he time of Pliny, for he states that the
Rhone divided itself at Arles into two arms. This is the case at
present; one of the branches, the western, being now called Le Petit
Rhone, which is again subdivided before entering the Mediterranean. The
advance of the base of the delta, in the last eighteen centuries, is
demonstrated by many curious antiquarian monuments. The most striking of
these is the great and unnatural datour of the old Roman road from
Ugernum to Beziers (_Boeterrae_) which went round by Nismes
(_Nemausus_). It is clear that, when this was first constructed, it was
impossible to pass in a direct line, as now, across the delta, and that
either the sea or marshes intervened in a tract now consisting of terra
firma.[346] Astruc also remarks, that all the places on low lands, lying
to the north of the old Roman road between Nismes and Beziers, have
names of Celtic origin, evidently given to them by the first inhabitants
of the country; whereas, the places lying south of that road, towards
the sea, have names of Latin derivation, and were clearly founded after
the Roman language had been introduced.

Another proof, also, of the great extent of land which has come into
existence since the Romans conquered and colonized Gaul, is derived from
the fact, that the Roman writers never mention the thermal waters of
Balaruc in the delta, although they were well acquainted with those of
Aix, and others still more distant, and attached great importance to
them, as they invariably did to all hot springs. The waters of Balaruc,
therefore, must have formerly issued under the sea--a common phenomenon
on the borders of the Mediterranean; and on the advance of the delta
they continued to flow out through the new deposits.

Among the more direct proofs of the increase of land, we find that Mese,
described under the appellation of Mesua Collis by Pomponius Mela,[347]
and stated by him to be nearly an island, is now far inland. Notre Dame
des Ports, also, was a harbor in 898, but is now a league from the
shore. Psalmodi was an island in 815, and is now two leagues from the
sea. Several old lines of towers and sea-marks occur at different
distances from the present coast, all indicating the successive retreat
of the sea, for each line has in its turn become useless to mariners;
which may well be conceived, when we state that the Tower of Tignaux,
erected on the shore so late as the year 1737, is already a mile remote
from it.[34