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London, May 1. - The Old Bailey courtroom was crowded at the continuation of the Wilde trial this morning. There was a good deal of speculation as to what course the Judge would pursue in his charge to the jury, and the consensus of opinion seemed to be that the result of the trial depended more upon the charge of the court than upon the views taken by the jurors. Wilde looked careworn and anxious, but Taylor maintained the air of unconcern which has characterized him throughout.

Judge Charles, in the beginning of his charge, said that the evidence had not sustained the charge of conspiracy, and he therefore directed the jury to acquit the prisoners of those charges. The Judge then proceeded to analyze the evidence, solely referring to Wilde, and begged the jury to dismiss from their minds all press comments and other outside expressions of opinion upon the case. It was a wholesome rule, he said, to refuse to accept the uncorroborated testimony of an accomplice. He was of the opinion, however, that there was corroboration in the testimony of all the witnesses in the sense that the law required. It did not, it was true, amount to seeing the actual act, but it showed the relations and general conduct of the parties. The young men who had been called to the witness stand were not only accomplices, but Parker, Wood and Atkins were properly described as blackmailers. Furthermore, Atkins had told deliberate falsehoods within the hearing of the jury. In weighing the details of the evidence of these witnesses the jury could not overlook the fact that they were persons of the character they themselves asserted. The Judge then proceeded to trace the history of the Queensberry trial. In regard to Wilde’s literature, he did not think that in a criminal case the jury ought to base an unfavorable inference upon Wilde’s authorship of "Dorian Gray." As regard to the story of the "Priest and Acolyte" in the "Chameleon" (magazine), he thought it would be absurd to impute blame to Wilde. The sonnets of Lord Alfred Douglas which Wilde had approved were much more material, as were also Wilde’s letters. The jury, he said, must exercise their own judgment in regard to the letters.

The Judge, in concluding his charge, said the case was one of great importance to the community. If the jury believed that the charges against the prisoners were true, they should say so fearlessly.

The jury retired at 1:30 P.M.

After deliberating three and a half hours, the jury returned to the court room and announced that they had failed to agree upon a verdict. They were thereupon discharged, and the prisoners were remitted for a new trial.

Application was made for the admission of Wilde and Taylor to bail, but the Judge refused to accept bail for either.