As a statesman of the Russian Empire, Sergei Yulievich Witte (Sergei Yulievich Vitte) held important posts in the Russian government such as Minister of Traffic and Telecommunication and the Minister of Finance. Sergei Yulievich Witte attended the Russo-Japanese Peace Conference (Portsmouth Peace Conference) in 1905 (38th year of Meiji) as the Russian chief delegate and plenipotentiary and was later awarded the title of Count by the Russian Emperor. He died in 1915 (4th year of Taisho) at the age of 66 after writing the "The Memoirs of Witte (Memoirs of Vitte)" on internal situations of the Russian political circles.

As for underlined characters in the texts or chronological tables, small type is linked with related materials and bold-faced type is linked with the glossary, respectively.

Year Occurrence
1849 (2nd year of Kaei) Born in Tiflis of current The Repiblic of Georgia.
1871 (4th year of Meiji) Employed as the chancellery of the governor general of Odessa and Bessarabia.
1889 (22th year of Meiji) Appointed as Director of Railway Department in the Ministry of Finance.
1892 (25th year of Meiji) Appointed as Minister of Communications and Minister of Finance.
1903 (36th year of Meiji)

Released as Minister of Finance.
　Czar Nikolai II discharged Witte under a fear of his expanding power. His political power, however, was still enormous.
(Pages 187 to 190, Volume 3 of pocket edition of "Saka no ue no kumo")

Title: Report on the translation of Ms. Adam's view on Russian Finance Minister Witte
 Reference code: B03050931900
　This is the translation of an article by a French female journalist reporting the political situations in Russia in those days.
(Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan)

Title: Miscellanies of domestic affairs in each country / Part of Russia
 Reference code: B03050932100
　This is the telegram from Kurino, Minister stationed in Russia, reporting the dismissal of Witte as Minister of Finance.
(Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan)

1905 (38th year of Meiji)

Signed the Russo-Japanese Peace Treaty (Portsmouth Peace Treaty).
　Russia was defeated by Japan in a number of battles and there was a pressing risk of revolution growing within Russia. Russia dispatched Witte and other plenipotentiary representatives to negotiate with the Japanese plenipotentiary representatives.
(Pages 269 to 270, Volume 8 of Japanese pocket edition of "Saka no ue no kumo")

Title: Original script signed by the Emperor in 1905: October 16 Treaty, the Russo-Japanese Peace Treaty and additional provisions
 Reference code: A03020652300
　It is a Japanese-language copy of the Russo-Japanese Peace Treaty concluded on September 5, 1905 (38th year of Meiji). The name of "Sergei Witte (Sergei Vitte)" is seen among the signatories.
(Source: National Archives of Japan (NAJ))

After finishing the peace negotiations with Japan, Witte was appointed as Prime Minister of the Russian Empire.

1906 (39th year of Meiji) Was dismissed as Prime Minister and retired from the political circles.
1911 (44th year of Meiji)

Wrote "Memoirs of Witte (Memoirs of Vitte)".
　"The Memoirs of Sergei Witte" (The Memoirs of Sergei Vitte) written by Witte contains various anecdotes relating to domestic matters of the Russian Empire from the later 19th century to the early 20th century and was translated and published in Japanese, English, French and German languages.

Title: France (Summary report on the meetings of government officials overseas)
 Reference code: B03030327200
　This is a report describing that Witte during his stay in France expressed his condolence to the death of Ito Hirobumi toward Kurino Shin’ichiro, Minister stationed in France.
(Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan)

1915 (4th year of Taisho) Witte died at the age of 66.