g from
injuring their sectarian interests.

Another event still more aggravated the _odiumtheologicum_ which
prevailed. In the town of Stockport fierce religious riots broke out
between the Irish Roman Catholics and the Protestants of that town.
A religious procession of an offensive nature was got up by the Roman
Catholic clergy. This was resented by the Protestant population as an
insult: the Roman Catholic party persisted in the aggressive movement,
and the result was riot and bloodshed for several days. This event
produced terrible excitement elsewhere: and in Ireland some of the
newspapers in the Roman Catholic interest incited the people to commit
violence upon their Protestant neighbours. In addition to the animosity
which raged between Protestants and Romanists, the controversy
concerning the admission of Jews to parliament divided other sections of
the community. The parliamentary debates on this subject in the
previous year were remembered, and the remembrance embittered by various
incidents. Among these was the trial of Miller _versus_ Salomons. Mr.
Salomons having been elected member for Greenwich, presented himself in
the House of Commons, and voted. The action was to enforce a penalty of
L500 for having voted without taking the oath of abjuration. The case
was tried in the Court of Exchequer, before the barons, who were, with
the exception of Baron Martin, unanimous in a decision against Mr.
Salomons. This trial took place in April, and had the effect of
exasperating the wealthy Jewish community of London and exciting the
liberal politicians, who desired the emancipation of their Jewish fellow
citizens from all civil disabilities on account of their religion.

The general condition of Great Britain was prosperous. The influx
of gold from the newly-discovered gold regions, especially those of
Australia, stimulated enterprise. The recent remissions of duties
afforded relaxation to the pressure of taxation upon industry; trade was
good; the industrial classes were contented; the farmers, sharing in
the general prosperity, yielded less willingly to make themselves
instruments of agitation in the hands of Lord Derby. Benjamin Disraeli,
and other less prominent leaders of the opponents of free-trade,
especially in corn. With the exception of the Cape of Good Hope, the
tidings received from the colonies were favourable. No foreign war
threatened, although many apprehended that the "_coup d'etat_" by
leading to