sometimes entitled Veliki, or the Great, a town of European Russia, in the government and 280 miles N.E. of Vologda, at the confluence of the Suchona and the Jug, which form the Dwina. It is the see of an archbishop; and contains 3 cathedrals, 20 other churches, several convents, an exchange, and other public buildings. Soap, candles, hosiery, hardware, and jewellery are manufactured here; and there is an extensive trade. Pop. 7959.

USURY. See Interest.

UTAH, a territory of the United States of North America, lying between N. Lat. 37. and 42., W. Long. 105.30. and 120.; bounded on the N. by Oregon, E. by Nebraska, Kansas, and New Mexico, S. by New Mexico, and W. by California. Length from E. to W. 720 miles, breadth 347.; area, 187,923 square miles. It occupies the immense rocky table-land, that stretches from the Rocky Mountains on the east to the Sierra Nevada on the west. The former of these chains separates Utah from Nebraska and Kansas, and the latter from California; and both rise in some places above the snow-line, and can only be crossed by a few difficult passes. The country lying between them is divided into two parts by the Wahsatch Mountains, a ridge stretching north and south, and rising from 4000 to 7000 feet above the surrounding country. West of this range lies what is called the Great or Fremont Basin, a region about 400 miles long from E. to W., and 250 broad, and inclosed on all sides by mountains, having on the E. and W. the Wahsatch Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, N. the Blue Mountains of Oregon, and S. a range that has received no name. This basin, which is from 4000 to 5000 feet above the sea-level, has its own system of lakes and rivers, with no communication whatever with the ocean. It contains several isolated mountains, and a chain called the Humboldt River Mountains, stretching from N. to S. about the centre of the country, and attaining a height of between 2000 and 5000 feet above the surrounding country. The eastern part of Utah, between the Wahsatch and the Rocky Mountains, is occupied by a vast and sterile valley. Through this valley flow the Green and the Grand Rivers, the former entering the territory from Oregon, and the latter rising in the Rocky Mountains within its borders. Both flow nearly parallel towards the S.W., and after entering New Mexico unite to form the Rio Colorado, which enters the Gulf of California at its head. The length of the Green River is about 400, that of the Grand River about 300 miles. These rivers drain the whole of the eastern valley of Utah, and receive many affluents from both sides. The valleys watered by these rivers form the only habitable parts of Eastern Utah. The Great Basin contains no large rivers, but many important lakes. Of the latter the most remarkable is the Great Salt Lake, towards the N.E. of the basin. It is about 70 miles long by 30 broad; and though it receives many rivers, among which are the Bear River from Oregon, and the Jordan from Utah Lake, it has no apparent outlet. Its waters are so salt, that no animal can live in it; and the evaporation that takes place in hot weather leaves a thick saline incrustation on the shores. The largest river here is the Humboldt, which falls into a lake of the same name towards the west of the basin. Not far from this, among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, is Pyramid Lake, so called from a singular pyramidal hill which rises in its centre to the height of 600 feet. Of the geological character of Utah little is known, but traces of volcanic agency are not unfrequent; and hot springs exist in various places. The climate is generally milder and drier than in the same parallels on the Atlantic, and the thermometer seldom rises above 100° in summer, or falls below zero in winter. Rain seldom falls between April and October. There is very little wood in the country, except on the mountains, where pines and firs are almost the only trees. The general sterility of the land is such that only a very small portion of the surface can ever be brought into cultivation. The Mormon settlements, however, which occupy the valleys along the western base of the Wahsatch Mountains, are, when well irrigated, very fertile; but much of the country is too far distant from any rivers to be successfully cultivated. In 1850, Utah contained 16,333 acres of cultivated land; producing 107,702 bushels of wheat, 210 of rye, 9899 of maize, 10,900 of oats, 1799 of barley, 332 of buckwheat, 44,128 of potatoes, 289 of pulse, 70 lb. of tobacco, 9222 of wool, 83,309 of butter, 30,998 of cheese, and 4805 tons of hay. Manufactures have as yet made little progress in this country; but they are steadily on the increase, and are indeed necessitated by the difficulty and expense of obtaining supplies of the necessities of life from abroad. Very little trade is carried on. Utah was acquired by the United States from Mexico by the treaty of 1848; and was erected into a territory in 1850. Its government is exactly similar to that of New Mexico. But the country is chiefly important in connection with the Mormonites, the first of whom arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1847. An account of the character and history of this singular sect is given in the article Mormonism. Brigham Young, the head of the sect, was appointed governor of the territory; and the numbers of its inhabitants were rapidly increasing. But recent events seem to indicate that the Mormonites have not found even here a secure retreat. The discovery of gold in California led to the settlement of many emigrants not Mormonites in these regions; and the persecutions to which they were subjected resulted in disputes between the governor and the United States authorities. In order to put an end to these disturbances, the president despatched, in 1857, a detachment of the federal army against Young, who was treated as an open rebel. This expedition, having been detained to quiet the disturbances in Kansas, was not able to resume the march for Utah till October 1857; and, owing to the inclemency of the weather, was obliged to spend the winter at Fort Laramie in Nebraska. In May 1858, the expedition had arrived at Utah, and Cumming, the new governor, reported to the president that Brigham Young had given up all thoughts of resistance, and consented to receive peaceably the federal authorities. The Mormonites are said to be moving in large numbers towards the south. The population of the territory in 1850 was 11,380; but more recently there were estimated to be 38,000 Mormonites in the Utah.

