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Right Hon the Lord Keithl K.B. Vice Admiral of the White:

Published by JAsperne at the Bible, Crown & Constitution, 32, Cornhill, 1, Sept. 1806.

THE

EUROPEAN MAGAZINE,

AND

LONDON REVIEW,

FOR AUGUST 1806.

THE RIGHT HON. LORD KEITH, ADMIRAL OF THE WHITE. [WITH A PORTRAIT.] HE Hon. George Keith Elphintone, fon of Charles Lord Elphinstone, by Clementina, only daughter of John Earl of Wigtoun, was born in the year 1747. With the date of his first entrance on a naval life we are not acquainted; and, although his profeffional merits were always fully admit. ted, his fervices previous to the American war were not of fuch a kind as to make his name particularly distinguish ed as a nautical character.

His appointment as Poft Captain bears date the 11th of May 1775; in 1776 he was honoured with the command of the Pearl frigate, of 32 guns,and ferved with her in America under Lord Howe. He had afterwards the Perfeus frigate, under Admiral Arbuthnot, and allied at the reduction of Charlestown; on which occafion he commanded a detachment of feamen on thore; and his brave and fpirited efforts obtained him honourable mention in the official difpatches of the Commander in Chief, General Sir Henry Clinton: Captain Elphinstone's fhip, the Perfeus, was alfo felected by Admiral Arbuthnot to bring home the dispatches. On his return to England, he was appointed to the Warwick, of 50 guns; in which veffel, being on a cruife in the Channel, he captured, on the 5th of January 1781, the Rotterdam, a Dutch hip of so guns, and 300 men, commanded by Captain Volbergen t. During the remainder of the war, Captain Elphinftone remained in the Warwick, and,

The pallage of Athiey [rive:] under the conduct of Captain Elphinstone, and by the good fervices of the Officers and failors of the fleet, was accomplished with order and expedition."******« I truft that I do not fatter myfelt vainly, that the good fervices, during the hege, of the Officers and foldiers of the royal artilery, of Captain Elphinstone, and the Officers and feamen of the Royal Navy ferving with us on fhore, &c., will receive his Majesty's gracious approbation." + See London Gazette, Jan. 9.

for the most part, on the American sta-
tion. While there, under the com-
mand of Admiral Digby, his Royal
Highness Prince William Henry, (now
Duke of Clarence,) then a Midhipman
in the Admiral's ship, being defirous of
a more active life than he spent off
fhore at New York, requested per
miffion to go to fea, in order that he
might get practical experience; and
added to this reafonable reque, his with
to cruife in the Warwick; the Admiral
acquiefced; and Captain Elphinstone
had the honour of the P.ince's com
pany, we believe, till he was tranf
ferred from the care of Admiral Digby
to that of Admiral Rowley. While
on a cruife off the Delaware, on the
11th September 1782, Captain Elphin-
'ftone, after a chafe of feveral hours,
captured a large French frigate, l'Aigle,
of 40 guns (24 pounders) on the main
deck, and 600 men *.

The termination of the war in 1783 threw Captain Elphinstone out of em ploy, and he remained fo for ten years.

On the 9th of April 1787, he married Jane, daughter and fole heiress of William Mercer, Efq., of Aldie and Meekelem, in Perthshire, who died De cember 12, 1789, leaving behind her one daughter, Margaret.

In 1793, foon after the war broke out with France, Captain Elphinstone was appointed to the Robuft, of 74 guns; and under his direction the troops were landed at Toulon when Lord Hood captured that place; in return for his fervices on which occafion, his Lordhip appointed Captain Elphinstone to at as Governor of the great Fort la Malgue and its dependencies; of his gallant conduct in that poft, an account will be found in our XXIVth Volume, p. 310, 311. 473-480, which exhibits not only great perfonal intrepidity and exertion, but a confummate knowledge alio of military tactics. When it was

