The Express.
London, England, 1856-03-11 00:00:00

LONDON, TUBSDAY, MARCH 11.

ON the 21st of May, 185+5, Sir EDWARD RYAN, Mr.
Joins SHAW Laravas, and Mr. EDWARD &DIMLY.
wen appointed her Ms3errv's Civil Service COMMIS-
Si 00011; and we have now before us the first Report of
these Commissioners, which was signed by the two
i first-named gentlemen last Tuesday. No time cer-
tainly his been lost ; nor indeed, seeing the serious
objections to which any plan of examination for•
admission into the public service was exposed, is it
unnatural that the Commissioners should desire to
explain themselves by publishing their Report as
soon as possible after they have completed their
arrangements. It is obvions enough that the capa-
city of a young man to fulfil the duties to be per-
formed in a Government office, would be most inade.
quately tested by say mere inquiry into the amount of
knowledge he possessed. As the late Sir WILLIAM
MOLESWORTH observed to the Commissioners, " We
must not proceed as if we were in 'earth of the en-
dowments which qualify for imaginative or optical*.
tire authorship. What we want is the practical ability
and information which is appropriate to the superin-
tendence of public affsirs and the transaction of public
business." In the same tone the present COLONIAL
Saritnzurr dwells upon the sterling but lees brilliant
qualities which are valuable in public offices daring
the earlier part of a clerk's employment—" Meeks-
Waal accuracy, habits of oarefuloess, a ready and
precise memory of detail., punctuality sad neatness in
the discharge of enioutne, a readiness to take an
interest in comparatively uninteresting work, and
that gentlemasly spirit which prompts at ones
to 00-operation with superiors and subordination
to them' In a matter, therefore, in which
a mere intellectual test was of necessity so
imperfect, it was not, we confess, without
many misgivings that we saw the scheme of
a genera] examination established. For such an exa-
mination, gale's most judiciously conducted, might
not only be the means of filling the public offices
with the cleverest and most showy youths in the
country—those asides ierraks of sober officials;
but might also have the effect of excluding many
most valuable men from the public service. So
far, however, as we are able to judge from the
Report before us, and front other sources of in-
formation, we are inclined to believe that the exa-
minations have been strictly impartial, and judiciously
conducted, and that the Civil Service cannot fail to
improve in efficiency under this new eyelets. Nor
are we disposed to feel less eonfidenos in the truth of
this opinion by finding such men se Lord CIARIN-
DON, the late Sir WILLIAM Moutewonrs, and Mr.
LABOUCHIRE, throwing themselves zealously into the
DOW

