NEW YEAR'S DAY NEW YORK. 



217 



(Respecting the determination of the same, see Year, 

 and Epoch) We shall treat of it in this place as a 

 festival. It is natural for man to distinguish this 

 day, which begins one of the great divisions of his 

 life, with particular usages. We find this to be the 

 case with most civilized nations. The new year of 

 the Jews began with the month Tishri. It was con- 

 sidered as the day on which God holds judgment 

 (hence Jam Haddin, day of judgment), and also as the 

 anniversary of the day on which Adam was created. 

 The Romans offered sacrifices on new year's day 

 to Janus, particularly a white steer. In the whole 

 city, much incense was burned, and the newly elected 

 magistrates went in procession to the capitol, where 

 they sacrificed to Jupiter. The success of any affair 

 on that day was considered a good omen for the 

 whole year. People who met greeted each other 

 with Annum novum faustum felicemque tibi. Pre- 

 sents given were, called xenoi, and those returned, 

 apophoreta, strence. They consisted chiefly of gilt 

 dates, dried and gilt plums and figs, honey, rare coins, 

 spoons, lamps, ornamented with a head of Janus. 

 The emperors made these presents a heavy tax: 

 Caligula, for instance, received them during the 

 whole day, standing in the ante-chamber of his 

 palace, from the high officers. Claudius abolished 

 this burdensome obligation. Henry III., king of 

 England, seems to have imitated the Roman em- 

 perors in extorting new year's presents ; and queen 

 Elizabeth, according to doctor Drake, principally 

 supported her jewel chest and her enormous ward- 

 robe by levying similar contributions. Even her 

 majesty's household servants offered such presents ; 

 and, among others, the dustman is recorded as hav- 

 ing presented her with two bolts of cambric. The 

 3000 gowns, mentioned in D'Israeli's Curiosities of 

 Literature, as having been found in her wardrobe at 

 her decease, show that the tax must have been 

 heavy. These presents, however, were, doubtless, 

 often given on the old principle do ut des. The 

 Druids of ancient Britain were accustomed, on cer- 

 tain days, to cut the sacred mistletoe with a golden 

 knife, in a forest dedicated to the gods, and to distri- 

 bute its branches with much ceremony, as new year's 

 gifts, to the people. Among the Saxons, this day 

 was also observed by gifts, accompanied with festi- 

 vities ; and they reckoned their age by the number 

 of these merrymakings at which they had been 

 present. Similar customs existed with other German 

 tribes, accompanied by many superstitious obser- 

 vances, so that many laws of Charlemagne are 

 found to be directed against them ; and to this very 

 day, a number of ceremonies, originally superstitious, 

 but now serving principally to excite mirth, are 

 practised in Germany, on the night of the last of 

 December and first of January. Among the most 

 common, at present, is the melting of tin or lead, 

 which is thrown at midnight into a basin of water, 

 when it will form strange figures, which serve for 

 divination. New year of the Christians, being the 

 eighth day after Christmas, is the festival of Christ's 

 circumcision. The day is a holiday, celebrated with 

 religious service all over the European continent. 

 In England, it is not, nor in the United States, where 

 the aversion of the Puritans to religious festivals, 

 and other causes, prevented their introduction. 

 They were even prohibited in some of the American 

 colonies, by severe laws. At an early period, most 

 Christians celebrated new year on our 25th of March 

 (the conception of Mary). In Germany, this was the 

 rase till the ninth century. At a later time, it was 

 changed to December 25, and so continued in Ger- 

 many until the fourteenth century, and in England 

 even to 1752. Of modern nations 'the French cele- 

 brate new year with the most spirit. Smith, in his 



Games and Festivals, says, that it has been esti- 

 mated that the amount expended upon bon-bons and 

 sweetmeats alone, for presents on new year's day, in 

 Paris, exceeds ^20,000 sterling, while the sale of 

 jewelry and fancy articles in the first week of the 

 year is computed at one fourth of the sale during the 

 whole twelve months. In Germany, presents are 

 universally given on Christmas eve. In England, 

 new year's presents are not so frequent, and the 

 souvenirs, and other works of light literature, pro- 

 fessedly intended for such presents, are in circulation 

 so early, that they are stale before new year arrives. 

 In New York, a custom exists (probably a remainder 

 of Dutch manners) of paying visits of congratulation 

 on new year's day. Good store of cookies (Dutch, 

 koek, cake) are provided for the entertainment of the 

 visitors. As it is considered the duty of gentlemen 

 to visit all the ladies of their acquaintance on this 

 occasion, it may easily be imagined that the day is 

 one of considerable stir in fashionable society. 



NEW YORK ; one of the thirteen original states 

 of the American confederacy. 



Boundaries, &c. This state is bounded north by 

 Upper and Lower Canada, east by Vermont, Massa- 

 chusetts, and Connecticut, south by New Jersey and 

 Pennsylvania, and west by Pennsylvania, lake Erie, 

 and the Niagara river. The territory of this state is 

 situated between lat. 40 30' and 45 N., and 

 between Ion. 5 e 5' E. and 2 55' W. from the city 

 of Washington. Its extreme length from east to 

 west, including Long Island, is about 408 miles ; 

 exclusive of it, 340 miles. Its greatest breadth from 

 north to south is about 310 miles ; its area 45,658 

 miles. The estimate includes the whole surface, 

 except the waters of the great lakes. The territory 

 now constituting the state of Vermont was included 

 within the limits of the colony of New York, and 

 was claimed as a part of this state until 1790, when 

 New York gave her assent to the erection of the 

 present state of Vermont. 



Civil Divisions. It is divided into fifty- six coun- 

 ties, namely, New York, King's, Queen's, Richmond, 

 Suffolk, Westchester, Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, 

 Rockland, Ulster, Sullivan, Delaware, Greene, Col- 

 umbia, Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Schoharie, 

 Montgomery, Hamilton,* Saratoga, Washington, 

 Warren, Essex, Clinton, Franklin, St Lawrence, 

 Jefferson, Lewis, Herkimer, Oneida, Madison, 

 Oswego, Otsego, Chenango, Broome, Cortlandt, 

 Tompkins, Tioga, Steuben, Onondaga, Cayuga, 

 Seneca, Ontario, Yates, Wayne, Livingston, Mon- 

 roe, Orleans, Genesee, Alleghany, Niagara, Erie, 

 Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua. In this enumeration, 

 we have commenced with the most south-eastern 

 counties, and proceeded north and west. These 

 counties are subdivided into five cities, namely, 

 New York, Albany (the seat of government), Troy, 

 Hudson, and Schenectady, and 764 towns. There 

 are 101 incorporated villages, many of which have 

 names differing from the towns in which they are 

 situated : thus the flourishing village of Rochester is 

 in the towns of Yates and Brighton, Geneva in the 

 town of Seneca, &c. Besides the cities and towns 

 already enumerated, the following may be mentioned 

 as among the most flourishing and populous : Utica, 

 Buffalo, Brooklyn, Canandaigua, Poughkeepsie, 

 Auburn, Ithaca, Catskill, Newburg, &c. 



Face of the Country, &c. The state may be most 

 correctly described as an elevated tract, with inden 

 tations in various places below its general level. The 

 most important depressions are the great basins in 



* This county, not being 1 separately organized, note in con. 

 junction with Montgomery county, and, fur all political pui- 

 pn.-iO!', is considered a part thereof. 



