The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-08-17
THE CZAR'S VAST WEALTH
SO Rich He Can Scarcely Com.
pute the Amount. q
HE HAS MANY HOLIDAYS
With His Salary, Royalties From
Mines and Other Properties, His
Annual Income is About Fifty
Millions Of Dolars.--Vast Sums
Left Him by His Subjects.

mas palaces by the dozen. estates al
most without number, and mines that
bring him in fabulous sums OF money
every year, says London exchange.
II was announced from St Peters.
burg recently that the Car had given
100000 900 rubies (about 800, 900, ,O00)
war fund. Probably this is the largest
sir Gle gift ever made by an Individual
donor to any cause.
But the Czar can well afford II.
He is unquestionably the richest man
on earth. Even Mr.. Rockefeller's
many millions would look small by
comparison with his multitudinous
sources Of wealth and the vast treas
ures boarded for him by his ances-
tors, for the Romanoffs we're always
saving race. No living man can tell
the full extent of his wealth, not even
Baron Frledrichs, the controller of the
imperial household.
The official revenue of Nicholas H.
salary, so to speak-is nearly $10,-
100000 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 fluctuates from year
TO year But 100000 may be taken
as fair average.
With the sole exception OF the shah
of Persia, the Gar 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 con-
steilation.
When Nicholas II. was crowned
few years ago the emir of Bokhara
and the khan of Khlva, his two prln-
cipal vassal princes, We'd with one
another 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 esti-
mated to have been worth, at the
lowest computation, $2.000,000, but
they were unique and no price could
really be put upon them. His rival,
the emir, was not far behind him, and
the hetman of the Don Cossacks,
Prince Sviatopolsk Mirski H., came
forward with some handsome contri-
buttons, 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 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 legacy.
These legacies, when accepted, are
never used by the Car for his pri-
vate qualification. He regards them
RS a trust fund and they have been
so regarded by most Of his ancestors.
This fund Is drawn upon for charit'
able and religious purposes.
Some of the legacles reach immense
sums. A merchant named Stephanoff,
who died at Nijni-Novgorod last year,
left the Gear 100000 rubies ("to be
applied to any subject which his i'm.
perial majesty may be graciously
pleased to consider for the good of
holy RussiaO. A Moscow banker
named Nicholas Nicholaevitch Ukh.
tansky left 100000 rubies two or
three years ago to the monarch, abb
solutely free Of any limitation or pro-
vision. Hardly a month passes with
out the Gear receiving by will what
most men would consider large for
tune.
The Gear pockets more mining roy
altles than any other man on earth.
The silver. gold, platinum and lead
mines in the Ural Mountains are gov
ernment property. Most of the pro-
ceeds go into the government treas
ury, but royalties ranging from to
15 per cent. are paid over to the
emperor's private purse. He receives
similar royalties on the numerous
government mines in Siberia, which
are worked by the free labor of con-
vlcts. He also receives quit rents,
tithes and other payments for vast
tracts OF crown lands in Siberia and
central Asia, as well as a share of
the large revenue accrung from the
exploitation of the immense areas of
government forest land in Siberia.
Whole blocks of real estate in st.
Petersburg, Moscow, Odessa, Mimi
Novgorod, Irkutsk. Omsk, and other
cities and towns in European Russia
and Siberia are owned by the emperor
and the rents are duly collected by a
small army Of agents under the super.
vision of Baron Freidrichs.
He also possesses large financial
holdings in several Russian railways
and in numerous industrial undertake
ings, such as ironwork and textile fac
tories, promoted or encouraged by
Juliewitsh De Witte when he was
finance minister The investment of |
the Cars immense wealth is always !
serious and difficult problem.
1T is impossible to arrive at any
exact estimate Of the wealth Of his |
imperial majesty" said an official con-
nected with the Russian legation at |
Wa chi in otop from whom, most 10 tho |