A. His handwriting must be clear, rapid, neat, and of that even stroke which allows a legible copy to be taken by pressing. B. He must be able to make abstracts or dockets of correspondence, and to write in good grammatical English either from rough notes or on a given subject. C. He must be an expert arithmetician, able to digest returns (under guidance) into summaries, and to calculate per-centages. D. He must understand the principles and practice of book-keeping. In addition to the subjects just named, candidates will be allowed to name for themselves one or more subjects to the Civil Service Commissioners in which they wish to be examined, with a view to exhibit proof of their industry and intelligence. In this voluntary part of the examination, no marks (of a character beneficial to the candidate) will be given for any exercises which do not exhibit respectable proficiency, and very much higher marks will be given for excellence in one subject than for medio crity in several. Candidates who may have made language, mathematics, natural science, geography, or modern history their especial study will thus have an opportunity of proving their powers. Book-keeping, as a subject of examination, holds an intermediate place between the indispensable and the voluntary subjects. Failure in it will not ipso facto exclude, but an intelligent acquaintance with the principles and practice of it will be held to mark special aptitude as well as general eligibility for appointment. In the voluntary subjects, no preference will be given to one subject over another. Cæteris paribus, the greater weight will always be given to superiority in the indispensable subjects. The Lord President would be glad if among the there were young men, whom, after a careful inquiry and selection, you could confidently recommend as candidates; but, for the sake of saving disappointment to your nominees and needless labour to the Civil Service Commissioners, his Lordship relies upon your not putting forward any candidate who does not appear to you to have a reasonable prospect of success. The names of any candidates whom you may recommend will be at once communicated to the Civil Service Commissioners, from whose office the candidates will (by letter) receive instructions what steps to take in order to present themselves for examination. You will be good enough, therefore, to be careful to give me the addresses as well as the names of your nominees. Candidates whether they succeed or fail, must bear all expenses incurred by them in attending the examinations. All appointments are made upon probation, which is not merely nominal, but is real and strict, extending over a period of twelve months, and embracing all the qualifications of a clerk, moral, mental, and physical. The examination, beginning on Tuesday the 25th instant, will probably end on Friday; but candidates should arrange for attendance to the end of Saturday. I shall be obliged to you, if you will let me know at your earliest convenience the name and address of any candidate or candidates whom you may wish to recommend. I have, &c. SIR, EMIGRATION OFFICE. Mr. Maitland to Mr. Walcott. Civil Service Commission, 21st January 1858. In reply to your letter of yesterday's date, acquainting me with Mr. present age, I am directed to request that you will convey to the Emigration Commissioners the thanks of the Civil Service Commissioners for the information which has been given, and that you will at the same time ascertain whether there is any objection to a general extension of the limits of age to 30, in the case of candidates who having entered the public service under 25 have since served continuously. From your letter of 1st August 1855, it is inferred that the Emigration Commissioners approve of some regulation of the kind, and the form suggested is that which has been adopted by other offices. In order that unnecessary delay may be avoided, an order for the examination of Mr. is enclosed. I have, &c. L SIR, Mr. Walcott to Mr. Maitland. 8, Park St., Westminster, S.W., I AM directed by the Emigration Commissioners to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 21st instant, inquiring whether there be any objection on the part of the Commissioners to a general extension of the limit of age to 30, in the case of candidates who having entered the public service while under 25 have since served continuously. Referring to your previous letter of the 19th instant, in which you mention that in several of the public departments there are rules extending the ordinary limits of age, in the case of extra clerks nominated to fill vacancies on the establishment, and that such extension is usually for a definite term, as 5, 10, or (in one department) 15 years, the Commissioners direct me to state that as regards this department they think that the period of 10 years would be a reasonable extension of the limit of age. The Commissioners would propose, therefore, that in such cases an extra clerk serving continuously should not be ineligible, on the score of age for an appointment on the establishment up to the age of 35 years, provided that he had been admitted as an extra clerk before the age of 25. SIR, Mr. Maitland to Mr. Walcott. I have, &c. Civil Service Commission, 28th January 1858. In reply to your