Catholic Church in the United Kingdom was not yet a reality, particularly in Ireland, where the Protestant Ascendancy was still in full force. The Treaty of Union of 1707, like the Act of Settlement, had stated that no "Papist" could succeed to the throne. Restrictions on the civil rights of Catholics only began to change with the passing of the Papists Act 1778, which allowed them to own property, inherit land and join the British Army, although even this measure resulted in the backlash of the Gordon Riots of 1780, showing the depth of continuing anti-Catholic feeling. After 1790, a new mood emerged as thousands of
HMS Amphion (1780) HMS Amphion (1780) HMS "Amphion" was a Royal Navy 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the "Amazon" Class built in Chatham in 1780 which blew up on 22 September 1796. On 6 September 1781, a small squadron under the command of the "Amphion's" captain John Bazely, in conjunction with General Benedict Arnold, completely destroyed the town of New London, Connecticut, together with stores and shipping in the harbour. On 3 January 1782 "Amphion" recaptured the British sloop , which the French had captured at the capitulation of Yorktown on 19 October 1781. On 22 September 1796, "Amphion" was completing repairs at Plymouth,