In Washington, 150 years ago, an agreement was signed on the sale of Alaska to America by Russia. There have been fierce debates about why this happened and how this event should be treated for many years. During the discussion organized by the Foundation and the Free Historical Society, doctors of historical sciences and Yuri Bulatov tried to answer questions arising in connection with this event. The discussion was moderated by a journalist and historian. publishes excerpts from their speeches.

Alexander Petrov:

150 years ago, Alaska was ceded (that’s what they said then - ceded, not sold) to the United States. During this time, we went through a period of rethinking what happened; different points of view were expressed on both sides of the ocean, sometimes diametrically opposed. Nevertheless, the events of those years continue to excite public consciousness.

Why? There are several points. First of all, a huge territory was sold, which currently occupies key positions in the Asia-Pacific region, largely due to the development of oil production and other minerals. But it's important to note that the deal wasn't just about the United States and Russia. Players such as England, France, Spain, and various structures of these states were involved in it.

The procedure for selling Alaska itself took place from December 1866 to March 1867, and the money came later. These funds were used to build railways in the Ryazan direction. Dividends on the shares of the Russian-American Company, which controlled these territories, continued to be paid until 1880.

The origins of this organization, created in 1799, were merchants, and from certain regions - the Vologda and Irkutsk provinces. They organized the company at their own peril and risk. As the song goes, “Don't be a fool, America! Catherine, you were wrong." Catherine II, from the point of view of the merchants Shelekhov and Golikov, was indeed wrong. Shelekhov sent a detailed message in which he asked to approve the monopoly privileges of his company for 20 years and to give an interest-free loan of 200 thousand rubles - huge money for that time. The Empress refused, explaining that her attention was now drawn to the “midday actions” - that is, to today's Crimea, and she was not interested in a monopoly.

But the merchants were very persistent, they somehow ousted their competitors. In fact, Paul I simply fixed the status quo, the formation of a monopoly company, and in 1799 granted it rights and privileges. The merchants sought both the adoption of the flag and the transfer of the main administration from Irkutsk to St. Petersburg. That is, at first it was truly a private enterprise. Subsequently, however, representatives of the navy were increasingly appointed to replace the merchants.

The transfer of Alaska began with the famous letter from Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, brother of Emperor Alexander II, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs that this territory must be ceded to the United States. Then he did not accept a single amendment and only strengthened his position.

The deal itself was completed secretly from the Russian-American company. After this, the approval of the Governing Senate and the Sovereign Emperor on the Russian side was a pure formality. It’s amazing but true: Konstantin Nikolaevich’s letter was written exactly ten years before the actual sale of Alaska.

Yuri Bulatov:

Today, the sale of Alaska is receiving a lot of attention. In 1997, when Great Britain transferred Hong Kong to China, the systemic opposition decided to promote itself: since Hong Kong was returned, we also need to return Alaska, which was taken from us. We didn’t sell it, but ceded it, and let the Americans pay interest for the use of the territory.

Both scientists and the general public are interested in this topic. Let us remember the song that is often sung on holidays: “Don’t be a fool, America, give away your land to Alaska, give back your dear one.” There are a lot of emotional and interesting publications. Even in 2014, after the annexation of Crimea to Russia, a live broadcast of an interview with our president took place, in which, in light of what happened, he was asked the question: what is the prospect of Russian America? He responded emotionally, saying, why do we need America? No need to get excited.

But the problem is that we lack documents that would allow us to find out what really happened. Yes, there was a special meeting on December 16, 1866, but the phrase “special meeting” always sounds bad in our history. All of them were illegitimate, and their decisions were illegal.

It is necessary to find out the reason for the mysterious sympathy for America of the Romanov dynasty and the secret of the sale of Alaska - there is a mystery here too. The document on the sale of this territory stipulated that the entire archive that existed at that time in Russian America would go undividedly to the United States. Apparently, the Americans had something to hide, and they wanted to hedge their bets.

But the sovereign’s word is a golden word, if you decide that you need to sell, then you need to. It was not for nothing that in 1857 Konstantin Nikolaevich sent a letter to Gorchakov. While on duty, the Minister of Foreign Affairs was supposed to report on the letter to Alexander II, although previously he had avoided this issue in every possible way. The emperor wrote on his brother’s message that “this idea is worth considering.”

