[chopperman]

7. A honest ... / An honest ...

It's 'An' when the 'h' is silent. The biggest abusers are those who read you the news.

[Verginius Rufus]

Is "h" before a vowel silent when the syllable is unaccented? I think usage varies.

Definitely you would write A History of Malta but it could be either "an historian of Maltese history" or "a historian of Maltese history."