Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/557

Rh organization and duties of the marine force, as also in its superintendence. For this purpose an officer was appointed in the same manner as the general of the galleys, whose title was commandant of the ships and lieutenant-general of the galleys. He was, as the name infers, subordinate to the general, and when that officer was present the direction of the ships as well as of the galleys was in his hands. As, however, the two rarely acted together, the commandant usually enjoyed complete power. He was not necessarily a grand-cross, but should he be one, he was accorded the same privilege as his chief, of appearing at council in red with sword and stick. The control of these two branches of the navy was vested in two boards, named respectively the congregation of the galleys and that of the ships. The former, which was the most important, was composed of the conventual bailiff of Italy as grand-admiral (or his lieutenant), the general of the galleys, and four commissioners, knights of the four nations; these were France, Spain, Italy, and Germany. The other board, which was subordinate, was presided over by a grand-cross, deputed to that duty by the council, together with the commandant of the vessels and four commissioners, also knights of the four nations. The number of galleys varied greatly according to circumstances. During the warlike times of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries they had been very numerous. Of later years they gradually dwindled, until at length only four were left. The fleet of ships had at first consisted of three, to which a fourth was afterwards added, and eventually, besides these, three frigates were also built.

It has been pointed out that the supreme control of the naval and military forces being under the conventual bailiffs of Auvergne and Italy ex officio, it was found necessary to appoint a skilled officer under them to undertake the actual duties. In the same way, we find that, although the conventual bailiff of Castile was grand-chancellor, the most important and responsible portion of the duties attached to that office was performed by the vice-chancellor; this officer becoming, in fact, the secretary of state to the Order. He was in the first instance selected by the grand-chancellor. That official was not restricted in his choice to the members of any particular langue,