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Rh Squalus acanthias,” in ''Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool.'' (Harvard, 1898); I. W. van Wijhe, “Ueber das Visceralskelet, u. die Nerven des Kopfes der Ganoiden u. von Ceratodus,” in ''Niederl. Arch. f. Zool.'' (1879, 1882); various authors (A. Dendy, H. Gadow, J. S. Gardiner, W. H. Gaskell, E. S. Goodrich, E. W. MacBride, E. Ray Lankester, P. Chalmers Mitchell, A. Smith Woodward), “Discussion on the Origin of Vertebrates,” in the ''Proc. of the Linnaean Society'' (London, 1910). (P. C. M.)

 VERTICAL (from Lat. vertex, highest paint), the direction of the line of action of gravity, as determined by the plumb-line. The angle of the vertical is the angle between the direction of the plumb-line and that of the earth's centre (see ). VERTUE, GEORGE (1684-1756), English engraver and antiquary, was born in St Martin's-in-the-Fields, London, in 1684. At the age of thirteen he was apprenticed to an heraldic engraver, a Frenchman, who failed in three or four years. Vertue then studied drawing at home, and afterwards worked for seven years as an engraver under Michael Vandergucht. He was patronized by Sir Godfrey Kneller, and was one of the first members of the Academy of Painting which that artist instituted in 1711. His plate of Archbishop Tillotson, after Kneller, commissioned by Lord Somers, established his reputation as an engraver; and he was soon in an'excellent practice, engraving portraits after Dahl, Richardson, Jervas and Gibson. In portraiture alone he executed over five hundred plates. In 1717 he was appointed engraver to the Society of Antiquaries, and his burin was employed upon many interesting statues, tombs, portraits and other subjects of an antiquarian nature. He died on the 24th of July 1756, and was buried in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey.

VERTUMNUS (or, "turning," "changing"), in Roman mythology, the god of the changing year with its seasons, flowers and fruits, probably of Italian origin, Like Proteus, he had the power of assuming any shape he pleased, which enabled him to win the love of (q.v.). His shrine and statue (see the well-known description in Propertius iv. 2) were in the Vicus Tuscus, and from his connexion with this busy street he was regarded as having a special interest in trade and barter. At another sanctuary on the slope of the Avetine, sacrifice was offered to him every year on the 13th of August. It is probable that he was of Etruscan origin (see Wissowa, Religion und Kultus der Römer, 1902, p. 233). VERULAMIUM, a Romano-British town situated in the territory of the Catuvellauni, close to the modern St Albans (Hertfordshire). Before the Roman conquest it was probably a native capital: afterwards it received the dignity of a municipium (implying municipal status and Roman citizenship). Tacitus tells us that the town was burnt by Boadicea in 61, but it again rose to prosperity. Its site is still easily recognizable. Its walls of flint rubble survive in stately fragments, and enclose an area of 200 acres. Of the internal buildings little is known. A theatre was excavated in 1847, and parts of the forum were opened by Mr William Page in 1898; both indicate a civilized and cultivated town. The complete uncovering of the site was planned in 1910. (F. J. H.) VERVET, a Central and South African monkey, known as Cercopithecus pygerythrus. It is nearly allied to the (q.v.), but distinguished (as indicated by its name) by the presence of a rusty patch at the root of the tail, and by the black (instead of grey) chin, hands and feet. VERVIERS, a town of Belgium, in the province of Liége, not far from the Prussian frontier, and on the main line from Liége to Aix-la-Chapelle and Cologne. Pop. (1904) 49,168. It is a modern town owing its prosperity to the cloth trade which began here in the 18th century. It is situated on the Vesdre, which flows into the Ourthe a few miles before its junction with the Meuse; and the water of that river is supposed to be especially good for dyeing purposes. As the river water was insufficient to maintain the local industry an artificial reservoir was constructed at La Gileppe on the Hautes Fagnes, and an imposing aqueduct conveys the water stored on these highlands into Verviers. There are also extensive glass factories, but these have suffered from German competition, and many have been closed. A monument to a local celebrity named Chapuis is interesting for the reason that his execution by order of the prince-bishop of Liége was the last act of sovereignty taken by that prelate. VESICA PISCIS (Fr. amande mystique), in architecture, the term given to a pointed oval panel formed by two equal circles cutting each other in their centre; this is a common form given to a panel in which the figure of Christ is represented. It is commonly employed in medieval seals, and especially those of bishops and monastic establishments. VESOUL, a town of eastern France, capital of the department of Haute-Saone, 236 m. E.S.E. of Paris on the Eastern railway to Belfort. Pop. (1906) 8702. Vesoul is situated between the isolated conical hill of La Motte (1263 ft.) and the river Durgeon. The vine-clad hill, from which there is a fine view of the Jura and Vosges mountains, is crowned by a votive chapel which in 1855 replaced the old fortification. The medieval walls of the town, dating from the 13th and 15th centuries, still exist on its northern side, and in the narrow and winding streets are many old buildings. The church of St George dates from the 18th century. In the pleasant south-eastern quarter are the promenade and the Place de la République, with a monument to the Gardes Mobiles who fell in the war of 1870–71. Vesoul is the seat of a prefect, tribunal of first instance and a court of assize, and has a lycée-for boys, training colleges for both sexes, and a branch of the Bank of France. Distilling and the manufacture of files and tapioca are among the industries. The town is a market for farm-produce and cattle.

Vesoul (Vesulium Castrum, Visolium, Vesulum) is of ancient origin, but in existing records is first mentioned in the 9th century. It was originally a fief of the church of Besançon, and passed afterwards to the house of Burgundy, becoming, in the 13th century, capital of the bailiwick of Amont. The castle was destroyed in the 17th century. The town suffered much during the wars of religion and the Thirty Years' War. Vesoul belonged temporarily to France after the death of Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy; was returned to the-empire when Charles VIII., king of France, broke off his marriage with the daughter of Maximilian, king of the Romans; and' again became part of France under Louis XIV. after the peace of Nijmwegen in 1678. VESPASIAN, in full, Roman emperor 70–79, was born on the 18th of November,  9, in the Sabine country near Reate. His father was a tax collector and money-lender on a small scale; his mother was the sister of a senator. After having served with the army in Thrace and been quaestor in Crete and Cyrene, Vespasian rose to be aedile and praetor, having meanwhile married Flavia Domitilla, the daughter of a Roman knight, by whom he had two sons, Titus and Domitian, afterwards emperors. Having already served in Germany, in the years 43 and 44, in the reign of Claudius, he distinguished himself in command of the 2nd legion in Britain under Aulus Plautius. He reduced Vectis (Isle of Wight) and penetrated to the borders of Somersetshire. In 51 he was for a brief space consul; in 63 he went as governor to Africa, where, according to Tacitus (ii. 97), his rule was “infamous and odious”; according to Suetonius (Vesp. 4), “upright and highly honourable.” He went with Nero's