The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-05-18
CChicago ChrouicIe)


/ z HE Car of Russia is personally
( the richest monarch in Europe and
+ consequently in the whole world.
He has palaces by the dozen, estates
/ almost without number. and mines
/ That bring him IN fabulous sums Of
money every year. Theoretically
Z everything in the empire belongs to
7 hlm. although as 81 matter of fact
private ownership is recognized among
the MuscoVires as well as elsew here
{ tt was announced from ST. Petersburg
recently that the car had given 200.
GEO. G0 rubles (abOUt S100. goo 000) from
/ his private treasury to Russia's war
fund. Probably this is the largest
single gift ever made by an Individual
Z donor to any cause.
But the CzaT can well afford il. He
I IS unQuestIOndb the richest man on
earth. oven MT. ROCEefeuer's many
millions would look small by compari-
son with his muLtitudinOus sources Of
wealth and the vast treasures boarded
/ Tor him by his ancestors, for the Rom-
anoIs were always a saving race.
No living man can tell the full ex-
F. tent Of his wealth. not even Baron
t'riederichs, the comptroller of the inn
perial household
The value of the emperor's private
fortune and its importance fin relation
TO the affairs of the empire may be
gagged in some degree by the fact
that the baron. his private treasurer,
IS counted among the greatest. officers
or state and IS member of the pTin-
cipal deliberative and consultative
COUNCILS, such as the committee Of
ministers and the council Of state,
which help the czaF TO direct the
course OK Russian policy.
ra-u s-.l
his salary, so to speaks nearly S10,-
100000 per annum. it is difficult to
arrive at III exactly. for it is paid
in various ways and under many
heads. and the sum total fuctuates
from year TO year. But $4,000 600 may
be taken as a fair average.
tt is only a small part of his wealth,
however, and the expense of main
tanning his royal state more than ac-
counts for this vast sum. If he de-
pended upon his official salary ne
would find IL hard to make both ends
meet. His expenditures are almost in
credible IT is estimated that the mag
nlhcent state bail which was given
Just as the war with Japan broke out
cost between .. 000 600 and 3.000 600 ru-
bles. The ears gifts 20 the orthodox
church i'm the course OF a year aver
age from 100000 TO 5000 600 rubles.
and orthodox Russians sometimes com
plai1-conddentially, of c0urse-that he
j. stmgy I'M that respect I'm comparison
with his predecessor On the other
hand, the church turns over large reve-
nCes TO him. estimated 20 exceed the
amount which ii receives.
With the sole exception of the shah
or Persia, The czar owns a greater for
tune I'm diamonds and precious stones
IMAM any man iu the world The ia
nous Orion diamond is only the great
f7t star IN an Immense constellation
III was given TO previous car BIZ
count orion, one Of whose descendants
was the famous Count Orion who de-s
voted his life TO improving the breed
o. Russian horses and created the or
Ion horse, now used almost exclusive
l} oy the Russian cavalry.
Wheu Nicholas TT was crowned a few
years ago the emir OF Bokhara and the
khan of khiva his two principal vas
sal princes. We'd with one another I'm
making him the richest gifts within
their power. The KHAN gave him a
priceless rope Of pearls which is said
go be the fnest i'm the world. besides
diamonds. emeralds and rubies galore.
bis presents are estimated TO have
been worth, at the lowest compute tiOn
s. 100000. but they we're unique and no
price could really be put upon them His
IitaL the eulir. was not far behind
him, and the hetman Of the Don Cos
sacks, Prince SviatopOlsk Mirskf H.
came forward with some handsome
contributions. as did all the leading
mobiles and princes of the empire TO
say nothing of foreign potentates
The car Is the luCkiest man on earth
Bon the matter Of "windfalls." His loyal
subjects are consistently leaving him
large sums OF money by viii. which are
not always accepted. Delicate diploma I
#.rr ia. rH.a
cept legacy. AS rule q wealthy
Russian who desires TO leave money 10 /
him communicates with Baron Friede-
richs or some other official of the inn
perial household before be makes his {
VIII and obtains the gracious consent OF /
his majesty 90 his design. Even when (
this has been done and the man dies /
careful Investigation IS made before (
the money Is accepted, with the object /
OF finding ont whether anybody who /
had a moral claim on the testatOr viii /
suffer by his disposition of his wealth. /
u so the ear orders that the money
be diverted 90 the proper channels.
These legacies. when accepted, are
never used by the car Tor his private
qualification. lie regards them as a
trust fund and they have been So re- {
Earded by most of his ancestors This
fund Isl drawn upon for charitable and /
religious purposes. Five millions of rus
bles were given from Ed TO relieve the
starving peasants during the last ter
rible famine in Bessar8bia. But IL Isl
NOT confined to Russian objects alone /
The ear made liberal donations from /
81 To the last indian famine relief Fund /
and in aid Of the negro peasants OF
Martinique who suffered Dy the erup- +
tious Of Mont Pelee5
some II tha legacies reach immense 4
SIMS A r1errifsssf lerlea gtenfan8ff I