UPS 



U P T 



in a diet which met at Strssngnss on the 2d of July ; and the 

 univerfity was opened with due ceremony on the 7th of Oc- 

 tober. It was warmly patronized by Guftavus Vafa, and 

 liberally endowed by him, fo that he has been regarded as 

 its fecond founder. Under John III. it was removed to 

 Stockholm, but reftored to Upfala by Charles IX. After 

 declining for fome time, it was revived by Guliavus Adol- 

 phus, who conftrufted a large building at his own expence, 

 and endowed it with his patrimonial eftate of Vafa. His 

 example was followed by his fucceflors and by various indi- 

 viduals ; fo that the number of fcholars has confiderably in- 

 creafed. At the head of the univerfity is a chancellor, 

 chofen by the profeflbrs and confirmed by the king. The 

 prefidency devolves by rotation on one of the profeflbrs, 

 ftyled " Reftor Magnificus." The univerfity has its own 

 court of juftice, called " Confiftorium Minus," for the trial 

 of the (Indents and dependants. From this court an appeal 

 lies to a " Confiftorium Majus." The number of profeflbrs 

 is about twenty-four, of whom the principal are thofe of 

 divinity, eloquence, botany, anatomy, chemiftry, natural 

 philofophy, aftronomy, and agriculture. Students are ad- 

 mitted into the univerfity at the age of fixteen, for the 

 completion of their academical ftudies. They do not inha- 

 bit, as in our univerficies, any diftinft colleges, but lodge 

 in the town, and repair to the lectures of the profeflbrs, 

 either at their houfes or at the public halls. The poorer 

 ftudents are aflifted by fcholarfhips, called " ftipendia," 

 fome founded by the crown, others by private perfons ; the 

 common degrees granted by this univerfity are " Philofo- 

 phiss Candidatus," correfponding to bachelor of arts, and 

 * Philofophise Magifter," anfwermg to mafter of arts. In 

 order to obtain the firft; of thefe degrees, he candidate un- 

 dergoes feveral previous examinations, and compofes a Latin 

 thefis. His exercifes for the fecond, are a Latin thefts, 

 holding a public difputation, and reading a leAure in the 

 fame language. There is no academical difcipline. Al- 

 though the ftudents have no regular drefs, yet on fome oc- 

 cafions, as when they take a matter's degree, they appear 

 in a black filk cloak, which they ought alfo by the ftatutes 

 of the univerfity to wear when they keep their afts. The 

 profeflbrs, on days of ceremony, are clad in black cloaks, 

 the doftors of divinity are diftinguilhed by a hat of black 

 filk, the doftors of law by one of white, and thofe of phy- 

 fic by one of green or Iky-blue. The number of ftudents 

 varies, but has been ftated at an average of ten years at 

 500. This univerfity, ftyled by Stillingfleet, " that great 

 and hitherto unrivalled fchool of natural hiftory," has pro- 

 duced perfons eminent in every branch of fcience. The 

 Kbrary contams many valuable books and MSS. This 

 owes its origin to Guftavus Adolphus. Among the moft 

 valuable pieces of literary curiofity is a manufcript of the 

 four gofpels, called from its filver letters Codex Argenttus, 

 which fee. 



The Royal Society at Upfala, the oldeft literary academy 

 of this kind in the North, took its rife in 1720. At firft it 

 confifted of a number of learned men, who pubiiflied reviews 

 of books, under the title of " Afta Literaria Suecis ;" but 

 in 1730 the tranfadions of the fociety confifted of original 

 afts and diflertations ; and when patronized by the king, it 

 aflumed the name of " Societas Regia," and the tranfac- 

 tions, publifhed annually, were denominated " Atta Lite- 

 raria et Scientiarum Sueciae." In 1740, it was called " So- 

 cietas Regia Literaria et Scientiarum Upfaiieiific," thus dif- 

 tinguifhed from the Academy of Sciences at Stockholm, 

 which was denominated " Academia Regia Suecize." In 

 1750 their publications ceafed, but they were again re- 

 newed in 1772, under the title of " Nova Afta Regix 



Societatis Scientiarum Upfalienfis." ' They are written is 

 the Latin tongue, and printed in 4to. The original num- 

 bers iflued from 1720 to 1750 are comprifed in fix volumes. 

