council member as well as the settlement's first historian—disagreed with the need for armed military-styled police. As a British-colonized territory, he argued that it would conflict with Britain's 1761 Militia Act, which restricted any form of peace officer from also serving in the country's militia. In order to prevent the Volunteer Corps from holding too much power, the Council of Assiniboia enacted certain limitations for the force in order to publicly supervise them, such as the need for annual approval of their funding by the council. 1836–1844 In 1836, two changes occurred: first, the Council of Assiniboia was made more representative, as the number of council members grew from 5 to 15; and secondly, the tariff was lowered to 5%, and then 4% the consecutive year as decided by officers in London. The rate was never again changed until 1870, when Canada legally acquired the territory. Then in 1837, the council altered the resolution that created four districts, and instead divided the Red River Colony into three districts, with each having two magistrates assigned. With this alteration also came adjustments to the classification between petty and serious crimes: petty cases were now defined by debts under £5, and serious cases were over that amount. Another major reformation happened in 1839, when the Hudson's Bay Company introduced a new judicature to the District of Assiniboia. With this came the creation of a governor-in-chief of Rupert's Land - George Simpson - who overruled Assiniboia's governor, and a newly appointed president of the Council of Assiniboia. Councils for both Assiniboia and Rupert's Land were transformed in the new administration, as new members of council, such as governors, magistrates, councillors, and sheriffs arrived from London. Two years following, in 1841, Red River Colony's judicature was altered so that the petty court cases were defined as those with fines of less than 20 shillings. The council also continued to restructure the police force as in 1843 they put an end to the role of sergeant-major in an effort to keep the Volunteer Corps both accountable and responsible. They also instituted constraints in order to prevent the existence of career soldiers by requiring half of the privates to be replaced every other year. That was not the end of the changes to the force though as, in 1844, the number of recruitments was lowered to 50, and examinations into the constables' characters by the magistrates were