Additions on I.A. Goncharov’s Service in the Foreign Trade Department

Abstract

The article summarizes the data of many years of research on I.A. Goncharov’s service activity in the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Finance as an official, but not as a translator and a secretary of Admiral E.V. Putyatin aboard the frigate Pallada. The time period is from May 1835 to November 1838, from 1843 to October 1852 and from the spring of 1855 to early 1856, when Goncharov took the post of censor. The character of Goncharov's service in 1843 –1845 is emphasized. The author investigates the case of the Foreign Trade Department on the construction of furniture in 1846 –1849, in which, in addition to the already known list of documents (for depositing in the archives), compiled and signed by Goncharov, his notes on separate sheets were revealed. The documents allow to make a reasonable conclusion that Goncharov, in addition to his official duties as a translator, participated in other affairs of the department. It is possible that, at the request of his superiors, he sometimes performed some errands when his colleagues were on vacation. But his officially undisclosed return to the duties of a clerical worker on a permanent basis is also possible. For this service, Goncharov was presented with several gifts.

Keywords

• ivan goncharov
• foreign trade department of the ministry of finance of the russian empire
• russian state historical archive
• archival materials