1624, he notes that the college of San José has obtained the right to grant university degrees, by a papal brief, without the necessity of the graduates going to other universities, and petitions that the rector be allowed to grant the degrees in person. In 1627, Pedro Chirino was dean of the law faculty of the university. [32] A document of June 18, 1636, shows the college of San José to possess incomes from various houses, aggregating 14,000 pesos. [33] In 1640 the college was able to support 40 collegiates, and was in a flourishing condition. [34] That same year the short-lived royal college of San Felipe de Austria was founded. [35] The earthquake of 1645 caused great losses to the college of San José, as much of its capital consisted of houses which were destroyed. [36] The Dominican college of Santo Tomás, formally founded in 1619, with the alms left by Archbishop Benavides and others, was the second college founded in the Philippines. October 25, 1645, however, the Dominicans entered suit against the Jesuits declaring the precedence of their institution over the latter in all public acts in which the said institutions participated. [37] Governor Fajardo, before whom the suit was brought, remitted the cause to the royal Audiencia, which rendered a verdict in favor of the Jesuits, May 10, 1647, declaring that all public acts of the college of San José had precedence over those of Santo Tomás, as the former had been founded over eighteen years earlier. This sentence was confirmed in review, July 29 of the same year, and again by the royal Council of the Indias, August 12, 1652, on examination, and again on review, November 25 of the same year. The college of Santo Tomás, being dissatisfied with the decision, endeavored to take precedence in certain public acts, but with no real effect. [38] A royal decree of June 12, 1665, conceded the sum of 8,000 pesos to the college of San José; and another, issued July 27, 1669, granted the further sum of 12,000 pesos. The reason advanced by the petitions for the grants was the many losses sustained because of the earthquakes during the period from 1645 to 1658. [39] The Jesuits made many requests for royal alms for their Society and college; and many royal decrees were issued granting such alms, both of money and rice. [40] November 22, 1666, Don José Cabral, a Spaniard born in the Philippines, died bishop elect of Camarines, and left a pious bequest of certain lands called later the estate of Liang, to the college, on condition that a chaplaincy be maintained thereby, and that an annual alms be given of ten pesos each to the church of Balayan and to the poor of its district." [41]