Historical Events Aug 8 Boston African Society establishes with 44 members Aug 17 British beat Batavian navy in Saldanha Bay, South Africa Aug 19 Spain & France sign anti-British alliance Aug 23 African Methodist Episcopal Church incorporated Famous Birthdays Aug 25 James Lick, American land baron in California, born in Stumpstown, Pennsylvania (d. 1876) Famous Deaths Aug 1 Robert Pigot, British army officer (b. 1720) Aug 31 John McKinly, American physician and President of Delaware, dies at 75 1795 History by Year 1797 What Happened in 1796 Catherine the Great Builds a New Russia November 6, 1796