The object of the appointment of this Commission
was, according to the Order in Council, "to make
provision for tasting the qualifications of the young
men who may from time to time be proposed to be
appointed to the junior situations in any of her M• •
nerve Civil Establishonote. " The Commissioners"
an their appointment at once addressed letters to the
miens departments, in order to ascertain the qua-
linden which were deemed requisite for holding
silles in each . of them. Thee the @indeed is
elerniined by the office itself into which the young
mu is to enter. The csodidate, however, is not soy
individual who chooses to present himself. The
Minister who exercised the patronage of the appoint-
ment before the Order in Council was issued exercises
itnow. But thiamine of the patron, instead of at
wee being installed in office, is compelled to pass the
idea of the Examine» appointed by the Civil Ber-
else Oommiesieners. If there is only one nominee,
tlen the Commiseinaers declare whether he has
satiated the standard of intellectual qualification;
and if be has as satisfied it, he is admitted to the
distils and insinuate of the appointment. The
Mater, brerrese, may nominate several candidates,
and then the examination becomes competitive. At
a preliminary examination the candidates are re-
gared to satisfy the standard of essentials—the etas-
lord imposed upon every osedidate—and those who
pt through this are then subjected to a further trial,
in stir to ascertain which of them is the most highly
gasified pence, and to him the appointment falls. In
addition to this the anosesfal candidate is still under
grandee during six months after entering upon his
dans, so that an although the Commissions» admit,
by ea error ofjedgmeat, some who are unfit, any such
Cur may be remedied. From these observations it
b slur that the ales of the Commissioners is prin.
drily to amertan the intellectual qualification of the
andidates. The moral qualities, the personal qualifi-
cation of young men, are matters left to the judis
Mali the Minister who confers the nomination.
Al a Minister has to do, if dissatisfied oa these
Is to refuse to Dominate. It is clear, thanker*,
whatever security the old system possessed for
ableinieg judicious and sensible public officers still
Innies and that at all events "this manias»)a
bibas the means of excluding the incompetent."
Melt misapprehension seems to prevail as to the
sollemid the examination to which candidates for
hems are called apes to submit. This mis-
swami has no doubt been osessioned by failing
dirlbrii the papers prepared for coseepeeine
ininstiou frees those prepared for en ordinary •
puce examination. The accomplishments required by
daft all the departments seem to be these: good
lendirriting, cos not spelling in the Customs
tolerable spelling—sod some knowledge of arithmetic,
usually including vulgar and decimal fraction.
With rented to eierkships end such situations, most
departments have required the ability to make an
abstract or phis of official papers, and some know-
ledge of English campoeitioa. When the business of
a department is of a financial obereater, book-keepisg
is required; sad in other departments, in order to
test the general intelligence sad education of the can-
didates, the outlines of history, geography, Latin or
nu foreign language are demanded. Perhaps the
most elaborate scheme of examination is that pro-
ponied by Lord astatine@ ; and certainly, consider-
lag the position which on diplomatic agent' and 000•
wale occupy abroad, and the difficult and delicate
dans they have to discharge, the anxiety of the
FOlllOll 13ECIPITAIIT to secure MS of high acquire-
ments is exceedingly laudable. Every person in the
diplomatic service most, besides having received a good
English aneatioa, be able to read and write French
correctly ; the unpaid attacAE, when promoted to be
a paid aliachl, must show that be has a speaking
and writing knowledge of the languages of the coun-
tries in which he has resided since his first appoint-
ment ; and moos then languages Lord CLAWDON
expressly includes Russian, Turkish, Persian, and
modern Greek. Moreover, the paid attaeld most
draw up a report on the general commercial and

political relations of the several countries in which
he hu resided, on their internal polity, their 'dada-
' istrative and social institutions, and the character of
the people. It strikes us that one inch report, pre-
pared for a special occasion, may be a very deceptive
test of competency. A more satisfactory method of
ascertaining what is in a young man was adopted by
Sir HAMILTON SEYMOUR. He was in the habit of
pending his attuchgs on excursions, and desiring
them to draw up reports of anything noteworthy
they might observe, assuring them that these re-
ports, with the names of the persons who prepared
them, would be transmitted to headquarters. The
preparation of a series of such papers is at once an
excellent exercise and a sure test of their ability.
A youngster may be " crammed " for one speci-
men report. The consuls, besides a good English
education, must speak and write French fluently, and
must know the language of the port at which they
are appointed to reside, and must also be acquainted
with British mercantile and commercial law.

In considering the question of the Civil Service it
should not be forgotten i hat, although in some instances
a successful candidate may attain an annuity of 1,0001.
or 1,2001. a year, still the salaries of the larger pro-
portion of situations range between 801. and 2801. •
year. Nevertheless, it seems that between the 30th
of June last, when the first examination took place,
and the 31st of December, 1855,n0 fewer than 1,103
persons obtained nominations entitling them to be
examined. Ot these 727 were examined, 693 in
order to pass, and to satisfy the standard of the office,
whilst 134 underwent a competitive examination.
Out of 693, no fewer than 186 were rejected ; so the'
in six months 185 incompetent officials would, but
for this examination, have been saddled on the Ex-
chequer. Nor let it be suppooed that these 186
were unjustly rej,cted. Out of 89 rejected,
33 were for arithmetic and polling, 13 for
arithmetic alone, and 10 foe arithmetic, spell-
ing, and writing. In writing from dictation the ig-
norance of the candidates I. somewhat startling, and
the Commissioners have, in the Appendix, furnished
us with specimens of their failure. Of the 186
rejected we find 40 for spelling, 23 for spelling and
writing, 27 for spelling and arithmetic, and 72 for
deficient spelling combined with other faults. The
rejection being thus ceased in the majority of cues by
ignorance in the mere elements of education, it would
at first sight appear as if the education of the middle
classes of this country was in a very inferior condi-
tion. But this would be too rash an inference.
For, as the Report observes, a the frequent Dow-
rent* of ignorant candidates arises from the fact
that many of the inferior appointments are made
without personal knowledge of the fitness of the
party, on the recommendation of some other person
. .