letter of the 26th instant, communicating the opinion of the Emigration Commissioners as to the extent to which the limits of age should be enlarged in favour of extra clerks, I am directed by the Civil Service Commissioners to signify their acquiescence in the proposed alteration, it being assumed that continuous service from first admission as extra clerk will be required, in order to give a claim to the benefit of the extension. SIR, FOREIGN OFFICE. Mr. Hammond to Mr. Maitland. I have, &c. Foreign Office, 2nd December 1857. I AM directed by the Earl of Clarendon to request that you will acquaint the Civil Service Commissioners that his Lordship proposes, in filling up any vacancy which may hereafter occur among the clerks on the establishment of the Foreign Office, to name three candidates for examination by the Commissioners, and to appoint to the vacant clerkship that one of the three whom the Commissioners may certify to him as having acquitted himself the most to their satisfaction, within the limits prescribed by his Lordship for the examination of clerks, and who may possess the other qualifications specified in my letter of the 25th of June 1855. Lord Clarendon does not think it necessary to require candidates for clerkships in the Foreign Office to exhibit a proficiency in any other matters than those stated in my above-mentioned letter, namely, that they should be able to write a good bold hand, forming each letter distinctly; to write quickly and correctly either English or French from dictation; to understand French well; and to be able to make an accurate and good translation of any French paper; and also to make a correct and clear précis or abstract of any set of papers placed in their hands. But, as it may happen that two may prove themselves equally competent in these respects, Lord Clarendon thinks that in such a case a preference might be given to that one of the two who may be able to make the best translation from German into English, and to read the German written character. Lord Clarendon, however, directs me to observe, that as regards translations either in the case of candidates for clerkships, or of candidates for attachéships, and also as regards the power of conversation in the case of the latter, the test to which he would wish candidates to be subjected should be translations from authors of recent date, and conversation on the ordinary topics treated of in society, rather than translations from poetical or technical works, or conversations on philosophical and abstruse subjects. Lord Clarendon directs me further to say, that in carrying out this scheme for competitive examination in the case of candidates for clerkships in the Foreign Office, he trusts that the Civil Service Commissioners will have the goodness to bear in mind the essential conditions specified in my letter above referred to in regard to the character and physical constitution of candidates. SIR, Mr. Maitland to Mr. Hammond. I am, &c. Civil Service Commission, 24th December 1857. I AM directed by the Civil Service Commissioners to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 2nd instant, in which, after acquainting me for their information with the plan intended by the Earl of Clarendon to be hereafter adopted in filling up vacancies which may occur among the clerks in the establishment of the Foreign Office, and stating his Lordship's wishes as to the subjects of examination, you proceed to communicate his Lordship's views as to the authors from whom passages for translation should be selected, and the topics which should be excluded from vivâ voce examinations, And in reply, I am, in the first place, to request that you will assure his Lordship of the readiness of the Civil Service Commissioners to give, so far as may be in their power, satisfactory effect to his intentions. At the same time, the Commissioners are led by the experience which they have acquired to doubt whether a scheme of examination so limited in extent as that now proposed will satisfactorily test the relative merits of competing candidates. They have the less hesitation in expressing this opinion, owing to the circumstance that in the majority of the public departments lists of subjects considerably more extended have been framed. The Commissioners, therefore, submit the question to Lord Clarendon's consideration, and under the impression that his Lordship may be desirous of seeing the course adopted by other departments, they direct me to transmit the printed paper which is enclosed. Before quitting this portion of your letter, I am to observe that, if strictly construed, it would render the introduction of the German language an extremely rare occurrence. It is presumed, that where two or more candidates, whose handwriting and orthography are satisfactory, have severally displayed sufficient ability in the composition of a précis and sufficient acquaintance with the French language, the case in which German is to be introduced will arise, although the competitors may not have obtained exactly the same number of marks, and may not, therefore, in strictness "be equally competent." If your meaning on this point has been misapprehended, the Commissioners will be glad to be informed. With regard to the authors from whose works passages for translation