The Committee appeared to be pleased with my idea, and to be willing to follow it out. It was proposed to unite my college to their own, and to call it the Theological Branch of the College of St. Julian, at Malta; which was to be placed under my direction, with the understanding that in all important matters I should communicate with the Principal.
I have no doubt that the Committee of the Malta College were sincere in their offer to grant me this support. The readiness with which they entered into my views, their approbation, and the promises they made me, were sufficient to make me believe that the hand of Providence was in the affair. I was not, indeed, acquainted with all the members of the Committee—some of them were not present—but the few objections that were raised, were overruled by a majority of votes in my favour.
Everything was well arranged; one thing alone was wanted, and that was money, which some people deem the most essential of all things; for my own part, I have never given it the first place in my consideration, having always hitherto found it supplied by the good providence of God, when it was most needed.
In the present instance, however, this very necessary article was required, not only for my theological branch, but also for the college itself, or rather for the school for the youths. The mode of procuring it was to be by calling meetings; and for this purpose I made a tour, accompanied by a Secretary belonging to the Committee, through the principal towns in England; holding these meetings at various places, which afforded a large amount in donations and subscriptions.
It is almost incredible, the sympathy which many persons evinced for this Missionary College. My name, the story of my conversion, my protest in my letters to the Pope, the Italian Church, all afforded abundant interest to those who saw that a reformation had already commenced in Italy, through a religious movement at Rome.
My brethren in the cause were immediately summoned to the spot destined for the Theological College. To Leonini and Saccares were added De Santis, and also Cerioni, of Jesi, in the Roman States, who had lately come from Alexandria, where he had been Secretary to the Bishop of Cairo. A fifth came from Smyrna, an Armenian priest named Giovanni Keosse, who stated that he had escaped through the assistance of a bishop, and under the protection of the Austrian Ambassador, from the clutches of the Roman Inquisition, which had laid hold of him at Constantinople. I cannot tell how it happened that this Keosse, on his arrival at Malta, was placed by the Principal of the College among my people. I should have been willing enough to have received him, if he had brought any recommendations with him. But he came in a furtive sort of a manner, and the reports I heard concerning him were by no means to his advantage; so that I began to suspect some evil design on his part; and in fact he soon showed himself in his proper colours.
A bundle of papers arrived one day at the Committee of the Malta College in London; they were anonymous, and contained vile, and at the same time ridiculous charges against Leonini and Saccares. I was informed that Keosse was the author of these slanders; the Armenian, received from motives of kindness, was already a traitor, who stabbed in the dark. I needed no further proofs of his baseness to give him to understand that he must forthwith take his departure: he then thought fit to throw off the mask; he was an agent for the opposite party.
"I think," said one of my friends to him, "you need not wait the coming of Dr. Achilli; he has declared that if you cannot prove the truth of your accusations, he will without ceremony turn you out of the house."
In fact, finding himself discovered, the Armenian did not think proper to wait my return; he departed, saying, he could live no longer where such disorder was going on.
I arrived at Malta in the December of the same year. The accusations against the two priests were proved to be false, and Keosse was declared to be a calumniator; I therefore caused a sitting to be held before the two authorities of the College, the Principal and the Vice-Principal, Keosse being present; and at this sitting he was prohibited from all interference with my theological branch. I imagined that he would also be expelled from the other departments, but he had more favour and protection than I anticipated; he received money to sustain his charges, and to endeavour to substantiate them; and at the same time, through the interest of some of the officials, he obtained the situation of Professor of the Turkish language. So that, although I dismissed him, another brought him back; I closed one door against him, the Principal opened another, for his re-admittance.