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The hearing of the charges against Oscar Wilde was continued at the Central Criminal Court to-day. Oscar Wilde, who appeared to be in a very weak condition, was allowed a seat in the witness-box. During his examination he declared that he always understood that Alfred Taylor was a respectable man. Referring to his associates, Oscar Wilde said that his reason for their friendship was that he personally liked praise, and the sensation of lionising was delightful.

Sir Edward Clarke, Q.C., Oscar Wilde's counsel, in his address to the jury, declared that the witnesses for the prosecution were all blackmailers, whose statements it was impossible to believe.

[The foregoing appeared in our Second Edition on Saturday.]

LONDON, May 25.

On the conclusion of the addresses of counsel, Mr. Justice Wills summed up, and the jury retired to consider their verdict. After an absence of two hours the jury returned a verdict against Wilde of guilty on all counts.

Mr. Justice Wills, speaking with great emotion, said it was difficult enough for him to restrain his feelings. He regarded the verdict of the jury as correct beyond the shadow of a doubt, and he felt it would be useless to address the prisoner, who was dead to all sense of shame. The case was the worst he had ever tried and he would pass the most severe sentence that the law permitted, regretting that that sentence was totally inadequate to the enormity of the crime.

Oscar Wilde and Alfred Taylor were then each sentenced to two years imprisonment, with hard labour.

Taylor left the dock with a firm step, but Wilde looked haggard and dazed.

After sentence had been passed, Wilde, with a despairing and horror-stricken expression on his countenance, weakly muttered a request to be permitted to address the bench, but the re- quest was not heeded, and the warders escorted him to the cells immediately.

LONDON, May 26.

The Marquis of Queensberry and Lord Douglas of Hawick witnessed the end of the trial.

The foreman of the jury asked the court whether the Crown intended to order the arrest of Lord Alfred Douglas (second son of the Marquis of Queensberry), and Mr. Justice Wills replied that he was not aware that Lord Alfred Douglas was affected by the present trial. The foreman then suggested that if Oscar Wilde's letters showed him to be guilty, they would apply equally to Lord Alfred Douglas. The judge concurred, and stated further that any suspicion that Lord Alfred Douglas was being allowed to escape because of his family connections was as unfounded as it was impossible.

The case against Oscar Wilde was proceeded with to-day, when the accused was allowed to give evidence, and emphatically denied all the charges laid against him.

Wilde, who was very weak, was seated in the box while giving his evidence. He stated that he always understood that Taylor was a respectable man. Referring to his other associates, he said that he personally liked them and that their praise and the lionising which they bestowed upon him were to him delightful.

Sir Edward Clarke, Q.C., who appears for Wilde, said that the witnesses who gave evidence against his client were a lot of blackmailers, and that it was impossible to believe their statements.

LONDON, May 25.

The case against Oscar Wilde was concluded to-day.

The jury having retired, were absent for two hours considering their verdict, and at the expiration of that time they returned into court, the foreman announcing that they had found the prisoner guilty on all the counts mentioned in the indictment.

Mr. Justice Wills, in passing sentence upon Wilde and Taylor, spoke in tones of great emotion, and evidently found it extremely difficult to restrain his feelings. He asserted that the verdict returned by the jury was correct beyond the shadow of a doubt, and declared that it was useless his attempting to address the prisoners, who were evidently dead to all sense of shame.

The case, continued Mr. Justice Wills, was the worst he had ever tried, and although he intended to pass the most severe sentence the law permitted he regretted that it was totally inadequate to the horrible crime of which the prisoners had been found guilty.

Wilde and Taylor were each sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labor.

Taylor left the court with a firm step, but Wilde, who looked worn and haggard, appeared to be completely dazed.

Oscar Wilde, after hearing the sentence passed upon him, gazed despairingly round the court as though struck with horror, and with a palpable effort weakly muttered a request that he might be permitted to address the Judge.

The request was unheeded, and Wilde was immediately escorted by the warders to the cells.

After Mr. Justice Wills had passed sentence upon Oscar Wilde and his accomplice, Taylor, the foreman of the jury enquired whether the police authorities had any intention of issuing a warrant for the arrest of Lord Alfred Douglas, whose name had been repeatedly mentioned during the trial.

Mr. Justice Wills replied that he was not aware of any such intention, and that he was of the opinion that Lord Douglas was not affected by the issue of the present trial.

The foreman of the jury stated that if the letters written by Wilde showed him to be guilty of the crime with which he was charged the same would apply with equal force to those written by Lord Alfred Douglas.

His Honor concurred with this view of the case, and declared that if any suspicion existed that Lord Douglas would be allowed to escape owing to his high connections the suspicion was both unfounded and impossible.

LONDON, May 26.

The Marquis of Queensberry and his eldest son Lord Douglas of Hawick witnessed the conclusion of the trial of the charges against Oscar Wilde, and were present when both prisoners were sentenced.