Jephson punished, Jebb rewarded.

How Lord Buckingham Punished Jephson and Purchased Jebb.

Magee’s lampoons on the Sham Squire’s patron, the Marquis of Buckingham, were met by retorts in the same vein. The chief writer of these retaliative epigrams was Robert Jephson, Master of the Horse at Dublin Castle. Lord Cloncurry, in his “Personal Recollections,” observes, - -“He lived at the Black Rock, in a house which still remains, nearly opposite Maretimo, and was, for a considerable period, the salaried poet laureate of the viceregal court. He lost place and pension by an untimely exercise of his wit when dining one day at my father’s house. The dinner was given to the Lord-Lieutenant, the Marquis of Buckingham, who happened to observe, in an unlucky mirror, the reflection of Jephson in the act of mimicking himself. He immediately discharged him from the laureateship.”

Public writers were corrupted without stint during the administration of Lord Buckingham. By far the ablest man in Ireland, at that day, was Dr Frederick Jebb, the Irish Junius. Under the pseudonym of Guatimozin, he published powerful letters in sustainment of his country’s cause. The viceroy, writing to Lord North, says- “As the press was exceedingly violent at that time, and had greater effect in inflaming the minds of the people, it was recommended to me as a measure of absolute necessity, by some means, if possible, to check its spirit. On this a negotiation was opened with Dr Jebb, who was then chief of the political writers, and he agreed, upon the terms of my recommending him for a pension of £300 a year, to give his assistance to Government, and since that time he has been very useful, as well by suppressing inflammatory publications as by writing and other services, which he promises to continue to the extent of his power.” [Memoir of Grattan, by his son, vol. ii., p. 175.] After the death of Dr Jebb the pension was continued to his children.

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