South Yarmouth. This town
of Lymington is chiefly noted for making fine salt, which is indeed
excellent good; and from whence all these south parts of England are
supplied, as well by water as by land carriage; and sometimes, though not
often, they send salt to London, when, contrary winds having kept the
Northern fleets back, the price at London has been very high; but this is
very seldom and uncertain. Lymington sends two members to Parliament,
and this and her salt trade is all I can say to her; for though she is
very well situated as to the convenience of shipping I do not find they
have any foreign commerce, except it be what we call smuggling and
roguing; which, I may say, is the reigning commerce of all this part of
the English coast, from the mouth of the Thames to the Land's End of
Cornwall.

From hence there are but few towns on the sea-coast west, though there
are several considerable rivers empty themselves into the sea; nor are
there any harbours or seaports of any note except Poole. As for
Christchurch, though it stands at the mouth of the Avon (which, as I have
said, comes down from Salisbury, and brings with it all the waters of the
south and east parts of Wiltshire, and receives also the Stour and
Piddle, two Dorsetshire rivers which bring with them all the waters of
the north part of Dorsetshire), yet it is a very inconsiderable poor
place, scarce worth seeing, and less worth mentioning in this account,
only that it sends two members to Parliament, which many poor towns in
this part of England do, as well as that.

From hence I stepped up into the country north-west, to see the ancient
town of Wimborne, or Wimborneminster; there I found nothing remarkable
but the church, which is indeed a very great one, ancient, and yet very
well built, with a very firm, strong, square tower, considerably high;
but was, without doubt, much finer, when on the top of it stood a most
exquisite spire--finer and taller, if fame lies not, than that at
Salisbury, and by its situation in a plainer, flatter country visible, no
question, much farther; but this most beautiful ornament was blown down
by a sudden tempest of wind, as they tell us, in the year 1622.

The church remains a venerable piece of antiquity, and has in it the
remains of a place once much more in request than it is now, for here are
the monuments of several noble families, and in particular of one king,
viz., King Etheldred, who was slain in battle by t