The article studies materials on armored shipbuilding in Russia in the late 19th century. The source base of the study is unpublished letters of the Director of the Baltic Works (Baltic Ironworks, Shipyard and Engineering Works) M. I. Kazi addressed to a retired official of the naval department A. E. Konkevich, who wrote articles about the Navy under the name A. E. Belomor. M. I. Kazi held the post from 1877 to 1894. Kazi’s letters related his activities in 1893 and delivered his opinion on the forthcoming reform of Admiralty factories, and particularly on the idea of merging the administration of the Baltic Shipbuilding and Mechanical Plant with that of the Obukhov Steel Mill. Kazi debated the project of the ‘Regulation on the Management of Works of the Ministry of the Navy,’ on the basis of which the merger of the administrations was to proceed. Apart from his opinions, Kazi’s letters contained fragments of his conversations with Minister of the Navy, Admiral N. M. Chikhachyov, whose ministerial activities he disparaged. The article also introduces a letter from P. P. Tyrtov, head of the Main Directorate for Shipbuilding and Supplies of the Ministry of the Navy, to M. I. Kazi, inducing him to consent to the assignment of the rank of Active Privy Councillor. Kazi’s answer is cited fully, as it characterizes the personality of this extraordinary man, who greatly contributed to the creation of Russian armored cruisers. Letters are indicative of the ways and morals of state officials. They offer a psychological portrayal of a Russian naval officer against the background of building capitalism in Russia. M. I. Kazi’s desire to convey to future generations his opinion on the events he witnessed and participated in, contributed to the motivation of the publishers.