Earls of Aboyne

29
Ho wrote again to Keith on January 6, 1788,
dating from Paris (Add. MSS. 35,540, f. 1): —
Dear Sir, — I should certainly have wrote to
you before now had I been able to have anything
at all worthy of your attention ; but though in
the midst of very interesting scene's I think I al-
most know as 'much at Vienna as I can by any
means pick up here. I should therefore not have
troubled you now if I had not been induced to
it for two reasons ; one, a very powerfull and
urgent one, the chance I have to show my grati-
tude for your kindness and civility to me whilst
at Vienna. I am, believe me, most thoroughly
sensible of it, the more so as it happened to me
at the period of my life of all others that I stood
most in need of it; and the other, my having
promised it.
My journey was tedious and disagreeable beyond
description. I found Lady Dammore here upon
my arrival, which has made Paris much more
pleasant to me than it would otherwise have
been, as she knows everybody. I think I shall
stay about six weeks longer, and then pay old
England a visit
I have seen Arbuthnot. He looks very well.
We dine together to-niorrow at the Scotch Cob
lege. I won't attempt giving you any views for
the best of all reasons, because I don't know any.
This letter will be given to vou by a Captain
Mackenzie, but he is a friend of Abbe Gordon's,
Principal of the Scotch College, who beg'd I
would give him a letter to you. He goes with the
intention of endeavouring to get into the Em-
peror's service. I told him, from the pleasure
you took in being of service to your countrymen,
I could almost venture to assure him of your
doing everything in your power. Excuse my tak-
ing this liberty, but I could not well refuse it
to my friend and relation, the Abbe.
Adieu. I beg to be remembered to everybody
that is so good as to inquire about me.
It may have been on this occasion that he met
Marie Antoinette. Patricia Lindsay (in "Recollec-
tions of a Royal Parish," 1902), says: —
I remember so well his telling me of having
danced a minuet at Versailles with Marie An-
toinette, and the thrill it sent through me to
be thus brought , as it seemed, almost info touch
with the tragedy of _the French Revolution. The
beautiful queen was the favourite heroine of my
childhood, and this much-to-be-envied experience
of Lord Huntly's shed a halo of romance over
him also.
A third letter to Keith is dated from Aboyne
Castle, October 6, 1790 (Add. MSS. 35,513, f. 140):--
You will forgive my taking the liberty of re-
commending to your protection my relative Lieut.