New York Daily Tribune

CITY ITEMS.

The Weather.—The soft, sunny temperature which on New-Year's morning breathed such a delicious influence over the atmosphere of mid-winter, yesterday gave place to the chill touch of invisible snow-flakes, which cannot long defer showing us their bodily presence. At noon, the pedestrians in Broadway were glad to resume the furs and substantial overcoats which the day before had been exchanged for light dresses and thin kids. The evening was of the brightest splendor, and will scarcely be surpassed by any of the starry nights of the brave new January.

The Streets Yesterday.—The fashionable portions of the City presented a charming appearance yesterday, in the countless throngs of ladies, with which they were crowded from mid-day to dusk. Such a reaction from the brief retirement of New-Year's day has seldom been noticed by our Broadway observers. The streets were literally swarming with their fair population, radiant in the brilliant colors of the season, and gay with holiday smiles. Several short-sighted, elderly gentlemen found themselves badly off for elbow-room, but we have not heard that any serious accident occurred—at least none to speak of.

Anonymous Letters.—"W." and all others will remember that our rule is to throw all communications under the table unless they have the real name of the writer.

New-Year Day.—Contrary to all expectation, the first day of the year was cloudless, warm and beautiful, exhilarating everybody by the sudden and agreeable change from the hydropathic blanket of Wednesday.

The New-Year was ushered in, as usual in this City, by a saturnalia of discord, by Calithumpian and Cowbellian bands, by musketry and fire-crackers, by bacchanal songs and noisy revels, which for two hours after midnight made sleep a thing not to be dreamed of.

The first flash of morning discovered the liquor shops in full operation, with wassail bowls of smoking punch, and "medicine" of all sorts, free as water. This dangerous and wicked temptation was the means of setting a great many young men and boys in a state of crazy intoxication long before noon. As early as 10 o'clock we saw, in Broadway, between the Park and Broome-st, about a dozen parties of boys, each numbering from four to ten persons, nearly every one grossly drunk, and four fellows, in as many parties, entirely helpless, and being dragged along by neck and heels by their hardly less drunk companions. This was the "blot on the scutcheon" of the new year. Some of the pranks of these intoxicated individuals are detailed in another article.

But the bright side of the day was a glorious compensation for these acts of folly. There was the nearest perfect suspension of business that we have ever seen, except very few toy shops and confectionery stores, all places of trade were closed. The number of those who made and those who received calls, seemed to be much greater than on any previous occasion. In the fashionable faubourgs scarcely a house was shut, and in the more democratic quarters the latch-string was very generally out. The extent to which calls were made is almost incredible. Some houses received as high as five hundred, while very few got off with less than twenty-five. We enjoy much satisfaction in recording the fact that wines and other ardent spirits were not near so common as they were last year. The scenes of dissipation and brutality to which we have referred above induced many families to remove the dangerous tempter from their tables for the first time. Gentlemen who are in the habit of making more than a hundred calls on every New Year day assure us that on this occasion, for the first time, temperance was the rule and liquor the exception. Major-General Sandford received calls from the commissioned and non-commissioned officers of the First Division. All in all, it is generally conceded that the debut of 1852 was, in every sense, "A Happy New Year."