UTICA, an ancient city of Africa, near the promontory of Apollo, at the west side of the Bay of Carthage, from which city it was 27 miles to the N.W. It is said to have been founded by a Tyrian colony, a few years after the foundation of Gades, and 287 before that of Carthage. With a good harbour, and in a fertile district, it rapidly rose in prosperity; and in the course of time threw off its allegiance to Tyre, and became an ally or dependant of Carthage. In the first two Punic wars, Utica adhered to the cause of her ally, but in the third deserted the losing side and submitted to Rome. It was in consequence made the capital of the Roman province of Africa after the destruction of Carthage, and became the most important city in this region. It was at Utica that Cato the younger, thence surnamed Uticensis, killed himself. Utica fell into the hands of the Vandals in 439; but its final destruction is due to the Saracens, who twice captured the town.

UTICA, a town of the United States of North America, New York, on the south bank of the Mohawk, 95 miles W.N.W. of Albany. It is regularly laid out, and for the most part well built of brick or stone. It contains about twenty churches of different sects, several schools, public libraries, banks, and a large state lunatic asylum. The manufactories include two cotton factories, woollen factories, iron foundries, tanneries, a manufactory of railway carriages, and one of locks. As the town stands in a fertile and UTRECHT (anc. Trajectum ad Rhenum, or Ultra-Trajectum), a town of Holland, capital of the province of the same name, on the old Rhine, at the point where the Vecht branches off from it, 21 miles S.E. of Amsterdam. It is oval in shape, and traversed by two canals, which are crossed by numerous bridges. Unlike most Dutch towns, it stands on a site where the ground is elevated considerably above the level of the river, and thus it commands a wide prospect over a rich and well cultivated country. Under the quays which line the sides of the canals there are large cellars, used partly as dwellings and partly as storehouses and manufactories. The town is well built, but has an antique appearance, and many of the houses are in the Gothic style. The streets are more regular, the squares more spacious, and the canals fewer, than in the other towns of Holland. The cathedral of St Martin, built in 1382, must have been originally a magnificent edifice, larger than York minster; but it is now in a very dilapidated condition. Only the choir, transepts, and tower remain; and the last has been entirely separated from the body of the church by a terrible storm in 1674, which threw down the nave. The choir is used for Protestant worship, and it has some fine carved pillars and interesting monuments. Utrecht contains 14 other churches, among which are 4 belonging to the sect of the Jansenists, who have their head-quarters here, and indeed now hardly exist anywhere but in Holland. Their numbers are about 5000, under an archbishop of Utrecht and bishops of Haarlem and Deventer; and they hold the doctrines of St Augustine, and deny the infallibility of the pope, but still consider themselves as belonging to the Roman Catholic Church. The first confederation of the Dutch provinces was formed in 1579, in a room of the old town-hall; and in another many of the preliminaries of the celebrated peace of 1713 were agreed to. A new and handsome town-hall, however, has been built in 1830. There are also here a government-house, court-house, mint, picture-gallery, barracks, arsenal, and prison. The university, founded here in 1636, has 22 professors, and in 1858-9, 469 students. Its buildings are plain; but it has a valuable library, a museum, botanic garden, and observatory. Utrecht is also distinguished for the excellence of its schools, and has several literary and scientific societies, hospitals, &c. The most important manufactures of the town are those of cotton, linen, and silk, cloth, carpets, leather, soap, and arms. Dyeing, bleaching, sugar-refining, and boat-building are also carried on. There is an active trade, chiefly in corn, cattle, and the produce of the manufactures. Utrecht was formerly fortified, but the ramparts have been formed into fine promenades; and to the east of the town is an avenue called the Maliebaan, or Mall, consisting of eight rows of trees, about half a mile in length. Pop. 50,000. The province of Utrecht, bounded on the N. by the Zuyder Zee, E. and S. by the province of Gelderland, and W. by that of Holland, has an area of 536 square miles, being the smallest in the kingdom. It is a rich and well cultivated region, watered by the Rhine and its branches; and as the surface is not so low and flat as the most of Holland, it enjoys a mild and healthy climate, free from the excessive moisture that prevails in other parts of the country. The chief towns are Utrecht and Amersfoort. Pop. (1859) 162,249.

