General at Nanking was lately asked to report upon a proposal for holding several instead of one examination for the degree of Provincial Graduate, and in expressing an opinion adverse to the change, he suggested, as an alternative remedy, the appointment of additional associate examiners. A Censor now takes up the question and advocates the appointment of an extra assistant examiner as _being more suitable to the requirements ut the case. The asso-conte examiners, the Censor states, have a comparatively easy task to perform, as they are only charged with the perusal of un allotted portion of the essays, while the chief and assistant examiners have to go through all the essays, whether selected or rejected, and are obliged to give careful consideration to the merits of each before arriving at a conclusion. By the examination rules as originally fixed, a chief and assistant examiner were assigned to each province, but the number of associate examiners varied considerably, reaching its maximum at Peking and Nanking, at each of which places there were eighteen. The number is so large at Peking because it is the seat of government, and at Nanking it was increased to provide for the enormous attendance of graduates in such a great literary centre. From 1780 to 1864 the number of chief and assistant examiners: at the metropolitan examinations was always three and sometimes four, and since the latter year it has invariably been four. The increase, no doubt arose from the necessity for providing a staff sufficient to do justice to the papers of an additional number of students. As the number of candidates at Nanking is considerably in excess of that at Peking and the staff of examiners has not been strengthened, it is more than probable that the examinations at the former place are conducted with less stringency and completeness than those at the latter. In 1875, Ch'ung Hou, at that time Vice-President of the Board of asked that eight provinces, _includin: Kiangnan and Chekiang, should each be provided with an additional examiner. His application was based upon the fact that additional examinations had to be held to make up for those that were suspended during the rebellion, and it laid 10 stress upon the circumstance that Nankcombined the examinations of two provinces, Kiangsu and Anhui. The request was refused on the ground that though the number of successful candidates was increased the number of those examined remained the same as before. At present not less than 20,000 students present themselves for examination at Nanking. Taking the number of places as a basis of calculation, the number of candidates ought to be 12,500. In 1875, however, it was held that a strict adherence to the old regulations for sending forward a fixed number candidates would result in wholesale cel ed to submit as many wintiment, and the chan-
names as the literary standing of the district seemed to warrant, only cutting down the list when it became excessive. If literary proficiency is to be made the test, it wi hard to reduce the number' in Kiangnan which stands very high in the field vf letters, A reduction which would mean the elimination of six or seven thousand candidates is scarcely feasible. The examinations of the Hu Kuang Provinces were formerly held together, but since they were separated in 1733, each province has had its own staff of examiners. The same is the case with Shensi and Kansu. If the examinations for Kiangsu and Anhui were held separately, each would have its own examiners, butaslocal considerations prevent: this, itis only fairthattheconduct of the joint examination should partake to a certain extent of the character of two distinct examinations. It is therefore suggested that for the future one chief examiner and two assistant examiners should be appointed to hold the examinations at Nanking, so as to prevent the careless perusal or total neglect of the essays, which must go on under the present system of inadequate supervision.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.