Norwich bulletin., 1915-07-08
THE WAR PRIMER By National Geographic Society

Scutari-After weeks of silence, the news comes that the persistent little army of Montenegro has taken to it. fortress of Albania, which fell before
 the victorious Montenegrins in the
 first Balkan war. and from which the soldiers of the Mountain Kingdom were compelled to retire by action of Austr1a-Hungary. The Montenegrfns have had considerable practice in at 1 tackfng Scutari through their 800 years of intermittent struggle with the Turks, and all of the problems involv- | ed In an advance by the side of the Lake of Scutari to the city between i the mountains are doubtless thorough | ly known to the present military lead | CTS Of the tiny state. A description | of this city. a strategic point for the dominion of Northern Albania, Is given in the most recent statement of the
 National Geographic society, issued in | its series of war-geography studies The statement reads:
 Scutari has military value as eom- manding Northern Albania. and as be- 1 ing key position on the northern head of the plain that stretches from the town into the country's interior.
 It is the most important city in the l newly created Albanian nation, having | a population of more than 32,000, and some transit and export trade. It has 1 lost considerable of its commerce, however, to Salonica and other neigh l boring ports. which enjoy the advan- l tages of good railway connections. An | other disadvantage under which Scu- | tari suffers is the lack of all port fa- I cilit1es upon it's convenient sea coast. Situated beyond the fiat, fever
 laden coastlands and just beyond the coastal hills, Scutari is effectively
 closed away from the world, even for Albania It is built upon the south | eastern shore of Lake Scutari, near ! the conhuence~of the Drin and Boya- na rivers. The Adriatic lies little
 more than A miles to the west. The greater part of the Lake of Scutari since the settlements brought about by l tho first Balkan war. is contained | within the Montenegrin borders. The l city of Scutari lies just across the Montenegrin boundary, but a short
 evening-hour's walk away. The lake | is surpaSSingly beautiful; it's waters are brilliantly clear. the growths up- on its banks luxurious, while the heavy y-shouldered mountains, which give it a setting like a gem in a ring greatly increase the effect of the pie ture. There are numerous, heavily Ipopulated breeding grounds by its
 shores for aquatic fowl, and the lake itself. is well stocked with fish.
 "The country all around the city is l wild-aS is most of the area. of Alba nia- and very sparsely settled The l individual Albanian builds him 2
 home. hut. in the forest on the spul
 of some hill, near enough to a city tc permit him to send his women folh for supplies but seldom near enough tc
 others to aid in forming a village. Very few paths that can satisfactorily bt classed as roads run through this country. The easiest way to progress from Scutari is along the plain, which extends from across the Montenegrir frontier south to Alessio. It is large | ly owing to the wild. uncharted noun l tain -and-ravine ways of Albania that the Turks were never able completely
 to subdue this people, but were forced
 to govern them by a diplomatic distri- button of favor.
 I Oriental and picturesque fin ap. pearance, there is. however, little tc
 suggest well-being or wealth in tho Albanian metropolis. Its bazaars anC mosques are interesting, and it's oI( Venetian citadel perched upon It's higf crag is romatic object. The citade and other Notifications of the town ar.
 long out of date, and would offer lit. tie or S2 resistance to modern artillery
 Mountains crowd in upon the town
 and there is danger of floods durins
 heavy rains or sudden thaws. The ex. ports of Scutar are grains, wool
 hides, skins, tobacco and sumach. II imports textiles, provisions, meta
 products and arms. Arms and cotto1
 stuffs are manufactured. Arms are al important article of commerce in Al. bania; for, while the Albanian has ac customed himself to going without al most everything. he will not go with
 out a rife"