The Times - Wednesday, September 25, 1895

LAW REPORT, Sept. 24.
QUEEN’S BENCH DIVISION.
(Sittings in Bankruptcy, before MR. REGISTRAR GIFFARD.)
IN RE WILDE.

This was sitting appointed for the public examination of Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde, described as a writer and dramatist, formerly of an address in Tite-street, Chelsea, and now of her Majesty’s prison, Wandsworth. The proceedings were founded upon a petition presented by the Marquis of Queensberry, who claimed £677 in respect of law costs in connexion with legal proceedings instituted by the debtor. It appears that the debtor's income has averaged about £2,000, which he states has been chiefly, if not entirely, derived from royalties received on plays and literary works written by him. These include the plays, Lady Windermere‘s Fan, An Ideal Husband, A Woman of No Importance, the Importance of Being Earnest, a novel entitled "Dorian Gray," and a book of poems called "The Sphinx." The doctor attributes his insolvency to the failure of legal proceedings taken by him against the Marquis of Queensberry, and to his arrest and conviction in the recent trial of "Regina v. Wilde." The Official Receiver observes that from the figures furnished and the deficiency account it would appear that the debtor has been in solvent for at least two years, and that his household and personal expenditure has been considerably in excess of his income. The statement of affairs showed liabilities £3,591 ; of this, sums amounting to £2,514 appear to be for money lent: £677 for law costs; and £233 for tobacco, wine, jewelry, flowers, &.

Mr. C.A. Pope attended as Assistant Official Receiver: and Mr. J.P. Grain for the debtor.

The debtor was brought up in the custody of two waters from Wandsworth prison, but was not brought into court. Upon the case being called on,

Mr. J.P. GRAIN said that he was instructed to apply for an adjournment. The debtor’s accounts should liabilities about £3,500, and substantially, so far as could be ascertained at the present time, there were no assets, although there were certain of the royalties on plays which might, at some future date, prove to be of value. Several of the debtor’s friends, however, had already subscribe sums amounting to between £1,000 and £1,500, and he had every reason to believe that one many other of his friends returned from their vacation they would also rather such financial assistance as would be sufficient to pay all the creditors 20s. in the pound, with the exception of a liability of £1,557 due to the trustees of his marriage settlement. It was intended that some arrangement should be made whereby that claim would be satisfied by the execution of a deed transferring to the trustees of the marriage settlement all the debtor’s interest in his place and literary works. By this means all the creditors would be paid in full, and an application would then be made to resend the receiving order. Under these circumstances, he asked about the sitting might be adjourned for so long a time as the Court might think fit.

The ASSISTANT OFFICIAL RECEIVER said that he would not oppose the application if there was any prospect of the creditors being paid in full.

No credit or appearing to oppose,

His HONOUR ordered the examination to be adjourned until November 12, at 11:30 o’clock.