_ • who is desirous, tot ot supplying the public with a
useful offioer, but of m .king a competent provision for
a friend." The history ot the competitive examine,-
boo is too instructive to be omitted. Between July,
1866, and February, 1868, there have been fifteen such

examinations. Toe situations to be tried tor amounted
to SS, the candidates who obtained nominations to
stand were no fewer than 247. In one of these examl
nations, held in October, for one situation in the War
Department, two candidates were declared equal, and
both ob:aiaed appointments ; and instance.. already
exist in which a miccessfel candidate has obtained
promotion by reason of a certificate obtained on sub-
mitting toe voluntary examination.

Tax annual general meeting of the Literary Fund
Society, which is to take place to-morrow, will give
occasion for another protest by the literary commu-
nity against having their affairs mismanaged by
dilettanti. Mr. CHARLES DICKENS and other repre-
sentatives of their claim, struggled last year to intro-
duce reasonable economy into the pecuniary arrange-
ments of the establishment ; they expressed an opinion
that spacious apartments coating upwards of 2001. a
year ars hardly necessary for the accommodation of a
committee which meets only six times in the year;
and that a secretary with a yearly salary of 2001. to
reside in these apartments and to help three treasurers,
three registrars, and several other executive officers
to dole oat temporary relief to from forty to fifty
recipients, is an extravagance never contemplated by
Davit) WiLuaus, the founder. Independent sub-
scabies and donors never assuredly intended that the
east of every benevolent draft drawn by the managers
of the institution during the past ten years should be
between 111. and 121. They surely cannot continue
to add to the fund with their eyes open to the fact
that fts. of every sovereign they give goes to pay the
rent of splendid apartments, used mainly as the
private residence of the secretary, and to provide that
gentleman with a salary of 2004 a year for being
so good as to live in them, and for exerting himself
to the extent of distributing a few cheques in the
coarse of the year. There is no need to include
his preliminary trouble in making inquiries and re-
ceiving applications; because, if the Society were
administered by literary men, no inquiries would be
needed, as they would know each applicant person-
ally, and would be able to judge at once of his cue
—the reception and recording of applications being
properly the duty of the registrars.
Is there asything peculiar In the constitution of
the Royal Literary Fond to tension so mach ex-
pense P Are other similar institatioos as costly P Take
the case of the Artists' Benevolent Food, which is
exactly analogous. On turning to the last report of
this Associations we find that during ten years the
expense louvred in distributing relief to 669 perms
was only 90614 the Literary Fend wasted daring
the same ten years the best half of 6,0911. (4,0004
more), in helping only 429 persons (1301 ms). Again,
the Royal Society of Maidens, which differs bat
slightly in ennatitation from the Literary Fund,
transacts mote than treble the amount of bungee. at
a cost last year of 1601. The Royal Society of Musi-
cians and the Artists' Benevolent Fond are thus
economically end admirably administered, because
their managing governors are not chiefly amateurs,
bat exclusively professional geatlemen. So far from
squandering their substance in expensive chambers
and committee rooms, the committee of the Royal
Satiety of Maidens defray all the expenses of their
various meetings out of their own pockets.
We hope, however, that the literary agitators for
reform in the administration of the affairs of the
Literary Fund, will not be content with the mere
question of economy. The whole constitution of the
Society nsanifesty requires change. If handsome
room. be essential to its existence, let them at least
be pat to some useful purpose. Let a Library be
formed, and let the institution be made • focus and
meeting place foe the members of the profession,
whom it is meant to benefit.

CAMBRIDGE UNITIRSITY, MARCR 10.—The two
idd medals plea aaaaa .1, by ►is Itoysl Milhous its
Chasmlior to hi two osiawassiag Inclusions of ails who,
►ariog obtaiaed orntior optima at least, show themselves
the 'realm proficient' I. ataseirsel kerning, haws been ad-
judged to N. L. lirtwa, Triad, Ostler, and T. 8. Rowe,
Bt. John's Whop.
DEPARTMENT Or SCIENCE AND ART.—Yesterday
an order a council was rtoted as a l artionentarp pion
Necheg lb* department r I Bolero , and Art adder the L. rl
President of ths Coastal, boa eabordlnaung It to ths edu-
cation department.

