The author's name was revealed, and the paper itself was reissued as a separate publication. Messrs. Longman announced as in preparation a history of the jesuits by Keon, which never appeared. In September 1845 Keon began a series of contributions to Colburn's ‘United Service Magazine,’ pp. 59–71, entitled ‘The Late Struggles of Abd-el-Kader, and the Campaign of Isly. By one who has served in the French Army.’ They contain vivid sketches of Abd-el-Kader, Horace Vernet, and Lamoricière. Two other instalments appeared in the July and October numbers under the title of ‘An Idler's Journey on Foot through France.’ From April to November 1846 he was the editor of ‘Dolman's Magazine.’ In 1847 he published ‘The Life of Saint Alexis, the Roman Patrician.’ Shortly afterwards he secured an appointment on the staff of the ‘Morning Post,’ with which he was connected for twelve years. In 1850 he went as its representative to St. Petersburg, whence he wrote ‘A Letter on the Greek Question.’ Between 22 Feb. and 32 Aug. 1851 he contributed a series of twenty-six ‘Lessons in French’ to ‘Cassell's Working Man's Friend,’ which afterwards came into extensive use in the United States and Canada. In 1852 Keon wrote in the ‘London Journal’ a serial novel called ‘Harding, the Money-Spinner,’ which was published posthumously in 1879 in three volumes. In 1856 he was sent for the second time by the ‘Morning Post’ to St. Petersburg, to describe the coronation of the emperor, Alexander II. He there made the acquaintance of M. Boucher de Perthes, who, in his ‘Voyage en Russie’ (1859), has written pleasantly of their intercourse. In 1858, under a mistaken arrangement, Keon went out to Calcutta to edit the ‘Bengal Hurkaru.’ He returned in 1859, and was appointed in March the colonial secretary at Bermuda by the then secretary of state for the colonies, Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton. He held the post till his death. In 1866 he published in two volumes octavo ‘Dion and the Sibyls, a Romance of the First Century.’ In the winter of 1869 he obtained leave of absence, and visited Rome at the opening of the council of the Vatican. In 1867 he had delivered in the Mechanics' Hall at Hamilton a course of lectures on ‘Government; its Source, its Form, and its Means.’ He was invited to lecture in the United States, but declined on account of his official position. On 3 June 1875 he died at Bermuda. On 21 Nov. 1846 Keon married Anne de la Pierre, third daughter of Major Hawkes of the 21st light dragoons.
[Personal recollections of the writer; Hewitson's Stonyhurst Present and Past, 8vo, pp. 244–246; Hatt's two papers on A Colonial Secretary in the Stonyhurst Magazine for March and June 1886; Burke's Peerage, under ‘Foreign Titles of Nobility,’ p. 1535, ed. 1890; Boucher de Perthes' Voyage en Russie en 1856, 12mo, passim, 1859; Gillow's Bibl. Dict. vol. iv. 1891.]
KEPER, JOHN (fl. 1580), poet, appears to have been born at Wells, Somerset, about 1547. He entered Hart Hall, Oxford, in 1564, and graduated B.A. on 11 Feb. 1568–1569 (Oxf. Univ. Reg., Oxf. Hist. Soc., i. 268). He was still in residence at college in 1572. On 8 July 1580, being then M.A. of Louvain, he petitioned to be incorporated at Oxford, but the grace was refused, as he was supposed to be a Romanist (ib. vol. ii. pt. i. pp. 35, 156–7, 377).
Wood, on the authority of Bishop Barlow, assigns to Keper the authorship of ‘The whole Psalter, translated into English Metre’ (1567?), which is known to have been written by Archbishop Matthew Parker. Keper is author of three complimentary poems, besides an address to the reader, in Thomas Howell's ‘Arbor of Amitie,’ 8vo, 1568. J. K. (who, as Bliss conjectures, may be John Keper) translated from the Italian of Count Annibale Romei ‘The Courtiers Academie,’ 4to, London, 1598.
[Wood's Athenæ Oxon. (Bliss), i. 416–18; Tanner's Bibl. Brit.-Hib. p. 454.]
KEPPEL, ARNOLD JOOST van, first Earl of Albemarle (1669–1718), stated to be descended from Walter van Keppel (1179–1223), lord of Keppel in the Low Countries, was born in Holland in 1669. He was son of Oswald van Keppel and his wife Anna Geertruid van Lintelo. Nothing is known of his early history (Van der Aa, vol. x.) He came to England in 1688 with William of Orange as a page of honour, and after the accession of William and Mary was made a groom of the bedchamber and master of the robes. By letters patent of 10 Feb. 1696 he was created Baron Ashford of Ashford in the county of Kent, Viscount Bury of Bury in the county palatine of Lancaster, and Earl of Albemarle, the latter being a town and territory in the dukedom of Normandy (cf. Notes and Queries, 1st ser. ii. 466). He was a major-general 16 June 1697, when he was employed in the camp at Promelles. In 1698 he was made colonel of the first troop of British horse-guards, which he resigned to the Earl (Duke) of Portland ‘for a valuable consideration’ in 1710. He introduced the Polish envoy to King William at Loo, which seat William is doubtfully said to have presented to him. On 14 May 1700 he was made K.G. In 1701 he was
