Gold Commissioner
Encyclopedia
Gold Commissioner was an important regional administrative post in the Colony of British Columbia
.
In the 1860s, Governor Douglas
had three priorities to protect the two colonies he governed: to protect the boundaries, to uphold law and order and to provide access to the gold fields. In 1859, the Pig War
together with McGowan's War
the previous year, underlined concerns that American settlers might challenge the British jurisdictions. After the native population in the Washington Territory
was crushed and the area was opened to settlement, its non-native population grew rapidly to more than 11,000. General William Harney
, after meeting with Douglas, reported to Washington that the population of the colony was largely American with few British and that it would soon be a commercial necessity for the colonists to yield Vancouver Island to the U.S. government. In these circumstances, Douglas enhanced the limited military capability of the Royal Engineers
and developed the office of Gold Commissioner buttressed by the periodic visits of a traveling judge
.
The ten Commissioner's were appointed to specific geographic jurisdictions. Their primary role was to issue mining licences and register gold claims. The commissioners also acted as agents of everyday authority. They settled mining disputes, collected government revenues, oversaw land claims, served as electoral officers and dealt with the natives. They displayed the British flag. They acted as a receiver-cashier for gold, which was held until the Gold Escort could deliver it to the capital. A Gold Commissioner's powers and duties also encompassed the duties of Government Agent, Indian Agent
, magistrate
, Mines Commissioner, surveyor
, sheriff
, coroner
and other duties. The powers of a Gold Commissioner within his designated jurisdiction were second only to the Governor. The position remained as a fixture in the new province when the colony joined Canada
in 1871 although by the end of World War I
nearly all Gold Commissioner positions had been devolved to separate offices, with the bulk of the office's power and legacy inherited by the Government Agent, who typically was also Indian Agent as well as Mines Commissioner, which was a post associated with each of the mining districts.
Colony of British Columbia
The Colony of British Columbia was a crown colony in British North America from 1858 until 1866. At its creation, it physically constituted approximately half the present day Canadian province of British Columbia, since it did not include the Colony of Vancouver Island, the vast and still largely...
.
In the 1860s, Governor Douglas
James Douglas (Governor)
Sir James Douglas KCB was a company fur-trader and a British colonial governor on Vancouver Island in northwestern North America, particularly in what is now British Columbia. Douglas worked for the North West Company, and later for the Hudson's Bay Company becoming a high-ranking company officer...
had three priorities to protect the two colonies he governed: to protect the boundaries, to uphold law and order and to provide access to the gold fields. In 1859, the Pig War
Pig War
The Pig War was a confrontation in 1859 between the United States and the British Empire over the boundary between the US and British North America. The territory in dispute was the San Juan Islands, which lie between Vancouver Island and the North American mainland...
together with McGowan's War
McGowan's War
McGowan's War was a bloodless war that took place in Yale, British Columbia in the fall of 1858. The conflict posed a threat to the newly-minted British authority on the British Columbia mainland, which had only just been declared a colony the previous summer, at the onset of the Fraser Canyon Gold...
the previous year, underlined concerns that American settlers might challenge the British jurisdictions. After the native population in the Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
was crushed and the area was opened to settlement, its non-native population grew rapidly to more than 11,000. General William Harney
William S. Harney
William Selby Harney was a cavalry officer in the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War and the Indian Wars. He was born in what is today part of Nashville, Tennessee but at the time was known as Haysborough....
, after meeting with Douglas, reported to Washington that the population of the colony was largely American with few British and that it would soon be a commercial necessity for the colonists to yield Vancouver Island to the U.S. government. In these circumstances, Douglas enhanced the limited military capability of the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers, Columbia detachment
Columbia detachment of the Royal Engineers was a British military contingent that played a major role in the settlement, development and security of the new British Columbia. Sent at the request of Governor James Douglas to help maintain order during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, the detachment was...
and developed the office of Gold Commissioner buttressed by the periodic visits of a traveling judge
Matthew Baillie Begbie
Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie was born on the island of Mauritius, thereafter raised and educated in the United Kingdom...
.
The ten Commissioner's were appointed to specific geographic jurisdictions. Their primary role was to issue mining licences and register gold claims. The commissioners also acted as agents of everyday authority. They settled mining disputes, collected government revenues, oversaw land claims, served as electoral officers and dealt with the natives. They displayed the British flag. They acted as a receiver-cashier for gold, which was held until the Gold Escort could deliver it to the capital. A Gold Commissioner's powers and duties also encompassed the duties of Government Agent, Indian Agent
Indian Agent (Canada)
Indian Agent is the title of a position in Canada mandated by the Indian Act of that country. An Indian Agent was the chief administrator for Indian affairs in their respective districts, although the title now is largely in disuse in preference to Government Agent. The powers of the Indian...
, magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
, Mines Commissioner, surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
, sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
, coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
and other duties. The powers of a Gold Commissioner within his designated jurisdiction were second only to the Governor. The position remained as a fixture in the new province when the colony joined Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1871 although by the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
nearly all Gold Commissioner positions had been devolved to separate offices, with the bulk of the office's power and legacy inherited by the Government Agent, who typically was also Indian Agent as well as Mines Commissioner, which was a post associated with each of the mining districts.
Other sources
- McGowan's War, Donald J. Hauka, New Star Books, Vancouver (2000) ISBN 1-55420-001-6
- British Columbia Chronicle,: Gold & Colonists, Helen and G.P.V. Akrigg, Discovery Press, Vancouver (1977) ISBN ISBN 0-919624-03-0