The Sun.
London, England, 1834-10-23 00:00:00

BANK OF ENGLAND.

A Special General Court of Proprietors of Bank Stock
was held yesterday, in the Bank parlour, for the purpose of
choosing a Director for the remainder of the year, in place
of Timothy Abraham Curtis, Esq., who has been elected
Deputy-Governor of the Bank of England. The Court
was not so fully attended, there being no opposition ex-
pected to the gentleman recommended to fill the vacancy by
the Court of Directors.
James Pattison, Esq., the Governor, the Deputy Gover-
nor, and a number of the Directors, entered the Court-
room at about eleven o'clock.
After the minutes of the last special meeting, and the
advertisement for calling the present Court had been read,
The GOVERNOR said, that the Court of Directors had
assembled the present Court, on account of the vacancy
caused by the election of Timothy Abraham Curtis, Esq.,
to the office of Deputy-Governor. A public notice had
been issued by the Court of Directors, who recommended a
gentleman to fill up the vacancy, and if it met the wishes of
the Court of Proprietors, the ballot would now be commenced.
No other proprietor being named to fill the vacancy, the
balloting glasses were opened, and the ballot proceeded with.
The glasses were closed at four o'clock, and handed over
to the scrutineers, who then retired to examine them, and
reported soon afterwards that the election had fallen upon
John Cockerel], Esq., and that that gentleman had been
nominated by 77 votes.
Mr. COCKERELL was then called upon by the Gover-
nor to take the oaths appertaining to the office of a Direc-
tor of the Company, viz., the oath of allegiance, supre-
macy, and qualification, as being the holder of 2,000/. of
the stock of the corporation, in his own right, and not in
trust ; and also the oath that he would use all the means
in his power to promote the interests of the Corporation.
The Court then adjourned.

THE MURDER OF MR. SOUTHGATE.

