HISTORY OF MALTA.

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which had the right of acceptance or refusal. Its approbation,indeed, was equally necessary for *him as for the others; thoughhis principal office was to attend, in behalf of the grand-master, to the distribution of the revenue, with which, in hiscapacity, it was greatly his interest to be perfectly well ac-quainted. The conventual conservator preceded the grand-masters procurator: he had a vote in all the different cham-bers, and was chief of the conservatory, in which all the moneyand valuable effects in the treasury were kept. This office wastriennial, and all the languages were equally competent to theholding it. The conventual conservators paid all the draftsgranted by the chamber of the treasury, which of itself couldnot give out an assignment for more than the value of fivehundred Maltese crowns. Whenever there was question of amore considerable sum, recourse was had to the council, whichexpedited the affair in the court of chancery.

The conservator gave in his accounts to the treasury everythree months, and produced a register with the assignments forall the different payments he had made. Every thing of thissort being dispatched in the chamber of the treasury and en-tered in a book, the proof was easy. The moment an assign-ment was compared with the account taken in the above-mentioned book, and found just, it was torn in half, filed inproper order, and remained as a voucher.

The two auditors of accounts were chosen by lot fromamong those appointed by each language to assist in the ac-

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