Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1900-02-24
ENORMOUS WEALTH..
THIS is NOT THE ONLY COUNTRY OF
MULTl-MILLlONAlRES

The Immense Possessions of the Gear o
All the Russias-Other Foreigners Whs
Rank With Our Americans of Wealth
Impossible to Calculate their wealth.
The death of the Russian Gen. Alex
/ ander Basilewski serves to recall how
1 very little is known in this country OF
the existence in the old world Of mil
ionaires, besides whose wealth even
that of the Goulds, the Vanderbilts,
the Astors and the Rockefellers sink
into comparative insignif1cance. True,
1t is not wealth that is SO extensive
| ly advertised In the public press as
| that of the great American Multi-Mil-
| lionaires, and hence is but little heard
| of outside their own country.
Yet doubt If there is any American
or English millionaires whose riches
are so boundless as those for instance
of the late NJ BaseTiwski. His fortune
was simply incalculable, and his gold
mines in Siberia, which have been in
his family for generations, and which
are famous for the richness of their
ore, for their splendid organization
and which are practically lnexnaust-
ible, constitute only portion of the
estate which he leaves, divided among
his four sisters, nothing being left
to his divorced wife, who was the
cause of such Sensational lawsuit In
St. Petersburg and at Paris some
~ hA
sturgeon fisheries In Russia belong to
him, and his estates in Orenberg and
Smolensk are the size Of the Kingdoms
He came to Paris shortly after the
Crimean war, in which he distinguish
ed himself, and from that time forth
made his home in the French capitol.
1t was his friend, Prince Soltykoff,
who first turned his attention to art,
and who inspired him with the passion
of his life. From that time forth the
general devoted most Of his time to
the formation of collection, which
was perhaps the finest in Europe, his
unlimited wealth being Joined to I'M
rivaled taste and soundness of judg-
ment.
To house his treasures he built the
palace which formerly bore his name,
but which is now known as the palace
of Castillo, in the Avenue Kleber, and
which is to-day the Partisan residence
of Queen Isabella of Spain.
At the time of his divorce from his
wife he determined to get rid both OF
his art collection and Of his house.
The art collection he presented to
Emperor Alexander H., and it now
constitutes the principal attraction Of |
the imperial museum of the Hermitage |
Palace at st. Petersburg. At the same !
time he sold the palace itself to Queen !
Isabella, who Is it's present owner:
Equally inexhaustible is the wealth
Of the Demidoffs, which also consists
in great part of mining property, this /
house enjoying almost the monopoly
of malachite and lapislabuli, besides
possessing gold and silves mines in
Russia of great richness.
Then, too, there are the Yousoupoffs,
who control almost the entire output
Of turquoises in the world. This, how
ever, being merely an incidental feat
ure of the many resources Of the rev.
enue of the Princess Yousoupoff, who
is now the sole heiress of the entire
and whose husband (who
was permitted by the late car to as
sumo her name and title) is descend
ed in the third generation from an
American of the name of Elton, who
entered the service of Car Paul at the
,lose of the last century.