202 



Notice of Peter Hasenclever. 



A gentleman spending money so liberally as Hasenclever 

 most naturally had the acquaintance and aid of the leading 

 gentlemen of the colony. Accordingly Gov. Moore, Gen. 

 Gage and Sir ¥m. Johnson gave him every facility in ob- 

 taining land by purchase or by patent, and Sir William 

 became equal partner with him in the potash manufacture. 

 What he had actually done in importing emigrants was a 

 sufficient warrant of what he would be able to do in the fu- 

 ture, in bringing a much larger number and thus enhance 

 the value of land to all holders of it. 



During this period of his buoyant hopes he developed 

 great commercial schemes in his correspondence with Sir 

 William, in which the usual sagacity of the latter forbade 

 him to engage. One scheme was a proposal for the forma- 

 tion of a trading company, that should have a monopoly 

 of all the trade with the Indians — on the plausible plea of 

 protecting them from all injustice in trade. Another was 

 for exclusive privileges as distiller of spirits and in the 

 manufacture of salt, by which it was alleged a large addi- 

 tion would be made to the revenues of the colony. 



The enterprises in which he was actually engaged were 

 such as, if sustained by these authorities, would commend 

 them to the government at home for their zeal. The 

 "Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures 

 and Commerce" at London, had in the year 1764, as in 

 other years, offered premiums for the production of these 

 very articles in the North American colonies, which Has- 

 enclever had undertaken to produce — iron, madder, hemp, 

 pot and pearl ashes. 



In the short space of two years Hasenclever spent, ac- 

 cording to his own admission, £54,600 on account of the 

 company, being £14,000 more than the company was ever 

 pledged to be responsible for. The credit side of his ac- 

 count showed little in his favor. Though the iron was 

 good, there had been very little sent over to the London 

 market. Freshets had carried away his dams, one of 



