Haymarket Theatre.
A new farce caUed Plide and Seek was produced at this thleatre last night; but for some timc past the manager here has not been fortunate in the selection of his novelties. Hide and Seek, which we take to be a translation, amounts to wbat in France thev call a " Proverb :" it is a dramatic version of thc old fable (in &Esop we believe) of ' Hunting thc hare." A farmer's gardens are troubled by a hare, and he sets traps in vain for the offender: at iengtlh, he asks the assistance of his landlord, who keeps a pack of hounds. t This hare, my lord, is, I believe, a sorcerer !" " Were he a devils Jowler would catch him." Thepetitioneris content. Next morningthe lord appears, equipped with his dogs for the chase. ' Your wine, my f*iend, should be good-is it not :? Your harns have a promising look." " Truly, they are at your Honour's service ;" ard they breakfast,--my Lord, the degs, the servants, and the horses-per- sons of sufficient appetite. After breakfast, the hunt commences: the hounds are laid on; but-adieu to the garden in a monentI MIclons-.cucumbers.-cabbages-all arctrodden u nder foot: frames are broken, glasses shivered; the hare escapes through a hole too smallfor the dogs, and the farmer lain despair ! Anud themoral is,that a iuan's friends may sometimes do him rmore mischief in five miinutes than tise enemies against vhom they defnd him ,would have accomplislhed in as many centurics. This story is edifying; but not the first out of a whole book that one would choose tofound a farce upon. In the Hay- market piece, the dogs are omitted* the Lord is a genteman intro- duced to sing songs; the hare is changed into a fox; the fox is a spark in silk stockings, and with a feather in his cap; and this spark turns out be the " Lard's" page, in love with Flora, the farnier's daughter. Mliss Kelly played this farmer's d;tugh- ter; and the piece was heard throughi, because it is impos- sible to be quite fatigued wlhile slie is on the stage. Listeon had a part (as usual) without a single point from the beginning to the end of it. Nr. Melrose sang soime songs with his ordinary taste; the less we say about the music of them the better; and the hisses at the faU of the curtain were (as audiencec go) pretty loud a id determinee. IMr. Liston, however, camie forward and declared ti at he h2d a cold (which certainlv was the case), and that his cold had prevented him from (1oing justice to the author (which certainly was not the case). Under s; thesc circumstances," he trusted (great applause from all quiarters) that the bouse would permit the piece to have a second reprosentation. HJAYMARKET THEATRlE.