should be selected, the Commissioners are able to assure Lord Clarendon that their practice has been to a very great extent in accordance with his views as expressed in your letter. No case, it is believed, has yet occurred in which a candidate examined in French for the Foreign Office, or the services connected with it, has not had for translation into English at least one passage of average difficulty selected from some modern prose author, and in no case has a candidate been rejected for incompetence to translate, if his version of the passage so selected was even moderately good and accurate. It must at the same time be admitted that the works of Montesquieu, Racine, Molière, and other authors of older date, have occasionally been resorted to. The Commissioners think that they will be able to act according to the spirit of your letter without absolutely refusing to candidates the opportunity of showing a somewhat more extended acquaintance with the French language than that which at the present day is possessed by the great majority of educated persons. In the case of a candidate who was examined in the Russian language, Karamsin was selected as an author whose style is easier than that of more modern writers, but the observations just made apply, it is believed, to all other examinations in modern languages which have been held at this office. With respect to the choice of topics for conversation, I am to state that the Commissioners entirely concur with Lord Clarendon in wishing that abstruse and philosophical subjects should be avoided. It has always been the rule that one of the Assistant Examiners permanently employed at this office should be present at vivâ voce examinations, although, in the case of some at least of those by whom such examinations have been conducted, the precaution might safely have been omitted and from the reports made to them, the Commissioners are led to believe that the examinations have been free from the objection which you mention. They will, however, take care that proper instructions are given on the subject. I am in conclusion to state that the Commissioners trust they have not hitherto been neglectful of the important points adverted to in the last paragraph of your letter, and that they receive with satisfaction the expression of Lord Clarendon's wish that they should continue to act with proper diligence in the discharge of the duties with which they have been intrusted. I am, &c. Mr. Hammond to Mr. Maitland. SIR, Foreign Office, 31st December 1857. I HAVE laid before the Earl of Clarendon your letter of the 24th of this month, and, in reply, I am to request that you will acquaint the Civil Service Commissioners that his Lordship adopts the interpretation placed by them on that part of my letter of the 2nd instant which relates to the introduction of the German language into the examination of candidates for clerkships in the Foreign Office, and is content that when two or more candidates, whose handwriting and ortho graphy are satisfactory, have severally displayed sufficient ability in the composition of a précis, and sufficient acquaintance with the French language, the case in which German is to be introduced will arise, although the competitors may not have obtained exactly the same number of marks, and may not therefore in strictness be equally competent. I am, &c. SIR, HOUSE OF COMMONS. Sir Denis Le Marchant, Bart., to Mr. Maitland. 25th September 1857. I HAVE to request that you will acquaint the Civil Service Commissioners, that from the representations addressed to me from various quarters on the subject of the examinations for clerkships in the Journal Office of the House of Commous, I am induced to think that the scheme I submitted to the Commissioners may be improved by dispensing with Greek as a requisite part of the examination, and I find that this has been done in other departments where the subject has received attentive consideration. I beg at the same time to state that in giving up this part of the classical examination, I have no desire to lower the standard of knowledge which the candidates are expected to reach in the other parts of their examination; the duties of the Journal Office can only be satisfactorily performed by men of a liberal education, good sense, and some aptitude for business, and the tests already applied by the Commissioners, are not as far as I can judge too severe. Latin I regard as essential. Yours, &c. Mr. Mann to Sir Denis Le Marchant, Bart. Civil Service Commission, 26th September 1857. SIR, And I am to state that the Commissioners will carry out your wishes in this respect; attending at the same time to your desire that the standard of knowledge which the candidates are required to reach in the other parts of their examination should not be lowered. I have, &c. INLAND REVENUE. Mr. Keogh to Mr. Maitland. Inland Revenue, Somerset House, 26th October 1857. SIR, THE Comptroller of Legacy Duties having reported to the Board that, book-keeping not being used in any branch of that office, a knowledge of it is not requisite for candidates for clerkships therein; the Board are of opinion that in any future cases of nominations to that office, an examination in this branch of knowledge would not be necessary, and may therefore be dispensed with. |