Thus the important powers which have distinguished the Comptroller's office--the power of audit; to draw warrants for all payments from the treasury; to keep its books of financial transactions; to invest its funds, and to borrow money--were embodied in the first act. The powers thus granted infringed so largely upon the ordinary rights and duties of a Treasurer, and so largely upon those which had been theretofore exercised by the Treasurer of this State, that it is not strange the then Treasurer, Gerardus Bancker, who had held the office from April 1, 1778, resigned in disgust. His feeling was, as Lossing has stated in his "Empire State," that the Comptroller was made "the highest financial officer of the State, and the Treasurer merely a clerk to him." [Illustration: John V. Henry (signature) _2d COMPTROLLER_] The early history of the office is an illustration of the cautious and doubtful temper of the Legislatures of the time--so unlike those of the present day. It is a well-known fact that while the Legislature of the State met for the first time at Albany, in the same year, 1797, in which the office of Comptroller was created, it was not then made a permanent location for the Capitol; and that city was maintained for upwards of twenty years as the Capitol simply by the adjournment of the Legislature at the end of each session to meet again at the city of Albany. The original act creating the Comptroller's office provided that it should continue in force for a period of three years. On the 28th day of February, 1800, eleven days after the office had expired by limitation, chapter 11 of that year went into effect, which re-established the office for another period of three years. Chapter 22 of the Laws of 1803 extended the office, with the powers and duties then prescribed by law, to February 28, 1805. By chapter 60 of the Laws of 1805, passed March 30th, the office was continued to February 28, 1808, and the acts of the then Comptroller, between the 28th day of February, 1805, and the day when this act went into effect, were ratified and confirmed. On March 11, 1808, chapter 34 of that year was passed, which continued the office to February 28, 1812, with a like confirmatory clause. The act of February 28, 1812, at last made permanent the Comptroller's office, with the powers theretofore conferred upon it. By chapter 31 of the Laws of 1797 the office of Comptroller was to be located either in Albany or Watervliet.