New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-02-08
.,.,r h;,bt. The Presidents weekly Lcvees are

.t,snded nv crowS,-admirers not particularly Of
Presidents, certainly not OF this one, but OF Lee
yees. The inducements are wholly OF an ethereal
character. as is right; but the East Room is fine
Winter promenade when the weather is not too
COLLAR. If il is, the crowd within corrects to
some extent the frost without. l think no levees
have been better attended than Mrs. Pierces.
Dinners, Parties, and Balls cluster thickly.
There were some gentlemen, last evening, |
believe, who dned at q distinguished Senator's,
proceeded thence at 9 to party at
Cabinet Minister'S, and closed the evening at the
Ball Of one of the great Hotels. at all events, if
they failed to partake Of this third course it was
not from want of opportunity or invitation. There
il saving of time and Of elaboration of costume in
thus dispatching ones dissipation with business
like CELEBRITY and method.
If the long blockade of the Treasury by reason
Of the nOn-eection Of Speaker has kept Wash
ington on half allowance, as was asserted, then,
since the blockade is raised, there should not only
be the full ordinary supply, but large arrear of
involuntary savings to be now received disbursed,
and exc enjoyed. Not being personally interested,
cannot say how the fact compares with this legti-
mate deduction from the universally asserted
premises.
Washington is not an intellectual metropolis,
in the bOok-wOrm's acceptation of the phrase 1t
were invidiOus to ask the resident friend you next
meet if he has read Macaulays new volumes, or the
belle whom you lead out for the next quadre if she
has read anything whatever. / have been told that
the sale Of any popular book unless of the most rag
lie texture is smaller in this city than in any other
of equal numbers in the country. "The proper
study of mankind" is here held to be-not printed
pages, at any rate. Yet there is said to be very
refined and intellectual circle of established resi-
dents here, but accessible only to q few eminent or
fortunate strangers.
Sleighing, which began as an imposition, has de-
generated into bore. The half-dOzen boxes on
runners, with eight horses legs in front, which
were at first loaned favor at 81 per hour have
long since ceased to be hired or desired on any
terms. 1 doubt that they would command fifty
cents per hour for even three hours per day. The
snow seems at length to comprehend that it has
Overstad its welcome and is making preparations
to evacuate the city.
The Potomac is frozen so far as the vision ex-
tends, and the carriage-road hence to Alexandria
(seven miles) lies directly across and down the
noble stream. presume all the Artillery OF the
United States might have been drawn on Decline
in close marching order from the Capitol to Alex
andria at any time during the last fortnight. do
not hear that this was ever the case before since
this city was founded
Washington has one scientific association which
4 =. II,o ~, Io1 h.,
less than fifty people; one literary institution of
any nOte-tbe SmthsOnian-which of course it
does nothing to support; and its journals The Ma
tional Era excepted, are largely nOurished from
the Federal Treasury. OF course, their sphere is
limited and their influence moderate.
Il was mistaken in stating that the Rev. Mr..
CONWAY expected to lose the pastOrShp of the
Unitarian Society here for preaching his sermon on
the Moral Aspects of the Slavery Question, or the
Rights of Conscience in the premises. That was
the inference of mutual friend, not Mr.. C.s
own apprehension. Hepreached as he thought just
and has no belief that his society will dismiss him
for so doing.
MIR. C. II. MCCORMICK, of Reaper re-
nown, has just received at this place his " Grand
Medal of Honor" from the French Exhibition
of Industry in acknowledgment of the originality,
great merit and successful working of his machine
at the official test The Medal is OF pure gold, of
large size, contains some Sl25 worth OF the shining
ore. and is of course faultlessly executed. Being
the only one of its class which has reached this
continent (for Mr.. Goodyear is now q resident OF
Paris) it has seemed to me worthy of this mention
Our inventors must win more than two such at the
next Worlds Exhibition, if held at any point SO
accessible as Paris. H. e.
From ON Own Correspondents
WASHINGTON, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 1856
The official advices by the Arabia reached here
on Monday and are now pretty well understood IN
diplomatic circles Mr. Buchanan expresses some