K E I 



Complicated contrivances, as myftical, and as much refpedted 

 at the time as the oracles delivered by the Pythia. 



KEIS Day, or S'mclalr's Bay, in Geography, a bay on 

 the E. coaft of Scotland, in the county of Caithnefs. N. 

 ■lat. 58' 28'. W. long. 2= 58'. 



KEISER., REiXHAnD, in Biography, a German com- 

 pofer of the fir'l clafs, for invention, 'ingenuity of accom- 



• paniments, and number of his wovks. This admirable 



• inuiician was born in 1673, *^ WeifTenfels in Saxony, and, 

 very early in his profcflional' career, appointed maellro di 

 cappella to the duke of Mecklenburg. Though his firft at- 

 tempt at dra:natic niuTic was a paftoral, called " Ifmena," 



•for Wolfenbuttle, which he fct in his 20th year, the year 

 ■ following he compofed his opera of" Balilius," whicli was 

 'performed in the theatre at Hamburgh with very great ap- 

 plaufe ; and he continued writing for that ftage till the year 



He was educated at LeipCc, where he was entered of that 

 univerfity. He began to ttudy""mufic in that city, but was 

 chiefly his own mailer, formii!g hinifelf upon the Italian 

 fchool, hj ftudying the bell productions of that cfountry. 

 His fecond opera for Hamburgh, " Adonis," ellablilhed 

 him in the favour of that city for the reft of his life. Ac- 

 cording to Matthefon, whatever words he fet on the fubjefl 

 of love, his mufic was peculiarly excellent. His operas, in 

 Hamburgh alone, amounted to ilS. • But belides Ins dra- 

 •matic productions, he compofed Jivfrtim/nri, Jirinatc, and 

 ' cantatas innumerable. Indeed, this mailer was as fure of 

 ■fancy and originality whenever he put pen to paper, as 

 Haydn in his tiuie. In a mannfcript collection of near 

 feventy cantatas by the greatell compofers of his time, both 

 of Italy and Germany, in which there are twelve by Keifer, 

 in opening the book by chance, in any part of it where his 

 cantatas are inferted, it is inftantly known to be his mufic, 

 at the firft glance ; fo new are the paflages, and fo different 

 "the arrangement of the notes from that of his companions 

 in this colleflion, amounting to near thirty of the firfl: order. 

 For grace and facility we do not recommend him : indeed, 

 'thefe excellencies were little known or fought during his 

 time ; but for modulation, ingenuity, and new ideas, he had 

 "fcarcely his equal. 



In a converfation with the elegant and judicious Haffe 

 at Vienna in 1772, lie allured us that, according to his con- 

 ceptions, Keifer wat one of the greateft mulicians the world 

 ever faw. His compoCtions, he faid, were more voluminous 

 than thofe of Aleffandro Scarlatti ; and his melodies, though 

 then 70 years old, were Hill, hetliought, modern and grace- 

 ful. Adding, that this had been always his opinion ; and 

 he was not hkely to be prejudiced in his favour, as Ktifer 

 ■wasL not his relation, his mailer, or even his acquaintance ; 

 but having lately looked at fome of his work?, he v»-as,ailo- 

 pifiicd to fee fo much more elegance, clcarnefs, and pleafing 

 jnclody than are to be .found in the produclions of molt 

 modern mafters, even now. " He compofed, indeed, chiefly . 

 for Hamburgh," Slgnior HafTe obfcryed, " and, in general, 

 to the German languaj^e, not beiiig very well vcrfed in that 

 of Italy ; fo that l^e often blundered in fetting Italian 

 jirords ; but he had'ahv2,ys merit of other kinds to compen- 

 fate for this defeft." ! . '. 



. At this time, ail .pur own. knowledge. of this compofer 

 vras traditiQnal, as v/e were then totally unacquainted with 

 bis works ; but we can now fi>eak from deinonftration, and 

 our own examination of his works of. various kinds .vAieh 

 enati.ife.l all the vigour of a fertile iiiyention, and corredlncfs 

 «f ftu(ly nod experience. 



