THE POPULARITY OF THE INDIAN CIVIL SERVICE.
[TO THE EDITOR OF Tas "SPECTATOR."
Sin,—In reviewing Mrs. Alice Perrin's novel, "The Anglo- Indians," in the Spectator of September 28th, your reviewer refers to the list of successful candidates in the recent joint examination for appointments in the Home, Indian, and Colonial Civil Services as evidence of the reluctance of the educated youth of England to enter the Indian Civil Service. " Of the seventy-three successful candidates," he writes, "not a single one has elected for India in the first instance." His inference is evidently based on the fact that the letter's H., I., C. are entered in an unvarying order against the great majority of the names. He assumed, not unnaturally, that this order of "Home," "Indian," " Colonial," indicated the order of preference expressed by the candidates. But"this is not the case. Candidates are not asked to state their wishes until after the publication of the list. The letters merely mean that they are potential candidates for all three services. Subject to their respective places on the list, they make their election after the result of the examination. As a matter of fact, this year the first, the fourth, and the sixth men on the list have chosen India, though each, owing to his good place in the examination, had the choice of the best vacancies in the Home Service. The Indian Civil Service has no doubt lost much of its former popularity, but it has not yet reached the depths to which your reviewer has consigned it.—I am, Sir, &c., AN Ex-INDIAN CIVILIAN.
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