SLIGO IlLacnow.—lt is said that a committee of
the Howie of Comatose will have to decals apes the Blieo
ebe that a rialtos will be punted defies th,
present week.

THE EXPILEtsB, TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 11, 1868.

'Ely court.

The Queen and Priam Albert, accompanied by
the Primate Royal, dined with the Deem.. of Cambeidp
last *yentas, .t her fee .1.4 C 9 is St. Jaaem'e Poems. The
Ptincere fd••y sed th- Duke of Calibrelse were pretest
lh • tol ow sg had h. ►onour of r, c -imag invitations to
meet the lase's, end wore al-c. pretest:—Cant Kb imm-
ense, tie Elsanyorieu Minister; Lody Churchill, Lady is
Waiting to the Qu!en ; the Date of Neseestle, the Marquis
of Lass.lowee, the EA of &tibiae, Bed and Coontem
Oraarll•, the Earl of Wrote'. r. I.nd, Vu oant and Vie.
coact is Sydney; M•jo..Geearal Back.. y. Equerly is
Waiting to bee 111J.Ity ; Captain the Ll,o D. De Hoe,
Roo rry in Waiting to Priem Albert; Major Mine
&merry in Waiting tot to Di,chem of Cambridge; and Lite-
talent C l,nel Tyrwhi t, Equerry is Waiting the Doke
of Cambridge.

Ih. Prince Cotoort r•de oa horseback in the ftrenoon,
wit i the Prance of Wales sod Prine• Alfred, attended by
Derain tt e lion. D. De D nie and Mr Gibbs.

Prince V ctorof lioarslo a arrived in town yesterday,
visited her Ilajsety at Buskragharn Palace, sad left Linden
la tlinaltern-on for Prognosis.

Prince Arthur and the Princesses Helena and Louisa
visited the Dashes, of lioucisur, at Gloucester Hones.

A detotetioa os the reject of et am pos,al commoaiea-
tiro WI I Attetralis had ea anterei.w cm o the Cow c llor of
tee Exchequer yetterdity. at Its olBci4 madame la D-wa•
street. Th. clepotet on emiateied of Meseta. W. C.
West* oith sad WWI*. ill'Artliar (I.'. m. inhere of legis-
lative Goosed of 14. w 8 oath Wale.), Me, era. Job. More
Awry and 0. W. C 1. (Ids neesoners of Lecieletive Coat-
ed of V.ct n e), Mr. J ,In Senile,. (lite member of L. 04
tows C,,uor lo' T-em ,ol ), Mr. D. Lemuel (menaper,b mk,
New 8 a,b W. 1.). Mr. ft ibeit Brooke, Mr. Elwood
Wes, by. Mr. F. A. Da Coos, Mr. James A. Foal, sad Mr.
3, he C. Kota
A deput it•oo (toot the T rqsse Loral Board of Health
had an iaterviiw y eterday with th • Right Hoc. W. Cow-
per, Proudest of toe General Board of 111113111, at ht. office,
Whitehall. Toe deps.suan c iterated of Mr W. K,taoa
(chairman of the to :el boar.), Mears. R•ibisioa, Richard.,
sad Harvey, stunned ty Mr. 0. C. Raider, t • clerk ti the
bo rd.
. . _

M. :sadist (oefike imerfletra4). with Mr. P. y -ter, sod
Mr. WM.O C. r. to, hut se lot. mew env% the Char.°, lor
of the Eiltrgeer yeeterd.y.
Drapatehre were roe sited et fits Colonial-office yesterday
from the Oman r toe Cape of Goid Hops and the
Governor of the Paklead lauds.

For some days past (eve the Herald) there has
been a rumour prevaleut at the 'meal sad sailitaty clothe
that Sir Edmund I.oons is o be rated to the peerage.

We (Essex Herald) regret to learn intelligence hu
bees received from Scutari that Eus go Wood, son of the
Rea. Sir John Pigs Wood, upon +boos the Commander-
in.Chirf to handsomely conferred a c.mmission in the 13th
Light Dragoons f)T his gallant c madvet in the naval brigade
berme &bait yol, is lyieg dangetonsly 111 from typhoa
fever. Immediately ma receipt of the intelligence Sir John
and Lady Wood lift home to proceed to Scutari.

