It is right to mention also, that even in the subordinate situation of Letter Carrier we find instances of proficiency in several useful branches of knowledge; and we have, on more than one occasion, deemed it right to give to tidewaiters certificates of marked proficiency in the prescribed subjects.

It will be perceived that in twenty-three cases we have granted certificates on the reports of the heads of departments, without requiring the parties to pass an examination; namely, in those cases in which persons who, before the date of the Order in Council, held junior situations in a department and have served continuously, are appointed to other junior situations in the same department, for which the same subjects of examination were prescribed.

Where a person who has once passed our examination is transferred from one junior situation to another junior situation, for which latter situation the prescribed subjects of examination are different from those prescribed for the former, we have not altogether dispensed with his examination, but have limited it to those subjects only in which he had not been previously examined. As the peculiar circumstances incidental to this class of cases have occasionally presented difficulties, we think it advisable to call attention to a correspondence between the Department of the Admiralty and this Commission, which will be found in the Appendix, together with some observations which we deem it right to offer on the subject.

The total number of junior situations to which appointments were made during the last year, without competition, was 958. The total number of situations for which competing candidates were nominated during the last year was 258, and the total number of such competing candidates was 833.

The following list will show the most important particulars of the competitions held in 1858:

The preceding list suggests various observations.

In our last Report we pointed out the advantage which would result from enlarging the field of competition by substituting for the plan of nominating three persons only to compete for each vacant situation, the system of nominating a proportionate number of candidates to compete for several appointments at one examination.

It affords us sincere gratification to be able to state that Her Majesty's Government has seen fit to accede to our suggestion; and the Secretary of the Treasury, acting in entire unison with our views on this point, has carried them into effect with earnestness and completeness, and with very satisfactory results.

The Secretary of State for War has also adopted the like course with respect to the situations in his department. With regard to some other departments, although vacancies do not occur with sufficient frequency to admit of the delay which would arise from waiting to fill up several vacancies at the same time, we nevertheless believe that by an arrangement for the combined action of different departments this improvement may at no distant period be introduced, and the combined competitions above noted have shown that this is practicable.

The most important of these large competitive examinations have been

A competition of 12 for 4 clerkships in the Customs.

Had the competitors for these appointments been grouped in threes, and had there been separate competitive examinations for each of these groups, it is practically certain that competent and deserving persons would have been excluded, while less meritorious persons might have obtained the situations contended for.

As a practical example, we may mention two recent competitions for junior situations, of the same nature and in the same office, in which the total marks given were as follows:

It will be perceived that No. 2 in the first competition had much higher marks than No. 1 in the second, and that even No. 3 in the first examination just surpassed No. 1 in the second, although the subjects of examination and the examination papers were the same in both, and the examinations took place simultaneously.