The Express.
London, England, 1848-11-23 00:00:00

AMERICAN HOLIDAYS.

NEW Yoket, Nov. B.—As we approach the period
of the holdays, there is a universal preparation *
them peculiar to oar country, and of course unknown
in those where the seasons are less m .rkirl and lei
in contrast. Thu for example, and to show you KIM
thing of our social economy, those persons who ers
able supply themselves with a stock of fuel far the wiatw.
Anthracite, or hard coal, the bituminous, or soft teal, ad.
sauce in price, and the deafen pile these varieties up by
hundreds of chsldroes or tons in their store-yards. T
railways and canals by which the supplin are brought me
unusually pruned with business; and the p reket-ships brig
out as ballast, or to make a freight, large quantities of you
best coals. In connexion with these movements, the don.
dealers bring out their last patterns, and publish the mod
laudatory advertisements of the superiority of their wont,
These stoves are a part of our principal iron manufacturer.
They are made at almost every furnace in the cauntry, and
certainly discover very great ingenuity. Arnott himself
would yield the palm to a Yankee inventor in many re-
spects. These stoves are set up in the hells of our beet
houses, and in the bedrooms and sitting rooms of people in
moderate circumstances, and they certainly keep up a high
degree of temperature at a small expense.
With stoves come other cares. Window curtain aid
double caches for windows are put up ; plants are brought
into the houses ; and in the north the cellar-doors and wiodows
are seemed by coverings of nod in boxes; the teflon are
employed in making up winter suite end overcoats, and the
nullifiers issue notices of their styles of dress for the teams;
extraordinary quantities of butter are sent to market; ad
almost every one in the interior lays up a store of beef sad
pork, of apples and potatoes, to have enough to eat
during the interruption of the c,mmunieatien by, frost sad
snow. Southern people hurry homewards, to avoid the cold,
and invalid, depart for S. Croix, or the milder parts of sat
own country. In short, the approach of winter is generally
considered as en event to he guarded atrainn ; and. thought
is proverhislly a season of he filth and enjoyment, all are glad
when it departs. The city of New York does not feel it
severity however to such a degree as to remind us of Siberia.
Sometimes we have no sleighing, or sledding, during the
whole winter. The ground is dry and hard, except when
the sea-air comes upon us, and the mercury rises above 32°.
Indeed the average cold is not great with us, while about 75
miles north, above the highlands of the Hudson, th^ grand
Is generally covered with snow, and it is cold enough"
freeze your ears off."
When there happens to he snow enough in the city to
permit our sleighs to run easily, there is a general turn-oet
of the population to enjoy it. Its advent son.ewhat reminds
one of the excitement at St. Petenbure, when the Nen
breaks up its icy covering. Immense vehieles, on runners
shod with steel, like skates, are seen passing up and down
the streets, carrying 50 or GO people at a time, of all ages,
sexes, and conditions. The omnibuses dimppear, and all
who ride arc in the sleds. The owners paint them up with
portraits of our most distinguished public men, with mot-
toes to correspond, such as " Old Z tek never surrenders;"
.• I had rather be right than be preeident,"—a much ad-
mired saying of Mr Clay. At nigh• the streets are aloe
with the sleigh-riders, and one incessant about is kept up se
they glide along. In the country it is a favourite sea.on for
taking journeys and visiting friends. Witt, leathertoM,
sleighs lined with baize, and neatly trimmed robes of fur,
extra garments, and fteet horses, the travellers skip over the
Doutd, with the accompaniment of small bills, wluels
ingle tunefully with the motion of the steeds that any
them. It is certainly a very exhilarating method of trent,
sod much in favour with young people about to be married.
Our Christmas-day is observed as a religious ',stint by a
large number of our people, particularly by the Episcopalian
and the Dutch Reformed churches. Divine service is per

formed in the morning, in commemoration of the birth of tha
Saviour, and the Eptscopaliam universally hang eve rgrema
in the ehurchea, which remain untouched till Lent.

erbc Qroun.

WINDSOR, WEDNESDAY, Nov. 22.—The Queen,
with Prince Albert and the royal children, left Windsor
Cutle. for Osborne, Isle of Wight, this morning. He
Majesty was attended by the Marchioness of 1) .urs, lion.
Miss Dawson, Lord Waterperk, Col. Buckley, Capt. the
Ron. A. Gordon, and Col. the Hon. C. B. Ptipps.