KxiSER "s River, . in -Cto^xipliy^ a «vcr ^of Africa, . -at 



K E K 



the Cape of Good Hope, wliich dcfccnds from Table 

 mountain. 



KEISKAMMA, a river of Africa, which runs into the 

 Indian fea, S. lat. 34' 40'. 



KEITH, Ja.me.s, in Biography, a diftinguiftied general, 

 younger fon of George Keith, earl marfhal of Scotland, 

 by a daughter of Drummond, duke of Perth, was born in 

 1696, and educated at the college of Aberdeen. He was 

 an adlierent to the Stuart family, and engaged in their de- 

 fence in the year 1715- ; but on the defeat of his party he 

 was glad to efcape to France, where he applied to all the 

 - branches of knowledge ufeful in the mihtai-y profeflion. 

 He was admitted a member of the Academy 1 f Sciences 

 on account of his great proficiency in mathematics. He 

 travelled through many countries in Europe, ferved 10 years 

 in the Iridi brigades in Spain, and afterwards entered into 

 the Ruflian fervice, in which he was raifed to the rank of 

 ■ bvigadier-generah In the war between the Rnfilans and the 

 Turks he gave the moll fignal difplays of courage and 

 heroifm, and was himfelf the firll to mount the breach at 

 the capture of Otchakof. He had a fhare in the war in 

 Finland, between the Swedes and Rullians, and was iniiru- 

 mental in placing the princefs Elizabeth on the 'hronc of 

 Ruflia. At the peace of Abo in 1743, he was fent am- 

 bafTador to the court of Stockholm, and on his return to 

 Peterlburgh he was honoured witli the marlhal's ftafl" ; but 

 as the emoluments of this office were inhifficient for his 

 fnpport, he accepted an invitation from Frederick king of 

 Pruflia, by whom he was honoured with cortfiderable ap- 

 pointments, and with his own perfonal friendlhip. In the war 

 of 1756 he entered Saxony in the quality of field marfhal ; 

 and in 17-8 he was killed, at tlie furprife of the camp of 

 HcKhkirchen, by count Daun. He was reckoned a very- 

 able general, and was highly ellimable in his private^ cha- 

 rafter. The king of Pruflia honoured his memory with a- 

 fine monument at Potzdam. 



KEmi, in Geography, a parilh in the county of Banff, 

 Scotland, contains four hamlets or villages : I II, the rldto.Vu 

 of Keith ; 2d, the new town of Keith ; 3d, the new town 

 of New-Mill; and, 4th, the old town of New-Mill. The 

 old town is 'nearly deferted by the inhabitants iii con- 

 fequence of the fuperior advantages of the new town 

 This was commenced in the year 1750, by the carl of 

 Findlater, upon a barren moor, which was let in loti of 

 30 feet by 70. Here fcveral mai.ufaiflurers ellablilhed 

 themfelves, and the place gradua'ly increafed in houfes and 

 population. In 1 791 there were 1075 "^ ^'"^ ^ ■^'^'' ! ''"'^ '" 

 1800 the whole parifh contained 749 houfes, and 32S4 in- 

 habitants, Thefe. are comprifed within an area of about 

 fix miles in length, by frx in breadth. Flax-drcflTing, 

 fpinning, 'and weaving, are the chief branches of manu- 

 fafture : a tannery, diftillery, and' bleaching-iield, are' in- 

 cluded within the parifh. The pari(h-f"chool of Keith has 

 been long noted for its able mafters. Near old Keith, the 

 river Ifla, falUng over, fome h:gli rocks, forms a fine' caf- 

 cade, called the " Linn of Keith," James Fergufon, juftly 

 celebrated for his aftronomical and philofophical wiitihgg, 

 was a native of this parilh. V7itliiii the precini^1s-of the 

 parifh are fome druidical remains. Sinclair's Statiftfcal. 

 Account, vol. v. article written by the Rev. Alexander 

 Humphrey. . 



.. KEKI, a'town of Jap?n, in the ifland of Ximo ; 1.; miles 

 N.N.Vs'-. o.f Naka. ' . 



. K'EKIO. See Fern-O;/. 



IIEKO, inCeography, alown of Hungary, with a caftie; 

 jj miles S.E.- of Korpona. 



