HISTORY OF MALTA.

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The above were nearly all the dignities and employmentswhich the order had to bestow ; and the grand-mastership wasthe highest degree of eminence to which a knight of justicecould possibly pretend. The ceremony of his election, andthe amount of his revenue, were as follow:—

Immediately after the death of a grand-master, the sealof his office was broken by order of council, and a lieutenantappointed to act as chief of the knights, who, jointly with thecouncil, managed the affairs of government, but without theprivilege of making grants, bestowing favours, or receiving anybenefit from the revenue of the grand-mastership.

The corpse of the deceased was carried on the second dayafter his death into the great hall of the palace, and placed ona catafalque. To the right was a table covered with blackcloth, on which was laid a complete suit of armour, and hisremains were interred the same evening with great funeralpomp. Whilst the grand-mastership continued vacant, theconventual conservator was suspended from his office, and thesame day three knights of different nations were appointed toreceive whatsoever sums were owing to the treasury from theknights who purposed voting at the election. A list was thenmade of all who were competent to give in their votes, andthis was fixed on the door of the church of St. John, togetherwith the names of such knights as, remaining still in debt tothe treasury, were incapacitated from voting for the time.

No one was entitled to vote at the election of a grand-