HANDYBOOK OF THE CIVIL SERVICE. I. THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. THE basis of the present Civil Service Examinations is in the following order of her Majesty in Council regulating the admission of persons to the Civil Service of the Crown. "At the Court at Buckingham Palace the 21st day of May, 1855; present, the Queen's most Excellent Majesty in Council. "Whereas it is expedient to make provision for testing, according to fixed rules, 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 Majesty's civil establishments; "Now, therefore, her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of her Privy Council, doth order, and it is hereby ordered, that the Right Honourable Sir Edward Ryan, Assistant Comptroller General of the Exchequer, John George Shaw Lefevre, Esquire, Companion of the Bath, Clerk Assistant to the House of Lords, and Edward Romilly, Esquire, Chairman of the Board of Audit, or such other persons as her Majesty may from time to time approve in the stead of them or any of them, shall be commissioners for conducting the examination of the young men so proposed to be appointed to any of the junior situations in the civil establishments as aforesaid, and shall hold their offices during the pleasure of her Majesty, and shall B have power, subject to the approval of the Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury, to appoint from time to time such assistant examiners and others as may be required to assist them in the performance of the duties hereinafter assigned to them. "And it is hereby ordered, that the Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury do prepare and submit to Parliament an estimate for the remuneration of a secretary to the said commissioners, and of such examiners and others as may be required to assist in the performance of their duties. "And it is hereby ordered, that all such young men as may be proposed to be appointed to any junior situation in any department of the Civil Service shall, before they are admitted to probation, be examined by or under the directions of the said commissioners, and shall receive from them a certificate of qualification for such situation. "And it shall be the duty of the commissioners in respect of every such candidate, before granting any such certificate as aforesaid, "1st. To ascertain that the candidate is within the limits of age prescribed in the department to which he desires to be admitted; "2nd. To ascertain that the candidate is free from any physical defect or disease which would be likely to interfere with the proper discharge of his duties; "3rd. To ascertain that the character of the candidate is such as to qualify him for public employment; and, "4th. To ascertain that the candidate possesses the requisite knowledge and ability for the proper discharge of his official duties. "The rules applicable to each department under each of the above heads should be settled, with the assistance of the commissioners, according to the discretion of the chief authorities of the department; but, except that candidates for admission to any of the junior situations in any branch of the Civil Service will be required to obtain certificates of qualification as aforesaid, such examining board shall not make any alteration in respect to the nomination or appointment of candidates by those who are or may be charged with the duty of nomination and appointment. "After the candidate has passed his examination, and received his certificate of qualification from the commissioners, he shall enter on a period of probation, during which his conduct and capacity in the transaction of business shall be subjected to such tests as may be determined by the chief of the department for which he is intended; and he shall not be finally appointed to the public service unless upon satisfactory proofs of his fitness being furnished to the chief of the department after six months' probation. "And it is lastly hereby ordered, that in case the chief of any department considers it desirable to appoint to any situation, for which there are no prescribed limits of age, a person of mature age, having acquired special qualifications for the appointment in other pursuits, such person shall not in virtue of this order be required to obtain any certificate from the said commissioners in order to obtaining such appointment, but the chief of the department shall cause the appointment of any person not previously examined to be formally recorded as having been made on account of special qualifications. "(Signed) WM. L. BATHURST." Previous to this Order in Council, there already existed a system of examination in several departments of the Civil Service, among others the Board of Inland Revenue; but it was of the most restricted kind, and applicable only to persons appointed to inferior situations. Her Majesty's order, therefore, requiring "that all such young men as might be proposed to be appointed to any junior situation in any department of the Civil Service," should pass an examination before being admitted to probation, inaugurated a complete adminis |