The arguments that were presented in the letter, I would say, are still dangerous today. For example, Konstantin Nikolaevich was the chairman, and suddenly he makes a discovery, saying that Alaska is very far from the main centers Russian Empire. The question arises: why should it be sold? There is Sakhalin, there is Chukotka, there is Kamchatka, but for some reason the choice falls on Russian America.

Second point: The Russian-American company allegedly does not make a profit. This is incorrect, since there are documents that say that there were incomes (maybe not as much as we would like, but there were). The third point: the treasury is empty. Yes, indeed it was so, but 7.2 million dollars did not make a difference. After all, in those days the Russian budget was 500 million rubles, and 7.2 million dollars was a little more than 10 million rubles. Moreover, Russia had a debt of 1.5 billion rubles.

The fourth statement: if some kind of military conflict arises, we will not be able to retain this territory. Here Grand Duke He's lying. In 1854 Crimean War was carried out not only in Crimea, but also in the Baltic and Far East. In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the fleet under the leadership of the future admiral Zavoiko repelled the attack of the joint Anglo-French squadron. In 1863, by order of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich, two squadrons were sent: one to New York, where they stood in the roadstead, the other to San Francisco. In doing so, we prevented the American Civil War from becoming an international conflict.

The last argument is disarming in its naivety: if we sell it to the Americans, then we will have wonderful relations with them. It was probably better then to sell it to Great Britain, because at that time we did not have a common border with America, and it would have been more profitable to conclude a deal with the British.

Such arguments are not only frivolous, but also criminal. Today, on their basis, any territory could be sold. In the west - the Kaliningrad region, in the east - the Kuril Islands. Far? Far. No profit? No. Is the treasury empty? Empty. There are also questions about retention during a military conflict. The relationship with the buyer will improve, but for how long? The experience of selling Alaska to America has shown that it will not last long.

Alexander Petrov:

There has always been more partnership than conflict between Russia and the United States. It is no coincidence that, for example, historian Norman Saul wrote the work Distant Friends. For a long time after the sale of Alaska, Russia and the United States had practically friendly relations. I wouldn't use the word "rivalry" in relation to Alaska.

As for Konstantin Nikolaevich’s position, I would call it not criminal, but untimely and inexplicable. Criminal is when a person violates certain norms, rules and guidelines that existed in the society of that time. Formally, everything was done correctly. But the way the deal was signed raises questions.

What was the alternative then? Provide opportunities for the Russian-American company to continue operating in the region, allow it to populate this region with immigrants from Siberia and the center of Russia, develop these vast spaces as part of the continuation of the peasant reform, the abolition of serfdom. Whether there would be enough strength for it or not is another matter.

Yuri Bulatov:

I doubt that relations between the two countries were friendly, and this is evidenced by the facts and the speed with which this deal was finalized.

Here interesting example: in 1863, Russia signed an agreement with the Americans on the construction of a telegraph through Siberia with access to Russian America. But in February 1867, a month before the deal on the sale of Alaska, the American side canceled this agreement, declaring that they would run a telegraph across the Atlantic. Of course, public opinion reacted extremely negatively to this. For four years the Americans were actually engaged in intelligence activities on our territory, and in February 1867 they suddenly abandoned the project.

Photo: Konrad Wothe / Globallookpress.com

If we take the agreement on the transfer of Alaska, then it is an agreement between the winner and the loser. You read six of his articles, and the wording simply hits your head: America has rights, and Russia must fulfill the specified conditions.

So the top of the Romanov dynasty had mercantile relations with the United States, but not friendly ones. And our society didn’t know what was happening. The Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Prince Gagarin, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Valuev, and the Minister of War, Milyutin, had no idea at all about the deal and learned about all this from the newspapers. Since they were bypassed, it means they would be against it. Relations between the two countries were not friendly.

150 years ago, Russia agreed to cede a huge peninsula and adjacent islands to the United States. Rossiyskaya Gazeta will tell you how the procedure for selling Alaska went.

There is a widespread myth in public opinion that the Russian Empire did not sell its possessions on the American continent to the United States of America, but only leased them for a certain period. This period has passed, and Alaska can be taken back. After the revolution V.I. Lenin allegedly proposed an exchange: the Soviets renounce their claims to Alaska, and the United States lifts the economic blockade. And he gave me all the copies of the agreements confirming our rights to this land. And at the end of World War II, Stalin allegedly threatened to take Alaska back, but changed his mind and received control of Eastern Europe. These rumors excited the minds of ordinary people on both sides of the ocean. In 1977, the USSR Foreign Ministry even issued a note confirming US rights to Alaska. IN last years Myths about lost gold, which Russia never received, began to circulate. What really happened?

