A check for $7.2 million was issued on August 1, 1868 and was made payable to Edouard de Stoeckl, a Russian Minister. What was being bought?
"the United States, viewing further U.S. expansion in North America as inevitable. Stoeckl signed the Alaska Treaty in March 1867. For successfully carrying out the negotiation, Tsar Alexander II rewarded him with US$25,000 and an annual pension of $6,000. Due to declining health, Stoeckl resigned in 1869. He spent the final years of his life in France and died in Paris. Eduard de Stoeckl Eduard Andreevich Stoeckl () (1804 in Constantinople – January 26, 1892 in Paris) was a Russian diplomat best known today for having negotiated the American purchase of Alaska on behalf of the Russian government. He was"
"Stoeckl did so deftly, getting Seward to raise his offer from $5 million (coincidentally, the minimum that Russia had instructed de Stoeckl to accept) to $7 million, and then getting $200,000 added by raising various objections. This sum of $7.2 million is equivalent to $ in present-day terms. On March 30, 1867, de Stoeckl and Seward signed the treaty, working quickly as the Senate was about to adjourn. Johnson and Seward took the signed document to the President's Room in the Capitol, only to be told there was no time to deal with the matter before adjournment. The President summoned"
"War. Stoeckl was given the authority to make the sale and when he returned in March 1867, negotiated with the Secretary of State. Seward initially offered $5 million; the two men settled on $7 million and on March 15, Seward presented a draft treaty to the Cabinet. Stoeckl's superiors raised several concerns; to induce him to waive them, the final purchase price was increased to $7.2 million. The treaty was signed in the early morning of March 30, 1867, and ratified by the Senate on April 10. Stevens sent the secretary a note of congratulations, predicting that the Alaska Purchase"
"with Gorchakov, deciding to postpone negotiations until the end of the RAC's patent, set to expire in 1861. Over the winter of 1859–1860 de Stoeckl held meetings with American officials, though he had been instructed not to initiate discussions about the sale of the RAC assets. Communicating primarily with Assistant Secretary of State John Appleton and Senator William M. Gwin, de Stoeckl reported the interest expressed by the Americans in acquiring Russian America. While President James Buchanan kept these hearings informal, preparations were made for further negotiations. De Stoeckl reported a conversation in which he asked ""in passing"" what price"
"in a dispute with Britain, their hard-to-defend region might become a prime target for British aggression from British Columbia, and would be easily captured. So following the Union victory in the American Civil War, Tsar Alexander II instructed the Russian minister to the United States, Eduard de Stoeckl, to enter into negotiations with the United States Secretary of State William H. Seward in the beginning of March 1867. At the instigation of Seward the United States Senate approved the purchase, known as the Alaska Purchase, from the Russian Empire. The cost was set at 2 cents an acre, which came"
"States, Eduard de Stoeckl, to re-enter into negotiations with William H. Seward in the beginning of March 1867. President Johnson was entangled in negotiations about Reconstruction and Seward had alienated a number of Republicans, so they believed that the purchase would help divert attention from the domestic issues. The negotiations concluded after an all-night session with the signing of the treaty at 04:00 on March 30, 1867, with the purchase price set at $7.2 million ($ million in ), or about 2 cents per acre ($4.74/km). An Aleut name, ""Alaska"", was chosen by the Americans. This name had earlier, in"
"to a total of $7,200,000 on 9 April 1867. The canceled check is in the present day United States National Archives. In present-day Russian Federation and its predecessor the Soviet Union (USSR) there are periodic mass media stories that Alaska was not sold to the United States in the 1867 Alaska Purchase, but only leased for 99 years (= to 1966), or 150 years (= to 2017)—and will be returned to Russia. However, the Alaska Purchase Treaty is absolutely clear that the agreement was for a complete Russian cession of the territory. The Soviet Union (USSR) released a series of"
"a decreasing population in the 1840s, ultimately rebounded. Financial difficulties in Russia, the desire to keep Alaska out of British hands, and the low profits of trade with Alaskan settlements all contributed to Russia's willingness to sell its possessions in North America. At the instigation of U.S. Secretary of State William Seward, the United States Senate approved the purchase of Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000 on August 1, 1867. This purchase was popularly known in the U.S. as ""Seward's Folly"", ""Seward's Icebox,"" or ""Andrew Johnson's Polar Bear Garden"", and was unpopular among some people at the time. Later discovery of"
"the U.S. government might pay for the Russian colony and Senator Gwin replied that they ""might go as far as $5,000,000"", a figure Gorchakov found far too low. De Stoeckl informed Appleton and Gwin of this, the latter saying that his Congressional colleagues in Oregon and California would support a larger figure. Buchanan's increasingly unpopular presidency forced the matter to be shelved until a new presidential election. With the oncoming American Civil War, de Stoeckl proposed a renewal of the RAC's charter. Two of its ports were to be open to foreign traders and commercial agreements with Peru and Chile"