UTTERA (the ancient Iliturge) a town of Spain, Andalusia, province of Seville, and 16 miles S.S.E. of the city of that name. The streets are wide, and kept clean by running streams, and the houses are generally well built. It was once very flourishing, and subsequently fell into decay; but within the last few years it has been much improved. Many of its inhabitants are landed proprietors and rich farmers, who cultivate the valuable estates around. Uttera is also a military point of importance, being on the high road between Madrid and Cadiz, and possesses a ruined castle of the Moors. It possesses numerous churches and convents, some of the former being remarkable edifices, and one of the latter being long frequented by numerous devotees during a festival which lasted for eight days from 8th September, but which has now very much fallen off. There are also a town-hall, prison, cavalry-barracks, and various hospitals. The chief manufactures are soap, leather, and starch. The country around is very fertile, and here the famous Andalusian bulls are reared in great numbers. Not far from the town are the rich salt marshes of the Guadalquivir. A considerable trade in horses, cattle, and grain is carried on. Pop. about 15,000.

UTTOXETER, a market-town of England, in the county and 12 miles N.E. of Stafford, on a gentle slope near the right bank of the Dove, which here separates Staffordshire from Derbyshire, and is crossed by a fine stone bridge of six arches. The streets are generally straight, diverging from a market-place in the centre; and the most of the houses are well built of brick. The parish church is a handsome stone building, recently rebuilt, with the exception of the ancient spire, 179 feet high; and there are also places of worship for Roman Catholics and various dissenting sects. Uttoxeter has a free grammar school, a national school, almshouses, &c. There are some manufactures of leather, ropes, and hardware; and an extensive trade in agricultural produce is carried on, facilitated by the Caldon Canal, which terminates here. Pop. 3468.

UXBRIDGE, a market-town of England, in the county of Middlesex, 17 miles W.N.W. of St Paul's, London, on the Colne, here crossed by two good bridges. It extends about a mile along the road to Oxford, and is for the most part well built. The market-house consists of a good brick structure, supported by wooden pillars; and the parish church is an ancient edifice built of brick and flint. Uxbridge has a British school, school of industry, literary society, savings bank, flour-mills, malt-works, and a brick-field. A considerable trade in corn is carried on, and the Grand Junction Canal unites the town with London. In the time of the civil war, a fruitless negotiation for peace between the king and parliament was carried on at Uxbridge, and the house is still standing where the conferences were held. Pop. 5236.

UZ, a region and tribe mentioned in Scripture (Job. i. 1, Jer. xxv. 20, Lam. iv. 21), and now generally supposed to have occupied the south of Arabia Deserta, between Idumea, Palestine, and the Euphrates. The tribe seems to have been descended from Uz the son of Aram (Gen. x. 23), although its origin is by some referred to Huz the son of Nahor (Gen. xxii. 21), or to Uz the Horite, son of Dishan (Gen. xxxvi. 28).

UZES, a town of France, capital of a cognominal arrondissement in the department of Gard, is situated on the right bank of the Auzon, an affluent of the Gard, 12 miles N.N.E. of Nimes. It stands on the declivity of a hill from which issues the fountain of Eure, the waters of which were in ancient times conducted to Nimes by the Pont du Gard. Uzes was the seat of a bishop till the sixteenth century, when the bishop, clergy, and most of the inhabitants embraced Protestantism. The chief public buildings are the old episcopal palace and a castle, the former residence of the dukes of Uzes, the latter bearing a considerable resemblance to the Bastile of Paris. Uzes is the seat of a court of primary jurisdiction and a communal college, and has manufactures of silk, hosiery, coarse woollens, leather, and paper. Pop. (1856) 6315. V or v, is properly a consonant, and as such is placed before all the vowels; as in vacant, renal, vibrare, &c.

Though the letters v and u always had two sounds, they had only the form of v till the beginning of the fourth century, when the other form was introduced, the inconvenience of expressing two different sounds by the same letter having long before been observed. In numerals V stands for five; and with a dash added at top, thus, $\overline{V}$, it signifies 5000. (See Abbreviations).