Inverness.
Napoleon's Thunderstorm.—The passage of the Niemen by the French army, and its consequent entry on Russian territory, may be said to have been Napoleon's first step towards defeat and ruin. A terrible thunderstorm occurred on that occasion, according to M. Ségur's account of the Russian campaign.
When Napoleon commenced the retreat, by which he yielded all the country beyond the Elbe (and which, therefore, may be reckoned a second step towards his downfall), it was accompanied by a thunderstorm more remarkable from occurring at such a season. Odelben says:
"C'était un phenomène bien extraordinaire dans un pareil saison, et avec le froid qu'on venait d'éprouver," &c.—Odelben, Camp. de 1813, vol. i. p. 289.
The first step towards his second downfall, or third towards complete ruin, was his advance upon the British force at Quatre-Bras, June 17, 1815. This also was accompanied by an awful thunderstorm, which (although gathering all the forenoon) commenced at the very moment he made his attack on the British rear-guard (about two p. m.), when the first gun fired was instantaneously responded to by a tremendous peal of thunder.
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."