Norwich bulletin., 1916-05-02
THE WAR PRIMER By National Geographic Society

Cephalonfa-"The reported occupa- tion of Cephalonia by French and British forces. for strategic purposes, marks another cycle in the strange history of this little island in the lonian Sea which has played the role of shuttlecock in international diplo- macy for more than two thousand years. Its unique story is told in the following interesting bulletin issued today by the National Geographical society, whose headquarters is in Washington.
 With an area about three times as great as that of Martha's Vineyard on the Massachusetts coast, CephaIo- mia is the largest of the seven Iontan islands. The origin of it's settlement is shrouded in the facinating uncer- tainty of Homeric legend, but from the year of its surrender to the Ro- mans, 1S9 B. C., it's history has been marked by a succession of changes in | ownership which would bewilder the 1 most astute of world politics.
 After the Roman emperor Hadrian made gift of the island to Athens, Cephalonia, and the six other islands | of the Ionian group, became free and autonomous but during the ascend ancy of the Byzantine empire they were subject to it's power.
 "The next change came in the eleventh century. While William the
 
 ing himself firmly in the British Isles | another Norman, Robert Guiscard | cthe ResourcefuP), after conquering Southern Italy, sailed to the Ionian Sea and captured several of the isl ands, preparatory to overthrowing the venturer died on the island of Cepha- | lonia while engaged in quelling re- l volt, at a time when he seemed tc have laid the foundations for a Nor man empire similar to that which Will liam established in England. "Following Robert Guiscard's inva- sion, Cephalonia passed in turn under the suzerainty of the princes of Taren- 1 tun, the five counts of Tocco, the re- public of Venice, the ravaging cor sairs of Greece and Naples, the Turks | the Spanish Venetian allies, Venice lies, the French and the British. Great Britain finally relinquished it's pro. tectorate and ceded the islands tC Greece after the latter had allowed the Court of St. James to name z brother of the Princess of Wales a! king of the Hellenes in 1862.
 'The chief city of Cephalonia is Ar, gostoh. which has an excellent harbol and which is especially noted for it! curious sea mills, operated by cur rent of sea water flowing through { chasm in the rocky shore. Across tht | P0S AAOA4 @AA 60StO4A 10 lAS I1Nc%A pOII U Luxouri.
 "Cyclopean and Hellenic walls ar, still standing on the sites of the an cient cities of Cranii, Proni and Samos while a few miles beyond Argostol there rises relic of Venetian days the strongly fortified castle of St George.
 '"The Cephalonians, who are ment ally alert and who are more purel! Greek than the inhabitants of any O the other islands of the Ionian group have shown great ingenuity and in dustry in building terraces for the cul tivation of the vine and olive. One O the chief products of the island is peculiarly favored currant which find a ready market in Holland, Belgium and Germany. In addition to thei agricultural pursuits the Cephalonian are interested in shipbuilding, silk pinning, basket-making and the manu facture of carpets. An odd lace, mad of aloe fibre, is exported.
 "Elato, also known as Monte Negr (Black Mountain). which is more thal 5000 feet high, gets it's name from tn, dark pine forests which clofhe 1t sIonaRe