Who sold Alaska and why?

Official decision in secret

On December 16, 1866, in an atmosphere of strict secrecy, Emperor Alexander II, chairman State Council Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, Minister of Foreign Affairs A.M. Gorchakov, Minister of Finance M.Kh. Reitern, manager of the Maritime Ministry N.K. Krabbe and the Russian envoy in Washington E.A. Glass.

On that day, the Special Committee made a unanimous decision to sell Russian possessions to the United States. At the committee meeting, the following evidence was put forward for the need for an unprecedented deal: the unprofitability of the Russian-American Company, which controlled all Russian possessions in America, the inability to ensure the protection of the colonies from the enemy in the event of war, and in Peaceful time from foreign vessels conducting illegal fishing off the coast of Russian possessions.

Eduard Andreevich Stekl, having received a map of Russian America, a document entitled “The border line between Russian possessions in Asia and North America” and an instruction from the Ministry of Finance, which stipulated the sale amount of $5 million, left for America in January 1867.

The agreement was signed at night

In March 1867, Steckle arrived in Washington and reminded US Secretary of State William Seward "of proposals which have been made in the past for the sale of our colonies" and added that "the Imperial Government is now disposed to enter into negotiations." Having secured the consent of President Johnson, W. G. Seward, during the next meeting with Steckl, was able to discuss the main provisions of the future treaty.

On March 29, 1867, having received a message from Stekl that the Russian sovereign consented to the sale, Seward proposed to finally agree on the text of the convention and sign the documents on the assignment that same night.

The final moment of signing the contract at 4 o'clock in the morning is captured in the famous painting by E. Leitze. After this, the document was sent for ratification.

Postcard from the series "Provinces of the Russian Empire". 1856

Sale or assignment

The term "selling" Alaska is often used today. There is an opinion that it is more correct to talk about “cession”, because this very term appears in the text of Article 1 of the 1867 Convention: “His Majesty the Emperor of All Russia hereby undertakes to cede to the North American United States, immediately upon exchange of ratification, the entire territory with the supreme right to it , now owned by His Majesty on American mainland, as well as the adjacent islands."

The concession of the United States to Russian America was carried out in secret from members of the company's Main Board. They learned about this from telegraph messages. On April 18, 1867, the treaty was ratified by the American Senate, on May 15 - by the Russian Tsar, on June 20 in Washington, both sides exchanged letters of ratification, and on October 19, emissaries of both powers arrived in Novo-Arkhangelsk. On the same day the flags were changed.

The instrument of ratification for the sale of Alaska, signed by Emperor Alexander II. The first page of the treaty "on the cession of the Russian North American Colonies to the United States of America"

How much did they pay for Alaska?

For the colonies in North America The US paid $7.2 million. Let's compare this price with the US purchase of other territories. Napoleon sold Louisiana for $15 million. Mexico was forced to cede California to a strong and persistent buyer for the same $15 million. Of course, the task of historians is not to speculate about the future, but the question of the value of Alaska is still a hot topic. disputes. We propose to proceed from the fact that the US GDP in 1867 was 8 billion 424 million dollars. The money paid for Alaska (7.2 million) was 0.08736 percent of the 1867 GDP. This share of the US GDP in 2016 (from 18 trillion 561 billion 930 million dollars according to the IMF) is 16 billion 215 million 702 thousand dollars (16 215.7 million US dollars). In today's money, Alaska would be worth US$16.2 billion.

Where did you spend the money?

There is an opinion that the Russian government never received the gold. “Seven million gold dollars never reached Russia. The English bark Orkney, which was carrying them, sank in the Baltic Sea. According to rumors, before that, a heavily loaded boat departed from it.” In one variation or another, this phrase is repeated in many periodicals.

The author of the article discovered a document that contained information about how the money received from the United States for Russian America was used. This document was discovered in the Russian State Historical Archive, among papers on the remuneration of those who took part in signing the agreement on the sale of Alaska. The document was drawn up no earlier than the second half of 1868. Here is its full content: “For the Russian possessions in North America ceded to the North American States, 11,362,481 rubles [ub.] 94 [kopecks] were received from the said States. Of the 11,362,481 rubles. 94 kopecks were spent abroad on purchasing supplies for railways: Kursk-Kyiv, Ryazan-Kozlovsk, Moscow-Ryazan, etc. 10,972,238 rub.[ub.] 4 k.[op.] The rest 390,243 rub. 90 kopecks [op.] arrived in cash."

