, and was buried at Bunhill Fields on 15 Sept., a funeral oration being delivered by Joseph Brooksbank. The funeral sermon was preached at the Old Jewry on Sunday evening, 24 September, by Henry Hunter, DD of the Scots Church.

Works

Confession of Faith, printed with the services at his ordination, 1770, 8vo.

Essay on Love of one's Country, 8vo (Hunter).

Genuine Protestantism, &c., 1773, 8vo (three letters to the Rev. Edward Pickard of Carter Lane, on subscription)

The Justice … of the Penal Laws … examined, &c., 1774, 8vo.

A Fourth Letter … on Genuine Protestantism, &c., 1775, 8vo (in reply to Joshua Toulmin, DD).

Dæmoniacs. An Enquiry, &c., 1779, 8vo (against Farmer).

"Remarks on the Appendix of the Editor of Rowley's Poems", published in Hickford's Observations, &c., 1782, 8vo.

An Essay towards an English Grammar, &c., 1784, 12mo.

The Idolatry of Greece and Rome, &c., 1785, 8vo (against Hugh Farmer).

Lectures on the Evidences of Christianity, &c., 1798, 8vo, two editions same year; third edition, 1799, 8vo (the course was completed by Hunter).

Hunter also mentions reviews of Horne Tooke's Diversions of Purley (1786), and Nicholas Savary's 'Letters on Egypt' (1786), but does not say where they appeared.

James Keir

James Keir was born in 1735. He is best remembered as a chemist and industrialist, but he was also an author, translator, geologist, metallurgist and military captain. He was an important member of the Lunar Society of Birmingham.

A George II Farthing