Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-04-17
RoMANoFFs' VAST WEALTH.
Richest Royal Family In Europe
Sources of Their Income,

Richest Royal Family In Europe
Sources of Their Income.
The imperial family Of Russia Is the
richest royal family in Europe, and
derives its wealth from three sources
the state treasury, the imperial do
mains formerly church lands). and
the so-called cabinet properties" The
state treasury provides for the cZar as
the sovereign, the imperial domains
are the joint property Of the members
of the house Of Romanoff, but ad-
ministered by the head of the house:
the Cabinet properties" are the per-
sonal possessions of the reigning SOW
ereign as SUCH
No data Of any kind are available
for estimating the amount Of property
held by the cZar and other members
of his house in their private capacity
as individuals. 1t is known to be very
considerable both in land and in gold,
says the Pail Mall Gazette, but is very
rightly treated as a purely private
matter.
The state treasury pays out a mil
lion and half sterling year for the
needs of the imperial house, principal
ly for the maintenance of the palaces
and the officials and servants attached
to them. The reigning empress for
example has an allowance of 100000
hn Ly,,ayn hn
same. Every child born to the czar
receives from birth to the age Of 81
nearly $4,000 year, while the heir to
the throne receives annually, in addi-
ton to maintenance of palaces, f10,-
900. Daughters receive a dowry Of
100000 rubles, or 100000 when
they marry. The figures. under this
head are comparatively modest, and
the total expenditure charged to the
treasury Is less than 1 per cent Of the
annual budget.
The imperial domains, the main
source Of the wealth of the Romanoffs,
were originally church lands. In the
Middle Ages the church Of Russia was
not only the repository of all the learn
ing Of the land. but It's bankers and
usurers also, and the wealth amassed
in the course of centuries was enor-
nous. The Russian church is not poor
now, but the bulk Of its vast posses
sions passed to the House Of Roman
offs a century ago. The imperial do
mains comprise 21,32S,000 acres an
area larger than all Ireland.
About two-thirds Of this area Is for
est, out Of which a good revenue is
made; the timber exported from Arch
angel is known all over the world,
while the estate Of Bleovezh, that
magnificent forest where are still pre-
served herds Of aurochs, annually pro-
vide for sale 100000 cubic feet of
timber, another estate in the Vologda
province produces 5000 Of the larg-
est timber trees annually for the i'm
perial sawmills there.
The other third of the area COM
prised in the imperial domains, some
thing larger than all Wales, is highly
cultivated land. The largest vine
yards, producing the best wine in Rus
sia, belong to the domains, and about
hundred and fifty thousand pounds
worth of wine is sold annually from
this source In the province Of Sama-
ra is a sugar plantation, the factory
on which produces 1900 tons Of Tu-
gat every year.
Mineral wealth is worked in a hun
dred spot; 1900 -four mills, thou
sand fisheries not for sport, but as an
article of trade, a hundred wharVes on
various rivers and $50 trading con-
Germs of various kinds are among the
minor undertakings belonging to the
imperial domains. But the greater
part of the cultivated area is rented
to others, 5000 lots for purely agri-
cultural purposes and 10000 for the
higher forms Of cultivation, fruit,
vineyards, etc.
The clear profit derived from these
various sources is over two millions
sterling per annum. During the past
hundred years, since the church prop
erty was converted to the imperial
use, a sum of twenty-five million
sterling has been paid out to various
members of the imperial house. Un-
der the head of imperial domains Is
also included certain capital accumu-
lated by various emperors, and to this
must be added the five and a quarter
millions sterling received from the
peasants who were serfs on the impe-
rial domains as the price of their free
dom.
The third source of income Is the
Cabinet properties" which belong TO
the reigning czar personally as car.
The only figures obtainable for assess
ing the value of this, the greatest
source Of present and future wealth,
is the area of the landed property
which is 115,00O,0O0 acres, or about
the size of. France. This property is
almost entirely I'm Siberia, but 1t in
cludes the best and largest OF the Sold
and silver mines, worked and unwork-
ed, besides a fabulous amount Of un-
explored wealth above and below the
surface. Copper, iron, platinum and
other ores, besides gold and silver, are
only awaiting the opening up of this
unexplored territory, the size OF
France, to yield many more millions
annually.
No LIBERTIEs.-"Well," said Edith's