It is obvious that the money for the Russian colonies did arrive in Russia. However, they did not go to reimburse the costs of the RAC (Russian-American Company) or to support already begun projects for the development of the Amur and the Far East. But the money was still spent for a good cause.

It is known that the US government actually transferred only 7,035 thousand dollars to Russia. The remaining 165 thousand were used by the Russian envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary in Washington, Privy Councilor E.A. Glass at our own discretion. If you translate 7,035 thousand dollars at the rate of 1.61 - 1.62, then you will get the amount that Russia received from the sale, or exactly the amount indicated in the document. However, some issues regarding settlements with the United States remained unresolved. Due to the fact that the money arrived with a delay, Russia was owed another 115,200 US dollars. But in order not to complicate Russian-American relations, this issue was postponed.

Afterword

The existence of Russian America contributed to the strengthening of Russian control over part of the North Pacific Ocean and access to the Arctic Ocean, significantly increasing the Russian Arctic sector. But in mid-19th century centuries, the formal reasons for the sale of Alaska turned out to be more popular: geographical remoteness, complicating supplies; harsh climate and development difficulties Agriculture; the discovery of gold and the danger of an influx of miners; native opposition to the Russian presence; small Russian population; military vulnerability.

The acquisition of these territories allowed the United States to gain a foothold in the North Pacific, which was important element in turning this country into one of the world's leading powers.

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The vast territory of Alaska accommodates three Frances. There are gold deposits, tungsten ore, platinum, mercury, molybdenum, coal. Oil reserves have been discovered and are being developed. And this, for a minute, is about 20%...

The vast territory of Alaska accommodates three Frances. There are gold deposits, tungsten ore, platinum, mercury, molybdenum, coal. Oil reserves have been discovered and are being developed. And this, for a minute, is about 20% of the country’s oil.

Many in Russia are sure that Catherine II sold Alaska. This opinion is especially strong after the famous group “Lube” performed a song about Alaska. The youth then decided that the Great Queen had made the wrong move.

Once upon a time, the Bering Strait, with a crust arctic ice, connected two continents - Asian and American. There was no difficulty in moving from one bank to the other using dog sleds.

The width of the strait between the continents is only 86 kilometers. The Indians, moving to the north, were the first to explore Alaska. But the cold climate squeezed them out of the territory, and the Indians reached the Aleutian islands and settled there.

The Russian Empire was actively advancing eastward beyond the Ural Mountains and into Siberia. Encouraged by the Russian tsars, brave, courageous people headed not to the hot southern countries, but to the North and Far East.

1732 for Russia was the year of the annexation of Alaska. But the discovery of new lands is one thing, the development of new lands is quite another. Russian explorers began settling in Alaska at the end of the eighteenth century.

Immediately this area became a source of enrichment. There were a lot of fur-bearing animals there, and fur was equal to gold. Hunters caught animals, and merchants bought them, taking them to the continent. At the beginning of the exploration of Alaska, the Russians jealously guarded the territory.

But gradually the population of fur-bearing animals fell. The hunt was carried out without any rules and the animals disappeared, finding new habitats for life. Many species were on the verge of extinction. Fur production has decreased greatly.

The Russians had no intention of exploring new lands. It was cold there. The hunters hoped only for the fur trade. This was the primary reason why the territory of Alaska was sold to America. Business circles called the territories unprofitable.

The ruling emperor gradually came to the conclusion that the lands of Alaska bring only headache. Industrialists believed that by investing money in an unprofitable region, you could lose everything. The payback is zero.

Russia already has Siberian, Altai and Far Eastern territories. There climatic conditions better. This is how the lack of geological surveys in remote areas created the conditions for the loss of the richest territories.

During these years, the Crimean War pumped huge amounts of money out of the Russian treasury. Emperor Nicholas I died and was succeeded by Alexander II. The country's population expected a change in policy, the abolition of serfdom, and freedoms. But, as always, there was no money in Russia.

It was not Catherine who signed the Alaska Treaty. When it came to such a deal, her great-grandson, Alexander II, was on the throne. Those who believe that Alaska was given to tenants for 99 years are also mistaken.

You can often read in literature that the queen did not speak Russian well. And she signed the Alaska document without understanding well enough what it was about. we're talking about. So no. She spoke Russian better than many courtiers.

