geography, and in certain offices of account book-keeping, and in the Solicitors' offices Latin.

"We conceive that in the preliminary test examination history and geography may be dispensed with, and may be reserved for the competitive examination, with such alternatives as we shall presently advert to. The preliminary test examination, however, should be made thoroughly effective in those subjects which are essential to the proper performance of simple clerical duties, namely, orthography, handwriting, arithmetic, and English composition, and also book-keeping, so far as respects the offices where it is deemed necessary. With reference to Latin, we regard it not only as necessary to the duties to be performed, but as indicating that the candidate has to some extent had what is termed a liberal education, and we should be sorry to see it relinquished as a test for clerkships in the Solicitors' offices to which we above adverted.

"As regards candidates who shall pass the preliminary test examinations we should record and report the subjects in which they have shown themselves to be competent, so that lists might be framed from which it would be easy to select effective competitors for the clerkships to be from time to time filled up.

"Passing to the consideration of the competitive examinations for the clerkships now under consideration, we must observe in the first place that we do not propose to carry on the marks which the candidate may have got at the preliminary test examination to his credit at the competitive examination. We think that the carrying forward the marks would be liable to objection, inasmuch as the competitors would not have been examined at the same preliminary test examination, but would have had different questions set and valued by different exami

ners.

"From this it appears to follow as a necessary consequence that the competitive examination should comprise the subjects of the test examination, as well as others calculated to show the relative ability and industry of the candidates. By this arrangement and by taking great care to give due relative weight in the competition to the official subjects as contradistinguished from the educational subjects, we think we should secure for the public not only intelligent and industrious but able and useful clerks.

"We do not propose in respect of the competitive examination any alteration in the subjects at present prescribed, except that the candidate should be permitted, by way of addition or substitution, to be examined in and have credit for any one or more of the ancient or modern languages or elementary mathematics. We think that these are better and fairer tests of ability and industry than history or geography.

"The preceding observations are limited to the clerkships in the Customs, Inland Revenue, and Audit Office, &c., but we see no necessity for materially qualifying them in reference to the clerkships which are filled up by the Secretaries of State or chief authorities in the respective departments, except that, as single vacancies would often be disposed of, the number of effective competitors should, according to the recommendation of the Committee, be five at least.

"We think that as to these, as well as to the former class, the preliminary test examination and the competitive examination should be distinct; that the preliminary test examinations should be sufficiently frequent to secure a stock of effective candidates, and should be directed to the official and special subjects prescribed for the department; and

that the competitive examinations should comprise these, as well as the further subjects requisite for judging of the ability and industry of the candidates.

In adapting these arrangements to the various and numerous departments of the public service, some modifications of detail of the present system will naturally be found necessary, but we do not anticipate any difficulty in adjusting them; but we think it right to point out that a considerable increase of labour will be thrown upon our assistant examiners by the preliminary test examinations, which will be, for the most part, clear additions to their present duties. In this view the. suggestion of the Committee, that a small fee should be demanded from each candidate, appears to be well worthy of attention, as it would tend to meet any increase of expense which might become necessary.

"One of the recommendations offered by the Committee is the following:-That in all cases the necessary moral and medical qualifications of each candidate should be ascertained previously to his being submitted to the required educational test.

"Assuming that by the required educational test the Committee mean the competitive examination, we must remark that we think that there are considerable difficulties in giving effect to this recommendation. As there are to be three candidates at least for each vacancy, twothirds of the time, trouble, and expense of obtaining these particulars would be almost entirely thrown away; and although some delay will doubtless result from deferring these inquiries until the competitive examination has determined who are the parties whose moral and medical qualifications it is necessary to ascertain, yet we think this delay is not so great an evil as the task of unnecessarily making careful inquiries into health and character, which are almost always difficult, and sometimes invidious and painful. We conceive, however, that the candidates ought to bring with them primâ facie evidence of age, health, and character, including also references to the parties of whom subsequent inquiries are to be made.

"Several questions of more or less importance remain, but it has appeared to us undesirable to encumber the present communication with matters of detail. Among those questions the following may deserve consideration :-Whether a candidate who has failed to pass a test examination should be allowed to present himself again before the expiration of a certain interval, or more than a certain number of times? Whether any similar restrictions should be established with regard to candidates unsuccessful in competitions? And whether a candidate who has once passed the test should remain eligible for competition until he reaches the higher limit of age, or only for a definite time ?*

"We have, &c."

Departments into which competition for Departments into which competition for clerkships has been introduced :

-

clerkships has not been introduced:

Admiralty Court.

Charity Commission.

Colonial Land and Emigration Office.
Copyhold Inclosure and Tithe Commis
sion.
Exchequer.

Factories Department.
Reformatories Office.
House of Commons.
Indian Audit Office.
London Gazette Office.

To the foregoing letter we received the following answer :

The Honourable H. Brand, M.P., to the Civil Service Commissioners. "GENTLEMEN, 21st March 1861.

"I AM commanded by the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury to inform you that their Lordships have carefully considered the propositions made by you, according to their request, for carrying into effect the recommendation of the Select Committee of the House of Commons, that a preliminary test examination be required of candidates nominated to compete for clerkships in the civil service.

