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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 trial of Oscar Wilde was resumed at the Old Bailey on Saturday before Mr Justice Wills. The prisoner, who looked ill and anxious, having entered the dock, the Solicitor-General resumed his speech in reply for the prosecution. He asked what was the relationship of the prisoner with Lord Alfred Douglas, and said though Lord Queensbery repeated the intimacy between the prisoner and Lord Alfred, the prisoner continued the intimacy and flaunted Lord Alfred at hotels in London and the country. He contended that it had been shown that the prisoner was closely intimate with Taylor.

Sir Edward Clarke said that was not borne out by evidence.

The Solicitor-General said that it appeared as if counsel for the defence desired that one man should go down and another be saved because of a false glamour of art.

Sir Edward Clarke protested against this mode of appeal to the jury.

His Lordship, in summing up, thought that Wild had not suffered by Taylor being tried first. With regard to Wood's case, he regretted that he must deal with matters affecting Lord Alfred Douglas, who was not a part to these proceedings and could not get evidence——A juror—He could be here.

His Lordship said he could not volunteer to give evidence. With regard to the letters referred to, it was for the jury to say whether they pointed to unclean relations and appetites on both sides. Lord Alfred Douglas was the person who sent Wood to Wilde, and the jury had to consider whether that introduction was for the purpose of charity or for a wicked purpose.

The foreman of the jury said they were anxious to know whether the warrant for the arrest of Lord Alfred Douglas had ever been issued?

His Lordship said the warrant had not issued.

In answer to another question by the foreman, his lordship said the receipt of this letter and the continuance of the intimacy was as damaging to the reputation of the recipient as the sender, but that had nothing to do with the case. The question was whether guilt had been brought home to the man in the dock. Lord Alfred Douglas if guilty would not be spared because he was Lord Alfred Douglas. As to where he would be tried he knew nothing. It might be there was no evidence against him. The question before the jury was whether the man in the dock had been guilty of the immoral practices with certain persons of whom Lord Alfred Douglas was not one.

The jury retired at 3.30.

THE VERDICT.

The jury returned a verdict of guilty.

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