[168] Keith's _Memoirs_ have been published, but they do not include his despatches, now published in these volumes for the first time. Keith was a Scotsman. Born in Ayrshire, in 1730, he was the son of a British Ambassador at Vienna. He was a man of all-round ability, though he was perhaps more of a soldier than a diplomatist. In early life he wrote some poems of considerable merit, and on arriving at man's estate entered the army. He fought at the battle of Minden, and later was appointed major-commandant of three new companies of Highlanders, known as "Keith's Highlanders," who distinguished themselves in many a hard-fought fight. Eventually they were disbanded, and then some employment had to be found for their distinguished commander. In 1769 he was appointed British Minister at the court of Saxony, and he remained at Dresden until 1771, when George III., looking round for some one whom he could trust, and whose fidelity to his royal house was undoubted, chose Keith to succeed Gunning at Copenhagen. Keith arrived at the Danish capital in June, 1771, shortly before the birth of the Princess Louise Augusta. He did not take up his new duties with any zest. "Climate, comfort and society are all against me," he wrote to his father shortly after his arrival at Copenhagen. But he found the place "by far a finer city than I had figured to myself, or had a right to expect from the other Danish towns I had seen upon the road. The streets are broad, the openings and the squares spacious, and the palace, as well as several of the public buildings, magnificent."[169] [169] _Memoirs of Sir Robert Murray Keith_, vol. i. Keith found the situation dominated by Struensee, and like Gunning (who had now gone to Berlin) thought that his tenure in power was assured: "While I am in expectation of his Majesty's orders on this head," he wrote, "I shall be equally cautious not to court too far or to disgust this gentleman.... From all I have heard of his character, it seems assiduous to the greatest degree, enterprising and active.... It may not be judging too rapidly of Mr. Struensee to suppose that having laboured so hard to get on the pinnacle of power his chief care may for some time be to secure his situation."[170] And again: "I shall only add that if the general opinion here is to be trusted--for hitherto I have been able to form few opinions of my own--the new Count and Minister will show himself at any risk, and by all means whatever, as tenacious of the power he has grasped as he has been daring and active in attaining to it".[171] [170] Keith's despatch, July 10, 1771. [171] _Ibid._, July 27, 1771.