During the brief eleven months of British occupation, the oppressive Spanish trade restrictions are lifted, and Havana is thrown open to trade with Britain and particularly with the North American colonies.

More than seven hundred merchant ships visit the port during those months, more than the number that had visited Havana in the preceding decade.

British capital, as well as large numbers of low-priced slaves, enter the island, boosting sugar production.

For the most part, Britain maintains Spanish administrative institutions, although an attempt is made to reform the judicial system by ending some of the existing privileges and streamlining judicial practices.