The Express.
London, England, 1863-09-04 00:00:00

EVERYBODY KNOWS Mr. MILES.
.a. 2 Alfred Webb Mike REMOVED FROM BONDZERRES
to rs, DROOK-BTRUT Ballow?+Were. in 1860.
The Dem. Teoneeng(alereed by Ma) to ail the Mow
" SKIM THAN

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TO OOWILIOTOWDZWib.
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mod be al the oSob, lb. BOarld.lolll4 by Two
ma ca the day of pabileatfes.

I*LNCZBVS.

Torn EVENDIO, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. Boxedla,
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Montgoniery.—To conclude with the favourite farce
of THE ROUGH DlAMOND.—Ccurnienoe at 7.

BIITANIRA.

TEM EvEirDPo, THE ANGEL aPEACE AND PARDON. Il-
lustrated by Protwor Poppies ortoFroiko of llr. Divoluro GREAT
01108 T E►VECT.—Daocte( by Mr. Porker.—And ME DETEC-
TIVE: or. ADVENTURES OF A TICKET OF LEAVE.

EMIR MATSU AT LONDO4I SUDO&
nil DAY Maiming. 4b Attarminin. 66. 23'u
10.11011/10W Mantis'. A.. Allaramma. 7b. 13

LONDON, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4.

Accoanixoto letters lately transmitted from India
Sir CIiiRLFS TREVELYAN hall made certain recom-

mendations to the India Office for changes in the sys-
tem of selecting civil servants by competition.
Leaving it as unrestricted as at present, he proposes
to limit the age for passing the first examination to
between 18 and 21, and to send the successful cam-
.

petiton either to Oxford or to Cambridge for two
years, but without any allowance for their ex-
penses. He proposes that during these two years
each civilian shall study the two vernaculars of the

Presidency to which he is appointed instead of
studying them in India, and that the young
civilians immediately on arrival shall be sent
to their stations in the interior, detaining only

........
the beat to begin work in the offices at Calcutta.
There can be no doubt that it would be a

great public benefit if the civilians could delay their
departure from this country for two years. Their
character would be strengthened, and their educa-
tion would be more complete. Considering the
isolation of the future life, and the serious
. .

responsibility cast upon the Indian civilians, it is
almost impossible that they should possess too much
knowledge, or too much the habit of patient
reflection. Nor do we underrate the benefit of

living in the society of Oxford and Cambridge
undergraduates. But the manner in which Sir
CiLtaLas TILZVXLYAN hopes to accomplish this

object is simply impracticable. It was but the
other day that we took occasion to make ,some
remarks upon the list of successful can-
didates at the last competitive examination
for the Indian appointments. That list
clearly showed that the prime were not
sufficiently attractive to induce the beet
men to leave the English Universities or even the

public schools. The truth is that there is so much
open competition in these days; there are so
many careers open to young men—the Public
Schools, the Cuiversities, the Artillery, and the
Engineers—without considering the mercantile
world, that India presents fewer attractions than
it presented in times past. It is true that no
service secures a comfortable independence in a
shorter period of time. But the hardships and
inconveniences of life in India are so considerable
that most men are content to struggle on at home
rather than endure the lonely luxury of the East.
These notorious facts ought to be known to Sir C.
MINELYAN as well as to others. At all events,
the most cursory perusal of the lists annually
published by the Civil Service Commissioners,
ought to convince him that the Indian Civil
Service does not possess overwhelming attractions,
and that any material diminution of the ad-

vantages at present attached to it would probably
lead to a serious diminution of the number of
candidates.
Under such circumstances the proposal of Sir
C. THETELYAN certainly does appear somewhat
ill-considered. Every successful candidate is to go
for two years to Oxford or Cambridge at kis own
expense. Had his proposal been that the pay
should begin at once, and that the expenses of the
successful candidate should be defrayed by the Go-
vernment, there would be some reason in it.
But these candidates, be it observed, have most of
them been educated at the expense of their relatives
until they compete for Indian appointments. Those
of their coutemporarieswho have had the ability and
the pecuniary means to go to the Universities are
probably already in residence. Many of them
have obtained scholarships, and will in all pro-
bability obtain fellowships. Their career in life is
practically secured. On the other hand, many of
those who enter their names for the Indian com-
petition would certainly have followed the exam-
ples of those who are gone to the Universities.
But they were too poor. Those who know the
cost of being educated at a Scotch or an Irish uni-
versity, or even at some private schools, will un-
derstand that in many cases it is utterly impos-
sible for parents to send their sons to the
English Universities for two years ; and to
insist that every successful competitor should go
for two years to Oxford or Cambridge at their own
expense, would simply be to exclude the ablest
and the poorest of the Indiah candidates. This
would be not only cruel but unjust. But further
it would be injurious to the public service. If,
even at the present moment, only the second-rate
men are obtained from the English Universities,
what would be the consequence of excluding the
best lads from other places of education t The
public service would be deprived of some of the
ablest young men who are willing to enter it ,
whilst the number of University candidates would
not be increased by a single name.
It is difficult to appreciate the principle upon
which Sir C. Twin:este rests his new proposal.
He says, indeed, that "the object of his plan is
" to secure gentlemen by letting wealth have its
" fair influence, for poor men will not study
" for two years at the Universities at their
" own cost." According to the literal inter-
pretation of this language, his object seems
to be to exdude poor men from the Indian
Civil Service. There is certainly no branch
of any existing public service either at home or
abroad from which all persons are excluded unless
their relations can afford to send them to an English
University for two years. Nor does it appear that
the Indian Service should be the only exception.
But, further, Sir C. TRZVILTAN desires to secure
by means of an University training that " gentle-
manliness" and knowledge of the world, that esprit
de coops, and that physical energy which are said to
be wanting in the majority of the young civilians.
If Sir C. TRETE:LT.I.N had himself been at an
English University he would have known that the
virtue of " gentlemanliness" is net always instilled
into University men, and that it is a flower which
may be plucked in other fields than those by the
Isis and the Cam. The rulers of India must be
able and honourable men, and they must practi-
cally be selected from the civilians. But the
vigour and independence of the men who win
their way in an open competition furnish evidence
enough that they will prove useful public servants,
without compelling them to spend two years at