We clearly saw a large number of houses and villas, with two churches standing on the side of the hill, backed by dark pine groves.  A few years ago there were only a few cottages on a sandbank, a small stream, and a decoy pond in the neighbourhood.  By keeping out of the tide we made some way, and now standing to the southward on the port tack we came off Poole Harbour, looking up which we could see the woods and a house on Branksea Island, and the tower of what was once a castle erected for the defence of the place.