Crown agents in London, who handled colonial loans, advertised New Zealand government debentures in the London financial press in November 1867. A £3 million loan had been authorised in 1863 and approximately £2.5 million of it had already been subscribed; the Crown agents now sought to sell the remaining debentures. In this advertisement they placed great stress on the scale of gold exports from the colony, although such exports had in fact peaked. The financial statement of 1 September 1868 recorded the successful sale of the debentures.