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.
[citation needed] 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.
They settled mining disputes, collected government revenues, oversaw land claims, served as electoral officers, and dealt with the natives.
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.
Previous BC chief gold commissioners include Mark Messmer, May Mah-Paulson, Edmund J. Collazzi, Anne Currie, Gary Townsend, Laurel Nash, Jody Shimkus, Lisa Nye, William Phelan, Patrick O’Rourke, Gerald German, Denis Lieutard, John Clancy, M.R.