Poole Harbour, with its furious double tides, is well known to yachtsmen, and its maze of creeks and islands extends seven miles inland, forming an inland sea surrounded by the barren wilderness of the Great Heath. The ancient seaport of Poole has a long and adventurous history, dating buck to its first Charter, granted in 1248, and thickly studded with deeds of daring not wholly within the law, for piracy and smuggling of the most desperate character seem always to have come naturally to the men of Poole. In the time of Queen Elizabeth, Poole attained the dignity of being a separate county, and Alderman Carter's predecessors in office were at one time Admirals, by virtue of their office.