Norwich bulletin., 1917-07-12
THE WAR PRIMER By National Geographic Society.

vibore, the scene of recent serious
 anarchistic disorders in defiance of
 the authorities at Petrograd. Is the
 subject of the following informative
 war geography bulletin issued today b,
 the National Geographic Society from
 it's Washington headquarters.
 ''The third city of Finland of the
 province of the same name. Niborg
 is one of the most interesting and
 picturesque centers of population in
 northwest ern Russia. It is situated at the head Of the Gulf of Niborg, on
 the important Sain1a Canal. a water
 Sain1a ('the lake of thousand islesD with the sea It is eighty miles north west of Petrograd, on the Helsingfors- Petrosrad Railway, express trains capital to Niborg in seven hours, and l from Petrosrad to Vibors in three hours.
 The city has a population of 35. 900 and the principal commercial activity is the export of lumber. There are
 also important feundries, machine works, and saw mills here.
 From a historical standpoint Vii borg is one of the most interesting communities in Finland. It owes it's foundatio to Marshal Tori1el T<nut- son. the Swedish general who in 1893
 built castle here on granite islet in the natural harbor. Around this castle grew the city. and the ruins of the old stronghold are still preserved, although it's tower. from which the former governors were accustomed to watch for the sails of the enemy Rus sians. has begun to crunsble. This was the first center for the spread of Christianity throughout the medieval
 province of Karelia, of which Viborg was for many years the capital. Many are the legends which have grown up around this old castle. and Of these none is of more Fascinating interest than the story of knut Potse T 1,. l@f -11&
 against the assaults Of q Russian
 army reputed to have numbered 5O,oOo
 men under Ivan Wasiljevitsch. Ac- cording to some chroniclers the gar must be recalled that Posse. according to the legend, could always increase his forces by going to the top of his tower. and opening bag of feathers to the wind. whereupon each feather became q fully-arme soldier.
 'aWhen the garrison was about to yield Posse determined upon a des- perate course. He undermined one of
 great store of explosives beneath it (concocted, says legend, in a great
 saucepan, the ingredients closely re-
 sembling the noxious brew of Hecate
 silver, and chak) When all was
 ready the little garrison sought safety in the lowest dungeon of the castle,
 leaving one old man. who had vol |
 blast. Sixteen thousand Russians are supposed to have perished when the 'Visborg Thunder was discharged.
 and the remainder of the besieging supposed to have happened Just three years after Columbus discovered America And to prove the truth of the account the custodian of the old saucepan in which. by black magic. Posse mixed theexplosive
 'In this period of Viborgs history the governors of the castle possessed
 almost kingly powers, being permitted 1 to ennoble their subjects. and per forming other royal functions. It is said that when Governor Karl Knut- son Bonde sailed for Stockholm in he was accompanied by eight hundred knights.
 "viborg was captured, by Peter the Great in ITO and was formally ceded eleven years later. At the close of | that century 1t was blockaded by the | fleet of Gustavus III. but the Swedish king was in turn blockaded in the Gulf of Viborg and it was with dlfn- l culty that he ran the gauntlet of Rus l sian ship and saved his forces. In I1sI2 the province and city were re
 united to the grand-duchy of Finland | '.The Saima Canal, which was built | 1T. 1s45-56. is one of the most pie t,Ir esnue artificial waterways in the 1 world. Lake Saima. the largest lake | in Finland, with an area Of 500 square miles. is z50 feet above sea level. so that 2s locks are required to lift ships from the gulf to the great inland waterway. Numerous falls and cas-
 cades fringe the 40-foot wide com rnsricaI channel all the way.
 "All tourists visit the magnificent country estate of Baron von Nicoiay while in Viborg- It is called Monre pos, and is only a mile or two north