16. Where the incumbent objects to the report,-1. He may, within twenty-one days after service on him of the report, file a statement of his objections in the registry, in duplicate: 2. The registrar shall forthwith transmit one of such duplicates to the bishop: 3. As soon as conveniently may be, and not more than fourteen days after the filing of the statement, the bishop shall refer the same to a competent person: 4. The referee shall, with all convenient speed, proceed to inquire into and decide on the objections, and the statement of his decision shall be filed in the registry, and two copies of the statement shall at the same time be left with the registrar: 5. As soon as conveniently may be after the filing of the statement, the registrar shall, in manner herein before described, serve one of such copies on the incumbent. In case of the death of the referee before making a statement of his decision, the bishop may appoint another referee in his stead, who shall have all the powers of the original referee. All the costs and expenses of and attending the inspection, survey, and report of the surveyor, and of and attending the reference (if any) under this and the preceding section, including all preliminary and incidental expenses relating thereto respectively, shall be borne and paid as follows:-If the report of the surveyor shall specify any extraordinary repairs, the total amount of such costs and expenses shall be apportioned according to the amount to be expended in ordinary and extraordinary repairs. The proportion in respect of ordinary repairs (or, if there shall be no extraordinary repairs, then the whole amount) shall be borne and paid by the incumbent, and the proportion in respect of the extraordinary repairs shall be raised in the manner hereinafter provided. The costs and expenses payable under this present section in respect of ordinary repairs shall be debts due to the surveyor who shall have made the report, and shall be recoverable by him or his representatives by action at law. If no objections to the report shall be made by the incumbent, then, at the end of the period limited for making objections thereto, the report shall be final; and if objections shall have been made, then, after the filing of the referee's statement, the report, as modified by the referee, shall be final; and the validity of such report or modified report (whether as to the apportionment of ordinary and extraordinary repairs, or otherwise) shall not afterwards be questioned.

23. A certificate of the surveyor who shall have made the report, nominated by the bishop for that purpose (which shall be filed in the registry in duplicate, and one of the duplicates whereof shall be served on the incumbent by the registrar), shall be conclusive evidence of the due execution of the prescribed works, or of the neglect or refusal of the incumbent to duly execute them in the prescribed manner and at or within the prescribed time or times.

24. After a surveyor's report shall have been made under this Act as to any benefice, no further or subsequent report shall be made as to the same benefice (except at the request of the incumbent himself) before the end of five years from the filing of the certificate of the due execution of the works prescribed by the last report, unless such benefice shall sooner become vacant. In case of such vacancy, a new inspection and report may be made at any time in the same manner as if the five years had expired. If such benefice shall become vacant within such period of five years, the incumbent or his representatives shall not be liable to any claim for dilapidations in respect of such benefice, either under this Act or at the suit of the succeeding incumbent independently of this Act, except for wilful

waste, and loss or damage by fire, flood, or tempest. The exemption from liability under this present section shall in no case apply to an incumbent who, at the time of filing the certificate of the due execution of the works, shall not have insured, to the satisfaction of the bishop, the house of residence belonging to the benefice and the outbuildings thereof, in some fit office, against loss or damage by fire, in at least three-fifths of the value thereof, and who shall not keep such house and buildings so insured during such period of five years, or until the earlier avoidance of the benefice.

25. If any incumbent shall refuse or neglect duly to execute in the prescribed manner, and at or within the prescribed time or times, any prescribed ordinary repairs, it shall be lawful for the bishop, and he is hereby required, to procure from some competent person an estimate of the cost of such works, and to authorize the execution thereof, and to raise the amount of such estimate, if not otherwise provided by the incumbent, together with all costs incurred by the bishop in relation thereto, by sequestration of the profits of the benefice. The estimate procured by the bishop, when certified by him, and filed in the registry of the diocese, shall be conclusive evidence of the propriety and correctness of the estimate, and of the amount required to be raised.

26. When it is represented to the bishop by the incumbent of a benefice that the house of residence of the benefice is on too large and expensive a scale to be suitable to the value and other circumstances of the benefice, and where the patron shall consent thereto in writing, it shall be lawful for the bishop, if he shall think proper, upon a report of one of the surveyors of the diocese, filed in manner hereinbefore required, recommending to what extent and in what manner the size of such house should be reduced, to authorize such report to be carried into effect, within such period and subject to such terms and conditions as may be prescribed by the bishop; and it shall thereupon be lawful for the incumbent, at his own expense, to carry such report into effect; and upon the certificate of the surveyor, approved by the bishop, and filed in manner hereinbefore provided, that the works recommended by the report have been properly completed, the incumbent shall be protected from all liability for dilapidations by reason of such alteration or removal having been made.

