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KEITH, GEORGE KEITH ELPHINSTONE, VISC...
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See also:KEITH, See also:GEORGE KEITH See also:ELPHINSTONE, See also:VISCOUNT (1746-1823) , See also:British See also:admiral, fifth son of the loth See also:Lord Elphinstone, was See also:born in Elphinstone See also:Tower, near See also:Stirling, on the 7th of See also:January 1746. Two of his See also:brothers went to See also:sea, and he followed their example by entering the See also:navy in 1761, in the " See also:Gosport," then commanded by See also:Captain Jervis, afterwards See also:Earl St See also:Vincent. In 1767 he made a voyage to the See also:East Indies in the See also:Company's service, and put £2000 See also:lent him by an See also:uncle to such See also:good purpose in a private trading venture that he laid the See also:foundation of a handsome See also:fortune. He became See also:lieutenant in 1770, See also:commander in 1772, and See also:post captain in 1775. During the See also:war in See also:America he was employed against the privateers, and with a See also:naval See also:brigade at the occupation of See also:Charleston, S.C. In January 1781, when in command of the " See also:Warwick " (5o), he captured a Dutch 50-See also:gun See also:ship which had beaten off an See also:English See also:vessel of equal strength a few days before. After See also:peace was signed he remained on See also:shore for ten years, serving in See also:Parliament as member first for See also:Dumbartonshire, and then for See also:Stirlingshire. When war See also:broke out again in 1793 he was appointed to the " Robust " (74), in which he took See also:part in the occupation of See also:Toulon by lord See also:Hood. He particularly distinguished himself by beating a See also:body of the See also:French ashore at the See also:head of a naval brigade of English and Spaniards. He was entrusted with the See also:duty of embarking the fugitives when the See also:town was evacuated. In 1794 he was promoted See also:rear-admiral, and in 1795 he was sent to occupy the Dutch colonies at the Cape of Good See also:Hope and in See also:India. He had a large See also:share in the See also:capture of the Cape in 1795, and in See also:August 1796 captured a whole Dutch See also:squadron in Saldanha See also:Bay. In the See also:interval he had gone on to India, where his See also:health suffered, and the capture at Saldanha was effected on his way See also:home. When the See also:Mutiny at the See also:Nore broke out in 1797 he was appointed to the command, and was soon able to restore See also:order. He was equally successful at See also:Plymouth, where the squadron was also in a See also:state of effervescence. At the See also:close of 1798 he was sent as second in command to St Vincent. It was for a See also:long See also:time a thankless post, for St Vincent was at once See also:half incapacitated by See also:ill-health and very arbitrary, while See also:Nelson, who considered that Keith's See also:appointment was a See also:personal slight to himself, was peevish and insubordinate. The See also:escape of a French squadron which entered the Mediterranean from See also:Brest in May 1799 was mainly due to jarrings among the British naval commanders. Keith followed the enemy to Brest on their See also:retreat, but was unable to bring them to See also:action. He returned to the Mediterranean in See also:November as commander-in-See also:chief. He co-operated with the Austrians in the See also:siege of See also:Genoa, which surrendered on the 4th of See also:June 1800. It was however immediately afterwards lost in consequence of the See also:battle of See also:Marengo, and the French made their re-entry so rapidly that the admiral had considerable difficulty in getting his See also:ships out of the See also:harbour. The close of 18o, and the beginning of the following See also:year were spent in transporting the See also:army sent to recover See also:Egypt from the French. As the naval force of the enemy was completely driven into See also:port, the British admiral had no opportunity of an action at sea, but his management of the See also:convoy carrying the troops, and of the landing at See also:Aboukir, was greatly admired. He was made a See also:baron of the See also:United See also:Kingdom—an Irish See also:barony havlhg been conferred on him in 1797. On the renewal of the war in 1803 he was appointed commander-in-chief in the See also:North Sea, which post he held till 1807. In See also:February '812 he was appointed commanderin-chief in the Channel, and in 1814 he was raised to a viscounty. During his last two commands he was engaged first in over-looking the See also:measures taken to meet a threatened invasion, and then in directing the movements of the numerous small squadrons and private ships employed on the coasts of See also:Spain and See also:Portugal, and in protecting See also:trade. He was at Plymouth when See also:Napoleon surrendered and was brought to See also:England in the " See also:Bellerophon " by Captain See also:Maitland (1777-1839). The decisions of the British See also:government were expressed through him to the fallen See also:Emperor. Lord Keith refused to be led into disputes, and confined himself to declaring steadily that he had his orders to obey. He was not much impressed by the See also:appearance of his illustrious See also:charge, and thought that the airs of Napoleon and his See also:suite were ridiculous. Lord Keith died on the loth of See also: He had a daughter by each See also:marriage, but no son. Thus the viscounty became See also:extinct on his See also:death, but the English and Irish baronies descended to his See also:elder daughter See also:Margaret (1788-1867), who married the See also:Comte de Flahault de la Billarderie, only to become extinct on her death.
There is a panegyrical Life of Lord Keith by Alex. Allardyce
(See also:Edinburgh, 1882) ; and See also:biographical notices will be found in See also: Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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