"its budget had a notable surplus. Many voices said that the money should be spent on increasing the size, and providing new equipment for, the Polish army. However, as a large Polish army could be a threat to the Russian garrisons controlling Poland, von Stackelberg ordered his proxies in the Permanent Council to spend the money on a different goal: for the huge sum of 1 million zloty's (representing most of the surplus), the Council bought the Brühl Palace - and promptly donated it to 'Poland's ally', Russia, to serve as Russia's new embassy. At the end of the eighteenth"
"state affair of the Russian Empire. Legal problems meant that the grain would not now be exported. When it arrived after two months half of the grain was of bad quality. Gotzkowsky wanted to change the contract and offered to pay only 2/3 of 1.170.448 guilders owed. (He could not mention Svešnikov, playing a double role in the deal?) He would have been satisfied if he did not suffer any loss. On 18 July the Russian senate refused this offer and insisted on being paid promptly; she demanded payment in Dutch guilders, and not in debased Saxon coins. De Neufville"
"he was involved in preliminary discussions with Tsarist Russia over the prospective Alaska Purchase. Talks were held in Washington between Appleton, Russian representative Eduard de Stoeckl and chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Naval Affairs William M. Gwin. Appleton and Gwin offered $5 million ($ in ) in 1859, but de Stoeck wanted more money. No decision had been made before the 1860 Presidential election, and discussion was then indefinitely postponed upon the outbreak of the American Civil War. Appleton resigned as Assistant Secretary of State on June 10, 1860. On September 9 he was appointed as diplomatic envoy"
"it might be for sale, he pressed the Russians (then a U.S. ally) for negotiations. Russian minister Baron Eduard de Stoeckl returned home on leave in 1866. Fearing that the territory might be overrun by American settlers and due to lack of resources, he urged his government to sell it. He also feared that the territory would be lost to the United Kingdom (especially when it controlled the colony of Canada and based troops there next to Alaska) if his country was ever to go to war with them, motivated by the loss of certain territories from the 1853–56 Crimean"
"of it beef livers ($9.5m), chilled beef ($1.9m), beef hearts ($1.6m) and frozen beef ($1.4m). Past relations with the Soviet Union and with imperial Russia were sometimes strained. In the nineteenth century the Russian Empire was seen as a threat to the British Empire, of which New Zealand was a loyal member. Coastal fortifications were constructed in the 1870s and 1880s because of the perceived threat, and an Auckland newspaper produced a sensation in 1873 by running a hoax story of an attack by a Russian warship called the ""Kaskowiski"" on Auckland and on a British ship in Auckland Harbour."
"to the prosecution of the Crimean War and, after the fall of Sevastopol, to negotiations for peace led by his trusted counsellor, Prince Alexander Gorchakov. The country had been exhausted and humiliated by the war. Bribe-taking, theft and corruption were rampant. Encouraged by public opinion, Alexander began a period of radical reforms, including an attempt not to depend on landed aristocracy controlling the poor, an effort to develop Russia's natural resources, and to reform all branches of the administration. In 1867 he sold Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million (equivalent to roughly $200 million in current dollars) after"
"to get a private bill passed by Congress in March 1867 that allowed him title to the ship once he repaid all monies advanced to him. After Prussia expressed an interest in the ship, the Emperor of France, Napoleon III, bought her in April for 2.5 million dollars over the objections of his own navy, which preferred a home-built ship. The exact date of purchase is unknown, but Welles noted in his diary on 7 May that Webb had told him of the sale. On 27 June, Webb refunded the money that had been paid to him and also purchased"
"Dolgorukov (1717 - 1803). It was stored in Kolberg and along Pommeranian coast, sitting unused after the Russian army had left Poland. Both Russia and Prussia were hoping for a swift sale, that would allow for a discharge of the troops who had to guard these supplies. Because of a grain shortage and famine in Prussia, the transaction could have been profitable for Gotzkowsky and De Neufville, the latter one secretly collaborating with two partners Stein and Leveaux, all collectors of art. Neufville paid 100,000 guilders down payment (in exchange bills) on behalf of the buying syndicate. The remaining one"
