, 1873-01-06
NEW YORK.
Variations Of Winter---Satur-
MALTA Of Snow.
New Years Calls--Their Abuse and
lnsipidity.
Tho Tribune's Existing Condition
: ---Horoco Grceley's Estate.

From Our Osn Correspondent.
NEW YoRx, Jan. 2, 1878.
Yesterday was, In meteorologie sonso,
typicnl Now Years, s,-chhrming overhead nnd dis
gusting underfoot. Looking from an upper
story window, you might l,avo imagined we woro
IN tho midst Of spring. CHANGING at tho osr.h,
you would know wo wero enduring tho peouliari-
tics Of Our uncertain md nondescrlpt winter.
i THE AMERICAN CLIMATE D..
Ia, unquestionably, tho worst on the globe.
There is no depending upon 1t, especially at this
seaBon, whom wo have Iooland one day and Sicily
tho noxt. Our lungs must DO made Of iron;
othorwiso, wo should ali dlo OF pulmonary
diseases. >, Instead Of wondering that wo
;haye a. good doal Of. consumption,
it, Is surprising that thcro is room
loft for any otllor ainaent. Inst Monday, tho
mercury stood at 16 degrees below zoro, and to-
day it Is 45 dogrocH abovo. A variation Of 30 or
60 degrees In twonty-four hours B not uncom-
mon; and It soofnB to mo that tho woather grows
moro chaugeablo eyory yoar. What possible pro-
caution can any ono take agafust such thormo-
'metrical fuctuationB, unless ho lcaseshom oyory
morning with such an outfit as ho would start to
tho North Polo with T.
/ Just now We have moro I:
i SNOW AND eLEIdu1Nd
than they havo In st. Petersburg, md tho rain
and melting OF the past two or threo days have
Improved tho atroots and tho out-of-sown roads
for runners. II wo do not have general
thaw, tho seighing will bo excellent for aovoral
wooka, and tho Hyery-stab]es will largely III.
crease their rovonpcs thereby. Evory sort OF
conveyance on rlnnors is In active request at
eStravagant rates, and r hsvo heard 1t estimated
that us high az 100000 day has boon paid for
$una A1t
;of jingling bells. Now Yorkors regard sleigh
ing as an exalted, because an expensive, recrea-
%tion. They eoom to believe that oyery liberal
snd .boy fo arsoro sy % 70 Etc., s
Il to the utmost, They think nothing
of diabursing $50 or 300 for m afternoons or
m evenings ride, md they fancy that their
money is very well invested. Tho prico for nil
ordinary turnout ia about IS an hour; and for a
large four:horse sleigh, that will hold q party,
S160 for An evening is considered \ reasonable
figure. This kind Of pleasure hangs largely by
the imagination. Almost any. ono will admit
that thoro would bo nothing IN 1t, gcro it not for
ped IN buIlalo-robo, with o continued jingle In
ones ears, would sorvo tho purpose, and he
much moro economical.
e.: .. I1Aa1aAIy gLEI1u1Na.
ing, upon well known politician, who, after
;ropoatod calls and copious imbibinga,1 had mado
up his mind to go aloighing. Bonlo Of his CONF
paniong told him he waa too tipsy to, cpioy it;
carrying out Ills intention. Out OF joio, two Of
his friends, leaving him on d corner, told him
they would 30 and hire cutter. They came
back in . few minutes with a buffalo robe aud d
strand OF bolls, and helping him into dry-goods
pretended to start OF at full speed. While
liorecs, tho other rattlod tho bolls looping tlis
up for hnlt an hour, when they assumed to stop
bs oy had f been out Mo
hours, and had in that, time driyon Hixtoon
milea. Ho went with them to saloon near by,
and declared ho had noyer had such . glorious
rido;. that .aloighing was the beet fun In tho
(; Incapable Of appreeiating pleasure, When told
subsequently how he had boon duped. he refua-
cd to believe their story, aud lie still insists that
he l , remombors q 1 di1stinotly geoEng through
thoas Msas ho a0 over boz sh Stood pgS s
moro than block from tho Fifth Avenue Hotel.
90 much for Imagination assisted by liberal po:
tionH.
An alarming decline III Now Years calls was
observed yesterday; persons in tho habit Of re-
cciving from four to two hundred visits having
had scarcely 'two-thirds Of TINT number. Tho
custom, is aBsurodly falling into disuso. It
has been 80 ,ovordone 'here TINT opportunities
.
slrable porsonB to pretend to closo acquaint-
ance will families who did not know, end did
not wish to know, them. III numerous instancos,
yesterday, woll-drosaed men about town had tho
impudonce to pay their reBpocta to lsdien
who lad mover mot, or oven heard
OF them before. IT.: is very difficult,
on auch occasions, to avoid this epocies OF lnpo-
aition for It is quite possible that Mrs. volvot-
check or Miss Chfguon1nay havo mot Mr. DraBBy
Or Colonel Fisking without remembering him, or
the circumstances Of their meeting. Tho fol-
lows who play such audacious parts naturally
Aayo q certain acquaintance with tile nntecedentH
aud connections OF tile ladies' thoy presume to
visit, and can easily mention tho tinlo or place
whore thoy claim TO have boon introduced.
Owing to those brazon adyonturors, great
many families it is aaid, will make 1t aru1o here
aftor to incloso invitations to their Now Years
receptions, just as they would to for
NAL parties, and hnvo these Invitations
delivered to tho servant at the door.
This will layo tho effect to shut out intrulera,
unless thoy 50 so far ah to counterfeit The inyi-
yatlons and snlugglo themselves into tho draw!
ius-room.
GREAT DRAWBACK
, to these annual callingais, Tint they aro, as d
rule, tho cmptiest OF forms. They hayo no mo-
tive, no foundation no result. They are under-
taken without reason, and completed without
easiafaction; they aturt from vanity, and accom-
plish yaptdity; they arc waste OF timo and
tfoublo to no purpose whatovor. Usually, they
are 30 brief that only tho morost commonplaces
can be mentioned, and these, repeated again and
again, make up the round Of social martyrlonl
!. The conyeraation Is likely to bo Of this FASH
ion.
"Ah! Miss Smith, I nm really worry happy to
moot you."
n.v ~fsss 4s,1, you, Mr.. Doo'y. wish you Happy.
IA rrcak many ra11a todnv T aurroaa 1r;oo