MEMOIR S, &c.

JOHN JEBB, the fubject of these memoirs, was born in Southampton-ftreet Coventgarden, London, on the 16th of February, 1736, N.S. He was the eldest son of the rev. Dr. John Jebb, (who was the youngest son of Mr. Samuel Jebb, formerly of Mansfield, in Nottinghamshire) dean of Cafhell in the kingdom of Ireland, and of Ann, daughter of David Ganfel, efq. of Donyland- hall, near Colchester in Effex.*

He received the elements of his education at different fchools, in various towns of Ireland and England, viz. Drogheda, Carlow,

* The family of Jebb were formerly fettled at Woodborough, in Nottinghamshire, and had continued there fome time, but the inheritance was fold about four generations ago. The arms of the family, are faid to have been in the windows of the church of Woodborough, though no mention is made of the family, or their armorial bearings by Thoroton in his "Antiquities of Nottinghamshire."-Dean Jebb died Feb. 6th, 1787.

Carlow, and Dublin, in the former; and Shrewsbury, Stand near Manchester, Leicefter, and Chesterfield, in the latter kingdom. He continued two or three years at Chesterfield, and concluded his fchool education under the tuition of the rev. William Burrow, and the rev. - Saunders, then joint masters of the grammar school there. As he was kept longer at Chesterfield, and had received more advantage from the attention of the masters, than at any former place, he was wont to exprefs his obligations to them, in the terms of gratitude, to which their abilities and care entitled them.

From Chesterfield he was again removed into Ireland, and admitted penfioner in the univerfity of Dublin, July 7th, 1753, under the tuition of the rev. Dr. Leland; and while Dr. Baldwin was provoft of the college.

The inftitution of frequent public examinations, and the diftribution of literary rewards, as an encouragement to proficiency in academical exercifes, formed some of the wife regulations of that univerfity. In Easter term, 1754, our young, academic obtained

copies of Horace, Juvenal, Terence, and Plato's dialogues, as the reward of his diligence and learning. To each of these volumes was prefixed the following printed teftimonial, which is tranfcribed, rather for the fake of countenancing fimilar inftitutions, than to infift upon its peculiar form. Ingenuo magnæque fpei adolefcenti Johanni Jebb, propter infignes in artibus progreffus. In claffe fecunda.

"Præmium hoc literarium dederunt præpofitus, et focii feniores collegii facro fanctæ et individuæ trinitatis juxta Dublin. "Examinatione habita initio termini pafchæ A.D. 1754.—Quod teftor.

Theaker Wilder, Ps."

In the fummer vacation of this year, Mr. Jebb again croffed the channel, and came into England; and was once more destined to change the place of his education. In ordinary cafes, fuch frequent removal is unfavourable to real improvement: and, being liable to unfettle the attention, to derange the acquirements already made, and to increase the difficulties and discouragements in attain

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ing the elementary parts of language and fcience, is fometimes fatal to a young mind. Very fortunately for Mr. Jebb, it seems to have been almost indifferent to his literary progrefs, in how many places he received the leffons of inftruction. And, as the english universities acknowledge the legitimacy of their relationship to the univerfity of Dublin, he loft no academical time by his removal from thence. Accordingly, he was admitted penfioner of St. Peter's college in Cambridge, on Nov. the 9th, 1754; under the tuition of the rev. Daniel Longmire, and the rev. William Oldham, who were, at that time, the two learned and much refpected tutors of that college and, during the vacancy of the mastership, by the refignation of Dr. Keene, then bishop of Chefter, and previous to the appointment of Dr. Law, the present bishop of Carlisle.

Early in 1756, Mr. Jebb was seized with a violent fever at Cambridge, which obliged him afterwards to go to Bath, for the better re-establishment of his health. As foon as he recovered his ftrength, he returned again

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to the univerfity. Sometime in the month of May he kept his first act in the fophs' school, and paffed the fummer vacation in college, when he applied himself to close and diligent study, in order to recover the time he had loft, by the interruption of fickness, and to prepare himself for the public exercises of the following winter, previously to taking his degree.

Mr. Jebb being, by the rules of the university of Cambridge, entitled to the terms which he had kept in the college of Dublin, he confequently proceeded to take the degree of bachelor of arts in January 1757; and his place, in the distribution of honours on that occafion, was that of fecond wrangler. And when it is confidered, that precedency, at such times, was only to be attained by fuperior skill in the mathematics and natural philofophy; and that fo eminent a mathematician as Dr. Waring, the prefent lucafian profeffor, was the firft, Mr. Jebb's place becomes equal, in honour, to the highest distinction, on ordinary occafions.

Immediately upon having taken his degree, he undertook the charge and trouble of pri