See our ild Volume, p. 398. In his dispatches, he terms her "the finest frigate ever fent forth from Europe." M 1 refolved

refolved to evacuate Toulon, the care of embarking the artillery, ftores, and troops, was committed to Captain Elphinstone; who, although the enemy at that time commanded the town and fhips by their hot and shells, brought off the whole of the troops, to the number of nearly 8000, without the lofs of a man, Lord Hood, in his dif. patch to Government, (See our XXVth Volume, p. 72), fays, "In the execution of this fervice, I have infinite pleasure in acknowledging my very great obligations to Captain Elphinftone, for his unremitting zeal and exertion, who faw the last man off," &c.; and Lieutenant-General Dundas, in his official letter (Vol. XXV, p. 77-79.) fays, "Captain Elphinstone, as Governor of Fort La Malgue, has ably afforded me the moft effential affiftance, in his command and arrangement of the feveral important pofts included in that diftri&t."

On his return to England, Captain Elphinstone's diftinguished merits were rewarded by his Majefty with the Molt Honourable Military Order of the Bath. On the 11th April 1794, he was made Rear Admiral of the Blue; and, on the 4th July, of the fame year, Rear Admiral of the White; in which capacity he hoifted his flag on board the Barfleur of 98 guns, vice Captain Bowyer, who, having loft a leg in the glorious affair of the rt of June, under Lord Howe, was obliged to retire for a time from the fervice. In the Channel Fleet Admiral Elphinstone continued the remainder of that year.

Early in 1795, hoftilities having commenced with the Dutch, the Admiral hifted his flag to the Monarch of 74 guns, and failed from Spithead, April 2, for the Cape of Good Hope, having under his command the following fquadron: Monarch 74, Victorious 74, Arrogant 74, Sphinx 20, and Rattlefnake 15 guns. In Simon's Bay, near the Cape, he was joined by the America, 64, Stately 64, Echo floop, and fome Indiamen, with troops, and immediately fent propofals to the Dutch Governor to furrender the Cape to his Britannic Majefty's arms; which being refufed, proper measures were taken by him, in conjunction with General Alured Clarke, for reducing it by force. The particulars of the attack and capture of this important place, will be found in our XXVIIIth Volume, pages 347, 418-424.

But the fuccefs of our Admiral did not end here. The new Gallo-Batavian Government refolved on making an attempt to regain poffeffion of the fettlement; and for that defirable purpose a squadron of eight thips of war and a tore thip, arrived off Saldanha Bay early in Auguft, 1796. Admiral Elphinone was foon apprized of their approach, and prepared for battle; but, with the humanity fo natural to Britifh officers, he fent a letter by a flag of truce to Admiral Lucas, the Dutcit Commander, requesting, that, to fpare the effusion of human blood, he would furrender his fquadron, which could have no chance of fuccefs in a conteit with a British force fuperior to his own. The Dutch Admiral yielded, and on the 17th of Auguft furrendered his fquadron, confifting of two fhips of 66, one 54, one 44, one 40, one 28, one 26, one 18, and a ftore ship. [See our XXXth Volume, page 453-459.]

On account of thefe eminent fervices, his Majesty was pleafed, on the 7th of March, 1797, to confer on Admiral El. phinitone the dignity of a Baron of the kingdom of Ireland. In the month of May, of the fame year, Lord Keith was fent to Sheernels to fuperintend the naval preparations against the mutineers, who at that time unhappily had the actual poffeffion and command of feveral of his Majefty's fhips at the Nore. Subordination having been retored, his Loi dfhip had for a short time a command in the channel fleet.

In the winter of 1798, Lord Keith had his flag on board the Foudroyant of 80 guns, employed off Cadiz, and in the Mediterranean, under the orders of the Earl of St. Vincent. On the 14th of February, 1799, he was promoted from Vice Admiral of the Blue to be Vice-Admiral of the Red. On the 23d of June, Lord St. Vincent, being about to return to England for the amend ment of his health, refigned to Lord Keith the command of the Mediterranean fleet.

Nothing very material occurred till the 17th of March, 18co, when his Lordship had the misfortune to lose his noble flag-fhip, the Queen Charlotte, by fire, in Leghorn Roads. [See, for the particulars of this lamentable catastrophe, our XXXVIIth Volume, pages 331-333.] Lord Keith, who was on fhore at the time the accident happened, hoifted his flag on board the Audacious, but afterwards thifted it

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