The New Orleans crescent., 1868-01-12
New Years Day In New York.
HOW sALA MADE CALLS.

UcOIgc Augustus Odld uds paper III Tue Janu
ary Broadway upon New Years Day in New
York." We quote portion of the article:
| / think lived du cinquieme at the Brevcort
and that commenced my visit paying campaign
| at about ii A.. NJ; but from as early as in the
| morning my attic story was invaded by success
sive groups of gentlemen dressed in their Sunday
best, who, coming, some singly, some in pairs,
some in threes, grasped my hand, said it was a
| fine day, but rather cold, smiled amicably,
| grasped my hand again, and hurried down stairs,
| probably to repeat the same ceremony with any
friends they possess on the fourth, third, second
or first floors. As was on some what familiar
| footing with the last batch of smiling hand
! grsspers, went down with them. and prepared
| myself for the abors of the day by partaking at
| the bar of the Brevoort of some warm stmulant,
| in the composition Of which, so far as recollec-
| tion serves me, there entered nutmeg, sugar,
| eggs, milk, and liquor they call rum. The hour
was young, but there was a "cold snapn about,
| and had hard time before me.
AS my visiting list included some very arsto-
cratic families aristocracy is understood under
a republican dispensation-l had taken care to
| array myself in full evening costume, patent
! leather boots and lemon kid gloves. If, in thus
sacrificing to the graces, erred against American
etiquette. humbly beg pardon of the shades of
General Jackson, John Q. Calhoun, Rufus Choate,
and other fathers of their country. Under the
circumstances, felt as though was going out to
a funeral at which there was to be champagne
lunch-a kind of genteel wake, in fact. Then
enscoDced in the corner Of hackney coach. and
wrapped up in cloak, (for the cold was intense,
and my ears would have been truly grateful for
the discarded seal skin cap,) l proceeded to pay
my visits.
think my first call was IN Washington Square
not many yards from the Breyoort; and from my
coach windows could see that the sidewalks
were crowded by gentlemen, beneath whose great
coats Peeped symptoms OF evening dress-at the
which felt treasured. l observed that while in
the street these gentlemen preserved q solemn and
almost rueful men, as though bent on some
llxyp uniue hntaa thau vaI
from houses where they had made a call, it was
with placid and joyous expression of counte-
nance, and they chuckled as they walked,
until they recolected that they were near another
door at which call was due, and SO began to
look solemn again.I
ran over the gamut of polite conversation ere
Ipuled at the first bell. was never a morning
caller and before the candles are lighted am
generally nervous in the society of ladies. What
would be the best thing to say | asked myself.
Should observe that this was great country
or that Dy name was Norva2 Should make any
reference to the manner in which the ancient
Romans were accustomed to keep the frs! day of
the New Year? Should merely calculate, Hail
Columbia" or say something neat and appro.
pirate about the star spangled banner? On re-
Election, determined to cOnfne myself to limo.
cent remarks about the weather, and subsequently,
10 get out Of the scrape as best could.
/ found, on experience, that l had much ex.
sggerated the difficulties before me. Beyond the
uttersnce of few incOherent compliments
L
20 say nothing at all, and l discovered that the
less said the better pleased the ladies seemed to
be. found, however, that the best way to get
on was to grin amazingly, and, having served a
long apprenticeship to the horse collar, grinned
accordingly. Grinning, in fact, on an American
New Years Day, is contagious. The tonsor who
"barbed" me in the morning grinned like a
Cheshire cat the Irish waiter who brought me
my breakfast grinned like the late Mr.. Grimaldi:
the ordinarily saturnine driver of the hackney
coach grinned like comic mask as l entered his
vehicle; and the darky-splendly got up in a
striped jacket, white neckcloth with a bow as
big as boomerang, and Berlin gloves-who ad.
mitted me to No. - Washington square. Rrinned
Gs only Niger can grin.
Ab uhO disco Omnes. One call was very much
ike another. was ushered into one gilt and
splendid parlor after another. there to find a
charming group of ladies in full dress and blazing
with jewelry. | made my best bows grinued nv
best grins, and was then asked if / would take
some refreshments. | was nothing loath. think
that began TO refresh myself about noon, and
that cOnviyiality continued until halfpast o'clock
P. M. when, as you may imagine, / had no very
great appetite for the O'Clock dinner to which
was hidden at Delmonico's. But as | subse.
quently attended "stag party"-an entertain.
ment attended only by gentemen-where a con.
Jurer performed some astounding feats of hankey-
paDkey, and finished the evening with carpet
dance in West Fourteenth street, | don't think
TOOK any very great harm by indulgence in the
Refreshments" of New Years Day. They were
comprise oysters. 1t is said that when the late
amiable Earl of Carlisle was 10 the States, his
attention was one evening attracted to an in
scription on the door jlmbs of an underground
saloon in Broadway, "Oysters in every style"
The Earl-ihen Lord Morpeth-entered,t the shelly
cavern, Give me oysters in every STYLE" he
said to the attendant servitor; and the night was
well nigh spent ere the British nOblemsn was
. through" with the successive relays brought
him of oysters stewed and oysters fried, of oys
ters roasted and oysters steamed, of oysters
picked and oysters scolloped. We had "oystars
IN every style" on New Years Day. and in addi.
tion, pdtes de tole grds turtle, venison canvas.
back duck, terrapin, chicken salad despatch',
and beshawed' lobster. jdBsbon en- surprise.
and other good things too numerous to mention.
when to these you add topaz" sherry and Ma
dera Of the "smoked," aud "Slnnyside.n and
Governor Fish, varieties, with perhaps an occa.
sional "smile" of very curious old Bourbon
whisky, you can imagine that unching out on New
1tars Day in New York is an enjoyment not un.
lrannhI with neril IA he