Essays on Governing Malta 1800-1813 by Patrick Staines has been launched under the patronage of President Edward Fenech Adami. It is sponsored by the Farsons Foundation. The 16 essays examine the problems that arose in the administration of Malta in the earliest days of British rule.

During this period Britain had no sovereign authority over the island. The basic rule of administration was that the systems of government which prevailed during the time of the Knights of St John, prior to their being ousted by the French in 1798, should be adhered to. British Civil Commissioners nevertheless sought to place a British imprint on these old forms.

The book explains how the system of government of that initial period operated and how it was financed. It sheds fresh light on the circumstances of the French capitulation in 1800 and relates to the period when Malta almost went back to rule by the Order of St John.

The Farsons Foundation was established in 1995, with the main objectives of promoting, and safeguarding Maltese culture, heritage and social solidarity.