"was enacted later, in 1812; eventually, patent was granted to completely different people. After the French invasion of Russia (1812), Russian monetary system was ruined by war expenditure and a flood of counterfeit bills. Dmitry Guriev, Minister of Finance, assigned Betancourt to set up a modern currency printing facility. By 1816, Betancourt examined all existing printshop and persuaded the government to build a new factory equipped with steam-driven machinery. He designed the buildings, machinery and the technological process, using his childhood experience in textile mills. The new printshop (present-day Saint Petersburg Goznak) was inaugurated in 1818. Betancourt is credited with"
"a swift sale, that would allow for a discharge of the troops who had to guard these supplies. Because of a grain shortage and famine in Prussia, the transaction could have been profitable for Gotzkowsky and De Neufville, the latter one secretly collaborating with two partners Stein and Leveaux, all collectors of art. Neufville paid 100,000 guilders down payment (in exchange bills) on behalf of the buying syndicate. The remaining one million guilders were to be paid by Gotzkowsky in four terms, within a year. Two Russian traders, Svešnikov and Rogovikov, would take over a 1/5 of the total grain"
"bought a huge amount of grain (oats) from the Russian envoy Vladimir Sergeevich Dolgorukov (1717 - 1803). It was stored in Kolberg and unuseful after the Russian army had left the Poland. Because of a shortage in Prussia, the transaction could have been profitable for Gotzkowsky and De Neufville, collaborating with two partners (Von Stein and Leveaux). Legal problems caused the grain could not be exported. When it became clear that half of the grain turned out to be of bad quality, Gotzkowsky preferred to change the contract and offered to pay 2/3 of 1.2 million guilders. The Russians refused"
"2.1% of the funds in the form of commissions and brokerage, and kept an additional 1.2% in the form of transport, deposit, melting, and refining expenses: in total, slightly less than 3.3%, approximately 14.5 million U.S. dollars. The remaining 72%, 338.5 million U.S. dollars' worth, was transferred to the ""Banque Commerciale pour L'Europe du Nord"", or ""Eurobank"", in Paris, the Soviet financial organization in France, property of the Gosbank, the national bank of the Soviet Union. From Paris, agents of the Treasury and diplomatic representatives paid for the purchase of matériel acquired in Brussels, Prague, Warsaw, New York and Mexico,"
"Soviet Union purchased the house from Castroviejo in August 1975 for US$1.6 million, and began renovation work on the building. The Soviets also spent US$400,000 on the neighbouring townhouse and US$100,000 for half a driveway which was owned by the neighbouring Convent of the Sacred Heart school. William Gleckman, who was responsible for renovations work on the building, noted that Mr. Myshkov, the Soviet Consul-designate, admired the building as it reminded him of imperial architecture in Russia. Gleckman installed new electrical wiring, a theatre and air-conditioning. The Soviets also received permission to install a large wrought-iron gate around the mansion"
"million guilders were to be paid by Gotzkowsky in four terms, within a year. Two Russian traders, Svešnikov and Rogovikov, would take over a 1/5 of the total grain sold. The remaining 4/5 was allocated to Gotzkowsky, De Neufville, Leveaux und Stein. The contract was signed by just two men: Gotzkowsky and Svešnikov. On 12 April 1763, Frederick decided to dump his unused wartime grain supplies in Lower Silesia, leading in the next months to a 75% drop in the local price of wheat, with other commodities prices soon following. On June 27, 1763, (N.S.) the Gotzkowsky transaction became a"
"his business partner Gotzkowsky. Together they paid a visit to Frederick the Great. De Neufville offered his help in reviving the Prussian Asiatic Company. According to Gotzkowsky, it was Frederick the Great who asked De Neufville to develop plans for a recovery of the Asiatic company. De Neufville offered to invest a million guilders. According to Jan Jacob Mauricius, the Dutch resident in Hamburg, the merchant/bankers Schimmelmann and Stenglin were interested in restarting the company with help from De Neufville. On 19/20 April Gotzkowsky bought a huge amount of grains (oats) through the intermediation of the Russian envoy Vladimir Sergeevich"
"in the Permanent Council to spend the money on a different goal: for the huge sum of 1 million zloty's (representing most of the surplus), the Council bought the von Brühl's Palace - and promptly donated it to 'Poland's ally', Russia, to serve as Russia's new embassy. Nonetheless, von Stackelberg, and the entire Russian control over Poland, was soon to suffer a major defeat. With Russian attention being diverted to the Russo-Turkish War, 1787-1792 and the Russo-Swedish War (1788-1790), Catherine approved some limited reforms in Poland, with the goal of transforming Poland into a more useful (and efficient) ally. However,"
"She was paid off (decommissioned) in October 1815, and sold on 11 July 1816 (for £2,250) to be taken to pieces. Although ""Puissant"" was unarmed and confined to port, her crew did earn prize money on three occasions. On 26 October 1807, Tsar Alexander I of Russia declared war on Great Britain. The official news did not arrive there until 2 December, at which time the British declared an embargo on all Russian vessels in British ports. ""Puissant"" was one of some 70 vessels that shared in the seizure of the 44-gun Russian frigate ""Speshnoy"" (""Speshnyy""), then in Portsmouth harbour."
