Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/703

Rh measures he had taken with regard to the Order, and invited candidates from every nation to enrol themselves once more beneath the White Cross banner. He also sent instructions to Prince Volkouski, commanding the Russian troops in the Ionian islands, to join the force which was then blockading the island of Malta.

At his death, in 1801, his successor, Alexander, nominated Field Marshal Count Soltikoff lieutenant of the Mastery, and directed that he should convene a meeting of the council of the Order at St. Petersburg to deliberate on its future action. This assembly, which called itself the sovereign council of the Order, met on the 22nd June, 1801, and proposed a substitute for the original mode of election to the Grand-Mastership, such as was rendered absolutely necessary by the altered condition in which the fraternity was placed. Local chapters-general were to be convened in every grand-priory, and lists were to be by them prepared of such knights as were eligible for the vacant office, the actual nomination from amongst the names thus put forward being vested in the Pope. In accordance with this arrangement the bailiff de Ruspoli, a member of the langue of Italy, and formerly general of the galleys, was selected. This knight declined the empty and barren dignity thus offered to him, and the Pope afterwards named John de Tommasi in his place.

One of the first acts of the new chief was to assemble a conclave of the Order in the priory church of Messina on the 27th June, 1802, where he formally promulgated his appointment as Grand-Master. Nothing, however, of any importance to the interests of the fraternity was proposed at this meeting, nor, indeed, in the then unfortunate state of affairs, were they capable of much amelioration. Tommasi resided until his death at Catania, and when that event took place, in June, 1803, the Pope, who declined any longer to take upon himself the responsibility of nominating a Grand-Master, in violation of the statutes of the Order, contented himself with naming the bailiff Innico Maria Guevara as lieutenant only. He was followed, in 1814, by the bailiff Audrea di Giovanni, at whose death, in 1821, Antonio Busca was appointed. During his rule a project was set on foot for the establishment of the fraternity