Norwich bulletin., 1916-06-20
THE WAR PRIMER By National Geographic seciety

The Orkney islands, the naval base of Great Brirain's grand fleet operat- ing in the North Sea, and off whose shores Earl Kitchener and his staff are reported to have met death, are described in the following war geog- raphy bulletin of the National Geo. graphic Society. issued from its Wash ington headquarters:
 No other territory in the British empire has a more tragic significance Islands, off whose shores the most dis tinguished victim of the world war, Earl Kitchener, lost his life when the cruiser Hampshire was sunk by a tor pedo or mine.
 These islands ninety in number, of which only thirty are inhabited. are separated from the mainland of Scot land by the Pentland Firth, from six and half to eight miles wide. They were selected as England'S North Sea naval base not only on account of their proximity to the field of operations, but on account of their senli-isolation and the advantages of the superb har- bor of Stromness, in the largest island of the group, Pomona, which has an area of two hundred square miles.
 s.The aggregate area of the Orkney archipelago is a little more than five times as large as the District of Co., lumbia, and the population is in the neighborhood of 10000 more than half the people living in Pomona. Kirkwall the capital, has population of 1000.
 While the original inhabitants of the islands were Picts, whose round towers and chambered mounds are among the ruins of this region, the Morse pirates secured a foothold here during the early centuries of the Christian era, and carried on their depredations against all navigators of l the North Sea. In the last quarter of the ninth Panf1YrU 1arn1A or l ('sFair Hairl put an end to the rule of the pirates, and added both the Ork- neys and the Shetland Islands to Nor ways domain. In 1468 the Orkneys came under the sway of the Scottish IcroWn, Christian l of Denmark giving them as security for his daughter $ dowFy when she became the bride of James III. As the dowry was never paid the islands have remained part of Scotland's domain ever since.
 ''The Orkneys which are the Or Il eades of classic literature, furnished the setting for many of the episodes in Sir Walter Scottts novel "The Pi- rates, the Cleveland of that romance being John Cow, the notorious free- booter born in Stromness and captur- ed off the islands in 1725. Another literary association of the Orkneys as one of especial interest to, Americans eenters in Shapinshay, the birthplace of William Irving,f ather of Washing ton Irving. The islands were the aS-
 sembling place in 1850 for the fnal
 disastrous expedition of Montrose. ac- claimed by many authorities the greatest English military leader of his
 day, Cromwell alnoe excepted.
 Although in the same latitude as northern Labrador, the Orkney grour II enjoys comparatively mild climate
 owing to the warm waters of the Gull
 Stream. There is little snow in win.
 ter and the summers are most pleasant
 beginning the middle of June. Barley
 oats. potatoes and turnips are the
 principal crops. The raising of cattle
 and sheep and horses of a large breed than the famous Shetland ponies, is q profitable occupation. Herring fishe. Tries afford a livelihood for many Of the
 inhabitants. while a small percentagt
 of the people devote their energies tg hunting wild birds and gathering theil
 eggs, The picfuresQuenes of thu
 rocky coasts and the beauty of tht long twilight evenings attract eonsid,
 erable number of tourists to the is.
 lands during the summer. On thI
 longest day in the year the sun rise.
 at three Al. M and sets after nine iY : the evening, while on the shortest day 1t is visible for scarcely six houra.