 The place where the ancient kings of Sweden were elefted 

 lies about feven miles from the town of Upfala, and is ftill 

 marked by mutilated ftoaes, one of which is called " Mo- 

 rafteen," or the ilone of Mora ; on which the fovereigns 

 were enthroned with due folemnity, and received the homage 

 of their fubjects. Olaus Magnus relates that the Morafteen 

 was placed in the middle of twelve other ftones in a circle. 

 A fimilar monument near the village of St. Buriens, in Corn- 

 wall, is defcribed by Camden. The botanical garden of 

 Upfala is fmall, but laid out with judgment, and the collec- 

 tion of exotics is numerous. Upfala is 45 miles from Stock- 

 holm. N. lat. 59° 51'. E. long. 17° 26'. 



UPSARA, in Hindoo Mythology, is the name of a poe- 

 tical race of water-nymphs, proverbial for their beauty and 

 fafcinations. They are the dancing girls of Indra's court, 

 anfsvering to the fairies of the Perfians, and to the damfels 

 called in the Koran Huruluyun, or with antelopes' eyes. 

 The name has been derived from up, water, the feventh cafe 

 plural of which is up/o, and ra/a, tafte. 



UPS AW, in Geography, a town of Hindooftan, in Bahar; 

 6 miles S. of Patna. 



UPSILOIDES, in Anatomy, a name for the os hyoides. 

 See Deglutition. 



UPSTART, Cape, in Geography, a cape on the N.E. 

 coaft of New Holland. S. lat. 19° 39'. W. long. 212° 32'. 

 UPTON, a town of Mafiachufetts, in Worcefter county, 

 containing 935 inhabitants ; 38 miles S.W. of Bofton. 



Upton upon Severn, a market-town in the lower divifion 

 of the hundred of Perftiore, and county of Worcefter, Eng- 

 land, is fituated on the banks of the river Severn, at the 

 diftance of 10 miles S. from the city of Worcefter, and 1 09 

 miles N.W. by W. from London. Though a fmall town, 

 it has long been in a ftate of progreflive improvement, which 

 may be in fome meafure attributed to its having a handfome 

 ftone bridge of fix arches, built in 1 605, and a harbour for 

 the reception of the barges employed in the navigation of 

 the Severn, by which a confiderable traffic is carried on. 

 Upton fuft^ered much in the civil war of Charles I. ; when 

 the bridge was partly broken down for military purpofes, 

 and a battery erefted in the church-yard to prevent the par- 

 liamentary forces from croffing the river. At that time alfo 

 the church fuftained great injury, and though afterwards re- 

 paired, it was found neceflary, in the year 1 756, to take it 

 down ; when, it is to be regretted, little attention was paid 

 to the prefervation of the painted glafs and ancient monu- 

 ments in the old ftrufture. It was rephced by a very neat 

 modem edifice, the chief ornament of the town. This was 

 opened in 1758 ; but the tower was not completed till 1 774. 

 A charity-fchool for fixteen girls is eftabli/hed here. No 

 manufaftures worthy of notice are carried on : but four 

 fairs are held annually, for the fale of horfes, cattle, ftieep, 

 and leather: a weekly market is kept on Tuefday. Ac- 

 cording to the population return in the year 181 1, the parifh 

 of Upton then contained 394 houfes, occupied by 2023 per- 

 fons. In the year 1787, a circular cavity, about fix feet in 

 diameter, was difcovered in a corn-field in this vicinity : on 

 examination, this aperture led to a cavern at the depth of 

 about ten feet from the furface, extending in every dire(5lion 

 twenty feet in diameter ; at about thirty -five or forty feet is 

 a pit or fliaft full of water, and nearly 140 feet deep. Va- 

 rious conjeftures have been formed refpeAing this pheno- 

 menon ; but whether it proceeds from a natural or artificial 

 caufe has not been determined. 



About four miles from Upton, and near the village of 



Earl's 



