The second part of this brief exposition of the language question in Malta opens with the grant of self-government to the Maltese Islands in 1921. The Charter then granted by His Majesty’s Government practically incorporated the actual use of the languages. It was not what the National Assembly had asked for, but it gave in this matter full justice to the historical traditions of the Island. His Majesty’s Government’s declaration on the subject proceeded on the assurance that the settlement arrived at had been inspired by a wish to avoid further struggles on that question. Indeed, in paragraph 7 of Mr. Amery’s despatch of April 9th, 1921, it is stated that

‘in endeavouring to arrive at a final settlement of the language question, the only object kept in view was to avoid future discussion and controversy by a solution which should take equally into account the historic and cultural traditions of the Island, its position as a member of the British Commonwealth and the every day needs of its people. There was certainly no intention of displacing or restricting the use of the Italian language.’

Further, Lord Milner in his despatch of May 28th, 1920, paragraph 13, wrote that:

‘Those (religion and language) are matters which it is obviously desirable to keep outside the field of party strife, and which should not be liable to alteration at the discretion of a purely temporary majority'.’

This attitude shows that His Majesty’s Government intended to give a final solution to the problem in the sense that any departure from the state of things sanctioned by the Constitution on this question should be made only if and when public opinion had definitely expressed itself in a stronger sense than a temporary parliamentary majority could provide.