"Minister, but to Bright's horror, Disraeli redoubled British participation in the conflict, ordering the dozens of new ironclads to be built and raising new volunteer units from all over the British Isles to be sent to North America. In Washington D.C., Baron Eduard de Stoeckl negotiated the formal terms of the alliance between the Russian Empire and the United States on October 15. The alliance was to be kept secret for the moment until the Russian military was fully mobilized and the Russian Navy was out to sea, and as such, the Russians officially apologized to the British for the"
"channels that their presence in Mexico was not acceptable. Although the President preferred a more aggressive approach, Seward persuaded him to follow his lead. In April 1866, the French government informed Seward that its troops would be brought home in stages, to conclude by November 1867. Seward was an expansionist, and sought opportunities to gain territory for the United States. By 1867, the Russian government saw its North American colony (today Alaska) as a financial liability, and feared losing control as American settlement reached there. It instructed its minister in Washington, Baron Eduard de Stoeckl, to negotiate a sale. De"
"favorable but he took no decision on the matter and sent a copy of the memorandum to Eduard Andreevich Stoeckl, minister plenipotentiary of the Russian Empire in Washington, leaving it wholly to Stoeckl's judgment and discretion to act upon the plan. A mediation a month before the fall of Richmond was however not an option. After having negotiated the Alaska purchase Stoeckl resigned for health reasons in 1869. Vladimir Andreevich Bodisko, former agent of the Russian-American Company was appointed as care-taker of the Russian legation in Washington Gorchakov suggested the appointment of Catacazy as minister plenipotentiary to the United States."
"the contract and offered to pay only 2/3 of 1.170.448 guilders owed? He would have been satisfied if he did not suffer any loss. On 18 July the Russian senate refused this offer and insisted on being paid promptly and demanded payment in Dutch guilders, and not in debased Saxon coins. When Leveaux and Von Stein dropped out of grain deal it must have come as a shock to De Neufville and Gotzkowsky. The restructuring of the Gotzkowsky deal put tremendous pressure on De Neufville, who then became responsible for 3/5 of the deal. Gotzkowsky had lent at least two"
"on the English Embankment, No. 68. The mansion was located behind the Church of the Annunciation and faced the Corps de la Marine in the very center of Saint Petersburg. It was built in the Florentine renaissance revival style by the architect Alexander Krakau between 1859–1862 for Baron Alexander von Stieglitz, a prominent financier and the first Governor of the Bank of Russia. After Stieglitz's death in 1884, the mansion was inherited by his adopted daughter, Nadezhda Polovtsova. She sold the property to the Treasury in 1887, and Grand Duke Paul bought it the same year. In 1889, he had"
"to Moscow and find Russians selling vouchers on the streets that could be swapped for stock in Russian industries. In a single day he and Sutcliffe spent $2 million in the covered markets buying the vouchers for about $25 each from ""old ladies"" who thought them worth no more ""than a bottle of vodka"". A few weeks later the shares were worth $17 million. A spin-off of from Regent Pacific that specialises in Eastern Europe, the fund management firm Charlemagne Capital, was also founded in the 1990s and listed on the stock market in 2006. The 1998 Russian financial crisis"
"the monetary chaos reigning in the country could subside. Prior to the phoenix's introduction, transactions were settled with a wide variety of coins, including the ""kuruş""; coins from major European states, such as France, Britain, Russia and Austria, were also popular. Therefore, minting the ""phoenix"" was one of Governor Kapodistrias' greatest priorities, and he signed a decree authorising it on 12 April 1828. The Russian government lent Kapodistrias' administration 1.5 million rubles to start the project. Kapodistrias made Alexandros Kontostavlos responsible for minting the ""phoenix"". Kontostavlos travelled to Malta, where he negotiated the purchase of several coin presses, originally owned"