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HISTOR5T Ol? MALTA.

joined to the triumvirate; when one or more candidates wereballoted for among themselves, and he who had the majoritywas elected grand-master; but when the votes were equallydivided, the knight of tfye election had the casting vote.Strange as this extraordinary mode of proceeding may appearto the reader, the knights had certainly great reason to adoptit, since this continual change of electors prevented any pri-vate measures which might have been taken by different per-sons on so important an occasion, the election entirely depend-ing on the choice of those who were indebted to chance alonefor the power of voting. All cabals and intrigues were thusrendered entirely useless, and this noble republic had an op-portunity of gratifying all the members of the order, each ofwhom flattered himself with having had a particular share inthe election of the grand-master.

The ballot being over, the triumvirate quitted the last thir-teen electors, and went towards the balustrade of the galleryof the great door, where the knight of the election, having thechaplain on his right and the serving brother on his left, de-manded three times of the members of the order assembled inthe church whether they were disposed to ratify the electionof the grand-master who had just been chosen; and on thewhole assembly declaring its approbation, the knight of theelection proclaimed the grand-master in a loud voice *.

* At the election of a doge of Venice, all the nobles who had passed the age of thirty yearsassembled in St. Mark’s Place, and put as many balls into a vase as there were noblemen pre-sent. Thirty of these ball? were gilt, and those to whose lot they fell put in nine of the