32. Monies paid by succeding incumbent to be a debt due from prior incumbent.

33. The bishop may, by order in writing, postpone the execution of any prescribed works for any period not extending beyond the next avoidance of the benefice, if from any circumstances it appears to him proper so to do. Before the postponement, the incumbent shall pay to the bishop the costs of the inspection, survey, and report (and reference, if any), and shall pay to the governors of the bounty of Queen Anne, or secure to the satisfaction the bishop and governors, the payment to the governors of the full estimated costs of the ordinary repairs, and such a further gross or annual sum as the surveyor, having regard to the circumstances of the case, shall, with the approval of the bishop, certify to be a proper sum to be paid by the incumbent for the extraordinary repairs, and for providing the additional cost likely to be incurred in the execution of the ordinary and extraordinary repairs in consequence of the postponement. At the end of the period of postponement, the surveyor who shall have made the report, or his successor in office, or one other of the surveyors for the diocese, shall, by a certificate, state what (if any), additional or substituted works are

necessary. This certificate shall be filed with the report, and shall, for the purposes of this act, be deemed part of the original report; and the amount required for extraordinary repairs beyond the sum which shall have been received by the governors on account of such repairs, shall be raised by a charge under the eighteenth and succeeding sections, together with the costs. authorized to be charged by that section; and as well the sum so paid to them for ordinary repairs as the sums so received and raised for extraordinary repairs shall be paid to a competent person to be nominated by the bishop, and shall be expended by the nominee in executing the ordinary and extraordinary repairs. The payments made or secured by the incumbent under this section (notwithstanding they may ultimately prove insufficient) shall entitle the incumbent and his representatives to the same exemption from liability to dilapidations as would have been conferred by the filing of a certificate of the completion of such repairs, if it had been filed on the day of filing the postponed report. After any postponement of works under this section, the bishop may, from time to time, by writing under his hand, extend the period of postponement; and any original or subsequent postponement shall be made subject to such (if any) additional payments by the incumbent as shall be certified by the surveyor by whom the report shall have been made, or by his successor in office, or one other of the surveyors of the diocese, to be proper, with reference to such postponement. Each original or subsequent postponement may also be subject to such terms and conditions (if any) as shall be prescribed by the bishop, and assented to by the incumbent. The additional payments under a subsequent postponement shall be made or secured to the said governors as in the case of an original postponement. The sums paid to the governors by or on account of the incumbent shall, until expended, be invested by the governors; and, during the period of postponement, the annual produce of the investments shall be paid to the incumbent. If the incumbent fail to observe or perform any of the prescribed terms or conditions, either as to payment of money or otherwise, he shall cease to be entitled to any exemption from liability under this section; and the bishop shall cause the prescribed works to be executed, and shall otherwise proceed under the report as in the case of an incumbent making default under the twenty-fifth section. All sums which shall have been previously received by the governors from the incumbent in respect of the report (except interest) to be deemed payments made on account of his liability under the report.

34. It shall be lawful for the surveyor, referee, and nominee under this Act their servants and workmen, for the purposes of this Act, to enter into the buildings belonging to any benefice, and the same and every part thereof to inspect and examine, and also to inspect and examine the works in progress under this act, and also for all persons authorized by the bishop in that behalf, their officers, servants, and workmen, to execute any works by this Act authorized. But nothing in this Act shall be deemed to authorize any person to enter into any house of residence except at seasonable times and within reasonable hours, or to enter into or remain in any house of residence, or any particular part thereof, oftener or longer than may be necessary for the purposes of this Act.

42. At any time after the passing of this Act, it shall be lawful for any archbishop or bishop to require a surveyor appointed under this Act for the diocese of such archbishop or bishop, or to employ any surveryor approved for the purpose by the ecclesiastical commissioners for England, to inspect

and examine any house of residence or other building belonging to the see of such archbishop or bishop, which he is by law or custom bound to maintain in repair at his own personal cost.

43. If, at any time after the passing of this Act, it shall be made to appear to either of the archbishops that any house of residence or other building belong to any see within his province, which the bishop is, by law or custom, bound to maintain in repair at his own personal coast, is not in a proper state of repair, it shall be lawful for the archbishop to order a surveyor appointed under this Act for the diocese of such bishop to inspect and examine such house of residence or other building.

