The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1845-02-10

EVENTS AND INCIDENTS OF THE STORM AND THE
SLEIGH RIpING.-The novel and splendid appear
ance OF our principal streets and avenues during
the last few days-the gay professions of slelghs
that have crowded them in every direction, and
The music of the BELLS with the still sweeter music
IF woman's voice, ringing out in clear and merry
tones. have already exhausted the cut-and-drled
hyperbole of the paragraphiss; and yet nothing
ike justice has or can be done to the brilliant
scene Standing mid the whirling and excited
throng, borne reslstessly along by Its rush and
pressure, one almost could fancy himself in the
magnificent capital of the Cars, securing away
the surface of the Neva, breastlng furiously
along the broad avenues cut in the living snow,
whose deep sides sparkled in the sun like walls OF
diamonds Only the wild and graceful reindeer
we're displaced by horses of every conceivable
form, color, action and mette, from the high-bred
ind nicely-matched pards OF the aristocracy, to
the freting, raw boned, short breathed asthmatic
hack of the public cab and omnibus. Instead, too,
IF the shapeless Russian sledge, the eve was de-
lighted with an endless and uncomfortable variety
If vehicles which battle classification and defy
description. Some were as light and graceful as
the rosy curve of ea-shel! others rose maesti-
car Of Juno; and at every brief interval some tiny
aud exquisite emanation of snow architecture--the
very poetry of sleigh building-would glide grace
July through the throng, like the Nautilus courslng
ais way over the undulating snow-toam OF the sea
Then came the myrlads OF vehicles OF more ordl-
nary kinds, descending, by almost lnsensl6le gra-
iations through every shape and attribute that can
manifest themselves on runners, to the sober coal
cart ploughing its weary way, the merry milkman
with his shining cans, and the dashlng crockery-
crate, preteniously mounted on two bent sapllngs,
md filled with noisy, laughing, smoking crew OF
"the boys" who took the inner track OF the crowd.
and forced at Shaping pace through the thickest
If the reve, to the imminent danger OF lie ana
limb.
undoubtedly the omnibusses. No one ever before
had Just conception OF the number, extent, and
capacity of these democratic conveyances OF the
sovereign people. From sunrise until midnight,
- IL. md thn nod
10 Greenwich, have presented a steady stream OF
these vehicles, all loaded and piled up with pas
sengers, and looking more like the crowded decks
OF steamboats, than simple sober sleighs Most OF
them are drawn by four horses, and scarcely trip
is made with load of less than from twenty to
thirty passengers. In several we have counted
thirty-ive and forty apiece-while the great "Na-
poleon Stage" of the Waverly line, drawn by ten
horses, and driven alternately by ALBANY Bilr'
and " Dunbar" carried up on single trip, on Satur
day, eghty-ive laughing. rollicking, crowding,
squeezing and happy men and women. This team
began on Tuesday with single sober span OF
horses, and span is to- be regularly added every
day while the snow continues. To-day it makes its
appearance with twelve fresh horses, and will be
the lion OF Broadway; These omnibus rides are
the crowded intermixture OF legs, knees aud arms,
al distinctions of prudery are annlhated, and the
close and piquant contact gives rise to the most
sparkling sallies OF mirth and wit. A friend who
rode up in Blocker street stage on Saturday
evening, gives an amusing account OF his adven-
lures. Being obliged to 60 to the Battery before he
could find any chance tor seat, ne hailed stage
that was just turning, and taking his seat between
very fat gentleman and very petite and pretty
lady, not much bigger than her muff, he compla-
Gently waited for his fellow passengers to reach the
end Of their Journey and e.. out n But nothsy
one of them bound Fright upv' Before they
reached the Park, the ladies had all dupli-
Gated, and more coming IN at every corner,
away they dashed, each gentleman with a lady on
n a Ian however.
pile in; and each new arrival was the signal for
fresh outbreak from the merry and delighted crew,
The fun, like Tam O'Shanter's, grew fast and fu-
rious-and by the time they had turned into the
Sixth avenue, and the passengers began, one after
another, to drop of, 1t was really like parting with
old friends, and became quite affecting The little
lady with the muff, our friend deposited her on
the seat, and took his departure, observed, with
significant smile, that, much as she was grateful
tor his attentions, his room was just then even
better than his company.
The number of miraculous escapes, of life and
limb, s incredibe-while the serious accidents
are remarkably few: To be sure, it has not been
a very uncommon sight to see an overloaded ON.
nbus, piled up with human beings, like the long
boat at sea in a shipwreck, suddenly swamped by
it's own Unbalanced weight, and plunging its cargo
at heads and points, into the snow, while count
describing all sorts of ludcrous gyratons in the
air. But after the first day, they got used to this
the ladies especially-and if driver could'n,
manage to get up at least partial overurn, his
receiving the full worth of their money.
There is one striking characteristic of this grand
winter festival which ought not to be overlooked
Like every thing else ia this country, it has been
marked with those broad democratic features
which distinguish the habits, manners, and move
ments of our people, as well as our social position
and political institutions. In London, ST. Peters
burg, Berlin, Copenhagen, Vienna, and the north
ern cities of Germany, great deal is made of the
sleigh.riding season, and much display and magni.
ficence are drawn ont on the occasion But il is
only the noble and wealthy who can afford to in
dulge in the expensive luxury. Here, however,
the whole body of the population, rich and poor,
young and old, male and female, are strict
equality of enjoymen-or, there any difference
it in favor OF the dashing public sleghs, with their
aire finds himself jostled on the road by the hardy
mechanic with his blooming wife and daughters
and the kid-goved exquisite, diuing the jingle OF
the sleigh bells with the soft nonsense of Japon-
cadom," sails side by side with his barber and the
news-boys, hugging up to their buxom sweetbearts
The only smlltude to our democratic abandon OF
enjoyment, is to be found, singularly enough, IN
the despotic governments of Italy, where sall the
population turn out in carnival time, and all dis
tinctions and rivalres are for the time, entirely
broken down. Thus it is that the extremes of So
ciety meet on common ground, while the interme-
date grades find themselves further and further
from each other, and go of in constantly diverging
radii, until they at length all meet together at the
periphery of the vast circle.
Theatricals, sc.
There is no truth in the statement that siga. Borghese
and Sign PsrOzz have linked themselves together for