The Port Gibson reveille., 1916-06-08
UNDER MANY FLAGS
ISLAND OF cEPHALoNIA PLAY.
THING or THE POWERS.
Small Area Of Land in lonIan Sea Has
Been for Centuries 8 shuttIecock
in the Game Of international
Diplomacy.

The reported occupation of Cepha-
lonia by French and British forces,
for strategic purposes, marks another
cycle in the strange history of this
island in the Ionian sea, which has
played the role of shuttlecock in inter
national diplomacy for more than q
600 years. It's unique story is told in
the following bulletin issued by the
National Geographic society:
With an area about three times as
great as that of Martha's Vineyard
on the Massachusetts coast, Cepha-
lonia is the largest of the seven Ionian
islands. The origin of its settlement
Is shrouded in the fascinating uncer-
tainty of Homeric legend, but from
the year Of its surrender to the Ro-
mans, $50 B. c., its history has been
marked by succession of changes
in ownership which would bewilder
the most astute student of world poll
tics.
After the Roman Emperor Hadrian
made a gift Of the island to Athens,
Cephalonia, and the six other islands
of the Ionian group. became free
and autonomous" but during the as
cendancy of the Byzantine empire
they were subject to it's power.
The next change come in the elev-
enth century. When William the Con-
queror was engaged in establishing
himself firmly in the British Isles, an
other Norman, Robert Guiscard ("the
resourceful'), after conquering south
ern Italy, sailed to the Ionian sea and
captured several of the islands,
preparatory to overthrowing the Greek
empire. This remarkable adventurer
died on the island of Cephalonia while
engaged in quelling revolt, at time
when he seemed to have laid the foun-
dations for Norman empire similar
to that which William established in
England.
Following Robert Guiscards inva-
sion, Cephalonia passed in turn un-
der the suzerainty of the princess of
Tarentum. the five counts Of Tocco,
the republic of Venice, the ravaging
corsairs of Greece and Naples, the
Turks, the Spanish-Venetian allies,
Venice again, France, the Russo-Turk-
ish allies. the French and the British.
Great Britain finally relinquished it's
protectorate and ceded the islands to
Greece after the latter had allowed
the court of st. James to name
brother of the princess of Wales as
king Of the Hellenes in 1862.
The chief city Of Cephalonia is Ar
gostoli, which has an excellent har-
Dor and which is especially noted for
its curious sea mills, operated by a
current of sea water flowing through !
a chasm in the rocky shore. Across
the bay from Argostoh is the rival
port Of Luxouri
Cyclopean l Hellenic walls are
still standing on the sites Of the an
cient cities of Grant,, Proni and Somos,
while a few miles beyond Argostoli
there rises a relic of Venetian days,
the strongly fortified castle of st.
George.
The Cephalonians, who are mental
ly alert and who are more purely
Greek than the inhabitants of any Of
the other islands of the Ionian group,
have shown great ingenuity and indus
try in building terraces for the cultiva-
ton of the vine and olive. One of
the chief products of the island is
favored currant which
found ready market in Holland, Bel
yium and Germany. In addition to
heir agricultural pursuits, the Ceph-
llonians are interested in ship build
ng, silk spinning, basket making and
he manufacture OF carpets. An odd
ace, made of aloe fiber, is exported.
Elato, also known as Monte Negro
black mountain), which is more than
1000 feet high, gets its name from
he dark pine forests which clothe its
lopes.