The mystique marquis

Abstract

The big dark hall had that blinking effect of trying to wake up from a long sleep and it looked upon me as a sneaking intruder. My host stood there straight, heavy and unruffled behind his wide desk in the dim light. Our voices jarred on the muffled air, and on the surrounding paintings of his relations. Amongst the sculptured bronze heads of his ancestors, I interestingly looked upon the founders of the "Scicluna Dynasty". Giuseppe Xikluna as it was written then, was married at Zejtun to Marianne Caruana and had three sons: Gio. Batta, Emmanuele and Michele Angelo who later became a priest. The father was a successful merchant and branched his lending houses and business from Malta to Italy. The family still owns a Chapel in the Campo Santo. His second son Emmanuele, born on May 19th, 1820, very early in life entered in business and from the results of his achievements it reflects what a pioneering personality he possessed. At that time very probably he lived in Palermo looking after the family business. He had many important clients and it is quoted that he financed the Papal States. All went well until the turmoil and revolts of Garibaldi's in the 1840s when he returned home to stay as a political refugee.