Hugh Elliot was British ambassador successively in Munich and Ratisbon, Berlin, Copenhagen, Paris, Dresden and Naples, then governor of the Leeward Islands, and finally of Madras. Elliot was partly educated in France, and from 1770 until his withdrawal from Naples in 1806 he was almost permanently on the Continent. His diplomatic papers, especially those relating to the Copenhagen and Naples embassies, are rich in material for the general political history of Europe. He also enjoyed wide contacts amongst men and women of ability and learning, including such diverse figures as Mirabeau, Gentz, the Prince de Ligne, Mme du Deffand, and Queen Maria Carolina of Naples.