ABSTRACT
Europe north of the 55 th parallel of latitude consists of Scotland and Scandinavia, and the satellite islands that are scattered throughout the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea. The Hebrides are divided between the mainland counties of Ross-shire and Inverness-shire, and the outer isles possess a Member of Parliament of their own, while the inner isles are represented by the Member for Inverness-shire. There are more than twice as many Gaelic speakers as Faroese speakers, and it is the language of the Hebrides. Lewismen display as much enterprise and powers of organisation in their unsceptred isle as if they were in control of their own destinies like the Faroes or the Channel islanders. The only possible excuse for the contrast between those of Norway and the British Isles is that nearly half of Norway’s population lives in her islands.
