THE PRELATE.]

SAINT MICHAEL AND SAINT GEORGE.

89

Officers of tfje iBrtier.

By the original Statutes, the Officers of the Order of Saint Michael andSaint George consisted of two Prelates, a Secretary, a King of Arms,and a Registrar ; but in August 1832, the number of Prelates was reducedto one, and a Chancellor was appointed. The Officers rank in the followingOrder: 1. the Prelate; 2. the Chancellor; 3. the Secretary; 4. the King ofArms; and 5. the Registrar.

THE PRELATE.

There were formerly Two Prelates for the service of the Order, one at Corfu,and the other at Malta; 3 and the Statutes of 1818 ordained that “there shallbe within the United States of the Ionian Islands, and the Island of Malta, twoPrelates of this Most Distinguished Order: one of the said Prelates shall bethe Archbishop Metropolitan of the United States of the Ionian Islands, for thetime being, in and for the said United States, and the other the Archbishop andBishop of Our Island of Malta, for the time being, in and for Our said Island ofMalta.” 4

On the 17th of November 1818 (before the first Investiture of the Knights),a Warrant was issued by the Grand Master, dispensing with so much of thatArticle as required that the Archbishop Metropolitan of the United States ofthe Ionian Islands, should be the Prelate of the Order in those States, therebeing no such Dignitary, in consequence of the Ecclesiastical arrangementsnot being completed; and it declared that in the mean time the Archbishop, orBishop, officiating at the Head of the Church in the Ionian States, should be

3 Vide pp. 9, and 16, antea.

N

4 Vide p. 16, antea.