Thunder, to Wellington, was the precursor of victory and triumph. Witness the above-mentioned introduction to the victory of Waterloo; the terrible thunder, that scattered the horses of the dragoons, the eve of Salamanca; also, the night preceding Sabugal. And perhaps some of the Duke's old companions in arms may be able to add to the category. A. C. M. Exeter. _Istamboul--Constantinople._--Mr. (afterwards Sir George) Wheler, who took holy orders and became rector of Houghton-le-Spring in the diocese of Durham, makes the following remarks in his _Journey into Greece, &c._ (fol., Lond. 1682), p. 178.: "Constantinople is now vulgarly called _Stambol_ by the Turks; but by the Greeks more often _Istampoli_, which must needs be a corruption from the Greek ... either from Constantinopolis, which in process of time might be corrupted into _Stanpolis_ or _Istanpoli_; or rather, from it being called πόλις κατ' ἐξοχήνο. For the Turks, hearing the Greeks express their going to Constantinople by εἰς τὴν πόλιν, which they pronounce Is-tin-polin, and often for brevity's sake Stinpoli, might soon ignorantly call it _Istanpoli_ or _Stambol_, according as either of them came into vogue first. And therefore I think theirs is a groundless fancy who fetch it from the Turkish word _Istamboal_, which signifies a city full of or abounding in the true faith, the name being so apparently of Greek original." W. S. G. Newcastle-on-Tyne. * * * * * Queries. STRUT-STOWERS, AND YEATHERS OR YADDERS. In the Collection of divers curious Historical Pieces printed by the Rev. Francis Peck at the end of his _Memoirs of Oliver Cromwell_, is-- "Some account of the Murder of the Hermit of Eskdale-side, near Whitby, in Com. Ebor. by William de Bruce (Lord of Ugle Barnby), Ralph de Peircy (Lord of Snealon), and one Allatson, a Gent., and of the remarkable penance which the Hermit enjoyned them before he died." The story is briefly this:--On the 16th October, 15 Henry II., De Bruce, De Peircy, and Allatson were hunting the wild boar in Eskdale-side, where was a chapel and hermitage, in which lived a monk of Whitby, who was a hermit. The boar being hotly pursued by the dogs, ran into the chapel and there laid down and died. The hermit shut the door on the hounds, who stood at bay without. The three gentlemen coming up, flew into a great fury, and ran with their boar-staves at the hermit and so wounded him that he ultimately died. The three gentlemen, fearing his death, took sanctuary at Scarborough, but the Abbot of Whitby being in great favour with the king, removed them out of sanctuary, whereby they became liable to the law. The dying hermit (he survived till the 8th December), on the abbot's proposing to put them to death, suggested the following penance, to which, in order to save their lives and goods, they consented, and to which the abbot likewise agreed: