21 OCTOBER 1865, Page 3

In a meeting at Ripon on Friday week Lord De

Grey con- gratulated his audience on the popularity of Lord Palmerston's Ministry, and hoped for the future approbation of the country for Lord Palmerston's colleagues ; and Sir Charles Wood at the same time spoke of the cattle plague as " not affording any cause for great anxiety." They could not of course anticipate either that -" the. popularity of Lord Palmerston" would not cover any Ministry long, or that the anxiety felt by the best judges con- cerning the cattle plague would be so grave ; but, though that was not their fault, the speeches they made read singularly short- sighted now.