"My Lords are of opinion that, of the two plans proposed for carrying out such preliminary test examination, the more convenient arrangement, as far as concerns the appointments under their Lordships' control, will be that a number of duly qualified candidates should be from time to time nominated for examination; and with this view my Lords propose to nominate such candidates as they shall select by forwarding their names to you, as at liberty to undergo the test examination for one or more of the departments under their Lordships' control.

"My Lords would suggest that the candidates so nominated should be required to attend within one month from the date of their nomination to undergo the preliminary test examination, at such time and place as you may direct; and that, should you see fit, one day or two days in

each week might be set apart as those upon which candidates, duly nominated, should be at liberty to attend at your office for examination.

"Should you think it expedient to adopt this suggestion, their Lordships would request to be informed of the arrangements most convenient to you for carrying it out, in order that effect may be given to it without delay.

"While adopting, however, the plan of forming a list of qualified candidates, my Lords will reserve to themselves the power, should circumstances render it desirable, of selecting candidates who have not passed the preliminary test, to be nominated with others who have already passed it, as competitors for any vacancies which may arise, provided that in all cases candidates so nominated shall first pass the test and duly qualify themselves for competition.

"It will be for their Lordships to take steps to prevent any erroneous belief on the part of candidates who have passed the test that they have thereby acquired a claim to be nominated for competition; but, with the view of further removing such an impression, my Lords would request that a report of the result of all test examinations should be furnished to them, rather than that any certificate or other document should be given to the successful candidates.

"My Lords concur in opinion with you that in the preliminary test examination the subjects which may be more properly termed educational may be dispensed with, the preliminary test being made thoroughly effective in the more necessary subjects of Orthography, Handwriting, Arithmetic, and English Composition, as also in Latin and in Book-keeping where the regulations require a knowledge of those subjects.*

"Their Lordships are, however, disposed to doubt whether in the competitive examination any addition should be made to the subjects at present prescribed, except with the entire sanction and approval of the heads of the different departments; and they consider that the same approval should be obtained before a candidate is allowed to substitute any one or more of the subjects mentioned by you for subjects now prescribed under the sanction of the heads of departments.

"My Lords entirely agree with you in thinking that it will be inexpedient to carry out the recommendation of the Committee that the necessary moral and physical qualifications of candidates should in all cases be ascertained previously to their being submitted to the required educational test, but at the same time their Lordships will comply with your suggestion that all candidates should be desired to bring with them primâ facie evidence of age, health, and character, including references to the parties of whom subsequent inquiries are to be made. "With regard to the suggestion of the Committee that a small fee be required from candidates to defray the expenses of test examinations, and to the other questions which you have raised, such as, whether any rules might be laid down for restricting the number of nominations to be allowed to a candidate for the test and competitive examination, my Lords are not at present disposed to offer a decided opinion, and they would prefer that, should it be hereafter found desirable to lay down any specific rules on these points, their adoption should be postponed until further experience shall have been obtained as to the practical effects of the system which it is now proposed to initiate.

"I have, &c."

There are some clerkships in the gift of the Treasury for which the prescribed subjects are more numerous than those for the Customs and Excise. For such clerkships the preliminary test examination will require to be less limited.

In carrying into effect the arrangements indicated in the foregoing correspondence with respect to a preliminary test examination, we propose to give our best consideration towards rendering that examination efficient, and especially in handwriting and the lower part of arithmetic.

The definition of a good hand which we offered in one of our early Reports, and which, in fact, rests on the highest official authority, is, "that good handwriting should consist in the clear "formation of the letters of the alphabet.'

"

We can assert with confidence that with a moderate degree of industry and perseverance this kind of handwriting is attainable by almost every educated person, and yet the experience of every one acquainted with official business shows that this most useful accomplishment is somewhat exceptional.

We hope and believe, however, that we shall succeed in introducing some improvement in this respect, by increasing the strictness of our requirements upon this subject.

With regard to arithmetic, without increasing the present limited extent of the subject, we propose strictly to require the correct execution of a certain proportion of the sums which will be set, especially in the addition of money.

We shall find less difficulty in thus dealing with the pass examinations when they are separated from the competitive examinations, inasmuch as we shall not be embarrassed by the difficulty of keeping up the standard in the necessary official requirements, as regards those candidates who show comparative merit in the more purely educational subjects.

Whilst upon this subject, we think it right to notice that the experience of the year 1860 confirms the view taken by the Committee as to the illusory nature of competitions, unless between candidates positively fit for the office competed for. Without entering into statistics of too detailed a character on this point, it may be sufficient to point out that in a competition for 42 clerkships at the Admiralty there were 66 candidates, but only 24 were competent;

In a competition for 13 clerkships in the same department there were 17 candidates, but only 11 competent;

In a competition for a Customs clerkship at Hull there were 4 candidates, but no one competent;

In a competition for 7 clerkships in the India Office there were 9 candidates, but only 5 competent.

In these several cases, the competent candidates being less in number than the vacancies, they obtained their appointments in respect of their positive, and not their relative fitness; and there was no practical difference in the results of these examinations from those which would have taken place had the same candidates (successful and unsuccessful) been simply nominated without competition.

From these instances it will be seen that the proposed change in the system, by which competitions will in future only take place between effective candidates, can hardly fail to bring