The Savannah morning news., 1904-05-10
RICHEST RULER ON EARTH.
GEAR OF RUSSIA CAN SCARCELY
COUNT HIS STORE OF WEALTH.

i've Estates in the KingdOm-His
Annual Income Amounts to Fifty
Millions "a Yenr-PersOnaI Tastes
Are simple and His Expenses Alb
surdIy Small.
From the Chicago Chronicle.
The Car of Russia is personally the
richest monarch in Europe and conse-
quently 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 everything in the
empire belongs to him, although as a
matter of fact private ownership is
recognized among the Muscovites as
well as elsewhere. 1t was announced
from St. Petersburg recently that the
Car had given 200,00O,000 rubles (about
500, 100000 from his private treasury
to Russia's war fund. Probably this
is the largest single gift ever made by
an individual donor to any cause.
But the Car can we'll afford it. He
is unquestionably the richest man en-
earth. Even Mr.. Rockefellar's many
millions would look small by compari-
son with his multitudinous sources OF
wealth and the vast treasures hoarded
for him by his ancestors, for the Ro-
manoffs were always a saving race.
No living man can tell the full extent
of his wealth. not even Baron Fried
erichs. the controller of the Imperial
household.
4 Great Private Fortune.
The value of the Emperor's private
fortune and its importance in 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 othcers
of state and is a member OF the prlh-
cipaI deliberatiVe and consultative
concils, such as the Committee OF
Ministers and the Council of state
which help the Car to direct the
course of Russian policy.
The official revenue of NlchoFaS IL
his salary. so to speak-is nearly SlO,-
900 900 per annum. 1t is difficult to
arrive at it exactly, for it is paid in
various ways and under many heads,
and the sum total f1uctuates from year
to year. But SIC, 900 may be taken
as a fair average.
It is only a small part of his wealth.,
however, and the expense of maintain
ing his royal state more than accounts
for this vast sum. If he depended upon
his official salary he would find 1t hard
10 make both ends meet His expend-
lures are almost incredible. 1t is estl-
mated that the magnificene state bail
which was given just as the war with
Japan broke out cost between 2,OOO,OOO
and 5000, 900 rubles. The Gar gltts
to the orthodox church in the course of
a wear average from 5.000O 900 to 60OO,-
| 600 rubles and orthodox Russians
sometimes complain-confidenti of
course-that he is stingy in that re-
spect in comparison with his predeces-
sors. On the other hand, the church
turns over large revenues to him, es-
timated to exceed the amount which
| it receives.
A Wealth of Precious Gems
With the sole exception of the Shah
of Persia, the Car owns a greater
| fortune in diamonds and precious
| stones than any man in the world.
! The famous Orloff diamond is only the
greatest star in an immense censtella-
ton. 1t was given to previous Car
by a Count Orloff, one of whose de-
scendants was the famous Count Or
loft who devoted his life in improving
the breed of Russian horses and Gre
ated the "Orloff horse" now used al
most exclusively by the Russian cav
airy.
! when NlCUOldS Ii was NiO"hNN q
few years ago the Emir of Bokhara
and the Khan of Khiva, his two prin-
cipal vassal princes, wed with one an
| other in making him the richest gifts
within their power The Khan gave
him a priceless rope of pearls which
is said to be the finest in the world,
besides diamonds, emeralds and rubies
galore. His presents are estimated to
have been worth, at the lowest com
/ mo hakf fhaW
unique and no price could really be
put upon them. His rival the Emir.
was not far behind him, and the het-
man of the Don Cossacks, Prince
Sviatopolsk Mirski II. came forward
with some handsome contributions, as
did all the leading mobiles and princes
of the empire, to say nothing of for
eign potentates.
His Luck Is Phenomenal.
The Gear is the luckiest man on
earth in the matter of 'windfalls."
His loyal subjects are constantly leav-
ing him large sums of money by WILL
which are not always accepted. Deli
cate diplomacy is required to induce
the Gar to accept a legacy. AS a
rule a wealthy Russian who desires to
leave money to him communicates with
Baron Friederichs or some other Of
fetal of the imperial household before
he makes his Will and OBTAINS the grac-
ious consent of his majesty to his de-
sign. Even when this has been done
and the man dies careful investigation
is made before the money is accepted,
with the object of finding out whether
anybody who had a moral claim on
the testator will suffer by his disposi-
ton of his wealth. If so the Car
orders that the money be diverted to
the proper channels.
These legacies, when accepted, are
never used by the Gear for his private
qualification. He regards them as
trust fund and they have been so re-
garded by most of his ancestors. This
fund is drawn upon for charitable and
religious purposes. Five millions of
rubles were given from 1t to relieve
the starving peasants during the Fast
terrible famine in Bessarabia. But 1t
is not confined to Russian objects alone
The Gear made liberal donations from
il to the last Indian famine relief fund
and in aid of the negro peasants of
Martinique who suffered by the erup-
lions of Mont Pelee.
Legacies Have Been Large.
Some of the legacies reach immense
sums. A merchant named Stephanoff,
who died at Mimi Novgorod last year,
left the Gear 100000 rubles ("to be
applied for any object which his i'm
perial majesty may be graciously
pleased TO consider for the good of holy
Russia'). A Moscow banker named
Nicholas Nicholaevitch Ukhtansky lef.
1000, 900 rubles two or three years ago
10 his monarch. absolutely free of any
limitation or pPoVigion And these