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Zealand is a wide and complicated one, and the proposal made by him could not, if adopted, be limited to the Australasian Colonies. The advisability of affording to colonial gentlemen facilities for entering the British army has been fully recognised of late years, and four commissions annually are now allowed to cadets of the Royal Military College in Canada, two annually to officers of the local forces of the colonies named in the margin (New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, New Zealand, Cape of Good Hope), and one cadetship annually at Sandhurst to graduates of each of the chartered colonial universities also named in the margin (Sydney, Melbourne, New Zealand, Cape of Good Hope, Adelaide, Malta). Thus twenty-two commissions a year are obtainable by colonial candidates, and of that number fourteen are allotted to Australasian Colonies. The total of twenty-two is about equivalent to 5 per cent, of the annual number of first appointments to the army. The Canadian Royal Military College has hitherto fully availed itself of the privilege, but, as the regulations granting commissions to colonial local forces were only issued last year, it is impossible to say yet to what extent advantage may be taken of them. As regards the chartered universities, however, during the seven years that the rule has been in force only six graduates have been nominated, and four of those came from Melbourne University, and one from New Zealand. It will thus be seen that, out of a possible twenty-eight cadetships in seven years, the Australasian Colonies have only taken up five. There would be so many and such obvious difficulties in carrying out a system of concurrent competition in the various colonies that Mr. Secretary Stanhope feels it would be inadvisable to adopt such a course, and would rather allow more time to elapse for the development of the existing arrangement; and, should it eventually be found that the colonists are availing themselves fully of their present facilities for admission to the British army, the question of extending those facilities on similar lines might then be considered. I have, Sec, The Under-Secretary of State, Colonial Office, SW. Ralph Thompson.

Enclosure 2. Sib,— ' ' India Office, Whitehall, S.W., 7th June, 1887. With reference to Mr. Bramston's letter of the 2nd February last, enclosing a copy of a despatch and connected papers from the Governor of New Zealand, I am directed to state, for the information of Sir Henry Holland, that Viscount Cross has given full and careful consideration in Council to the proposal of Sir William Jervois that a certain percentage of appointments to the Civil Service of India should be reserved for candidates in Australasia, and that special privileges in the way of local examination and probation should be conceded. Lord Cross has approached the consideration of this important subject with a strong desire to meet the wishes of the Australasian Colonies so far as may be possible without prejudice to the efficiency of the public service of India, his Lordship being fully alive to the advantage of any measure tending to associate the interests of the colonies with those of the Indian Empire. The present proposal, however, lam to say, is beset with very serious difficulties. The regulations under which candidates are admitted to compete for appointments in the Civil Service of India are framed under section 32 of the statute 21 and 22 Victoria, cap. 106, and so long as that statute remains in force it is impossible to act on the suggestion to reserve a certain percentage of appointments for candidates in the Australasian Colonies. Lord Cross has thought it right to consult the Civil Service Commissioners on the subject; and it will be seen from their letter, a copy of which is enclosed, that, while they concur in the view of the law above expressed, they have considered the possibility of holding an open competition simultaneously in England and Australasia, with the result that they are of opinion that there are practically insuperable difficulties connected with such a plan. Lord Cross concurs in the conclusions arrived at by the Civil Service Commissioners, and must therefore suggest that Sir William Jervois be informed that his recommendation cannot be adopted at present, though, if hereafter any question should arise of amending the law relating to the selection and training of candidates for the Civil Service of India, the proposals which he has submitted will receive due consideration. I have, &c, The Under-Secretary of State, Colonial Office. John E. Goest.

Sub-Enclosure. Sib, — Civil Service Commission, 19th March, 1887. The Civil Service Commissioners have given their best consideration to your letter of the sth instant (H.P. 197), with enclosures, respecting the practicability of reserving a small percentage of appointments to the Civil Service of India for candidates in Australasia, or of holding the open competitive examination for the Civil Service of India simultaneously in Australasia and England. In reply, they direct me to state that they would be very glad to assist in giving effect to the wishes of the colonists, but they regret to say that they do not see how the difficulties in the way of carrying the proposals of Sir W. Jervois into execution can be overcome. (1.) The proposal to reserve a small percentage of appointments for candidates in Australasia appears to contemplate the selection of colonial candidates by means of an examination independent of, though simultaneous with, the open competition held in England. As to this, the Commissioners have only to observe that they apprehend that it would not be consistent with the Act under which appointments are made to the Civil Service of India (21 and 22 Viet., cap. 106, sec. xxvii.) to hold separate and distinct examinations for Australasia and England—in other words, to grant appointments in the India Civil Service otherwise than according to the order of proficiency in a single competitive examination. (2.) But if it is contemplated that an open competition should be held simulta-