LIVERPOOL, OCT. 21 . —This day, at eleven o'clock, an
inquisition was held in the inquest-room of the sessions'-
house, before John Wright, Esq.. the late Mayor, on view
of the body of William Southgate, Esq., late Surveyor of
his Majesty's Customs at this port, who was barbarously
assassinated on Friday morning last by Norman Welch, a
weigher in the customs. A respectable jury was impanelled.
Mr. Brooke, the attorney, attended professionally to
watch the proceedings on the part of the customs.
Previous to the evidence being entered into the prisoner
was brought in and placed at one end of the room. On
his entrance, hat in hand, he, betrayed some symptoms of
emotion by a tremulous movement of the body. He soon,
however, recovered his self-possession, and did not appear
more affected than any of the bystanders. As we have be-
fore described him, the prisoner is a hale, short, robust man,
between krty and fifty years of age, with a countenance and
eye expressive of dogged determination, although it could
not be designated ferocity.
John Pyke, appointer of weights to the Customs of Li-
verpool ; Richard Fisher, landing waiter ; Joseph Graham,
extra weigher ; James M'Gaffie, commissioned weigher ;
Robert Clough, sergeant of dock police ; George Kirkby,
messenger to the surveyor of Customs, severally deposed to
the murder having been perpetrated on Friday the 17th
inst., at about a quarter past ten in the morning, to the ex-
clamations of Mr. Southgate, and to the explicit avowals of
the prisoner that he had committed the act.
The prisoner declined putting any questions to the above
witnesses with the exception of James M'Gaffie, who was
thus interrogated :
The Coroner (to the prisoner)—Have you any questions
to ask the witness ?
Prisoner—None, Sir, excepting the signing the book.
James, now (to the witness), you know that I never can
sign the book in a morning before I have had lour or five
glasses of rum and water in me.
Witness—l do not know that.
By a Juror—Do you know whether the prisoner is in the
habit of drinking in a morning ?
Witness—l cannot say. I have my own business to at-
tend to ; but I saw him sign the book at the time I signed
it myself.
William Aspinall, in the employ of Messrs. Williams and
Powell, successors to Mr. Patrick, the gunsmith, in Pool-
lane, deposed that on Thursday night last, between six and
seven, the prisoner came to his employers' shop and asked
for the pistol that he had looked at a few days before and
marked. He said he would purchase it, and his master
said the price was one guinea, and he gave that sum for it.
Mr. Powell told the witness that the prisoner had called
several times about the pistol. He pressed Mr. Powell to
load the pistol, as he said he did not understand the percus-
sion pistols, and Mr. Powell showed him how they were
used. He appeared as if he had had a little liquor. The
prisoner then asked Mr. Powell to cast him some balls, and
the boy went down and cast seven. When the lad brought
them the prisoner counted them, and said that he would
only take six, which he did. He then asked for some per-
cussion caps, and Mr. Powell gave him some. Those that
he gave him fitted the pistol. Mr. Powell did not
charge him for the caps, and he then showed the pri-
soner how to place them on the pistol, by putting one
on and snapping it off. A young gentleman named Far-
mouth came into the shop at the time he was pur-
chasing the pistol, and Mr. Farmouth asked him what he
was going to do with the pistol? The prisoner hesitated
a little before lie replied, and then said that he was merely
going to decide a disputed wager with a friend by shooting
at a mark. The prisoner then tried to put a cap on the
which he did. and snapped it off in a similar manner
to Mr. Powell. He then asked Mr. Powell to put another
on for him, which was done, and said that he should let
that remain on. The prisoner asked Mr. Powell how long
the cap would remain on without decaying—whether it
would remain on two days ? and Mr. Powell said that it
would. He was then going away with the cap on, and
Mr. Powell told him that it was a bad plan to put the cap
on before he loaded the pistol. The prisoner asked why ;
and he told him because he might shoot himself. Mr.
Powell then took the pistol out of his hand and snapped
the cap off. The prisoner hesitated rather in going away,
and pressed Mr. Powell to put another cap on, which he
did. Previous to going away the prisoner asked for some
powder, and Mr. Powell gave him two charges in separate
papers. The prisoner did not inquire about the quality of
the pistol. He might have had a little liquor, but knew
perfectly well what he was doing.
By Mr. BROOKE—The balls were twenty-six to the
pound, and Mr. Powell recommended him to wrap the balls
in leather to make them hit.
The prisoner declined asking this witness any questions.
Mr. Samuel M'Culloch, surgeon, gave evidence as to the
ball having entered the body of the deceased under the
seventh rib on the left side, and lodged about the eighth
rib on the right side. His death took place at a quarter-
past twelve on Sunday afternoon.
Mr. M'Culloch said that the quantity of laudanum in the
bottle found on the prisoner might be an ounce.
The CORONER directed that the pisto , bottle, and per-
cussion-caps should be safely sealed, and kept in safe cus-
tody until the trial.
This being the whole evidence, the Jury found a verdict
of—Wilful murder against the prisoner, Norman Welch,
for the murder of Mr. Southgate.
The CORONER, upon this announcement, asked the pri-
soner if he had anything to say for himself. He was at
liberty to please himself whether he said anything or no-
thing, but whatever he did say would appear against him
on his trial.
The prisoner said, " I have a deal to say against the
deceased," and then hesitated ; and upon the advice of his
solicitor, Mr. Toulmin, declined saying anything further.
In signing his name to the deposition, the prisoner's hand
trembled a little, otherwise the signature was bold and well
executed. The Court then brok up.

AN INSTANCE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF ME-
CHANICS' INsrarrioNs.—Vv'e had the pleasure of having ex-
hibited in our office the other day, a beautiful steam engine,
at work, of extraordinary minute dimensions ; the engine itself,
w i,I, fly'wheel, weighing only seven ounces ! This miniature
machine has been made by a young man of the name of West,
who is employed at Messrs. Sykes and Sons', Duke-street. It
appals it is entirely from the books of the Mechanics' Library,
of which.he is a member, that he has obtained so complete and
practical a knowledge of this noblest of all mechanical produc-
ttons—the steam engine.—She.ifield Iris.