All at sea?

Your piece on Shetland’s position on maps (20 March) reminded me of a question I asked when I joined the Schools Inspectorate in the early 1960s: “Why were Orkney and Shetland allocated to the district inspector of Kincardine?” The anecdotal explanation was that, when Scotland was carved up into districts for inspection in the 19th century, Scottish education was controlled from Dover House in London. A civil servant there noticed that, to get Scotland on to one page, Orkney and Shetland were placed in an inset in the North Sea opposite Stonehaven!

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

HENRY L PHILIP Grange Loan, Edinburgh Roger West (Letters, 20 March) granted the Russian president powers divine: according to him, Mr Putin managed to shift Crimea from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. Well done!

PAUL MILLAR Riselaw Crescent, Edinburgh