trative revolution, which soon became of immediate practical importance, through the zeal with which the appointed commissioners began the discharge of their duties. They placed themselves at once in communication with the authorities of the several departments, to ascertain from them the subjects which they might deem it expedient to prescribe; and coming in the majority of nstances to an easy arrangement, the examinations were begun forthwith. On the 4th of March, 1856, the commissioners. - reduced meanwhile by the resignation of Mr. Edward Romilly, to two members, Sir Edward Ryan and Mr. (now Sir) John George Shaw Lefevre issued their first report, from which it appeared that up to the end of February of the same year 697 candidates for the Civil Service had been examined in London, and 381 in the provinces, making a total of 1,078. During the same period, the number of certificates granted had been 677, and that of certificates refused 309, forming a whole of 985 decisions, the rest being lost in competitive examinations, in which candidates, though otherwise qualified, had to give way provisionally in favour of a more accomplished rival. The second report of the commissioners, recapitulating in many respects the first, was issued on the 16th of February, 1857. From this report it appeared that the number of candidates to the Civil Service, whose cases had been adjudicated from 21st of May, 1855, to 31st of December, 1856, was 3,004. Of this number 60 were found to be not within the limits of age prescribed for admission to the departments to which they were respectively nominated; 12 were found physically incompetent for the duties of their situations; 10 failed to give satisfactory evidence of their fitness in respect to character: 99 were admitted without examination upon reports from the heads of departments; and 137 either declined to undergo the requisite examination, or withdrew without completing it. Of the remaining 2,686, who were actually examined as to their knowledge and ability, 1,587 obtained certificates of qualification, 880 were

rejected as not qualified, and 219 were unsuccessful upon competition. The next report (the third in number) of the Civil Service Commissioners was issued on the 25th of February, 1858. It stated that the number of nominations made in the year 1857 to situations under the Order in Council was 2,189, raising the number since the origin of the commission to the end of December, 1857, to a total of 5,682. The number of candidates rejected in 1857 was 490, and that of certificates granted 1,354, including 83 issued to successful competitors, and 50 given without examination upon reports from the heads of departments. It thus appeared that, in the three periods embraced by the three reports of the Civil Service Commission, the proportion of rejections to the number of candidates examined had been

The fourth report of the Commission is dated 15th of April, 1859. This report stated that the total number of nominations to junior situations to which the order in council had been applied during the year 1858 was 2,258. Of these, 1,425 were simple nominations without any reference to competition, and 833 were nominations of several candidates as competitors for one or more situations. Certificates upon simple nomination were granted during the year in 958 cases; in 935 after examination, and in 23 upon the reports of heads of departments; and in 292 cases certificates were refused on account of deficiency of knowledge in the prescribed subjects of examination. The fifth report of the Civil Service Commissioners was published at the beginning of March, 1860. From this document we learn that the number of nominations for the year 1859 was 2,918, or an increase of 660 over the preceding year. The number of certificates granted in 1859 amounted to 1,511, and the rejections after examinations were 310. The total number of nominations to situations to which the order

in council had been applied was, therefore, as fol

The numbers of competitors, and of the situations for which they were to compete, were as follows:

Such are the most salient features of the five reports published by the Civil Service Commission down to the year 1859 inclusive. If they prove nothing else, they at least clearly show that the system of examination for the public offices under Government has now taken a firm root among the public institutions of the country, and is increasing in extent and importance from year to year.

II. DEPARTMENTS OF THE CIVIL SERVICE.

THE branches of the Civil Service which are entered at present through examination, either competitive or on the nomination of the heads of the respective departments, are as follows::

In England.

1. The Admiralty, or that part of the Civil Service which has the superintendence and control of the Royal Navy at home and abroad, and of the Coast Guard Service. Besides the foreign and provincial establishments of this department, there are two important London branches in which its business is carried on, at Whitehall and Somerset House. At the former place the sittings of the Admiralty Board are held, and the general correspondence of the service is attended to; and at the latter the financial accounts and contracts of the navy and coast-guard are regulated. The number of junior situations in this department is necessarily very large, and vacancies frequent. In order, however, to compete for any vacancy, a nomination must first previously be obtained from the First Lord of the Admiralty, who exercises the entire patronage, civil as well as military. Nevertheless this patronage is shared to some extent, de facto if not de jure, by the five junior Lords. The Surveyor of the Navy has the patronage of the naval yards.

2. The Admiralty Court, or Court of Law where the duties of Lord High Admiral are exercised in his judicial capacity. The number of junior situations in this department is about fifteen; and vacancies are filled by