These events began several decades after the death of Catherine. Russian problems required an immediate solution, but, as always in Russia, there was no money. Alexander II did not immediately rush to sell the Northern Territory.

Another ten years passed before the situation turned out not to be better side. Selling land is a shameful fact for any country. Who wants to talk about the weakness of the ruling cabinet, which is incapable of governing the territory? But the treasury was in dire need.

Purchase and sale

Silence and secrecy shrouded the deal. There was no television or internet. The Russian Government sent a representative at large to the US Congress. The proposal took place in 1866.

Although times were difficult in America, they quickly realized the significance of owning an entire continent. It just ended in America Civil War, and the country's treasury was depleted to the limit.

In ten years, the Russian authorities could get much more for Alaska. But they agreed on the amount of seven million, two hundred thousand dollars in gold equivalent. Russia urgently needed money; America had no money.

Today it amounts to half a billion dollars. No one else would have bought these lands. They were most convenient only for America. The reader must agree that Alaska is immeasurably more expensive.

To preserve diplomatic relations between the countries, a year after the sale of the territories, America loudly proposed to Russia to sell Alaska.

The secret visit of the Russian representative was forgotten. It was believed that America itself offered Russia to buy Alaska from it. Russia's dignity was preserved. 1867 marked the official annexation of Alaska to America.

Food for thought

You can argue for a long time about selling or leasing Alaska. But let us remember, reader, that the recent abolition of serfdom, the lost Crimean War - all this placed enormous pressure on the country.

Deprived stable income The landowners expected the serfs to pay money from the state, which pledged to compensate for losses. Tens of millions of gold rubles flowed from the treasury.

The tsarist government was forced to make loans from foreign banks. Many countries gave loans to Russia with great pleasure. A rich country - Russia - possessed untold wealth.

But the current situation required immediate capital. Every ruble was on the emperor's personal account. The sale of Alaska became an urgent necessity. Its territories did not bring a penny of income to the treasury.

All business and financial world had an idea about this. No other country would buy Alaska. Russia did not notice the sale of the Northern Territories. Many citizens had no idea about it. The American Congress was also against the purchase.

When gold was found in Alaska, the emperor was ridiculed by all and sundry. But finance and politics have no subjunctive mood. But at that moment the Russian emperor made the only right decision.

In 1867, Alaska ceased to be part of Russia. Until now, this page of Russian history is read diagonally by many, giving rise to a lot of myths. Like those that Catherine II sold Alaska, and Russia leased Alaska.

When?

The idea of ​​selling Alaska to the United States was first expressed back in 1853 by the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky.

He presented Nicholas I with a note in which he insisted on the need to sell Alaskan lands.

This, as Muravyov wrote, will allow Russia to concentrate its forces on strengthening its position in eastern Asia, and will also improve relations with the United States and allow countries to be friends against England. Muravyov also wrote that over time it will be difficult for Russia to defend such remote territories.

The son of Nikolai Pavlovich, Emperor Alexander II, was “ripe” before the deal. The signing of the treaty took place on March 30, 1867 in Washington.

For what?

Why did Russia sell Alaska? Several main reasons for the transaction can be identified.

1) Geopolitical. The geopolitical reason was outlined by Muravyov-Amursky: it was important for Russia to maintain and strengthen its positions in the Far East. Britain's ambitions for hegemony in the Pacific also caused concern. Back in 1854, the RAC, fearing an attack by the Anglo-French fleet on Novo-Arkhangelsk, entered into a fictitious agreement with the American-Russian Trading Company in San Francisco for the sale of all its property for 7 million 600 thousand dollars for three years, including land holdings in North America. Later, a formal agreement between the RAC and the Hudson's Bay Company was concluded on the mutual neutralization of their territorial possessions in America.

2) Economic. Historians call one of the reasons for the sale of Alaska the lack of finances in the treasury of the Russian Empire. A year before the sale of Alaska, Finance Minister Mikhail Reitern sent a note to Alexander II in which he pointed out the need for strict savings, emphasizing that for the normal functioning of Russia a three-year foreign loan of 15 million rubles was required. in year. Even the lower limit of the amount of the transaction for the sale of Alaska, designated by Reutern at 5 million rubles, could cover only a third of the annual loan. Also, the state annually paid subsidies to the RAC; the sale of Alaska saved Russia from these expenses.

