RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 4 June 1913, Page 4

RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE.

Sunday last was the anniversary of an historic manifestation of religious intolerance in England. In 1778 a Hill passed the Legislature for the relief of Roman Catholics from certain penalties and disabilities, but feeling against the Catholic* still ran so high th:»t a number of societies were founded to secure its repeal. Ono of these, the Protestant Association of London, had for its president Lord George Gordon, who, on June Ist, 1780, headed a vast and excited •nob of ;"50,000 people in procession to the House "of Commons, to present a petition for repeal. This was followed by some days of dreadful rioting, in which many Roman C'.tholic chapels and houses were destroyed. At length the King called out the troops, who quelled the riots at the loss of 200 lives. Property to the.amount of over £IBO,OOO was destroyed by fire and other means in the course of this five days' madness. Lord George, thanks to a skilful defence, was acquitted of high treason, but twentyone of his followers were executed. Those who have read.Dickon's "Barnaby Rudge" will (isay s the Christchurch Press) remember the vivid description there of these disturbances.