XVII 



of the Ecclesiastical Commission, and for many years was one of 

 the Commissioners for managing the estates of the Bishops and 

 Cathedral bodies. In 1848 he again went on a mission to Edinburgh, 

 and reported upon the vexed questions of the Annuity Tax and the 

 Fishery Board. In 1851 he was appointed member of a Commission 

 to inquire into the appointments to the Civil Service of India, the 

 other Commissioners being Lord Ashburton, Lord Macaulay, Mr. 

 Melville, and Professor Jowett, and the result of their labours was 

 the establishment of competitive examinations for the entry into 

 the Indian Civil Service. In 1853 he was one of a Commission to 

 inquire into the Inns of Court ; their recommendations, however, 

 involving an entire reconstitution of these bodies and the utilization 

 of their great income for the purpose of legal education, have not as 

 yet been carried out, although some stimulus was given to changes in 

 this direction. In 1858 Sir John Lefevre was appointed member of an 

 Executive Commission with Sir Edward Ryan, to carry out arrange- 

 ments for insuring competent appointments to the Civil Service in 

 England ; for some years this was confined to requiring pass examina- 

 tions as the test of competency, but later the principle of competition 

 was introduced, of which he was always a warm supporter. Eor 

 many years, in conjunction with Sir Edward Ryan, he elaborated the 

 system of competition and carried it out universally throughout the 

 Civil Service. He was also a member of the Commission for restoring 

 the Standards, for the Digest of the Statutes, and for inquiry into the 

 Endowed Schools. It was on work of this kind that his qualities of 

 patient inquiry, quickness of insight, and powers of persuasion were 

 so conspicuous, and led to his services being so frequently called in aid 

 by the Government. All this work on Commissions and Inquiries 

 was undertaken without claim for pay or reward ; but in 1857, the 

 distinction of the Order of the Bath was conferred on him. His 

 numerous official duties did not prevent his devoting his spare 

 hours to literary and scientific work, and even to work of other 

 kind. He was one of the first Directors of the London and North 

 Western Railway ; he was one of the Founders of the Athenaeum 

 Club and of the Political Economy Club. He was a Fellow of the 

 Royal Society (elected 1820) and a member of many other learned 

 societies. In addition to his mathematical acquirements, which he 

 maintained to the latest period of life, he was able to devote much 

 time to literature. He had a great facility for learning languages, and, 

 besides that of Hebrew, mastered all the languages of Europe; he 

 commenced to study Russian after the age of 65, but even after this 

 found time to acquire a most extensive knowledge of its literature. 

 In 1875 he was compelled by a severe attack of illness to retire from 

 office, but he continued to devote himself without remission to his 

 literary studies; he died on the 20th of August, 1879, at the age of 

 VOL. xxix. c 



