Whatever the date of its publication may have been, the _Gazeta de la Habana_ became a medium through which the people were kept informed of the doings of the various administrative departments. The issue dated April eleventh, 1783, contains some statistics concerning the silver coins with milled edges cut away, which had been recently withdrawn from circulation, which is of interest as it suggests the relative financial rank of the different localities mentioned. In the Treasury of the General Silver Reales Administration: with milled edges Weight cut away in ounces Havana 311,625 23,340 10 Guanabacoa 2,808 151 Santa Maria del Rosario 21,870 1,117 12 Arroyo Arenas 7,049 380 14 Santa Clara 237,665 12,558 San Juan de Los Remedios 68,153 3,848 Trinidad 40,137 2,145 Sancti Spiritus 197,905 11,670 14 Puerto Principe 73,792 3,207 Bayamo 94,499 4,615 7 Holguin 31,013 1,701 Baracoa 6,396 1,465 -------- ------ 1,092,940 66,231 5 The _Gazeta_ added to this report: "There have been collected from the public over two million pesos (cut away), and in their exchange they yielded a little over eighty thousand pesos fuertes (efficacious), and although the loss is excessive as a whole it must be stated, that in particular it was not very grave, the money being distributed in small amounts among the public." This was a critical period in the conflict which had gradually involved the principal countries and was watched with apprehension by all the sovereigns of Europe. Up to this date Florida Blanca, who, from a simple lawyer in the provinces had risen to be prime minister of Spain, had not attained the goal of his ambition and secured for Spain victories, the glory of which should cast a halo about his name. On the contrary, circumstances began so to complicate the task which he had imagined to be comparatively easy, that he was puzzled and began to lose some of his extraordinary self-assurance. Bancroft gives in his "History of the United States" (Vol. VI. p. 441) a very interesting review of the situation and of the relation of Spain to the Revolutionary War, which was drawing towards its close. He says: