Up  to  the  present  the  promised  information  has  not  been  received,
and  I  have  now  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  the  Department  circular,
dated  the  30th  April-  ultimo,  transmitting  other  interrogatories,  and  to
which  I  append  answers  based  upon  the  information  I  have  been  able  to
gather  from  various  sources  in  the  absence  of  any  published  data  upon
the  subject:

1st  What  is  the  amount  of  gold  coin  and  bullion  in  the  treasury,  in
the  banks,  and  in  circulation  f

Answer.  There  is  no  gold  or  silver  bullion  in  the  island.  The  amount
of  gold  and  silver  coin  in  the  public  treasury  should  be  considered  nom-
inal only,  consisting  of  the  small  balance  carried  over  from  day  to  day.
It  is  well  understood  that  the  resources  of  the  treasury  of  Cuba  during
the  past  ten  years  have  been  so  restricted,  that  it  has  been  without  the
means  to  meet  many  of  the  most  urgent  necessities  of  the  government,
as,  for  instance,  the  payment  of  the  military  and  naval  forces  employed
in  and  about  the  island.
The  amount  of  gold  coin  in  the  banks  of  Havana  is  given  in  the  bank
reports  as  follows :

December  31, 1879 $8,657,000

March  31, 1880 9,849,000

April30, 1880 10,522,000

The  amount  of  gold  coin  in  circulation  in  the  island  on  the  30th  April
ultimo,  exclusive  of  the  amount  in  the  banks,  is  estimated  at  from
$30,000,000  to  $35,000,000.