44. The surveyor so required, employed, or ordered to act shall inspect and examine such house of residence or other building in the manner in which the inspection and examination of buildings belonging to benefices are herein-before directed to be made, and shall make a report of the result of such inspection and examination, which, in all cases, shall be addressed to the archbishop of the province, and shall be filed in the registry of the province in duplicate. One of such duplicates shall be delivered or sent by the registrar to the archbishop or bishop to whose see the report relates.

45. Where, in the opinion of the surveyor, founded on any such inspection, any works are needed for putting into a proper state of repair the house of residence or other building inspected, he shall in his report state what works are so needed, and at or within what time or times such works, or any particular part or parts thereof, ought to be executed.

46. If a bishop shall object to any of the recommendations of the report of a surveyor acting under theorder of an archbishop, the like proceedings may and shall be taken as are herein-before provided for in the case of an incumbent objecting to any of the recommendations of the report of a surveyor, and the provisions herein before contained respecting such case, and respecting costs in such case, shall extend and apply, mutatis mutandis, to the case of a bishop so objecting.

47. Subject to any modification made by a referee, it shall be the duty of the archbishop or bishop to whose See the report relates to execute the works prescribed in the surveyors report, in the manner and at or within the times or time therein prescribed. A certificate of the surveyor shall be conclusive evidence of the due execution of such works.

48. After a surveyor's report shall have been made under this Act as to the house of residence of any archbishop or bishop, no further or subsequent report shall be made as to the same house, except at the request of the archbishop or bishop, before the end of five years from the filing of the certificate of the due execution of the works prescribed by the last report, unless the archbishopric or bishopric shall sooner become vacant. In case of such vacancy, a new inspection and report may be made at any time, in the same manner as if the five years had expired. If such archbishopric or bishopric shall become vacant within such period of five years, the archbishop or bishop shall not, as to such house of residence, be liable to any claim for dilapidations in respect of such archbishopric or bishopric, either under this Act or at the suit of the succeeding archbishop or bishop independently of this Act, except for wilful waste and loss or damage by fire, storm, or tempest; but this exemption from liability shall be subject to the like condition in regard to insurance against fire as is contained in the twenty-fourth section in the case of the incumbent of a benefice.

CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.

Seventh Report of Her Majesty's Civil Service Commissioners.

In our last report we stated that the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury had intimated to us their intention to establish preliminary test examinations for the departments under their control, in compliance with the recommendation of the select committee of the House of Commons appointed in the preceding year "to inquire into the present mode of nominating and examining candidates for junior appointments, with a view of ascertaining whether greater facility may not be afforded for the admission of properly qualified persons." The arrangements which were then in progress have since been completed, and the general result is, that candidates for clerkships and other appointments of the same description in the gift of their lordships are now subjected to a preliminary examination, which includes (1), handwriting, spelling, arithmetic, and English composition, a certain proficiency in which is of course indispensable for all such appointments; (2) other subjects, a knowledge of which is judged by the authorities of particular departments to be necessary for the proper discharge of official duty in those departments, as, for example, book-keeping in offices of account under the Board of Inland Revenue; and (3) a language, ancient or modern, where required by the rules previously in force. For further explanation, and for a statement of one or two exceptions to the general rules above mentioned, we may refer to the correspondence and tables printed in the appendix to this report.

No other department has yet made arrangements for the preliminary test examination of candidates, but the Board of Adiniralty have made an important change in the mode of admission to their department, and, while somewhat lowering the qualifications required for their establishment, have materially raised the standard for temporary clerkships, their intention being that no examination should hereafter be required on transfer from the lower situations to the higher. We alluded in the correspondence which preceded the change to the difficult questions which have arisen as to the separation of mechanical from intellectual labour, and the proper position of temporary clerks. These questions, we believe, will require attention, in order that satisfactory arrangements as to the conditions of entrance into the public service may be established.

Having adverted to one important change made by the Board of Admiralty since our last report was presented, we may mention another, from which we anticipate the best results. Their lordships have been pleased to open to general competition the situations of engineer boys in their factories, and of apprentice in the several dockyards. For each class of appointments the ability to read, write, spell, and work sums in elementary arithmetic is required, and for the situation of engineer-boy a knowledge of the first three books of Euclid is also required. We have before had occasion to notice the very satisfactory manner in which the boys at some of the dockyards have acquitted themselves, and the observation may here be repeated.

We have also to mention an open competition lately held for the situation of assistant-schoolmaster in Devonport dockyard. Nine candidates were examined, their testimonials having been previously considered by Dr. Wool