arly all the cattle which come to Malta from Barbary to
be stall-fed for consumption, or horses to be sold in the garrison, bring
with them their distinguishing marks by which they may be easily known.

And it may not be out of place to remark, that being one of a party in the
winter of 1830, travelling overland from Smyrna to Ephesus, we reached a
place just before sunset where a roving band of Turcomans had encamped for
the night. On nearing these people we observed that the women were
preparing food for their supper, while the men were employed in branding
with a hot iron, under the camel's upper lip, their own peculiar mark,--a
very necessary precaution, it must be allowed, with people who are so well
known for their pilfering propensities, not only practised on each other,
but also on all those who come within their neighbourhood. Having as
strangers paid our tribute to their great dexterity in their profession,
the circumstance was published at the time, and to this day is not
forgotten.

W. W.

Malta.

"_Qui facit per alium, facit per se_."--In Vol. vii., p. 488., I observe an
attempt to trace the source of the expression, "Qui facit per alium, facit
per se." A few months since I met with the quotation under some such form
as "Qui facit per alium, per se facere videtur," in the preface to a book
on _Surveying_, by Fitzherbert (printed by Berthelet about 1535), where it
is attributed to St. Augustine. As I know of no copy of the works of that
father in these parts (though I heard him quoted last Sunday in the
pulpit), I cannot at present verify the reference.

J. SLEEDNOT.

Halifax.

_Engin-a-verge_ (Vol. vii., p. 619. Vol. viii., p. 65.).--H. C. K. is
mistaken in his conjecture respecting this word, as the following
definition of it will show:

"_Engins-a-verge_. Ils comprenaient les diverges especes de catapultes,
les pierriers, &c."--Bescherelle, _Dictionnaire National_.

B. H. C.

_Campvere, Privileges of_ (Vol viii., p. 89.).--"Jus Gruis liberae." Does
not this mean the privilege of using a crane to raise their goods free of
dues, municipal or fiscal? _Grus_, _grue_, _krahn_, {232} _kraan_, all
mean, in their different languages, crane the bird, and crane the machine.

J. H. L.

_Humbug_--_Ambages_ (Vol. viii., p. 64.).--May I be permitted to inform
your correspondent that Mr. May was certainly correct when using the word
"ambages" as an English word in his translation of Lucan.