1S(, MALI' AY 



bourhood — as it is called in pro\'encal, in remembrance 

 of the daAS when it was not safe to travel here. 



The Forester's \\-ife was evidently pleased at having 

 someone to converse with, and, while we breakfasted, 

 jrave us accurate information about the neighbourhood. She 

 pointed out to us, towards the east, a stretch of the Roman 

 road which can be overlooked from here. The road connected 

 Rome with Gaul and ended at Arelate, the present 

 Aries, whence the 'A^ia Donntia' led to Spain. There 

 \\'ere two Roman roads called "Aurelian", which led 

 through the Estcrcl. The older one followed the coast 

 from Cannes and turned inland, up a valle^', at the most 

 southerh' boss of the Esterel, reaching Frejus in a westerh- 

 direction. Later the Romans made a second road which 

 ran straight over the mountains, corresponding more or 

 less to the present high-road between Frejus ancl Cannes. 

 It was a piece of this road which we were now over- 

 looking, hi an untretjuented ravine in Malpa-s- there still 

 lie ancient porph-\'r^' pillars — unfinished work of the 

 Romans. But the purplish-red stone is now covered with 

 a thick, black crust. In this district the names of parts 

 ot the coast, and some of the mountains, still recall that 

 of the Roman road. The shore near the spot where the 

 earlier of the two Roman roads turned inland is called 

 "Plage d'Aurele", and the porph-\'ritic mass which rises 

 above it is the ''Pic d'Aurele". Pater on the Esterel 

 range was so cut off from all civilization, so withdrawn 

 from new influences, that up to the present chn- the 

 population call a still used stretch of the older road "lou 

 camin Aurelian". 