3) Logistics. This reason for the sale of Alaska was also indicated in Muravyov-Amursky’s note. “Now,” wrote the Governor-General, “with the invention and development of railroads, we must be more convinced than before that the North American States will inevitably spread throughout North America, and we cannot help but bear in mind that early or later they will have to cede our North American possessions.” Railways to the East of Russia had not yet been built and the Russian Empire was clearly inferior to the states in the speed of logistics to the North American region.

4) Resources. Oddly enough, one of the reasons for selling Alaska was its resources. On the one hand, there is their disadvantage - valuable sea otters were destroyed by 1840, on the other, paradoxically, their presence - oil and gold were discovered in Alaska. Oil at that time was used for medicinal purposes, and the “hunting season” for Alaskan gold was beginning on the part of American prospectors. The Russian government quite rightly feared that American troops would follow the prospectors there. Russia was not ready for war.

5) Creeping colonization. In 1857, ten years before the sale of Alaska, Russian diplomat Eduard Stekl sent a dispatch to St. Petersburg in which he outlined a rumor about the possible emigration of representatives of the Mormon religious sect from the United States to Russian America. American President J. Buchanan himself hinted at this to him in a joking manner.

Joking aside, Stekl was seriously afraid of the mass migration of sectarians, since they would have to offer military resistance. The “creeping colonization” of Russian America really took place. Already in the early 1860s, British smugglers, despite the prohibitions of the colonial administration, began to settle on Russian territory in the southern part of the Alexandra Archipelago. Sooner or later this could lead to tension and military conflicts.

Who?

Who sold Alaska? Only six people knew about the proposed sale of North American territories: Alexander II, Konstantin Romanov, Alexander Gorchakov (Minister of Foreign Affairs), Mikhail Reutern (Minister of Finance), Nikolai Krabbe (Minister of Naval Affairs) and Edaur Steckl (Russian Envoy to the USA). The fact that Alaska was sold to America became known only two months after the transaction was completed.

Interestingly, Russia never legally owned Alaska,

she was in the department of the RAC. However, the deal to sell Alaska passed by the Russian-American company. None of its representatives were aware of the decision made at the “secret mass” of Alexander II.

Rent?

IN Lately It is often written that Alaska was not sold to America, but leased for 90 years. The lease supposedly expired in 1957. However, Alaska was not leased. And it was not sold either. The text of the document on the transfer of Alaska to the United States does not contain the word sell. There is a verb to sed, which translates as “to give in,” that is, the Russian emperor transferred to the United States the rights to physically use the agreed upon territories. Moreover, the period for which the territories are transferred is not discussed in the agreement.

Glass

One of the most active participants in the sale (we will still call the deal so as to avoid confusion) was Eduard Stekl, who in 1854 took the post of envoy of the Russian Empire to the states. Previously, he served as chargé d'affaires Russian embassy in Washington (since 1850).

Steckl was married to an American and had extensive connections in the American political elite.

Stekl received a check in the amount of 7 million 035 thousand dollars - of the original 7.2 million he kept 21 thousand for himself, and distributed 144 thousand as bribes to senators who voted for ratification of the treaty.

For the transaction, Stekl received a reward of $25,000 and an annual pension of 6,000 rubles. He came to St. Petersburg for a short time, but was forced to leave for Paris - he was not liked in the highest Russian society.

Where's the money?

Finally, main question: Where did the money for the sale of Alaska go? 7 million dollars were transferred to London by bank transfer, from London to St. Petersburg on the Orkney barque by sea They brought the gold bars purchased for this amount.

When converting first into pounds and then into gold, another 1.5 million was lost, but this was not the end of the misfortunes for Alaskan money. On July 16, 1868, the ship sank on the approach to St. Petersburg.

It is still unknown whether there was gold on the Orkney; it was not found during search operations. Insurance Company, which insured the ship and cargo, declared itself bankrupt, and the damage was only partially compensated.

With all this, the State Historical Archive of the Russian Federation contains a document written by an unknown employee of the Ministry of Finance in the second half of 1868, in which it is written that “For the Russian possessions in North America ceded to the North American States, 11,362,481 rubles were received from the said States. 94 [cop.]. Of the number 11,362,481 rubles. 94 kopecks spent abroad on the purchase of accessories for the railways: Kursk-Kyiv, Ryazansko-Kozlovskaya, Moscow-Ryazan, etc. 10,972,238 rubles. 4 k. The rest are 390,243 rubles. 90 kopecks were received in cash.”