Mr. Henry Whitmore entertained a select party
of Copse ri &tie* members of the House of Cousons at
<honor on Saturday erstiog, at his residenes in Inwnder
otrest, incleding Lord floury o.irdon Leneos, Viscount
Newport, Lord Will am Or .ham, Lord Charles Clintoo,
Sir W Utam J Coronet Vy.e, Mr. Newdsgato, Mr. 0.
Hassultes, Captain Joil.ffe. sad Camel Taylor.

The eleventh anniversary festival of the Royal
Gen,r 1 Tbea.ricsal Fund tame plass oak Keeney seat,
Ceder the preetdeacy of Lor4 Tesuordee.

A meeting of the Admioistrative Reform Associa-
tion will be held at the London Tavern. as &tardily nest,
to consider the disclosures contained in the repent laid bclore
both houses of pediment on the defence acid capitalatios
of Kers.

A conversation in to be held in the Hanover-
square ROMS' oa Saturday eassiop, Lord Nomura in the
°UM, W inaugarata the Yoavg Woman's Caristian Ass*.
eiatiov.

It is announced that M. Koewith will lecture at
the new echo 4 and lettere room arj dales Spatlelds chspel,
Earrouth-street, Clerkenwell, on Tte colsoardat between
the Pope and Franck Joseph of Autism, with special tolu-
enes to Hungary in genera, aid the protestanties of Hun-
gary in put cutler," on Wednesday evenings, blared 26 and
April 2

The Queen of Sweden, who is spoken of u the
probable godmother of toe fl•et born of the Empress Ea•
genie, is Lint cousin to toe Emperor. Hu Majesty is the
daughter of Eugene Beanntrasis, Mother of tbo QUIVI
Hortense.

A letter from Berlin, of the Bth, lays :—" Prices
Freda r.ek William, only eon of the Priam of Prussia, and
heir presumptive to ihe crown, will pay a new visit to
Magian! in May neat, aid it will be of some duration."

We read in the Paris correspondenoe of Le Nord
:
"La incident °craned a few days ago In one of the ehiet
saline of Paris, which same to show that the roams, of
the chit fa of the gooiest partite against the erbtiag regime
is ler truth entice•. In the audit of the wird., Octant
Fianna sad Count Muray were ananageed. M. and
and Madame Th:e s, Y. and Madera' Restate, M. sad
Madame d'llaseionvi le, sad other tMton, immediately
row, saluted this thirteens of the house, and withdrew. The
lath wee titan slam empty, two or three diplotainate ohne
reatalood to keep MM. Flthaalt and Moray coompaay."

It is announced by the Paris Press* that tneuures
have ►een taiga to expel from the Bourse imams who, to
evade the rale against the adasisaim of Wailer, hem lately
I beat la the habit of going thew in mask attire.

A telegraphic despatch from Berlin, dated yester-
day eveclag, says,—,' The President of Police, Herr V..
Hack*lday, was this orris( shot is a gar by Harr Von
Roc, ow, whoa he bad Ilk obliged to chsl.eagr.”
The Madrid Gaulle, as a proof of the excellent
surer la which t` • elects... telegraph now works in Spain,
rys that the speech of the Emperor of the Preach oa opsa-
lag the Legislative Body was transmitted to Madrid in •
few dares.

The Cl/ladle° of Atheists (Piedmont) relates the
Mowing ♦ royal feacitiosary of this province Ming
abort ti mere y applied to the ecoleflastual authorities for
the amasser, papers and lisesse. The latter rotund, on
the ground that, is the ozonise of his (spotless, be t
Vasa au wive put la the sappy 'Won of 'caveats. The
Setter luit" some to the haowledge of the lateadeat of
the provisos, be lesteatly ant as order to the bishop, intl.
Sating that if the papas I. quetioa wen sot delivered
without delay, the 'affluent would mat to nob Sea-
sane as would effuraalty provost the r. same* of similar
disputes. This threat was sulisient, and so farther obstacle
we. rdised."

The Rev. George Butterworth, A.M., has been
Homed to the perpetual tansy of Dwr►ere', Gloteutor-
stare, valuta ►y the etudes of the Bev. W. O. B. Addis's ;
paves, the BI• hop of Gloucester sad Bristol.

Mr. Hindley, M.P., is to be preseoted with a ter-
timodal, c miotieg of his p rinit, at the Teem-hall, Ash-
ton, oh Beater Monday, the 24th lost.