V. K. Arsenyev's Memoirs of the Governor-General of the Amur Region N. I. Grodekov

I served under Nikolai Ivanovich Grodekov for a very short time. I was introduced to him at that time by Nikolai Alexandrovich Palchevsky. It was in Vladivostok in 1901 or 1902, I don't remember exactly. While on business trips from the military department with hunting teams on reconnaissance in the Shkotovo district, in the valleys of the Maikhe, Tsemukhe and Kangouza rivers, I often came across remnants of ancient fortifications, settlements, traces of roads, etc. At that time I also began to take plans of them and make descriptions. Having processed them, I wanted to give them to N.A. Palsky with a request to send them to the Priamursky department.

Just at that time, N.I. Grodekov arrived in Vladivostok. Interested in my work, he invited me to visit him.

As an inexperienced, young officer and having heard about Grodekov's sternness, I was afraid that he would meet me officially and sternly, and, frankly speaking, I was even thinking whether I could somehow get rid of the visit. But there was no way around it, so I had to go. I was met by a general of short stature, extremely friendly and wearing glasses. To this day I recall with pleasure his affectionate treatment of me. He questioned me for a long time, and when he learned that I wanted to stay here permanently, he promised his assistance and gave me a lot of advice and instructions. Soon afterwards Nikolai Ivanovich left the Amur region and was appointed to the State Council.

When I was in St. Petersburg in the winter of 1910-11, I visited Nikolai Groedkov as already the director of the Grodekov Museum. Again I was met by the same Nikolai Ivanovich, as affable as before, but a little older. I was surprised - he remembered me immediately: "I remember you," he said, "you were in my house in Vladivostok. I remember giving you valuable instructions on what to pay great attention to during your travels around the region, what to read and where to direct your work." I stayed with him for a whole day. In the evening Nikolai Ivanovich, letting me go, asked me to come to him for dinner in two days.

He invited all his fellow Priamurites, who were in Petersburg at that time, to this dinner. He deliberately set the time for me to arrive half an hour later, and when I arrived he introduced me to his guests as the director of the Grodekov Museum, saying that he had known me from the Amur Region since the rank of lieutenant. During the dinner he recollected such trivial things, which clearly spoke of his good memory. He proclaimed a toast to my health, and, taking a chuckle, he brought the glass to his lips, but immediately put it down on the table - the old man did not drink. He simply charmed me with affection and attention. After dinner, which lasted a very long time, when the guests began to leave, Nikolai Ivanovich told me, "Stay, I need to talk to you about a very serious matter. When everybody had gone away, Nikolai Ivanovich took me through all the rooms and showed me everything of value he had; among other things he took his sword, studded with diamonds, out of a drawer and said "I cannot live forever, I must die soon; so I want to bequeath everything you have seen, everything I have of value to the Grodekov Museum. And that is why I would like to ask you, as the director of the museum, to witness the drawing up of the spiritual testament which I was thinking of making these days. I will let you know about it by letter.

It was only at 2 a.m. that Nikolai Ivanovich let me go home. The next day I learned that Nikolai Ivanovich was ill.

Meanwhile my leave was coming to an end and I had to leave for my duty station. Since the sick Nikolai Ivanovich did not receive anybody, I wrote him a letter a week before my departure, informing him that I had to leave for Priamurye, and wished him good health for many years. The spiritual will was never drawn up in my presence...
They say that Nikolai Ivanovich Grodekov was a dry, stern and sullen man, but when I remember him, I see a short old man in glasses, with a friendly smile on his face, calm, gentle and polite.

Khabarovsk, 1913.