§ MR. KINNAIRDsaid, he wished to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whether it is the intention of the Government to sanction the admission of "ecclesiastics" into the Council of Government at Malta; and, if so, whether he has any objection to lay upon the Table of the House a Copy of the Correspondence with reference thereto, and also a Return of the number of voters in the several districts of the island who voted for the re-admission of ecclesiastics; also of the number who abstained from voting altogether?
§ MR. MONSELLreplied, that the Council of the Government of Malta was constituted in 1849, and until 1857 ecclesiastics were not excluded from it. The whole of the elected Members of the Council had demanded that the old system should be reverted to, and that there should be no exclusion of ecclesiastics. On their application the question was submitted to the electors, and the demand was confirmed by 1,499 votes, against 58 negative votes. It was not the intention of the Government to refuse its sanction to that arrangement, and he should be ready to lay Copies of extracts from the Correspondence on the Table of the House.